Individual Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) as an add-on Treatment for Dyspnea Self-management in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) - a Quantitative and Qualitative Study

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a burden to health care and economic systems globally, to manage this preventable and treatable disease, different pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions were shown to be effective.

Chronic and progressive dyspnea, cough and sputum production are the characteristic symptoms of COPD. The most commonly encountered symptom in patients with COPD is dyspnea, it is a subjective experience of breathing discomfort . It causes impact on patient's health status, sleep quality, anxiety and depression level. Therefore, skills transfer in self-managing major symptoms are crucial to prevent negative consequences, and as suggested by Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), managing symptoms and to prevent future risk of exacerbations is important for stable COPD cases.

Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT) is a physio-therapeutic intervention directed toward patients' functional movement quality. The development of BBAT was based on the hypothesis of persons' lacking contact with and lacking awareness on their own body, with their inner life, external environment and in the relation to other persons. Thus, it leads to dysfunctional movement, pain and other body functions. BBAT focus on multi-perspective within a person including physical, physiological, psycho-social-cultural and existential perspectives. It directs patients to be "aware", guides patients to have mental contact with their body, monitors internal sensations and external environment, and thus, to enhance the self-regulated behavior and positive emotional state.

There are three key components in practicing BBAT, namely balance, free breathing and mental awareness. Evidence shown that the effect of BBAT is significant in improving physical and psycho-social well-being in patients with different physical and mental disorders. Now, there is absence of evidence in applying BBAT in managing cases with respiratory diseases, especially for those with prominent symptoms of dyspnea (for example COPD cases).

The objectives of this study are (1) to evaluate individual BBAT as an add-on treatment in patients with COPD, (2) to understand COPD patients' experience through participating in individual Basic Body Awareness Therapy (BBAT).