Through the nose, slowly, with the exhale longer, and a nostril anchor to give your attention a home that is not the instrument. Tell the clinician you will raise a hand if you need a pause; that single sentence lowers arousal more than any breath because it returns control. The Paper Gown room in the book is this, in full.
The steps
- Before: Soundcheck in the waiting room, then six breaths a minute. Not in the car.
- Tell them your signal for a pause. Agree it out loud.
- In the chair: attention at the nostrils, cool in, warm out. Nothing to count.
- Exhale longer than inhale. If your mouth is open at the dentist, exhale through the nose anyway; it works.
- Hands open on your lap or the armrests, not gripped.
- Afterward: ninety seconds of allowing before you stand, then the slate: that is done.
When not to, and when to get help instead
Tell the clinician about panic, fainting history or needle phobia beforehand; they have tools (lying flat, applied tension for fainters) that breathing does not replace. No breath-holds unless instructed for a scan. Not while driving home from sedation, obviously, and not driving at all after some procedures.
What the research says
A four-minute cyclic-sighing recording lowered pain intensity and unpleasantness in the X-ray waiting room of an orthopedic clinic in a 2025 pilot. Relaxed slow breathing raised pain thresholds in a sixteen-person lab study where effortful slow breathing did not. Perceived control is one of the best-documented modifiers of procedural distress, which is the hand signal.
Other methods people use
Headphones and your own music, where allowed. Applied tension (tensing the legs) for people who faint at needles, which breathing can make worse. Asking to see the instrument first, for some people, lowers fear; for others it raises it; you know which you are.
Questions people also ask
How do I stop panicking in the dentist chair?
Agree a stop signal first, breathe out slowly through the nose with attention at the nostrils, and keep the hands open. Tell them you are anxious; they see it daily and have ways to help.
Can breathing help with needle fear?
It helps with the dread. If you faint at needles, breathing alone can lower your blood pressure further; ask about applied tension and lying down.
In the book
Techniques
Rooms
Two rules, no exceptions
Never practice any technique on this site while you are driving, operating machinery, or doing anything that needs your full attention. The slow ones can make you drowsy, faster than you’d expect. And never practice a breath-hold, bellows breath, or any vigorous breathing in or near water. Read Before you begin for the doctor’s list and the rest.
More in “The body”
- Can breathing exercises lower blood pressure?
- What breathing slows a racing or pounding heart?
- What breathing helps with needles and blood draws?
- Does slow breathing help with pain?
Written by Eric Bradley. Last reviewed October 2026. One performer’s craft, offered for general information; not medical advice, mental health treatment, or a substitute for care.