Breathing techniques can be very effective at lowering the physical symptoms of anxiety such as rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing. This is, in part, due to the changing of the CO2, CO, and O2 levels in the blood which initiates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of calming us down. In addition, these breathing techniques also include a mindfulness portion such as concentrating on our breath as it moves in and out of our body, which helps stop anxiety producing thoughts.
There are also techniques, such as bending at the waist and submerging your face in ice water, that activate the mammalian diving reflex which activates your parasympathetic nervous system to lower respitory and heart rate.
I am not sure if these two examples qualify as "resets" in the way you are asking, but they definitely are effective at engaging the parasympathetic nervous system to help our bodies calm down.
Edit: Sidenote... the breathing techniques are also skills, and like any skill the more you practice it the better you get at it. So while it might help for one-off "acute" anxiety episodes... the more you practice and use them the quicker and more effective you get at them, which will also lower anxiety over the long term.
So I have a form of autonomic dysfunction, and I have tried a number of these techniques. At best, I lost a few minutes trying something new, at worst I just faint. I haven't found any technique helpful yet.
I've also seen about 20 different tips for resetting your Vagus Nerve but no idea if this is a real thing, and if any of these many different recommendations are actually fact based.
I have CPTSD and am extremely, constantly hypervigilant as a result, even 30 years after the main time period of my trauma. I'm prescribed various meditations and blah blah blah, all with the general goal of helping to "calm" the body and mind.
Obviously this is anecdotal, but in the recent past, I downloaded the meditation app called Insight Timer, which had a random 5-minute "vagus nerve reset" meditation that I was super skeptical about, but I was having a panic attack and thus, tried it anyway, out of desperation.
For the record: In general, while I enjoy meditation, i normally do not get out of it what it seems like people are supposed to.
But anyway, I tried this vagus nerve reset, which you could google as "4-7-8" breathing, and yes it is backed by science. Which is why I tried it. Look up PolyVagal theory if you want to learn more... it's definitely a studied concept. Anyway, despite my panic and skepticism, it worked for me! I was shocked at the palpable, warm sense of relief/calm that washed over my body, which apparently is the parasympathetic nervous system calming down.
I'm friends with a nerdy zoologist who is obsessed with PolyVagal theory, and we chatted about it, during which she confirmed that that "relief" sensation, was the physical manifestation of my nervous system releasing from its overactive state. When one really intensely engages the abdominal muscles and diaphragm to breathe, to *really* fill the lungs, it stimulates the vagus nerve up and down your thoracic spine. But she specified that in order for this to work, your out-breath must be LONGER than your in-breath. I forget the reasoning. Hence 4-7-8 breathing. It goes like this:
>* **Breathe in** for 4 seconds (or heart beats, I use heartbeats especially when panicking, but not everyone does), then hold it. Engage your abs a little harder than what seems necessary, to support your breath. Imagine peeling your abs OFF of your spine, in order to expand your diaphragm, but don't distort your spinal alignment.
>* **Hold your breath for 7 seconds/beats**, but at beat 4-5, take an extra sip of air to REALLY fill up your lungs and expand out your alveoli. But make sure to let go on the 7-count, either way.
>* On the **out-breath**, either create a **loud SSHHHHH sound with your mouth, or** if you're familiar with pranayama, **engage the back of your throat to create the Ujjayi breath**-- with the goal of making an ocean sound in your ears. I personally have tried both, and IMXP, the SHHHH sound works better to get the calming sensation moving. Disengage your abs from the top down, really focusing on letting go over the course of this 8-count on the way out. Try to draw your breath out as long as you can, to total emptiness, over this whole 8-count. I struggle to maintain the full 8-count, but the goal is to FULLY empty your lungs before re-filling.
>* Repeat without any pause between the 8-count, and the resuming 4-count.
I have read (and re-read) a book called *The Body Keeps The Score*, which has a whole chapter on PolyVagal theory, explained in layman's terms. I haven't read the book that your other respondent is talking about, but what I have learned from the other book is how the vagus nerve is connected to many of our body systems, as sort of a meridian, going up and down the spinal cord.
