How It Works

Our autonomic (involuntary) nervous system keeps our heart beating, blood flowing, lungs breathing, and stomach digesting. It has two main parts:  the sympathetic – our emergency response system (“fight or flight”) and the parasympathetic – the daily maintenance system (“rest and relax”). During the stress/response cycle, with muscles needing 15 to 25 times more oxygen to move quickly, the sympathetic increases our respiratory rate, producing shallow, fast breathing.  After the threat is over, the parasympathetic returns our breathing rate to normal except if we get overwhelmed and “stuck in alarm mode” (fight or flight). We can then use deep, slow breathing skills to send body messages to our brain to calm down, breaking the stress/response cycle.  Breathing is the only involuntary function that we can control, making this skill critically important to stress management and trauma recovery. It is a fast acting, stress reliever.

How to Use

Use both hands. Hand 1: Spread fingers. Hand 2: Use pointer finger to trace hand 1. Start with your pinky finger. Breathe in as you trace up your finger. Pause at the top of your finger. Then breathe out as you trace down your finger. Trace all five fingers, then the outline of your wrist and return to your pinky. Take deep, slow, gentle breaths of equal duration of inhalation and exhalation. Breathe into your stomach, watch your belly rise, and then fill your lungs. Breathe out from your stomach first. Try breathing in through your nose and breathing out through pursed lips. Perform with eyes open or closed.

When to Use - Signs of Stress/Trauma

• body feels stressed; when you have triggered on something and need to down regulate (calm down)

• hyperventilating: rapid breathing, racing/pounding heartbeat, lightheaded, fingers tingling

• increased blood pressure, sweating, headache, blurry vision

• hyper-arousal: jumpy, agitated, explosive

• anxious, panicked, feeling trapped

• immobilized, freezing, not moving

• can’t think, decide, concentrate; feeling confused

• hysterical: uncontrollable crying, shaking

What It Can Do

• help you go from your stressed or “emotional brain” to your “thinking brain”, allowing for improved decision making / self-control

• return to normal breathing rate, heart rate & blood pressure

• decrease physical tension

• decrease anxiety, distress; feel calmer

• increase control over feelings (self-regulation)

• think more clearly; increase concentration & problem solving

• increase social engagement

“When you deliberately take a few slow, deep breaths, you will notice the effects of the parasympathetic brake on your arousal.” – Bessel Van Der Kolk, Trauma Expert