How it Works

Cross your hands over your chest with your fingers under your collarbones. Breathe halfway in and hold, then breathe all the way in and hold; breathe halfway out and hold, then breathe all the way out and hold. Repeat the breathing sequence, this time with your knuckles under your collarbones.

Why it works

By using energy techniques like Collarbone Breathing, you help your energy system to rebalance. This allows you to get un-stuck quickly and easily. There are a few things happening in this deceptively simple technique.

By crossing our arms, we are crossing the corpus callosum, which helps us feel grounded. By placing our hands across our chest with hands under collarbones, we are activating our meridian system ― particularly the K-27 point, which helps reduce anxiety. By breathing slowly, we are slowing our brainwaves, which helps us relax.

If you haven’t given the Collarbone Breathing technique a try yet, do it now. Take notice of how your body feels both before and after you use the technique. This technique is just one of many you can use to get un-stuck.

More techniques to improve focus

If you found Collarbone Breathing helpful, here are a few more tools you can use to clear confusion and clumsiness: the Brain Balancer, also called the "9-gamut"; and the Cross Crawl. All videos and techniques in our "Try This" series were created by ACEP's Humanitarian Committee in order to help people heal by spreading the word about the powerful effects of energy psychology techniques. We invite you to help by sharing this information!

Need help from a professional?

Many people are seeking non-pharmacological interventions to help improve overall wellbeing. ACEP is a nonprofit, 501c3 dedicated to the research, education, and sharing of energy psychology. Check out the ACEP practitioner directory to find a certified ACEP practitioner in your area or online.

Author: Sarah Murphy, LPC

Sarah Murphy, LPC, ACP-EFT, is ACEP board secretary and communications committee chair. She is a counselor in private practice and specializes in working with people who have serious illnesses.

Video Resources Provided by the ACEP Humanitarian Committee

The mission of the ACEP Humanitarian Committee is to develop and implement humanitarian projects that alleviate emotional distress caused by catastrophic natural and man-made events around the globe. We do this by encouraging and assisting ACEP members in developing humanitarian projects that utilize recognized energy psychology and other modalities that meet ACEP’s standards and guidelines. Learn more here.

Photo by cottonbro studio on pexels.