The Hallucinogenic Effects of Breathing by Joanna Boulter

The most important guideline for holotropic breathing is to never attempt it by yourself. However, it should be reiterated that the research on holotropic breathwork is pretty sparse and requires much further investigation. Some people claim that holotropic breathwork relieved them of their psychological distress and lead to great personal growth after just one session, while others use it as a regular practice over the span of many years. However, this is a small study that was performed with 20 participants, and more research is needed.Ī 2011 case study investigated holotropic breathwork as a possible form of treatment for people with substance use disorders and found some promising results. Some people go so far as to describe the experience as a spiritual awakening that promotes personal development, greater mental clarity, and a renewed sense of purpose.

One study in 2015 found that holotropic breathing helped improve participants’ temperaments and increased their self-awareness. It’s used to relieve mental health conditions and their symptoms, like: If traditional mental health treatments haven’t helped, an alternative like holotropic breathwork might be something to consider.ĭespite the lack of clinical support for holotropic breathwork as a treatment for mental disorders, many people who practice holotropic breathwork agree that the technique has allowed them to access deeper levels of consciousness and heal naturally from past trauma.

Stanislav Grof even believed that holotropic breathing could allow people to relive past-life events. The goal is to access parts of your psyche that can’t be reached under normal conditions. It’s based on a theory that largely rejects treating psychological symptoms as a disorder or disease, which distinguishes it from most other western approaches to mental health. The word holotropic comes from the Greek words “holos” or “whole” and “trepein” which means “to move in the direction of something,” together translating to “moving towards wholeness.”

They believed that this intense meditative state could help people heal by opening up the mind for deep exploration and releasing past trauma. The Grofs figured out a way to achieve similarly psychedelic “highs” through accelerated breathing as a therapeutic and spiritual tool - no drugs needed. It was created in the 1970s by psychiatrists Stanislav and Christina Grof after hallucinogenic drugs like LSD were outlawed in the U.S. Holotropic breathwork uses rapid, controlled breathing patterns and rhythmic music to induce a dream-like experience, or what’s usually referred to as an altered state of consciousness (ASCs).

The Hallucinogenic Effects of Breathing by Joanna Boulter