“My partner is a former paramedic with severe anxiety. He’s been told to breathe through straws so many times, and it never worked, no matter the diameter of the straw. As a martial artist, I had heard of monks using this type of technique using reeds, so I thought I’d give it a try if it had even a chance of helping him. Just hours after he got it, he needed to use it and it prevented a full-blown panic attack. He used it three times that first week. As a paramedic, he understands the dangers of hyperventilation and CO2 loss, which the Shift prevents by helping regulate your breathing. He’s also used it to bring down his heart rate by ~50 bpm within two minutes. He’s told me that even feeling it around his neck helps give him comfort, knowing it’s there if he needs it.
Just today, I had a lot of pent-up anxiety and a racing heartbeat. He let me use his Shift and oh my god, it works. Worked in minutes after I had already taken a rescue anti-anxiety medication, and had been just getting by with practicing my coping strategies and meditations for an hour. I still felt very anxious, but my heart rate was far lower and I was able to return to meditation and affirmations, using the Shift as necessary if I felt my heart rate start to rise again. It makes regulating your breathing far easier in times when asking your brain to regulate ANYTHING is a tall order.
I will be getting my own, soon. Paramedic- and martial artist-approved! Thank you, Komuso.”
