Brain Respiration to Overcome Stress People Who Live with

HIV (ODHIV)

Efnie Indrianie

Faculty of Psychology, Maranatha Christian University, Surya Sumantri Street, Bandung, Indonesia

Keywords: Brain Respiration, Stress, HIV, EDA.

Abstract: People living with HIV facing a chronic life-threatening illness and stigma from the society that can caused

stress. By using brain respiration, they can manage their negative emotion and reduce the stress level. Quasi

experimental method used in this research. The sampling technique was purposive sampling. 18 ODHIV that

newly diagnosed HIV and had high stress level have contributed to this research. 9 of them become

experimental group, and the rest become as control group. ODHIV in experimental group got Brain

Respiration and ODHIV in control group was not. The measurement of stress level was done by doing pre-

test and post-test. Stress level in this research has been measured by electrodermal activity (EDA) by using

biofeedback device. EDA is autonomic nervous system that reflect mental state such as stress. Non parametric

statistic Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney used in this research. The result showed that there was difference stress

level before and after test on experimental group (Tcount = 1 < Ttable = 5, α= 0,05). There was difference

stress level between experiment and control group (Ucount = 2 > Utable = 1, α= 0,05). In conclusion, Brain

Respiration can be used to reduce stress level people living with HIV.

1 INTRODUCTION

The number of people who live with human

immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Indonesia have

increased significantly. Indonesia Ministry of Health

stated that until December 2020, 543.100 cases has

been recorded. Indonesia Ministry of Health have

provided free treatment for people who diagnosed

HIV to reduce the number of HIV transmission.

Treatment that has given is antiretroviral therapy

(ART) (Tarmizi, 2020). ART that used to treat HIV

is just to suppress number of virus in the blood, but it

can’t eliminate the virus in the blood (O’Connor et

al., 2017). Beside it, people living with HIV facing a

chronic life-threatening illness and stigma from the

society. It has aggravated the condition (Riley &

Kalichman, 2015). This has made people who have

diagnosed HIV become stress (Huang et al., 2020).

Stress can increase viral replication of the virus and

suppress the immune response people living with

HIV. Therefore, stress-reduction interventions are

urgently needed for the comprehensive care of people

living with HIV(Riley & Kalichman, 2015).

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1724-3132

The phenomenon about stress actually has been

studied a lot. Krohne (2001) classified the study of

stress into two approaches. The first approach refers

to Lazarus theory (1991), and the second approach

refer to Selye theory (1976). According to Lazarus

(1991) stress is an interaction between individual and

environment, where the interaction caused burden

that exceed the capacity of the individual. Besides it,

Selye (1976) used General Adaptation Syndrome

(GAS) as point of view. GAS emphasize on

individual physiological reaction in anticipation

foreign object that entered the body. This is similar

while an individual experiencing stress

psychologically, where the stress triggers regarded as

“foreign object” and therefore can influence immune

system (Herbert & Cohen, 1993).

One of physiological reaction that happen while

individual experiencing stress is autonomic nervous

system will be activated. It refers to changes in sweat

gland activity and reflect the intensity of our

emotional arousal (Pop-Jordanova & Pop-Jordanov,

2020). People living with HIV who experienced

chronic stress have high intensity of autonomic

nervous system and endocrine (Qiao et al., 2017).

Indrianie, E.

Brain Respiration to Overcome Stress People Who Live with HIV (ODHIV).

DOI: 10.5220/0010753200003112

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Emerging Issues in Humanity Studies and Social Sciences (ICE-HUMS 2021), pages 421-425

ISBN: 978-989-758-604-0

421

Autonomic nervous system activity alteration can be

measured by recording electro dermal activity (EDA)

(Pakarinen, Pietila, & Nieminen, 2019). EDA can be

measured by using biofeedback (Pop-Jordanova &

Pop-Jordanov, 2020).

As we know before, stress experienced by people

living with HIV must be managed. If stress level

increased, the CD4 T-lymphocytes will be decreased.

