Breathwork, Music, and Altered States of Consciousness: Exploring the Neurophysiological Basis of a Transformative Practice
Breathwork has long been revered across cultures as a tool for healing, transformation, and spiritual exploration. From ancient yogic pranayama practices to modern therapeutic adaptations, the conscious regulation of breathing patterns has been associated with profound shifts in mental, emotional, and physiological states. In recent years, scientific inquiry has begun to validate and explore these claims, particularly focusing on the mechanisms underlying altered states of consciousness (ASCs) induced through specific breathwork techniques. A groundbreaking study, published on August 27, 2025, in PLOS One by Amy Amla Kartar from the Colasanti Lab at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, and colleagues, sheds new light on this phenomenon. Their findings illuminate how high ventilation breathwork (HVB), when combined with music, not only evokes blissful states but also produces distinct and measurable changes in brain function and blood flow.
This essay examines the study’s findings in depth, exploring the neurophysiological, psychological, and therapeutic implications of breathwork as a powerful non-pharmacological alternative to psychedelic-assisted therapy. It situates the research within broader discussions of mental health, consciousness studies, and therapeutic innovation, while also highlighting the potential limitations and directions for future work.
The Rising Popularity of Breathwork as Therapy
The contemporary world faces a growing crisis of psychological distress, with rising rates of depression, anxiety, and trauma-related conditions. As conventional therapies such as psychotherapy and pharmacological interventions struggle to meet the increasing demand, alternative practices are gaining traction. Breathwork, in particular, is emerging as a therapeutic modality that is both accessible and powerful.
Practices that deliberately alter the depth and rate of breathing can shift physiological states and open pathways to non-ordinary states of consciousness. When combined with music, these practices can evoke emotional release, spiritual experiences, and a sense of unity that practitioners often describe as life-changing. Proponents highlight the advantages of breathwork over pharmacological treatments: it requires no substances, carries minimal legal or ethical restrictions, and can be scaled widely in clinical or community settings.
Altered States of Consciousness and Oceanic Boundlessness
Central to the study’s focus is the concept of altered states of consciousness (ASCs). These are temporary shifts in awareness that differ qualitatively from ordinary waking states. Psychedelic research has demonstrated that substances such as psilocybin induce ASCs characterized by vivid perceptual changes, emotional release, and profound feelings of unity. A defining feature of such experiences is Oceanic Boundlessness (OBN)—a term originally coined by Sigmund Freud in 1920 and later expanded in the field of psychopharmacology. OBN encompasses sensations of spiritual transcendence, bliss, unity with the environment, depersonalization experienced positively, and deep insightfulness.
What makes HVB particularly significant is its ability to evoke states of OBN reliably without external chemical agents. This makes breathwork a natural, safe, and sustainable means of accessing therapeutic states long associated with psychedelics.
The Study Design: Bridging Breathwork and Neuroscience
To investigate the mechanisms behind HVB-induced ASCs, Kartar and colleagues conducted a multi-faceted study. Participants included experienced breathwork practitioners who engaged in a 20–30 minute session of cyclic breathing without pauses, accompanied by music. The study collected data from three groups: fifteen individuals participating online, eight individuals in a laboratory setting, and nineteen who underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans during the session.
Following the breathwork, participants completed detailed questionnaires within thirty minutes to capture subjective experiences of altered states and emotional shifts. This combination of neuroimaging, physiological monitoring, and self-report measures allowed the researchers to map both the experiential and biological dimensions of HVB.
Neurophysiological Findings: Blood Flow and Brain Regions
One of the most striking outcomes of the study was the discovery of specific changes in cerebral blood flow during HVB. While the practice led to global reductions in blood flow across much of the brain—a pattern consistent with high levels of metabolic demand—two regions showed a unique increase in activity:
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The right amygdala: a brain structure central to emotional memory processing, particularly related to fear and affect.
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The anterior hippocampus: associated with encoding and processing emotional experiences and memories.
