The final task of the first session is to provide the client with the beginning of emotion regulation skills instruction, and managing feeling states such as anxiety or anger. To conduct the Focused Breathing exercise, perform the following steps:
- Explain the rationale for Focused Breathing: Emphasize that experiences of the body and mind are highly interrelated, and that Focused Breathing can be a powerful tool to help manage emotions.
- Assess the client's baseline: Observe the client breathing in her usual way.
- Teach the technique: See the following page for instructions on the full technique.
- Slow down the rate of breathing: Instruct the client to slow down the rate of breathing, pausing briefly after exhaling before inhaling again.
- Meditational component: In order to help the client slow thoughts and focus attention on breathing, invite the client to experiment with counting breaths during inhalation, or thinking “Relax” or “Calm” during exhalation. Encourage clients to try different things and do what works best for them.
- Practice: Ideally, the technique should be practices two times a day for five minutes each.
For more information, and to provide a handout to your client, select the Instructions for Focused Breathing handout from the Session Materials button in this course.
