As the field of therapy continues to evolve, many clinicians are recognizing that traditional talk therapy alone may not be sufficient to help clients release deep-seated trauma, access suppressed emotions, or overcome mental blocks. While talk therapy is invaluable for creating awareness around patterns and understanding the pathology behind them, clients can often become stuck. They may become conscious of their triggers and self-sabotaging behaviors but find themselves unable to shift them. This can create cognitive dissonance.
Understanding the conscious versus subconscious mind helps explain why this happens. Talk therapy primarily works with the conscious mind, which represents roughly 5% of our brain power. The remaining 95%—the subconscious—primarily dictates a person’s thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. Creating lasting change by working only with 5% of brain function is extremely challenging.
This is where breathwork becomes a game-changer. By bringing the awareness created in therapy sessions into the body and subconscious programming, therapists can guide clients into non-ordinary states of consciousness. In these states, real and rapid change becomes not only possible but often inevitable.
Why Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) is the Ultimate Tool for Therapists
Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) is a technique that involves continuous, connected breathing to facilitate non-ordinary states of consciousness. Unlike traditional breathing exercises, CCB allows clients to access deep layers of emotional and psychological material in a safe and supportive environment.
For therapists, this means you can help clients uncover unresolved trauma, release tension, and gain clarity that is often inaccessible through verbal therapy alone. The effects and benefits of CCB can be likened to ketamine-assisted therapy; however, CCB is safe, fully legal, more affordable, and widely accessible. Clients can participate and drive home afterward, remaining fully in control at all times—an ideal approach for those who feel anxious or fearful around psychedelic-assisted therapy.
CCB also conveys an empowering message: everything your client needs for healing exists within themselves. They don’t need to rely on external substances to access transformation. This is particularly valuable for clients in recovery from addiction, where the use of drugs to facilitate healing may send a contradictory message.
Conscious Breathwork as a Talk Therapy Adjunct for Trauma & Addiction Healing
CCB is highly effective for clients who have experienced trauma, as it allows them to safely access and process stored tension and suppressed emotions. Research on connected breathwork has shown promising results in treating trauma and related disorders.
Holotropic Breathwork: Clinical Evidence
Holotropic Breathwork is a branded CCB approach developed by psychiatrist Stanislav Grof in the 1970s. After LSD was banned, Grof adapted the conscious connected breathing pattern he had been using with his PTSD patients to induce non-ordinary states of consciousness safely, without drugs. Since then, Holotropic Breathwork has been widely studied and used in clinical and therapeutic settings.
A clinical report documented the experiences of 482 consecutive patients undergoing Holotropic Breathwork. Participants experienced significant reductions in symptoms related to stress and trauma, including decreased hostility, interpersonal problems, and paranoid ideation. Notably, these benefits were observed even among individuals with prior psychiatric conditions, highlighting its potential as a trauma-informed intervention (MAPS).
Connected Breathwork and Trauma Remission
A clinical case study documented the complete remission of PTSD and comorbid symptoms in a participant after eight sessions of connected breathing. Both subjective reports and heart rate variability data indicated significant improvements, supporting the role of breathwork in trauma processing (ScienceDirect).
Meta-Analyses on Breathwork and Mental Health
A 2023 meta-analysis of 26 randomized controlled trials found that breathwork interventions significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety (g = −0.32) and depression (g = −0.40), suggesting that structured breathwork can be an effective adjunctive treatment for mental health issues, including trauma-related conditions (PMC).
Breathwork & Alcoholism
A study titled “Examining the Effects of Holotropic Breathwork in the Recovery from Alcoholism and Drug Dependence” indicated that connected breathwork is an effective clinical intervention for treating individuals recovering from alcoholism or drug addiction, particularly those challenged by affective disorders, existential and spiritual issues, and trauma. The results suggest that connected breathwork may be beneficial as a relapse prevention strategy Integration Concepts.
While scientific research is still emerging, millions of people around the world report life-changing and trauma-healing benefits from connected breathwork. The existing studies highlight a growing body of evidence supporting connected breathwork as a powerful tool in trauma therapy. It provides clients with a safe and structured way to access and process deep-seated emotional material, while equipping therapists with a trauma-informed approach that complements traditional talk therapy and other mental health modalities.
How to Find a Breathwork Training for Therapists
Choose Trauma-Informed and Safe Practices
A high-quality breathwork training for therapists should be trauma-informed. This ensures you learn not only how to guide breathwork safely but also how to support clients with varying levels of vulnerability. Trauma-informed breathwork practices teach you how to recognize when a client may feel overwhelmed during a session, offer grounding techniques, and create a container where healing can occur without retraumatization.
Look for a Comprehensive Training: 400+ Hours
To truly integrate breathwork into your practice, choose an in-depth program. At a minimum, a 400-hour curriculum should include:
- Conscious Connected Breathwork as the main modality
- Parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) breathing techniques to help clients move out of stress and anxiety outside of sessions
- Anatomy and physiology of the breath
- Ethics, client safety, and trauma-informed facilitation
- Integration practices to help clients process insights post-session
Completing a thorough program gives you the competence to guide clients safely and effectively while understanding the science behind how breathwork impacts the nervous system, emotions, and consciousness.
Why PNS Practices Matter
While CCB is powerful for deep release, clients also need tools to regulate their nervous system in daily life. Parasympathetic breathing practices help clients calm anxiety, reduce stress, and maintain emotional balance between sessions. Combining CCB with PNS techniques equips clients with both transformative experiences and sustainable coping strategies.
Choose a GPBA-Certified Training
Look for programs certified by the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance (GPBA) to ensure your training meets international standards for safety, ethics, and professionalism.
Integrating Breathwork into Your Practice
After completing a comprehensive training, you will be able to:
- Offer clients access to deeper emotional processing beyond talk therapy
- Use breathwork to enhance trauma healing, emotional regulation, and self-awareness
- Provide tools clients can use independently to manage stress, anxiety, or overwhelm
- Confidently hold a safe, supportive environment for non-ordinary states of consciousness
Closing Thoughts on Breathwork Training for Therapists
For therapists ready to elevate their practice, breathwork training is a powerful way to expand your modalities. Conscious Connected Breathwork, combined with trauma-informed approaches and PNS techniques, allows you to help clients access profound healing in a safe and accessible way. By investing in a 400-hour or longer program, you gain both the expertise and confidence to integrate breathwork seamlessly into your therapeutic practice.
Unity Breathwork offers a 450-hour dually accredited breathwork training that is trauma-informed and internationally certified. Spread over a year, it is accessible even for the busiest schedules and includes an 8-day in-person intensive toward the end, providing invaluable experiential learning opportunities. It is one of the most comprehensive trainings available in the world and will prepare you to guide your clients through deeply healing breathwork sessions in a safe and empowering way.
“I would recommend the Unity Breathwork training to all therapists interested in incorporating breathwork into your practice, especially if you work with clients with trauma, PTSD, or addictions!
I have become a better therapist in this process, and when practicing breathwork sessions with clients I have seen amazing growth and hope for their futures.
I have grown both personally and professionally, and I will always be grateful for Megan sharing her passion, knowledge, and skills of breathwork!”
– Ida-Marie
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