Essentially the way to change autonomic activation is to teach the client to breathe and still the mind. I prefer RSA breathing, which focuses on exhaling very slowly and counting the seconds mentally, trying to completely empty the lungs in 7 seconds. Then let the air come back in and continue counting, usually for 3 seconds. That has several effects: 1. It eventually (over several breaths) improves the turnover of O2 and CO2 in the lungs, especially oxygenating the bottom […]