The observed increase in blood flow to these regions suggests that HVB actively engages the emotional circuitry of the brain, enabling practitioners to reprocess fear and negative emotions in a way that fosters release and transformation. This neural activity closely mirrors findings from psychedelic research, where increased amygdala-hippocampal activity correlates with emotional breakthroughs and therapeutic outcomes.
Conversely, HVB also caused a profound decrease in blood flow to the left operculum and posterior insula, regions implicated in representing bodily states, including breathing. This reduction may underlie the sense of depersonalization and detachment from ordinary bodily awareness reported during ASCs, further contributing to feelings of transcendence and OBN.
Stress Response and Paradoxical Calm
Interestingly, the study also found that HVB sessions were accompanied by cardiovascular sympathetic activation, indicated by reduced heart rate variability—a marker typically associated with stress responses. At first glance, this might suggest that HVB induces strain on the body. However, the paradox lies in the participants’ subjective reports: despite physiological markers of stress, they consistently experienced a reduction in fear, negative emotions, and anxiety.
This paradox highlights the complexity of the body-mind interaction. HVB may trigger a controlled stress response that paradoxically enhances resilience and emotional release. This is akin to the hormetic effect observed in practices like cold exposure or high-intensity exercise, where temporary stress leads to long-term adaptation and well-being.
Therapeutic Potential and Clinical Applications
The therapeutic implications of these findings are profound. If HVB can reliably evoke ASCs akin to those induced by psychedelics, it could become a cornerstone intervention for mental health treatment, particularly in conditions where conventional methods fall short. Potential applications include:
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Depression and anxiety: By reactivating emotional circuits and fostering states of bliss and unity, HVB may alleviate symptoms of despair and isolation.
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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Controlled evocation of ASCs may allow patients to revisit and reframe traumatic memories safely.
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Addiction recovery: OBN experiences may foster spiritual and emotional insights that break cycles of dependency.
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General well-being: Even outside clinical populations, HVB may serve as a tool for stress reduction, creativity, and spiritual growth.
Unlike psychedelic therapy, which remains constrained by legal and regulatory hurdles, HVB carries no such barriers. This opens pathways for large-scale adoption in clinical, community, and even digital therapeutic settings.
Limitations and the Path Forward
Despite its groundbreaking insights, the study remains exploratory. The relatively small sample size and lack of a control group mean that findings must be interpreted with caution. Future research should involve larger, more diverse populations, direct comparisons with control conditions, and deeper exploration of the role of music in shaping the ASC experience.
Additionally, questions remain about long-term effects, optimal dosing of breathwork sessions, and potential contraindications for certain populations, such as individuals with cardiovascular vulnerabilities. Careful clinical validation is necessary before HVB can be widely implemented in therapeutic protocols.
Conclusion: Breathwork as a Gateway to Transformation
The study by Kartar and colleagues represents a significant milestone in the scientific understanding of breathwork. For the first time, neuroimaging has mapped the physiological changes in the brain during HVB, revealing how this natural practice can evoke profound psychedelic-like states of consciousness. The findings not only validate anecdotal reports of bliss, unity, and emotional release but also offer a biological basis for therapeutic applications.
In a world grappling with escalating mental health challenges, HVB emerges as a promising tool that bridges ancient wisdom with modern neuroscience. By unlocking altered states of consciousness without pharmacological intervention, breathwork may pave the way for accessible, transformative therapies that empower individuals to heal, grow, and thrive.
As Dr. Alessandro Colasanti aptly summarized, breathwork is a natural yet powerful form of neuromodulation—regulating metabolism across the body and brain. Its potential to transform psychological suffering into states of unity and bliss underscores its value as both a scientific and spiritual frontier.
The future of breathwork research is just beginning, but its promise is already unmistakable: a simple, rhythmic act of breathing, when combined with music, has the power to open doors to the deepest dimensions of the human mind and spirit.
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