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Hyperventilation beyond fight/flight: Respiratory responses during emotional imagery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2002

ILSE VAN DIEST ,
WINNIE WINTERS ,
STEPHAN DEVRIESE ,
ELKE VERCAMST ,
JIANG N. HAN ,
KAREL P. VAN DE WOESTIJNE  and
OMER VAN DEN BERGH
ILSE VAN DIEST
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium
WINNIE WINTERS
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium
STEPHAN DEVRIESE
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium
ELKE VERCAMST
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium
JIANG N. HAN
Affiliation:
Department of Pneumology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, People's Republic of China
KAREL P. VAN DE WOESTIJNE
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, University of Leuven, Belgium
OMER VAN DEN BERGH
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium
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Abstract

Hyperventilation (HV) is often considered part of a defense response, implying an unpleasant emotion (negative valence) combined with a strong action tendency (high arousal). In this study, we investigated the importance of arousal and valence as triggers for HV responses. Forty women imagined eight different scripts varying along the arousal and valence dimensions. The scripts depicted relaxation, fear, depressive, action, and desire situations. After each trial, the imagery was rated for valence, arousal, and vividness. FetCO2, inspiratory and expiratory time, tidal volume, and pulse rate were measured in a nonintrusive way. FetCO2 drops and decreases in inspiratory and expiratory time occurred in all but the depressive and the relaxation scripts, suggesting that a defense conceptualization of hyperventilation is not always appropriate.

Keywords

RespirationHyperventilationEmotionsImagery
Type
Research Article
Information
Psychophysiology , Volume 38 , Issue 6 , November 2001 , pp. 961 - 968
Copyright
© 2001 Society for Psychophysiological Research

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