The Role of Self-Compassion in Conscious Connected Breathing: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial
Emma Wiethoff, Barbara Breitenstein, Nina Hartter, Borja Rodriguez de Santiago, Joshua Neil Hindmarsh, Isabel Dziobek
Open Mind July 9, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/xvg3a (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial (preregistration) |
|---|---|
| Population | Adults with a history of childhood adversity |
| Interventions | Conscious Connected Breathing Progressive Muscle Relaxation |
| Topics | Breathwork |
| Key findings | This is a preregistration, so no findings are reported. It specifies hypotheses and an analysis plan for a trial comparing CCB with PMR, with self-compassion as the primary outcome. |
Abstract
This preregistration specifies hypotheses and an analysis plan for a randomized controlled trial comparing Conscious Connected Breathing (CCB) with Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) in adults with a history of childhood adversity. The primary outcome is change in self-compassion from pre- to post-intervention. Secondary analyses examine whether altered states of consciousness during CCB predict self-compassion change and whether self-compassion change relates to changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms.