Paced Breathing - Stress Strategy Skill | DBT

Paced breathing is a powerful part of the TIPP skill in DBT, designed to help you downregulate intense emotions and regain control. Follow along as you count your breaths and lengthen your exhale—an evidence-based way to soothe your body and mind in times of stress.

Transcript

Peace Breathing.

Let's take a few very slow breaths together.

Breathing in and out through your nose,

Focusing on extending the exhale in order to help down-regulate your body.

Breathing in and breathing out.

Now,

To pace the breath,

We count the beats of the inhale.

Breathing in 1,

2,

3,

4,

And as we extend the exhale,

We will count those beats as well,

Looking to extend past the number of beats of the inhale,

In this case,

4 beats.

Let's do it together.

Breathing in 2,

3,

4,

And exhaling slowly 2,

3,

4,

5,

6.

Breathing in 2,

3,

4,

And exhaling slowly 2,

3,

4,

5,

6.

Breathing in 2,

3,

4,

And exhaling slowly 2,

3,

4,

5,

6.

Now,

To pace the breath,

We count the beats of the inhale.

Breathing in through the nose,

Out through the nose,

Slowing down the exhale,

Extending the exhale.

Now,

To pace the breath,

We count the beats of the inhale.

Breathing in 2,

3,

4,

And exhaling slowly 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Breathing in 2,

3,

4,

And exhaling slowly 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Breathing in 2,

3,

4,

And exhaling slowly 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Your mind may wander from your breath,

And from the counting of the beats.

That's okay.

Gently guide yourself back by focusing on extending your exhale.

With every exhale,

Releasing tension from the body,

Slowing down the pace of the breath.

Breathing in 2,

3,

4,

And exhaling slowly 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Breathing in 2,

3,

4,

And exhaling slowly 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Breathing in 2,

3,

4,

And exhaling slowly 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

If you feel calm and regulated,

Allow your breath to return to its natural pace,

And enjoy the sense of calm.

If you don't feel quite as settled as you would like to feel,

Please continue on counting the beats of your breath,

And extending your exhale longer than your inhale.

Always inhaling through the nose,

And exhaling through the nose.

Do this on your own,

Or re-listen to this recording to support you all the way to calm.

Reviews

First breathing exercise ive done that my body actually responds to and instantly calms down , thankyou

Even if I have insomnia, at least I’m breathing! Thank you ❤️🙏🏼

That was so calming and peaceful and very helpful to my heart! Thank you!