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Distress Tolerance in Practice: Heart-Focused Breathing
United States Department of Homeland Security
Key Points
- There is a strong interconnectivity between the heart, lungs, and brain. Not only do the lungs encase the heart and directly supply it with oxygen, but the heart has an immense impact on the brain. For every 10 connections between the heart and brain, nine of those connections are from heart to brain.
- When the body is at ease and experiencing homeostasis, there is mild oscillation of fast, slow, fast, slow.
- Any deviation from this general pattern reflects a physical and emotional disruption through the entire bodily system.
- A heart rhythm of fast, fast, fast indicates anxiety; a heart rhythm of slow, slow, indicates depression; and a completely chaotic or random heart rhythm indicates anger.
- Heart-focused breathing is an effective way to restore balance to your heart. It will have an immediate stabilizing effect on the brain, which in turn will have a stabilizing effect on the whole body.
