A few weekends ago, I was awake during my appendectomy.

I experienced intense pain, and was aware of the surgeon cutting into my body.

As you can imagine, this greatly surprised me, but not for the reason you might think. My actual surgery took place two decades ago, and I was asleep the whole time.

But during a weekend retreat, I took part in a holotropic breathwork program, during which we all breathed in a specific, speeded up pattern. Every one of the about 15 participants experienced some type of remarkable experience, many of which involved new clarity and the release of past trauma or events.

In my case, I would have told you I have no significant after-effects from my surgery, except for a scar. Apparently, my body has a different opinion; it carries a vivid memory of an event that is not accessible to my conscious mind.

This, I’d guess, is true of everyone: we carry around negative baggage without being aware of it. Only when we bypass our logical brain do we catch glimpses of these hidden weights that have the potential to make our life less enjoyable than it could be.

One last point: if you ever get the opportunity to try holotropic breathwork, it’s an utterly fascinating practice. Even with the pain, I am grateful for the experience and eager to try it again.