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Regulation / Body Clinical practice

Find a comfortable breath

Try a gentle pace. You can breathe normally or stop at any time.

This is a reference tool, not a replacement for EMDR therapy. EMDR must be delivered by a trained clinician. If you are using these tools outside of therapy and become distressed, stop, ground yourself, and contact a mental health professional.

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Follow only a pace that feels comfortable. You can breathe normally, skip holds or stop. There is no need to fill your lungs completely.

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Clinical sources

Clinical sources

Breath Pacer

What the evidence supports

Research on a complete therapy does not establish that an isolated activity or this website produces the same outcomes. EMDR includes assessment, preparation, memory work and follow-up with a trained clinician. Its mechanisms are still being studied.

These pages compile published sources. An independent clinical review of this site and a trial of its tools are not documented here. Labels describe the technique’s use context; they are not an efficacy certification.

VA: EMDR evidence and limitations · NICE: recommendations by age and context

  • Elliott, S. (2008). Coherent Breathing: The Definitive Method — Theory and Practice. COHERENCE.
  • Weil, A. (2000). Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing. Sounds True. (4-7-8 technique popularized via this audio program and drweil.com; no standalone peer-reviewed RCT.)
  • Box (tactical) breathing: widely taught in military and clinical stress-management settings. Slow-paced breathing evidence: Zaccaro et al. (2018). How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 353. No single authoritative 'Navy SEAL' citation.
How to use this activity and clinical context

What this is

An animated visual pacer for three commonly taught breathing patterns:

  • Box breathing (4-4-4-4): inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4. Used in tactical/combat contexts and clinically for acute anxiety regulation.
  • 4-7-8: inhale 4, hold 7, exhale 8. Andrew Weil’s teaching, draws on pranayama traditions.
  • Coherent breathing (5-5): inhale 5, exhale 5. Associated with HRV coherence and parasympathetic activation.

When to use it

  • Closure (Phase 7) — help clients return to baseline.

  • Between sets if a client is very activated.

  • Home use — a calm-down tool that fits in a pocket.

  • TF-CBT relaxation practice — an optional aid for comfortable breathing skills chosen with a therapist. Children and caregivers can practice together; the preset patterns are not a required part of TF-CBT.

Clinical notes

The circle expands during inhalation and contracts during exhalation. Holds pause the animation. Duration presets (1, 3, 5, 10 minutes) give a natural stop so the user doesn’t have to watch the clock.

Research on slow breathing does not validate every specific pattern or this tool. Comfort matters more than keeping time: you can skip holds, breathe normally or stop. These durations have not been established as suitable for every child.

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