People Say Breathwork Releases Trauma. Is That Actually True?

Written by Angie Saunders

Earlier this week, someone reached out after hearing us teach that breathwork does not literally release trauma from the body.

They shared research around DMT, sigma-1 receptors, and trauma recovery, and challenged that position.

Which we welcome.

These conversations are important.

Because if you’ve ever experienced an intense breathwork session, it can absolutely feel like something deep is being released.

People experience big physiological shifts and emotional responses.

And often a strong sense that something meaningful has just happened.

So it’s natural to interpret that as trauma leaving the body.

But when we look at what we can currently verify through respiratory science, a more evidence-based explanation becomes clear.

From a behavioral perspective, breathing is not just automatic. It is a learned response that changes depending on the situation.

Over time, people develop patterns of over-breathing, holding, or controlling their breath in response to stress, anticipation, or discomfort.

These patterns can be triggered automatically, often without awareness, and can drive many of the sensations people experience during breathwork sessions.

Is There Scientific Evidence That Breathwork Releases Trauma?

At this point in time, there is no clear scientific evidence showing that breathwork literally releases trauma from the body.

There are theories involving DMT, sigma-1 receptors, and other neurochemical processes.

But these are still theoretical and have not been demonstrated in humans in a way that confirms trauma is physically leaving the body during breathwork.

In simple terms:

The experience is real.
The explanation is still unproven.

What Is Actually Happening During Intense Breathwork?

To understand what people are experiencing, we need to look at breathing behavior and chemistry.

When someone begins to over-breathe, it changes the balance of gases in the body, particularly carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide plays an important role in:

• regulating blood pH
• supporting normal oxygen delivery dynamics
• maintaining stable blood flow to the brain

When carbon dioxide levels drop, this creates a chain reaction:

• changes in blood chemistry
• less oxygen being delivered where it is needed
• reduced blood flow to certain areas of the brain
• increased nervous system reactivity

In simple terms, the body and brain are being pushed into a different physiological state.

And that state can feel intense.

Why Breathwork Can Feel So Powerful

As a result, people may experience:

• tingling in the hands, face, or body
• dizziness or lightheadedness
• tightness or cramping in the hands
• strong emotional reactions
• changes in perception
• a sense that something significant is happening

These experiences can feel:

• profound
• emotional
• even life-changing

But they can also be:

• uncomfortable
• overwhelming
• confronting

depending on the person and the context.

And this is where interpretation becomes important.

Because while the experience is real, what we say is happening is not always accurate.

The Key Mistake: Correlation vs Causation

One of the biggest misunderstandings in breathwork is confusing correlation with causation.

If someone has a strong emotional experience and then feels calmer afterwards, it is easy to conclude:

“that session released trauma.”

But there are other explanations that are just as likely:

• changes in breathing chemistry
• shifts in physiological state
• temporary changes in how the brain processes attention and perception
• being in a safe, guided environment where experiences can surface

All of these can create a real sense of relief.

This Doesn’t Only Happen in Breathwork

People often feel emotionally lighter after:

• intense training
• endurance exercise
• cold exposure
• long meditation retreats

In those situations, we understand that the experience has changed the person’s state.

We don’t assume that trauma has physically left the body in those scenarios.

So the question becomes:

As facilitators, how can we explain what people are experiencing?

The Hidden Pattern: Chasing the Release

This is where things can become more complex.

When someone experiences a powerful emotional release, it can feel like progress.

If the underlying breathing patterns and behavioural responses don’t change, the same reactions can return when someone is triggered.

This is where people can get stuck.

They have a powerful session.
They feel different.
Then the reactions come back.

So they go looking for another experience.

Over time, this can turn into:

• chasing the next session
• increasing intensity
• questioning whether they did it “right”
• believing something is wrong with them

Instead of understanding what is actually driving the response.

At that point, the session becomes a temporary outlet, not a long-term solution.

A More Accurate Way to Understand Breathwork

From an evidence-based perspective, a more accurate explanation is this:

Breathwork can change the physiological state.

It can:

• alter breathing chemistry
• influence the nervous system
• increase awareness of internal sensations
• amplify how experiences are perceived

These are real and valuable effects.

But they don’t require the assumption that trauma is being physically released from the body.

The body is constantly working to regulate breathing and restore balance on its own.

What often gets in the way is learned breathing behaviors that override that process.

Why This Distinction Matters

How we explain breathwork affects everything

It influences:

• how people interpret their experience
• how facilitators guide sessions
• whether someone feels empowered or dependent
• whether they build skill or chase intensity

When explanations go beyond what evidence supports, people can end up:

• confused
• reliant on repeated sessions
• or questioning why the problem keeps coming back

A physiology-based and behavior-informed understanding does something different.

It helps people understand what their body is doing in real time.
It gives them a way to work with it.

And it creates something far more useful:
stability, both in sessions and in everyday life.

The Behavioral Breathwork Perspective

This is one of the central principles of Behavioral Breathwork.

We separate three things:

• what someone experiences
• what we can explain physiologically
• what we choose to say about it

Facilitators are trained to:

• observe rather than interpret
• understand breathing behaviour as it is happening
• reduce unnecessary intensity
• avoid attaching unsupported explanations to experiences

Because the goal is not to create dramatic sessions.

The goal is to help people understand their breathing in a way that actually carries over into daily life.

Final Thought

Breathwork can be powerful.

But intensity is not the same as understanding.

When you move from chasing emotional experiences to understanding how your breathing and physiology are actually working, everything changes.

You stop reacting to the experience.
And start working with the system that is driving it.

If You Want to Go Deeper

If you want to better understand the physiology behind breathwork and how to apply it in a practical way, we cover this in detail inside the Behavioral Breathwork Training↗, where we explore breathing behaviour, physiology, and how to work with it in real time.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Does breathwork release trauma from the body?
  There is currently no clear scientific evidence showing that breathwork literally releases trauma from the body. What we can explain are changes in breathing chemistry and physiological state.
• Why do I feel emotional after breathwork?
  Changes in breathing can alter blood chemistry, nervous system responses, and awareness, which can bring up strong emotional experiences.
• Is breathwork safe?
  Breathwork can be safe when guided appropriately, but intense breathing can also create uncomfortable or overwhelming physiological responses depending on the person.