PTSD Reset – Part 3: Regaining Control Of Your Breath

In Part 3 of the PTSD Breathing Reset Series, we begin to gently guide the breath with intention.
After building awareness and calming your system in the first two sessions, this practice helps you move from simply noticing your breath… to taking back control in a calm and steady way.
Through slow, controlled nasal breathing, you’ll learn how to reduce over-breathing and create a greater sense of stability in your body.
This session is designed to help you feel more grounded, more present, and more in control—especially during moments of stress or anxiety.
Take your time, go gently, and remember—there is no forcing here, only quiet control.

Transcript

Bring your attention back to your breath. Slow inhale through the nose and a longer controlled exhale. Again steady breath in and a slower breath out. Let your breathing settle into a steady controlled rhythm. Now that we are up to session 3 your body is starting to recognise this pattern and it knows how to follow it. You've already begun to notice that you can slow things down and interrupt the reaction and that changes what happens next. Because once you notice it and you stay with your breath you are no longer being pulled in the same way. As you continue breathing slowly notice the steadiness in your body, The rhythm of your breath, The sense of control beginning to build. Not by forcing anything but by staying present and not moving away from it. Now again bring to mind a situation, Something a little more challenging than before, Not overwhelming but enough to feel your body respond more clearly. And as that response begins stay with your breath, Slow inhale through the nose, Longer exhale. Notice what your body wants to do, The urge to speed up, The urge to react, The sweating, The anxiety, The anger, The hypervigilance. Instead of following it you stay and you breathe. You go somewhere positive. Slow breath in and a longer breath out, Mouth always closed. Again, Steady nasal inhale, Controlled nasal exhale. As you continue through this difficult moment notice something important, You are still here, You haven't been pulled away, The reaction is there but it's not in control. You are. Stay with that feeling and keep your breathing steady, Let the sensation be there without needing to change it and notice you can remain present even while it's happening. This is control, Not avoiding, Not escaping but staying steady through it. If you feel some extra saliva in your mouth that's good, It means you are in rest and digest. Maybe warmth in your hands or the need to take a deeper breath. Stay with it but don't put any pressure on yourself. You are becoming someone who can handle pressure without being overwhelmed by it. Someone who doesn't lose control when things feel intense and past memories come up. Someone who can stay present and focus. Breathe and remain steady. This is something your body is learning each time you do this. Now imagine a real situation where you would normally feel the pressure rise. It may be an event you've experienced but this time you stay with your breath, Slow, Controlled, Deliberate and instead of escalating, Ruminating, Fascinating, You hold steady. You stay present and in control because you've learned how to stay with it without being pulled away. This is how control is built. Not by removing the feeling but by staying steady through it. Each time you do this you strengthen that response. You make it more natural. You don't need to get it perfect, Just staying with it is already a shift. You've got this. Keep going through these recordings as much as you need to. You're doing great. Thank you.