Using Mindful Breathing to Calm the Stress Response from Childhood Complex Trauma

If you’ve experienced childhood trauma, you’re probably aware of how draining it can be to always feel like you’re on edge or high alert. Trauma naturally causes that continual “fight or flight” sensation, as if your body is always ready for something terrible to happen. But what if I told you that something as basic as your breath could help you start to gently relax that reaction?

Sounds really simple, right? I get it. Recovering from trauma sometimes feels like an uphill struggle, and the notion that breathing can assist with relaxing your nervous system seems almost too basic. One of the best strategies, nevertheless, to shift your body from survival mode into a state of calm is conscious or mindful breathing. The best thing about it is that you can do it anyplace, at any moment.

Let’s break it down.

Trauma and the Stress Response: Why You’re Always in Overdrive

Particularly when it happens in childhood, trauma teaches your body to be on constant alert. By constantly activating the sympathetic nervous system—the part alerting you to fight, flee, or freeze in the face of danger—the nervous system gets caught in a loop. Even though the danger has long since past, most trauma survivors often find this state of high tension completely normal. They don’t know anything else.

This is when mindful breathing becomes quite useful. By concentrating on your breath, you can signal your nervous system that it’s safe to unwind, to relax. Though it likely won’t happen overnight, with practice you’ll begin to feel a change—a bit more serenity, a little less anxiety.

How Mindful Breathing Helps You Calm Down

Here’s how it works:

• Regulates Your Nervous System: Mindful breathing activates the parasympathetic branch of your nervous system, sometimes known as the “rest and digest” system. Your body will relax and heal from stress in part by this. Slow, deliberate breathing tells your body, “Hey, it’s okay to chill-out now.”
• Keeps You Grounded in the Present: Trauma often pulls us back into the past and causes us to relive agonizing memories or emotions. But your breath is always happening right now. Focusing on it can help you to break free from those old trauma loops and remain rooted in the present.
• Long Exhales Activate the Relaxation Response: A tiny tip with mega impact is using long exhales to activate the relaxation response. Regulating your exhales to make them longer than inhales will activate the vagus nerve, which relaxes your entire system. It’s like hitting a reset button on your stress response.
• Non-Judgmental Observation: As you practice conscious breathing, you may find ideas, emotions, or even physical sensations arising. And that’s great! Non-judgmental observation is important here. The goal is to view them objectively, rather than try to drive them away. Through removing the hold trauma has on your mind and body, it’s like becoming an curious spectator of your own experience—quite potent.
• Consistency is Key: Your body didn’t learn to be in continual survival mode overnight. It’s going to take time to unlearn it as well. Your body will get more adept at transforming from stress mode to calm mode the more you practice mindful breathing. It’s similar to strengthening a muscle—it grows stronger the more you use it.

Try This Simple Breathing Practice

Starting with mindful breathing requires no fancy equipment or a perfect environment. The beauty of this practice is that it’s actually accessible to you anywhere. One could simply start like this:

1. Get Comfortable: Whatever seems appropriate for you—you can sit, lie down, or even stand. Let your body relax as much as you can.
2. Notice Your Breath: Start by only focusing on your breath without trying to change it. Feel how it flows in and out. Shallow or deep? Quick or leisurely? Simply look at it.
3. Slowly Lengthen Your Exhale: Once you’ve settled comfortably, start to gently extend your exhale. Whatever feels comfortable, try inhaling for four counts or so, and then exhaling for six or eight. Here the secret is to keep things smooth and easy.
4. Stay with Your Breath: Remain with your breath, focusing on it. Gently guide your mind back to the sensation of breathing when it wanders—and it will. You might focus on how it feels in your nose, chest, or belly—whatever works for you.
5. Practice for 5-10 Minutes: You don’t have to schedule a lot of time for practice. Start with five to ten minutes every day and expand from there as it becomes second nature.

Why This Matters for Trauma Recovery

Though it seems basic, one of the most accessible and powerful techniques for helping your body unlearn the unceasing stress response associated with trauma is conscious breathing. Although it won’t solve everything, it will enable you to find peace in the turmoil. It will open just a little more space between you and your stress. Over time, you’ll find it easier to switch from survival mode to a more balanced state, and that’s a huge step in trauma recovery.

Consistency is essential. As I mentioned previously, your nervous system has been on overdrive for some time; hence, treat yourself kindly while you begin to rewire it. If only for a few minutes, try to practice every day. Every little bit helps.