You can cut it back if you want. It will flush out new growth if you do. Just be ready to blot the milky sap that will ooze from the cut - I use a paper towel against the cut for a few seconds and that usually stops it. You can then let the cuttings callous for a few days before potting them to start additional new plants.

I would prune back the tall leaning stems, then get the plant into a sunny window.

...and use glowes - you don't want the milky sap (latex) all over you. Many are allergic to it

and if you are going to prune back the tall leaning parts.. may as well propagate them ..

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Crown+of+Thorns+propagation&t=ffcm&iax=videos&ia=videos

amazing!! thank you so much, everyone! I'm excited to see what happens. I've pruned back the leaning stems and going to try to propagate them. really thankful for everyone's advice.

You can expect the plant to respond such that you'll end up with something that looks like these plants, both of which have been cut back fairly hard:

If you live in the US or anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, the best time to cut the plant back (and repot) would be in the 2 weeks preceding the Summer Solstice, which occurs 21 June. Don't forget to do a full repot if it's rootbound. It will make a tremendous difference in the enthusiasm with which the plant responds to the pruning.

Al