Testimonials & Research

Testimonials

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“It’s so simple that I can’t believe how I felt while do[ing] the breathing and the change it made within. Can’t wait to do more.” Helen Young, Licensed Massage Therapist

“The workshop was warm & nurturing, and I felt physically stronger after each technique…” Cinde Priano, Human Services Professional

“I had often been told to “take a deep breath” in times of stress, but it wasn’t until I took Deborah’s class that I really learned how to breathe in a way that always brings me more peace and calm. And I don’t wait for stressful times to use her techniques, but because they’re so easy and effective, I use them often during the day to restore my equilibrium.” Nancy, Retired Attorney

“Very thought provoking and clearly gives me practices to work on-especially…being able to say no without anger.” Heidi B. Schwarz, Physician

“…your presentation style is remarkable. The techniques you taught us are simple, yet I can already see how they will help me emotionally and also physically.” Donna Bud, Administrative Professional

“I very much enjoyed your workshop. The techniques were thoughtfully taught, patiently taught…all with a beautiful peace around them. Content is easy to incorporate and follow…” Laura Villanti, Homemaker and Nutrition Volunteer

“THANKS!!! I feel I have tools to deal with some issues that I have worried would affect my health. You are organizing ideas that I have heard before in a way that makes sense and makes them usable.” Nancy Reed

“I am leaving feeling more comfortable about my general boundaries ... I am looking forward to the next ridiculous request made of me, so that I can feel easy about saying ‘no’.” Kelly McCurdy, Self-employed

“This is a wonderful addition and the next step on my journey. It always amazes me to learn how much power I have within myself to make my life as happy, healthy and wonderful as it can possibly be!” Kelly Sanderson, Teacher

“Dr. Deborah Gabriel is a unique individual who is able to embody both the traditional western psychological approach to health as well as the healing and consciousness secrets of the East. She brings a sharp scientist’s eye to healing methods as well as a powerful and transformative personal presence. Her goal is to bring to busy residents of the modern world the strong, usable, and effective techniques of mindfulness and self discovery that the participant can take with herself or himself long after the initial experience is over.” Maureen Ward-Eichel, PhD, Retired Psychologist and Psychology Instructor

“I feel great. Glad I came…Thank you!!” Harriet Caputo, bookkeeper

“This was amazing. I especially loved the wonderful way you explained everything. It was informative & enjoyable…Thank you for a wonderful experience. Ruth Chapman

“…thank you so much for sharing. The workshop has been extremely helpful and informative.” Jennifer Rozman

“I learned some very helpful techniques that I can begin using immediately. Even though I had studied yoga and meditative practices, the juxtapositioning of that knowledge with physics and the energy psychologies was very revealing.”… Robert, Database Architect, NY

Research

2018: Nine participants in a drug and alcohol recovery program in California participated in a pilot study of Ujjayi Memory Release™. Participants rated their current level of “worry and anxiety” on a summated scale with values ranging from 0 (completely calm; not at all worried or anxious) to 10 (the most worried or anxious [they’d] ever been.

After practicing Ujjayi Memory Release™ ( for between 5-10 minutes per participant, all but one participant reported drops in their current level of “worry and anxiety” and participants provided the following comments:

“This was a very deep internal experience. Very calming, especially after 6-7 breaths. Please continue to spread the technique.”

“My memory was fear driven (‘what could have happened?). After Ujjayi breathing I just visualized the situation as an open door in a room with no threat in my space.”

“Very useful…technique…very calming and restorative process. I will use it in the future.”

“It was so relaxing that I almost went to sleep. My worry and anxiety [post-technique] is between 1 and 2”.

“Great experience overall…I am relaxed and could see myself applying this to my bedtime routine rather than taking my melatonin.”

“When I started the breathing process, I was thinking about when I beat up my friend. It bothers me that I did that because I regret it. When I was using the Ujjayi breathing technique I became okay…the thought eventually faded away.”

“Feel more relaxed”

Of the two remaining participants, one reported having difficulty keeping his mind from “jumping around, so dealing with a single memory, as the technique is meant to do, was not possible for him. The final participant misunderstood the numbering system and was inaccurately focused during the Ujjayi Memory Release™ process.

2017: Two studies were conducted across two groups of Psychology students at DeAnza College.

Five students participated in a study of Ujjayi Memory Release™ and provided the following comments upon completion:

“I opened my eyes too soon, but when I went back to it and finished, I felt very light and free”
“With the memory that kept coming up, I was really frustrated. After going through the memory with the breathing, it felt washed away-the emotion and specific pats of that memory were gone.”
“The memory that I had picked was not the memory my mind wanted me to focus on. I did not know that memory even bothered me. I now feel a bit more relaxed and I don’t really remember the memory so well anymore.”
“Slightly less worried.”
“After the [technique] I feel a lot better and surprised that specific memory actually came to mind. Regardless, I barely remember now.”

The second study was a controlled experiment investigating the effectiveness of Ujjayi Stress Release ™ using 31 student volunteers, diverse in age, ethnicity, and gender, who were assigned to three different group conditions. Participants rated their current level of “worry and anxiety” on a summated scale with values ranging from 0 (completely calm; not at all worried or anxious) to 10 (the most worried or anxious [they’d] ever been.

Of 31 students, 11 learned Ujjayi Stress Release™, while 10 others learned a simple deep slow breathing technique and 10 others learned several American Sign Language letters of the alphabet. Of the 11 in the treatment group, 10 reported a drop in their subjective experience of “worry and anxiety” caused by an experimental stressor, following their use of Ujjayi Stress Release™.

Unfortunately, an artifact created by an accident in participant assignment to groups prevented direct statistical comparison of the treated (those who were taught Ujjayi Stress Release™) to non-treated groups of students(those who were not taught Ujjayi Stress Release™).

2012: A pilot study on the effectiveness of Simple Breath Meditation® was conducted with 11 participants in a bereavement support group in New York. All participants agreed the meditation technique was “easy to learn” and all reported feeling calmer and better after only five minutes of use.