CD4 T-lymphocytes is a part of white blood cell that

has a role to stimulate other immune cells to fight HIV

(Effendy, Amin, de Vega, & Utami, 2019). The one

of way to manage stress is by giving education to the

brain. Brain Respiration can become the one of way

to educate the brain (Crawford, Prince, Larick,

Howley, & Patricia, 2019).

Brain Respiration is a training of mind, body, and

soul which designed for human transformation to

become a new human (Lee, 2002). Brain Respiration

is a powerful technique to energize human brain.

Brain Respiration is a special technique of breathing

that can makes the brain active by using the “Bio-

energy” or the power of life. Through the use of Brain

Respiration, the blood and the energy circulation have

activated. By activating the blood and energy, more

blood is brought to the brain. It is really helpful to

overcome stress, and create a peaceful state of mind.

Brain Respiration is not only work on the function of

the left brain, where the most of people have greater

development, but it restores the whole brain function.

It helps the human to find his/her whole or true self

(Hayes, Lampi, & Leigh, 2007)

Brain Respiration programme consist of three

area. They are Wake-Up Gym, Energy Focusing, and

Brain Building. The first area is a stretching program

that can wake-up the body. It is designed to stimulate

the body’s meridian system, which is the system that

carries the energy to all parts of the body. It is like the

veins and arteries carry blood to all of the major

organs and systems of the body. The second area is

Energy Focusing. This practice begins with learning

to focus to the energy in the hands, then moving the

energy to other parts of the body. It can help brain to

be more focuss and have more power to think. The

third area is Brain Building. It is a more direct

stimulation of brain and expanding the use of the

brain. This practice uses simple exercises, activities,

and energy to stimulate the brain. These exercises and

activities are easy and fun to do (Hayes et al., 2007).

2 METHODS AND MATERIALS

By knowing the benefit of Brain Respiration, this

research wanted to know the effect of Brain

Respiration in reducing stress level on people who

live with HIV.

2.1 Subject Identification

To ensure the effect of Brain Respiration, 18 people

who live with HIV and had a high stress level have

contributed in this research. 9 of them become

experimental group, and the rest become as control

group. The number of participants that have

contributed to the research were based on the

previous research. Number of participants that have

contributed less than 20 participants (Sugimoto,

Kanai, & Shoji, 2009). Beside it, participant that have

selected in this study were the people that newly

diagnosed HIV. People that newly diagnosed HIV

can be more stress than people who live with HIV for

several months or years (Huang et al., 2020).

2.2 Design and Research Procedure

This research used quasi-experimental design. Quasi-

experimental is an experimental research design, and

not all things can be controlled. Because of that, the

research just controlled several things which can be

controlled. Quasi-experiment will be done while the

pure experiment can’t be done (Graziano & Raulin,

2019).

Procedures that have been done in this research

were as follow. The first, 20 persons people who live

with HIV checked by using biofeedback to know the

stress level. The result showed that 18 participants

had high stress level and were selected to become as

research participant. The second, 18 participants that

have chosen divided into two groups. 9 participants

become as experimental group, and the rest become

as control group. The third, participants in

experimental group got Brain Respiration treatment

for one hour (Hayes et al., 2007). The fourth,

participants in experimental group re-checked by

using biofeedback to know the alteration of the stress

level. The fifth, after the experiment completed,

participant in control group got Brain Respiration

treatment to maintain their wellbeing.

2.3 Data Analysis Technique

Analysis technique that has been used in this research

was non-parametric statistic Wilcoxon to analyze two

pairs of data (Siegel, 1997). Statistical hypothesis that

used to test two pairs of data (pre-test and post-test)

are as follow:

H0: There is no difference stress level before and

after Brain Respiration on experimental group.

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422

H1: There is different stress level before and after

brain respiration on experimental group.

H0: There is no difference stress level before and after

Brain Respiration on control group.

H1: There is different stress level before and after

brain respiration on control group.

Analysis technique that has been used to see the

difference stress level between experimental group

and control group is non-parametric statistic Mann

Whitney (Siegel, 1997). The statistical hypothesis is

as follow:

H0: There is no difference stress level between

experimental group and control group.

