Holotropic breathing, more commonly known as holotropic breathwork (HB), is a therapeutic and spiritual practice that uses accelerated breathing patterns to alter consciousness and explore inner experiences. It is often utilized to promote self-discovery, emotional healing, and insight into unresolved psychological issues.
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Verywell / Catherine Song
How Can Holotropic Breathwork Help?
Research on the therapeutic benefits of holotropic breathing for psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety is lacking. Given the associated risks and limited research evidence, there is little to suggest that holotropic breathwork should be used instead of traditional mental health treatments.
However, there is some research suggesting that breathwork interventions such as holotropic breathing may benefit mental well-being in these ways:
- Reduced stress: Some evidence suggests that it might be helpful for relaxation, stress relief, personal growth, or self-awareness.
- Improved mental health: Research has shown that breathwork interventions may help improve mental health and reduce stress. However, researchers caution that further research is needed to better understand the nuances and specific uses of different breathwork interventions.
- Reduced anxiety: Another review found that a range of breathwork practices could help reduce symptoms of anxiety disorders. While there is a lack of specific research on holotropic breathing, the authors of the study suggest that it may also help people with anxiety better learn to control their breath, which may help manage anxiety.
Other potential benefits are harder to quantify but could still boost your well-being. These include:
- Spending time in a trusting environment
- Focusing on deeper life concerns
- Learning how to support other people
- Trusting in your ability to heal yourself
- Developing compassion
It is recommended that holotropic breathwork be used alongside traditional therapy, rather than as a replacement for it.
What’s the Goal of Holotropic Breathwork?
The practice of holotropic breathwork involves using a controlled breathing process to access altered states of consciousness and increased enlightenment. Originating from the Greek words “holos” (whole) and “trepein” (to move toward), the word “holotropic” translates to “moving toward wholeness.”
The primary principle of this technique is that healing comes from within the person practicing the breathwork. This premise is also intended to help the participant feel personally empowered.
During holotropic breathwork, participants breathe rapidly and evenly to induce an altered state from which it is believed that a deeper understanding of oneself can be derived. Some describe this experience as a more intense form of meditation.
In many countries, practitioners utilize this technique as a spiritual practice rather than a therapeutic one. In this way, some people participate in expanding their awareness rather than overcoming or managing a mental health condition. Many proponents of holotropic breathing propose that this technique moves you forward to higher consciousness.
In other words, it may shift you into another state, which can appeal to people who feel stuck and unable to advance using other means. Often, this feeling of awakening can happen through some form of catharsis.
A note of caution: Practitioners say that trauma may surface during a session, but only if it is necessary for healing. This can’t be predicted before the session. Rather, each person’s experience with holotropic breathwork is unique and self-directed and unfolds on its own as the practice progresses.
How It Works
The underlying tenet of holotropic breathwork is that each person has an inner radar that can determine the most important experience at a given moment, but we cannot be aware of this experience until it happens.
From this perspective, the facilitator does not need to tell those who are practicing what to focus on. Instead, participants are instructed to figure out what emerges for them as they do the work.
Official holotropic breathwork can only be lead by certified instructors that obtain a certification from the Grof Foundation after completion of a 600-hour training course.
People often experience an intense, “therapeutic” crisis that helps flush away negative energies and leads them to a healing place of greater understanding. This will always be specific to the person at that particular time in their life.
Holotropic Breathwork vs. Hyperventilation
Given the nature of this type of breathwork, you might wonder: Is holotropic breathwork just hyperventilating? The intended breathing pattern is designed to be even so that the participant avoids hyperventilating. However, some attribute the physical feelings of the experience to a person’s carbon dioxide (CO2)-oxygen (O2) balance getting out of whack, which is what happens with hyperventilation.
Hyperventilation (breathing out too much CO2, which causes respiratory alkalosis or alkalinizing of the blood) may lead to an altered state of consciousness and the physical sensations of tingling of the fingers and mouth, lightheadedness, and dizziness.
What to Expect in a Session
If you want to try holotropic breathing, consider signing up for an online course hosted by a trained instructor. You can also schedule private sessions, watch online videos, or utilize a breathwork app.
Let’s take a closer look at what a session of holotropic breathwork might look like.
- Holotropic breathwork is often practiced in a group led by a trained facilitator. It may also be offered in individual sessions or as part of a retreat.
- People are paired off in a group setting. There is one “breather” and one “sitter.”
- The sitter only helps the breather if needed. The breather is the person actively practicing and experiencing HB. The sitter ensures that the breather is safe and supported during the session.
- A facilitator guides the session. They say when to increase the speed and rhythm of breathing. The breather is told to breathe faster and deeper while keeping their eyes closed. While the speed of breathing increases, attention is paid to keep breathing even, which helps practitioners avoid complications from hyperventilating.
- A session might last from 2 to 3 hours in total.
