When 10 deep breaths doesn't work

We all know that feeling when it's more than just… I feel anxious right now. It's that overwhelming bugging out, I gotta get out of here feeling before I snap. At that point, 10 deep breaths won’t even remotely touch the sense of relief you need that second. I’ve reached the edge and am now staring at the bottomless pit of anxiety in the face. We never see that coming because our neuroendocrine system isn't properly calibrated. It’s a complicated chemistry kit that we believe starts in our brains but ironically has roots in our gut. Different neurotransmitters are responsible for things like excitement, calmness, focus, memory, overall joy, and mood.

So when a nice deep breath makes no difference, especially when it has in the past, it’s now time to check the HPA (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal) axis. This system on its own will self-regulate but sometimes the right chemicals are out of balance. When they are, basic relaxation techniques don’t have their usual effects.

Over the 25 years of working with the human brain on the electrical side of the electrochemical organ, I found that the patients and clients who did neurofeedback with less than optimal success were reporting other “stresses” in life that made me ask the question… “What’s happening with the chemicals?”

It turns out a lot is happening with the chemicals that we can balance. So when the balance is restored, you feel less anxious, and you can take a deeper breath and exhale the stress to feel normal again.