H1: There is different stress level between

experimental group and control group.

2.4 Biofeedback Device

Biofeedback device that used in this research

recorded the psychological arousal by measuring

electrodermal activity (EDA). The device recorded

EDA on standard polygraph test. The device

measures EDA that comes as result of different

electrical phenomena activity in the skin. The skin

that has measured is palm skin. The biofeedback

device produced by Art Medico

Figure 1: Biofeedback Mode.

Figure 2: The way to grip the biofeedback device.

3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The following is an overview of the stress level that

obtained from the biofeedback examination.

Based on the result of data processing pre-test and

post-test by using non parametric Wilcoxon with α

= 0.05, result obtained is T-count = 1 and T-table = 5.

If T-count less than T-table, so H0 is refused and H1

is accepted. It means there are different stress level

before and after Brain Respiration. Therefore, it can

be interpreted that Brain Respiration can reduce stress

level on the people who live with HIV.

The result that obtained from the statistical

analysis consistent with the result of the research

which is conducted by Lee Park and Kim. They found

that by doing Brain Respiration during one hour,

several types of stress hormones such as cortisol, beta

endorphin, dan catecholamine decreased (Lee, 2002).

Table 1: Stress Level Before and After Brain Respiration

on Experimental Group.

Number of

Participant on

Experimental

Grou

Stress Level

Before Brain

Respiration

(

Pre-Test

)

Stress Level

After Brain

Respiration

(

Post-Test

)

To see the difference stress level on control group

who didn’t get Brain Respiration, the research also

has counted the stress level on control group, and the

description is as follow.

Brain Respiration to Overcome Stress People Who Live with HIV (ODHIV)

423

Table 2: Stress Level Before and After without Brain

Respiration on Control Group.

Number of

Participant on

Control Group

Pre-Test

Pos-Test

(without Brain

Respiration

treatment

)

5 4

4 4

5 5

Based on the result of data processing pre-test and

post-test by using non parametric Wilcoxon with α

= 0.05, result obtained is T-count = 9 and T-table = 5.

If T-count more than T-table, so H0 is accepted and

H1 is rejected. It means there are no different stress

level before and after Brain Respiration. Therefore, it

can be interpreted that without Brain Respiration

stress level on people who live with HIV can not be

diminished.

The result reinforced by the previous research.

The research stated that stress experienced by people

living with HIV has encouraged them to overcome

the condition. However, they used the maladaptive

coping if they are not directed in the right way

(Chesney, Folkman, & Chmabers, 1996).

The research also compared the stress level

between experimental group and control group to

ensure that the change is caused by Brain Respiration.

It will be described as follow.

Table 3: Comparison of Stress Level on Experimental and

Control Group.

Number of

Partici

ant

Experimental

Grou

Stress Level

Control Group

Stress Level

4 4

1 4

2 4

2 5

Based on the result of data processing pre-test and

post-test by using non parametric Mann Whitney with

α = 0.05, the result obtained that U-count = 2 and U-

table = 17. If U-count less than u-table, so H0 is

rejected and H1 is accepted. It means the stress level

between experimental group and control group are

different.

It showed that stress management intervention for

people who living with HIV can facilitate the positive

condition (Brown & Vanable, 2008). Park, Lee, and

Lee (2000) in Hayes et al. (2007) stated that Brain

Respiration can influence the endocrine responses

related to stress. Brain Respiration can make the

endocrine activity become more stable and make the

individual condition become more stable.

4 CONCLUSIONS

Therefore, our finding result that Brain Respiration

can become as the one of treatment that can help

people who live with HIV to reduce the stress level.

Brain Respiration can bring people who live with

HIV (ODHIV) into a positive condition.

The number of ODHIV who participated in this

research is still limited. It will be better if increase the

number of participants for further research. Beside it,

future research should also explore the impact of

Brain Respiration interventions on health behavior

changes that may be relevant to longer-term mental

health outcomes.

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