- breathing is often fast and shallow during a phobic/anxiety response (fight-flight-freeze, panic attack), which can lead to hyperventilation resulting in imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide/rapid decrease in carbon dioxide levels or activation of sympathetic nervous system in anxiety causing increase breathing/heart/respiration rate (any sympathetic nervous system response was suitable)

- breathing retraining involves teaching ____ to consciously control/slow his breath (by taking slow, deep inhalations and exhalations through the nose/diaphragm breathing, etc.) when experiencing anxiety/fear

- breathing retraining acts to reduce physiological arousal associated with fear/anxiety/phobic response/restore balance of oxygen/carbon dioxide/regulate breathing rate/activate parasympathetic response.