Breathing Pattern Management Through Mental Imagery as Mental Health Rehabilitation After Dyspnea: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Dyspnea or air hunger is distressed breathing that is associated with mental awareness. Dyspnea in chronic respiratory often display anxiety or depressive symptoms. These emotional states cause a decline in the individual's quality of life and functional status. This category contributes to 1) the degree of disability related to dyspnea, and 2) the degree of impairment in lung function. In this study, we need to answer the question: Can mindfulness improve the condition of shortness of breath? Both mindfulness and shortness of breath are subjective sensations, but shortness of breath is multidimensional and multidisciplinary in nature. In this study, we conducted a scoping narrative review using three main online databases Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus on three main topics: respiratory system, mental imagery, and self- management (rehabilitation). We searched for observational studies and a limited number of systematic reviews and meta-analyses published up to 1968 to 2024. The specific keywords were dyspnea, oxygen, pulmonary rehabilitation, intensive care, and self-management. Dyspnea and mental imagery are the natural occurrence in most people's daily lives. Mental imagery as a cognitive ability is the motivational amplifier for promoting activities, potentially in representative outstanding emotional practices. This review emphasizes on managing the emotional distress caused by dyspnea by imagery in the brain through three different themes: 1) Attention and bodily sensations in the dyspnea, 2) Episodic memory and cognitive load in dyspnea, and 3) Managing dyspnea with mental imagery for health psychology process.