Breath and Fingers: Easy Jin Shin Jyutsu for Panic Attack

Have you ever had a panic attack? Sometimes you can identify triggers for panic attacks, but it’s not unusual for people to say they aren’t sure why. Symptoms seem to intensify when you are at your most intimate and vulnerable times, or when you simply get tipped over the edges of everyday stress. Sometimes it only takes one more critical comment, a small thing not going your way, or a fearful thought, and frustration and tension builds until it either explodes, or you shut down almost completely (“fight” or “flight”, including not being able to cope, withdrawing from the world.)

I’ve offered patients and clients a simple solution (often over the phone) from my Jin Shin Jyutsu "toolbox" for dealing with panic and it’s milder cousin, anxiety. It’s been amazing to hear that it works so quickly! I taught them the most basic sequence of holding the fingers. Holding the fingers is a Jin Shin Jyutsu self-help practice that is extremely simple and yet profound. There are many energy pathways that originate, end, or run through the fingers, so holding the fingers is considered an effective way to balance and harmonize energy in the whole body. It doesn’t make rational, scientific sense, but who cares, as long as it works? There are no negative side effects, and it's not painful.

  I wanted to offer something they could remember on their own, on-the-spot during a nurse triage phone call, that would be effective, so I taught them holding each of the ten fingers while exhaling and inhaling three slow, full breaths, and then to place a thumb in their palm for three more breaths (one after the other) for a total of thirty-six (36 is considered an effectual number in JSJ theory, and the whole sequence is simple to remember). Of course, this is after asking enough questions to determine it wasn’t something else like a heart attack (always check with your primary care clinic if you aren’t sure.)

How does it work?

Finger-holding helps you to focus on the here-and-now and to slow your breathing. You activate the “calming” part of your nervous system, the parasympathetic-which serves to conserve and restore. It slows your heart rate and decreases blood pressure, among other things. When you exhale completely, focus and calm your breathing, it calms the mind, which calms the symptoms in your body-nice, eh?

"Breath is the bridge

which connects life to consciousness,

which united your body to your thoughts."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

 Here is the sequence I used when someone called in having a panic attack (after ruling out life-threatening/other things):

Quick instructions: Hold your thumb and count to three for 3 slow breaths out and in, then each of the fingers for 3 breaths each. Place your thumb in the center of the palm for 3 more breaths out. Switch to the other hand and fingers. Check in with your breathing, heartbeat, entire body...how do you feel now?

My dialogue usually went something like this:

“Would you like to try something right now to reduce your panic?” (yes) “OK, put yourself on the speaker phone and let me know when you are ready.” (ok, ready)

“Hold your thumb with the fingers from the opposite hand. Grasp it firmly, so you can feel it, but no hard squeezing or pain is needed. Doesn’t matter which one. Did you do that yet?” (yes)

“Now, feel the contact points of your fingers and thumb; can you notice that?” (yes) Great! “Now, breathe out, exhale fully...

I’ll continue to breathe with you, you can listen to the sound of my breath if you like: Keep holding your thumb as we breathe until I instruct you otherwise. Breathe in, then soften your shoulders and neck and blow air gently out through your mouth (one). Breathe in again, noticing your thumb, and the fullness of your lungs...and out, letting go, imagining the stress and breath flowing all the way to your toes (two). You might still feel palpitations or anxious, that’s okay, it will go away shortly. Continue to Breathe in...and out...fully and slowly, squeezing your belly in just a little at the end of the exhale to get all the air out (three).

Continue to breathe...and now, grasp your index finger of the same hand...pay attention to the sound of my voice, to your breath, your index finger, notice the temperature and texture of the skin, muscles, softness or firmness of your index finger and the fingers holding it; notice any areas of relaxation in your body as you exhale (one). (Repeat slow deep breathing instructions, total of 3 breaths for each finger.) After the little finger has been held and breathed through:

“Now place your thumb in the center of your palm, same palm as the fingers that you held. Are you doing that now?” (yes) “Great! Check in with yourself, your body, your heart area, neck and shoulders...how do you feel now? More calm, less calm, or the same?”

I’ve done this many times over a period of years, and have never had anyone say they felt the same or worse after holding the fingers of one hand and the palm for three breaths each! I then offer to continue with them for the other hand, or if they feel better and say they will do the other hand themselves after we hang up, or are able to make an appointment, our conversation ends. I’m not from the school that says you should do this if you’ve never experienced a panic attack before. Panic disorders and panic attack symptoms are similar to some pretty serious conditions. I suggest calling your nurse or provider.  And, for those who have been examined already, try this JSJ finger holding when you first feel panic creep in; in either case, it’s always fine to call the Advice Nurse or your clinic/PCP early on.

Even if someone can’t visualize relaxing imagery, they can usually feel their fingers and hear my voice and breath, and notice theirs enough to see that they can slow things down. The skin-to-skin contact seems to be very centering.  If they are missing digits or have an injury, I tell them it still works, just place their fingers on their stub or area where fingers would be or used to be; the energy pathways that affect the nervous system and their symptoms are still there. Your breath and fingers are always with you, and are the simplest and most perfect of all the tools we have for health and balance. You do not need to feel panicky to do finger holding. It’s a great preventative and “general cleaner”.

There are other options. Jan Henderson, PhD has a great description with graphics of other Jin Shin Jyutsu finger sequences, and offers a video here.

You could instead grasp your wrists or hold your knees, as shown  AstridKaufmann’s excellent Flows for Life blog, but I think the fingers is the least confusing to describe  on the phone, or demonstrate, takes only a few minutes to demonstrate in person, and are easily accessible, regardless of the person’s posture. Plus, it seems uncomplicated and doable to panicky people to count three breaths and feel or look at their finger, not much figuring things out!

Typically after holding their fingers patients were then able to go to Urgent Care or their Primary Care Provider to be checked in person, rather than wait endless hours and have an unnecessary expensive Emergency Roomworkup. 

Wouldn’t you rather hold your fingers? I encourage you to give this practice a try, and let me know what happens.