- The breather lies on a mat for the duration of a session. Lying down grounds the breath and allows them to move freely in whatever pose their breath takes them.
- Repetitive music is played. The rhythmic music encourages the breather to enter an altered state of consciousness (similar to having a vivid dream). The music starts off with drumming, and eventually reaches a peak and switches to “heart music.” From there, it eventually changes to meditative music.
- The session is open-ended. This means that each person is able to derive their own meaning and attain self-discovery in whatever form that means for them. In addition to moving in any way that they want, breathers are encouraged to make any sounds that feel right to them.
- Afterward, participants draw mandalas about their experience and discuss what happened. This could be the re-experiencing of past trauma, feelings of joy, or the development of spiritual awareness. Essentially, the goal is for holotropic breathing to be a catalyst for bringing to the surface the most important issues a person needs to address.
- Breathers and sitters swap roles for future sessions.
- There is no specific guideline or expectation of what must occur or what issues are explored during a session. Participants are free to work on whatever comes up for them as they enter the altered state.
Proponents of this technique contend that this altered state allows people to access parts of the mind that are not usually accessible, such as memories of past events.
What Does Holotropic Breathwork Feel Like?
It might seem scary to breathe in this way, and you might worry about the effects that you will experience.
Rapid breathing can feel overwhelming or unsettling, but practitioners are always welcome to back off if the sensations feel like too much. However, breathers are encouraged to (safely) push through if they are able, as it is thought that this is the pathway to the enlightenment the practice seeks to reveal.
Some prefer to call it a “non-ordinary state of consciousness” rather than an altered state of consciousness, to reflect that it does not necessarily have the negative connotations of altered states. In general, the concept of having a dream might be a more useful metaphor.
Holotropic breathwork is an experience that is supposed to bring the person into a deeper dimension of the present moment and to see things in a more colorful, insightful way than reality might appear otherwise.
Are There Any Risks?
There are some potential risks of participating in holotropic breathwork.
- Increased distress: There is some concern that this technique causes distress in vulnerable individuals, such as those at risk for psychosis.
- Hyperventilation: If not done carefully, holotropic breathing can cause reduced carbon dioxide and other alterations in blood chemistry that can lead to dizziness, fainting, weakness, spasms of the hands and feet, and even seizures.
- Uncomfortable feelings: Since holotropic breathwork is aimed at a “deep experience,” uncomfortable feelings, also known as a “healing crisis, ” may arise. Indeed, this technique is controversial because it involves the possible amplification of symptoms in potentially problematic ways.
Is Holotropic Breathwork Safe for Everyone?
This technique can evoke intense physical and emotional changes. Therefore, the practice isn’t for everyone.
For anyone considering trying holotropic breathing, it is a good idea to discuss possible risks with your healthcare provider before embarking on this alternative practice, especially if you have any of the following conditions:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Heart attacks, high blood pressure, and angina
- Glaucoma or retinal detachment
- Recent injury or surgery
- Any condition that requires you to take medication
- Panic attacks or psychosis
- Seizures
- Severe mental illness
- Aneurysms (or family history)
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Can you do holotropic breathing by yourself?
There are safety concerns with practicing it on your own, including dizziness, fainting, hyperventilation, and psychological distress. Because holotropic breathing can be intense, it is recommended to only practice it with a trained expert while in the presence of others. If you are unable to work with a trained facilitator, an online course and other resources can help you do some breathwork to get an idea of what it is like.
History of Holotropic Breathing
This unconventional New Age practice was developed by psychiatrists Stanislav and Christina Grof in the 1970s to achieve altered states of consciousness (without using drugs) as a potential therapeutic tool.
After LSD became illegal in the late 1960s, the Grofs, who had been proponents of the therapeutic effects of LSD, developed holotropic breathwork. The technique was created to achieve psychedelic-like states without using psychedelic drugs. The Grofs were trained in Freudian psychoanalytic therapy and believed the process of deep, self-exploration brought on by these altered states can bring healing.
Stanislav Grof is known as the co-founder of transpersonal psychology (along with Abraham Maslow). Grof began his work at the Psychiatric Research Institute in Prague and eventually moved to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. His work was conducted with patients experiencing psychiatric illness, cancer, and drug addiction.
Holotropic breathing was derived from a spiritual framework but is also a trademarked activity that has become increasingly popular among those seeking to explore a unique self-healing process to attain a state of wholeness.
Key Takeaways
- Holotropic breathwork is a technique that uses fast, controlled breathing to experience an altered state of consciousness. It may be used as a tool for emotional release, self-exploration, and spiritual insight.
- It is typically practiced in group workshops, retreats, or individual sessions with the support of a facilitator. Guidance is essential to help people stay safe and get the most out of the experience.
- Holotropic breathwork benefits may include reduced stress, increased self-awareness, and reduced anxiety, but it is not a replacement for evidence-based mental health treatment. Because of potential risks, it’s best used under professional supervision to augment other therapeutic interventions.