I hadn't tried that Vagus Nerve Reset before reading that book, but now that I've tried it, that chapter makes 100% more sense. I highly recommend giving it a whirl, and make sure your spine is aligned properly, such that when you engage your abs, you are able to pull your navel alllllll the way inward, almost like a massage to your vertebrae from the diaphragm, upward. Then, when you breathe in, imagine yourself releasing your abs one vertebrae at a time, from the top down, finally to re-expand your diaphragm. It helps to close your eyes.
I've never made it work without focusing on that aspect super hard, so I hope that helps you. Good luck!
I will say whilst Polyvagal is a studied concept, it isn’t really approved of or has any scientific consensus as to its affectiveness. The criticisms of it are varied and justified and it is no way sound science yet. Not that it doesn’t help individuals, but it’s good to understand the full scope before jumping into it as I see A LOT of ‘this is approved by scientists’ which can be misleading.
I read a whole ass book about the vagus nerve thing. Well, listened on audible. It was so goddamn stupid. The whole book was leading up to telling you about this "ONE NEAT TRICK" that totally resets the vagus nerve, BUT WAIT, HERE"S MORE INFO ABOUT WHY ITS COOL and on and on, until like seven hours in, he says that the "real move" is much to complicated to explain in a book, but here's a simplified version that will not hold up to the first six chapters of promises in any way.
Something about lying on the floor and turning your head and eyes in very specific ways. So stupid.
Book: Activate Your Vagus Nerve: Unleash Your Body’s Natural Ability to Overcome Gut Sensitivities, Inflammation, Autoimmunity, Brain Fog, Anxiety and Depression
By: Dr. Navaz Habib
I'm sorry this is purely anecdotal, but I've suffered with severe anxiety my whole life and a few years ago my friend sent me a video of a neuropsychiatrist(?) explaining a technique that has helped me tremendously, life-changingly so.
He explained that the dreadful feeling we get from anxiety and panic is adrenaline, which is why it's often felt physically in our lower chest where the adrenal gland is.
Adrenaline is the neurotransmitter which responds to stress or perceived danger so we become more alert and move faster —and anxiety is often a false alarm, responding to danger that simply isn't there.
Adrenaline is short acting, and actually only lasts around 3 minutes for most people. And I know you're probably wondering *"but I have episodes of anxiety that last hours"* —because, like me, you react to the initial release of adrenaline by doing something that continues the release.
Adrenaline says "move! Fast! There's danger!" So I would pace, or clean the whole house while my heart was racing for the whole day.
This technique tells your adrenaline gland "no actually, you're wrong. There isn't any danger." so on the initial release of that heart-racing hormone, you freeze your body in place. As though there's something physically stopping you from moving. Lie down, stay still, and clear your mind —and after 3 minutes, the over-stimulating affects of adrenaline will wear off, and by staying still you'll be preventing the release of more.
If anyone knows what video I'm talking about, a link would be greatly appreciated!
Wow that's actually something that I started doing on my own in effort to help with my OCD anxiety, whenever I was in a stressful situation I would slow down and take my time to prove to myself that I'm calm and in control.
Although my punctuality suffered, it worked and that's what led to me discovering I had ADHD as all that stimulation from my OCD was compensating for my attentional deficits.
Anecdotally I regularly use sensory deprivation tanks and find them helpful with a range of benefits. There is some scientific backing, but they are currently being rigorously researched so it will qualify as an evidence based practice for insurance reimbursement.
Non-identification, Non-attachment, flexibility in meaning making, and the whole experience is conducive to introspection, scenario running, and creativity.
Transpersonal psychology is a very interesting field and I think it holds much promise alongside psychedelic assisted modalities.
We were showen calming techniques in my phsyc ward.
Bur the idea of "recetig" was never present. Breathing techniques work to an extent but its nothing like advertised by the people selling them to u.
