{"id":81028,"date":"2022-10-01T12:51:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-01T16:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=81028"},"modified":"2022-10-14T14:51:23","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T18:51:23","slug":"wim-hof-cold-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wim-hof-cold-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Wim Hof Cold Therapy: Health Benefits & How to Begin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Wim Hof cold therapy? How can it improve your health<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his book The Wim Hof Method<\/em>, Hof explains how he developed\u2014and eventually dedicated his life to sharing\u2014the Wim Hof Method. An important component of this method is cold exposure therapy, which Hof discovered has significant health benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn about the healing power of Wim Hof cold therapy and how to practice<\/a> it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Healing Power of Wim Hof Cold Therapy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most of us shudder at the thought of jumping into a cold shower, but what if doing so could make you healthier? In The Wim Hof Method<\/em>, renowned motivational speaker Wim Hof (a.k.a. The Iceman) makes that exact claim. He gained fame and baffled scientists with his record-breaking ability to survive dangerously low temperatures. According to Wim Hof, cold therapy can transform your health, reduce your pain and stress, and maximize your mental energy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hof describes how his journey was practically prophesied from birth. Born in 1959 in the Netherlands, Hof is an identical twin. His brother Andre came first, and since echo technology didn\u2019t yet exist, the hospital staff didn\u2019t believe his mother when she insisted that another baby was coming. By the time they realized their mistake, they had to heavily medicate his mother so that she could deliver Hof safely. Under the influence of these drugs, Hof\u2019s religious mother became convinced that her son would die\u2014and yelled out to God that she would make her son a missionary if he let her child live. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Hof never became a religious missionary, he did ultimately discover his own mission: sharing the Wim Hof Method, which he started developing in his late teens. He narrates that after dropping out of school, he moved into a squatter\u2019s home at 17 and spent his days living as he chose. He soon became intrigued by an icy pond at nearby Beatrixpark\u2014and one day, he went into the water naked. Despite only staying in the water for a short time, Hof felt invigorated. So he returned regularly and began experimenting with staying in the water longer and trying different breathing patterns to see how they affected his body<\/strong>. Wim Hof did this every day, every winter, for 25 years and learned about cold exposure therapy and conscious breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In a separate interview, Hof elaborates further on exactly why<\/em> he started experimenting with breathwork in the cold water<\/a>. After dropping out of school at 17, Hof spent some time in India before returning to the Netherlands. When he went into the water in Beatrixpark, he decided to experiment with different breathing patterns using yogic breathing exercises<\/a> inspired by Indian culture.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Hof didn\u2019t discover the healing power of these techniques until several years later. In 1995, Hof\u2019s first wife died by suicide after a long battle with her mental health. Hof contends that he was able to survive and heal from this tragedy for two reasons: the reality that he needed to care for his four children and his daily excursions into cold water. In this way, Hof discovered how powerful his daily ritual was\u2014and he turned it into the Wim Hof Method in hopes that he could help others heal themselves through cold exposure therapy. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Hof\u2019s Experiences Demonstrate the Power of Story and Meaning<\/strong>

Hof\u2019s description of how his traumatic birth experience and his first wife\u2019s death led him to discover his mission of developing and sharing the Wim Hof Method demonstrates how humans can find both motivation and meaning in suffering. In Barking Up the Wrong Tree<\/em><\/a>, Eric Barker explains that believing a good story about the random events in your life gives your brain a feeling of control and provides you with a sense of meaning that motivates you to surmount obstacles<\/a>. Hof\u2019s story that his mission to share his method was prophesied from birth may have motivated him to surmount obstacles and led to his success in popularizing it. 

Additionally, In Man\u2019s Search for Meaning<\/em><\/a>, Victor Frankl suggests that finding meaning in suffering helps us deal with said suffering<\/a>. Hof may have found meaning in the suffering brought on by his wife’s death because it triggered his discovery of the healing power of cold water. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cold Exposure Health Benefits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Many people hate the cold\u2014so why should you bother exposing yourself to it? Wim Hof contends that there are two main health benefits to cold exposure therapy: reduced susceptibility to disease and a greater ability to handle stress.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n