Fun Fact

It only takes 90 seconds for an emotion to rise, peak, and pass through your body. After that, it’s your mind—through thoughts and patterns—that keeps the feeling alive. Breathwork helps you move through emotions instead of getting stuck in them!

The 90-Second Rule:

Dr. Taylor explains that when we experience an emotion, there is a chemical reaction in the brain that lasts about 90 seconds. During this time, hormones and neurotransmitters are released, creating the physiological experience of that emotion (e.g., increased heart rate, tension, or heat in the body).

After those 90 seconds, the physiological response fades unless we re-trigger it by continuing to think about the emotion, replaying the situation, or attaching a story to it. This is why emotions can feel prolonged—our thoughts keep fueling them.

What This Means for Healing:

• If you allow an emotion to pass without attaching a thought to it, it will dissipate naturally.

• Breathwork, mindfulness, and somatic practices help regulate emotions, preventing them from looping in the mind.

• While deeply stored trauma and emotional patterns are more complex, this principle reminds us that emotions are temporary waves, and we have the power to move through them.