We’ve all heard stories of that rare person who’s able to do things with their bodies and minds that defy scientific understanding. But they’re the outliers—aren’t they? They must possess something the rest of us don’t.
Wim Hof, also known as the “iceman,” embodies this idea, and has become famous for his ability to tolerate and thrive amid frigid temperatures. He has amassed several Guinness World Records for his feats of endurance and athleticism, mostly in freezing temperatures. He attributes his abilities to deep breathing exercises and cold therapy (exposure to the cold which causes a cascade of
health benefits) that he claims tap into our innate abilities as humans.
So, how does he do it? And can we do it as well?
The Wim Hof method is built on three “pillars”: breathing, cold therapy, and commitment. Using his method, Hof has been able to do things that science had previously thought impossible. He holds many world records for his feats of physical prowess. Some of his Guinness world records are listed below.
- He was able to climb up to 24,000 feet of Mount Everest in only his shorts.
- In 2000, he set a record for the longest distance swim under ice—a total of 188.6 feet. As a reference, this is farther than half a football field in ice-cold water.
- In 2011, he ran an entire marathon in the Namib Desert with no food or water. Perhaps most notably, Hof kept his core body temperature at 98.6 degrees, which is unheard of in those conditions. Although dehydrated after the run, after drinking some water and a couple of beers, he was fine, according to the supervising doctor.
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Hof’s abilities, through his discovery and development of these techniques, is that he has been able to master aspects of his physiology. Hof has demonstrated that he can
affect his core body temperature regardless of external conditions,
voluntarily activate his sympathetic nervous system, and
influence his immune response.
Hof has also learned to master his breathing. In just a couple of months of training and practice, he could draw so much oxygen into his body that he could remain under the ice for
five to seven minutes without breathing.
In a study at Radboud University in Holland that was published
in PNAS in 2014, 12 young men were trained in Hof’s techniques and injected with an endotoxin from the cell wall of a bacteria. Twelve different young men not trained in his techniques were injected with the same dead bacterial component and served as the control. This endotoxin typically causes an immune response and subjects develop symptoms such as fever and headache. The scientists running the experiment said that in the trained subjects, they observed that the release of inflammatory proteins was significantly decreased and that they experienced far fewer flu-like symptoms than the men in the control group.
Unfortunately, the men in the control group suffered the intense and unpleasant side effects that the endotoxin would elicit in normal circumstances—overall body weakness, fever, chills, and headache.
Hof’s breathing techniques can also produce an abundance of the hormone epinephrine (also known as adrenaline). Apparently, using his breathing techniques, Hof is able to produce double the amount of epinephrine than someone doing a bungee jump for the first time. Trained participants in
the study above were able to produce two times the usual amount of epinephrine at the precise time they were injected with the endotoxin, coinciding with when they began practicing their breathing techniques.
Epinephrine is a stress hormone released when the sympathetic nervous system is activated—when we are afraid or in danger. When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, it suppresses the immune response, which is why the trained individuals in the experiment were able to decrease the release of inflammatory proteins and why they experienced fewer flu-like symptoms.
The results the study participants were able to achieve are significant because there is a
general consensus in the scientific community that there are certain functions the human body performs that we can’t control. The immune system and nervous system are two examples. Hof is proving, in this and other
experiments, that this isn’t the case.
He states that by using his methods, practitioners can achieve various health benefits, including:
- increasing energy
- increasing performance
- relieving symptoms of autoimmune diseases and fibromyalgia
- lowering blood pressure
- improving sleep
- boosting the immune system
- improving mental health
- helping symptoms of depression
- improving creativity
- increasing willpower
Hof attests that by using his methods, he can teach others to control their bodies and minds the way he can, and he has been teaching his techniques to individuals and professionals worldwide for many years. So, can we really learn how to control our autonomic nervous system and immune response? Hof seems to think so and has shown in
experiments that he can.
For a bit of a refresher, below is a brief description of both the immune system and the autonomic nervous system, its two branches, and how they work.
The Innate Immune System
The immune system is a complex network of cells, organs, and tissues that work together to protect the body from invading pathogens and internal disease. There are two main types of immunity, the innate immune system, and the adaptive immune system.The
innate immune system is the one we are born with and is our body’s first line of defense against invading pathogens. Its main components are physical barriers like the skin and mucous membranes that prevent microbes from getting into the body, where they can make us sick.
The
adaptive immune system is the learning immune system. It builds up a knowledge base of germs or antigens to recognize and release antibodies against them. Adaptive immune responses are slow to develop with the first exposure to a new pathogen and we rely on the innate immune system to protect us from infection. The strength of our adaptive immune system grows over time as it encounters more and more pathogens and develops antibodies against them, making it more effective over time.
The Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system, too, is thought to be beyond our conscious control. Until recently, it was thought to operate beneath the level of our conscious awareness and function in the background, keeping us safe from perceived dangers and ensuring we react suitably to external stimuli without us having to think about it.
The word autonomic in fact, suggests that the nervous system is outside of our voluntary control and is defined as automatic or unconscious.
The autonomic nervous system has two branches: the sympathetic and parasympathetic.
The
parasympathetic nervous system is also sometimes called the ’rest and digest system’, which is active when we’re at rest and acts to conserve the body’s energies and recover after a dangerous encounter or emergency situation—when the sympathetic nervous system is operational.
The
sympathetic nervous system is also called our ‘fight or flight’ response and is activated when there’s a perceived threat to our health and well-being. These systems were vital when our ancestors faced being eaten by ferocious animals and needed to be vigilant about personal safety. Today, the threats to our welfare are less dramatic, although no less significant. We can activate the sympathetic nervous system by worrying about a work meeting or almost rear-ending someone in rush hour traffic. Stress is the trigger and a common problem in our fast-paced, high-pressure society.
The fact that Hof is able to affect these systems almost at will is something that science is still trying to understand. Hof has been very willing to work with scientists eager to study how he is able to do the things he does, and there are multiple
scientific studies on Wim Hof’s website.
Lessons From Grief
What some may not know about Wim Hof is
why he ‘discovered’ this ability in himself (that he says we all possess).
Hof met a beautiful Spanish woman named Olaya when he was 22 and living a bohemian lifestyle in his native Amsterdam. He fell in love with her, and they had four children together. Hof says he called her “
butterfly“ because of her vivid, outgoing personality and ability to talk to anyone. But he says she struggled with what he thought was mild depression early on in their marriage. By the time their four children arrived, her depression seemed to get worse, and, as he describes it, it was like
a “shadow came into their lives, and she began drifting away because the darkness was taking over.”
Olaya was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. Hof explains that doctors and psychiatrists using various medications and treatments couldn’t help her, and her mental state worsened.
Early one morning in 1995, at the age of 35, Olaya kissed her four children—then ages 7 to 12—and jumped from the eighth story, ending her life.
This catastrophic event threw Hof’s life into chaos and the grief he felt almost consumed him. But, as he explains in several interviews on the subject, he didn’t have time to grieve or deal with the emotional pain he was in, as he was now alone with very little money and four young children to take care of.
Years earlier, at the age of 17, he had discovered the cold and cold water in particular, but it was only after his wife’s death that he began to realize its therapeutic potential.
One day while walking through a park he says
he was drawn to a natural pool with a thin sheet of ice covering it, and he got into the water. He says that he went deeply inside himself, and that it “silenced” him. He says he later realized that what was happening was a connection with the deeper parts of his brain, the more primitive aspects. He says it made him feel really good, that he didn’t feel the cold and that he felt powerful.
After his wife’s suicide, his cold plunges achieved something he wasn’t expecting. When submerged in the icy waters, the grief that had been tormenting him went away and he felt a sense of peace. He says that the cold water led him to stillness, and the stillness in his mind gave his heart a chance to rest, restore, and rehabilitate. He credits the cold water with helping him heal his broken heart.
Hof said it was at this point that he understood the profound benefits of the strategies he was using—cold water, breathing techniques, and a positive mindset. His eldest son, Enahm, is the one who encouraged his father to turn his insights into a business, and, wanting to help others, he agreed. The rest is history.
Hof heartbreakingly states in interviews that he wasn’t able to help his wife, that he didn’t have the tools then. But, if he had known then what he knows now, he could have helped her. Now, he—a self-professed “simple man”—is
teaching psychiatrists, doctors, and professors to do as he has done, sharing his techniques around the world and healing hearts and minds.
It seems that Hof, through years of practice and development, has gained an almost superhuman control over his mind and body and discovered something the field of psychiatry and medicine have not—a natural way out of the pain of grief and an avenue to develop new human abilities.
While many are astounded at his dedication and discomfort involved in achieving tremendous physical and mental feats under icy conditions, Hof said that suffering is nothing compared to the pain of a grieving heart.
Although most may know him as ‘the iceman’ for his superhuman abilities to control his mind and body, Hof offers lessons beyond temperature and breath control. We will all have tragedy in our lives. We will all face adversity, and when that happens, we have a choice. We can let those experiences break us down and destroy us, or we can channel them into something beautiful.
In Wim’s case, he did just that. What he has created is expanding scientific understanding of the human body and mind and showing us the resilience of the human spirit.
