In 1916, Cara Schlaffhorst and Hedwig Andersen developed a form of therapy with emphasis on the three-part breathing rhythm: inhalation, exhalation, pause. With this method, the breath is activated as a source of life and the body is influenced in its entirety. The Schlaffhorst-Andersen method is applied both in therapeutic and in musical/artistic fields of work.
The three breathing phases correlate with the three phases of muscle tension: contraction (inhalation), extension (exhalation), relaxation (breathing pause). Patients suffering from whiplash are out of balance due to the accident, therefore their breathing rhythm is altered, too. This approach carries through the therapeutic procedure. Great attention is paid to the exhaled air when manually influencing the 3 components of the breathing rhythm. In this way, a looseness can be brought about from which the automatic inhalation benefits. Specific movement and voice exercises show the connection between breath and everyday movement or behaviour such as standing up, sitting down or walking. If those affected succeed in experiencing automatic breathing, the principle of order can be re-established, and the body finds its way back to its self-healing mechanisms. For it is comes down to this principle: Posture is supported by breathing. If breathing fails, posture fails.