Deliberate self-directed entry into short bouts of stress, such as cyclic hyperventilation, is a promising approach for managing fear and trauma.

“But rather than reduce your stress level in real time, it actually does the opposite. It increases your stress level. It increases your levels of autonomic arousal. But you're doing it deliberately. And then during those breath holds, what's happening is you have a lot of adrenaline circulating in your system because of the way that hyperventilation triggers the release of adrenaline from your adrenal glands.”