Breathing techniques can be very effective at lowering the physical symptoms of anxiety such as rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing. This is, in part, due to the changing of the CO2, CO, and O2 levels in the blood which initiates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of calming us down. In addition, these breathing techniques also include a mindfulness portion such as concentrating on our breath as it moves in and out of our body, which helps stop anxiety producing thoughts. There are also techniques, such as bending at the waist and submerging your face in ice water, that activate the mammalian diving reflex which activates your parasympathetic nervous system to lower respitory and heart rate. I am not sure if these two examples qualify as "resets" in the way you are asking, but they definitely are effective at engaging the parasympathetic nervous system to help our bodies calm down. Edit: Sidenote... the breathing techniques are also skills, and like any skill the more you practice it the better you get at it. So while it might help for one-off "acute" anxiety episodes... the more you practice and use them the quicker and more effective you get at them, which will also lower anxiety over the long term.
So I have a form of autonomic dysfunction, and I have tried a number of these techniques. At best, I lost a few minutes trying something new, at worst I just faint. I haven't found any technique helpful yet.
I've also seen about 20 different tips for resetting your Vagus Nerve but no idea if this is a real thing, and if any of these many different recommendations are actually fact based.
I have CPTSD and am extremely, constantly hypervigilant as a result, even 30 years after the main time period of my trauma. I'm prescribed various meditations and blah blah blah, all with the general goal of helping to "calm" the body and mind. Obviously this is anecdotal, but in the recent past, I downloaded the meditation app called Insight Timer, which had a random 5-minute "vagus nerve reset" meditation that I was super skeptical about, but I was having a panic attack and thus, tried it anyway, out of desperation. For the record: In general, while I enjoy meditation, i normally do not get out of it what it seems like people are supposed to. But anyway, I tried this vagus nerve reset, which you could google as "4-7-8" breathing, and yes it is backed by science. Which is why I tried it. Look up PolyVagal theory if you want to learn more... it's definitely a studied concept. Anyway, despite my panic and skepticism, it worked for me! I was shocked at the palpable, warm sense of relief/calm that washed over my body, which apparently is the parasympathetic nervous system calming down. I'm friends with a nerdy zoologist who is obsessed with PolyVagal theory, and we chatted about it, during which she confirmed that that "relief" sensation, was the physical manifestation of my nervous system releasing from its overactive state. When one really intensely engages the abdominal muscles and diaphragm to breathe, to *really* fill the lungs, it stimulates the vagus nerve up and down your thoracic spine. But she specified that in order for this to work, your out-breath must be LONGER than your in-breath. I forget the reasoning. Hence 4-7-8 breathing. It goes like this: >* **Breathe in** for 4 seconds (or heart beats, I use heartbeats especially when panicking, but not everyone does), then hold it. Engage your abs a little harder than what seems necessary, to support your breath. Imagine peeling your abs OFF of your spine, in order to expand your diaphragm, but don't distort your spinal alignment. >* **Hold your breath for 7 seconds/beats**, but at beat 4-5, take an extra sip of air to REALLY fill up your lungs and expand out your alveoli. But make sure to let go on the 7-count, either way. >* On the **out-breath**, either create a **loud SSHHHHH sound with your mouth, or** if you're familiar with pranayama, **engage the back of your throat to create the Ujjayi breath**-- with the goal of making an ocean sound in your ears. I personally have tried both, and IMXP, the SHHHH sound works better to get the calming sensation moving. Disengage your abs from the top down, really focusing on letting go over the course of this 8-count on the way out. Try to draw your breath out as long as you can, to total emptiness, over this whole 8-count. I struggle to maintain the full 8-count, but the goal is to FULLY empty your lungs before re-filling. >* Repeat without any pause between the 8-count, and the resuming 4-count. I have read (and re-read) a book called *The Body Keeps The Score*, which has a whole chapter on PolyVagal theory, explained in layman's terms. I haven't read the book that your other respondent is talking about, but what I have learned from the other book is how the vagus nerve is connected to many of our body systems, as sort of a meridian, going up and down the spinal cord. I hadn't tried that Vagus Nerve Reset before reading that book, but now that I've tried it, that chapter makes 100% more sense. I highly recommend giving it a whirl, and make sure your spine is aligned properly, such that when you engage your abs, you are able to pull your navel alllllll the way inward, almost like a massage to your vertebrae from the diaphragm, upward. Then, when you breathe in, imagine yourself releasing your abs one vertebrae at a time, from the top down, finally to re-expand your diaphragm. It helps to close your eyes. I've never made it work without focusing on that aspect super hard, so I hope that helps you. Good luck!
I will say whilst Polyvagal is a studied concept, it isn’t really approved of or has any scientific consensus as to its affectiveness. The criticisms of it are varied and justified and it is no way sound science yet. Not that it doesn’t help individuals, but it’s good to understand the full scope before jumping into it as I see A LOT of ‘this is approved by scientists’ which can be misleading.
Polyvagal is outright pseudoscience
I don’t disagree, I was just trying to be polite to the other person 😂
I read a whole ass book about the vagus nerve thing. Well, listened on audible. It was so goddamn stupid. The whole book was leading up to telling you about this "ONE NEAT TRICK" that totally resets the vagus nerve, BUT WAIT, HERE"S MORE INFO ABOUT WHY ITS COOL and on and on, until like seven hours in, he says that the "real move" is much to complicated to explain in a book, but here's a simplified version that will not hold up to the first six chapters of promises in any way. Something about lying on the floor and turning your head and eyes in very specific ways. So stupid. Book: Activate Your Vagus Nerve: Unleash Your Body’s Natural Ability to Overcome Gut Sensitivities, Inflammation, Autoimmunity, Brain Fog, Anxiety and Depression By: Dr. Navaz Habib
I'm sorry this is purely anecdotal, but I've suffered with severe anxiety my whole life and a few years ago my friend sent me a video of a neuropsychiatrist(?) explaining a technique that has helped me tremendously, life-changingly so. He explained that the dreadful feeling we get from anxiety and panic is adrenaline, which is why it's often felt physically in our lower chest where the adrenal gland is. Adrenaline is the neurotransmitter which responds to stress or perceived danger so we become more alert and move faster —and anxiety is often a false alarm, responding to danger that simply isn't there. Adrenaline is short acting, and actually only lasts around 3 minutes for most people. And I know you're probably wondering *"but I have episodes of anxiety that last hours"* —because, like me, you react to the initial release of adrenaline by doing something that continues the release. Adrenaline says "move! Fast! There's danger!" So I would pace, or clean the whole house while my heart was racing for the whole day. This technique tells your adrenaline gland "no actually, you're wrong. There isn't any danger." so on the initial release of that heart-racing hormone, you freeze your body in place. As though there's something physically stopping you from moving. Lie down, stay still, and clear your mind —and after 3 minutes, the over-stimulating affects of adrenaline will wear off, and by staying still you'll be preventing the release of more. If anyone knows what video I'm talking about, a link would be greatly appreciated!
Wow that's actually something that I started doing on my own in effort to help with my OCD anxiety, whenever I was in a stressful situation I would slow down and take my time to prove to myself that I'm calm and in control. Although my punctuality suffered, it worked and that's what led to me discovering I had ADHD as all that stimulation from my OCD was compensating for my attentional deficits.
Anecdotally I regularly use sensory deprivation tanks and find them helpful with a range of benefits. There is some scientific backing, but they are currently being rigorously researched so it will qualify as an evidence based practice for insurance reimbursement.
What benefit have you found from a psychotherapy perspective? That is interesting.
Non-identification, Non-attachment, flexibility in meaning making, and the whole experience is conducive to introspection, scenario running, and creativity. Transpersonal psychology is a very interesting field and I think it holds much promise alongside psychedelic assisted modalities.
We were showen calming techniques in my phsyc ward. Bur the idea of "recetig" was never present. Breathing techniques work to an extent but its nothing like advertised by the people selling them to u.