Breathwork regulates the nervous system by shifting the body from survival mode into rest. It provides a somatic, choice-based path to process emotional tension without the need for verbalizing trauma.
Key takeaways
- Breathwork allows the nervous system to transition from survival mode to safety by stimulating the vagus nerve.
- Unlike talk therapy, breathwork bypasses the rational brain to address physical tension and emotional memories directly.
- Trauma-informed practice prioritizes personal autonomy, allowing you to modify your breath to suit your current capacity and comfort levels.
Trauma, stress, and grief leave a physical footprint. For some, it’s a tightness in the chest that won’t go away. For others, it’s tension carried in the shoulders and lingering headaches. Breathwork for trauma release anchors the body to create a sense of safety by activating the nervous system, supporting emotional release without feeling completely overwhelmed.
Why Does Talking About Stress and Trauma Sometimes Feel Like It Keeps Us Stuck?
Talk therapy is a powerful tool for processing trauma and works as a complement to breathwork. However, verbalizing trauma can sometimes feel like you’re keeping the trauma front and center, even if you’re only trying to express your emotions and work through what you’re feeling. The reason has to do with your brain. Specifically, your brain struggles to distinguish between recalling a memory and experiencing an event in real time because your amygdala triggers the same neural response in both scenarios.
Your brain also struggles to tell the difference between rumination and reflection because memories aren’t stored neatly in boxes. Traumatic memories, grief, and stress are commonly stored with sensory and emotional memories, meaning your body may physically re-live trauma when memories are discussed, even if your environment is safe.
The best way to process trauma and stress while protecting yourself is with nervous system regulation. A biological tool to help your nervous system return to a state of calm and safety is breathwork for trauma release, which helps you arrive safely in your body and the present moment.
How Can Returning to the Body With Breathwork for Trauma Release Offer a Sense of Safety?
Breathwork offers a sense of safety in the body by regulating the nervous system, allowing people to experience uncomfortable sensations in tolerable conditions, and rebuilding body awareness. Trauma-informed breathwork allows people to experience physiological signs similar to panic, like faster breathing or sweating, in a safe environment, with guidance to return to a state of calm without becoming overwhelmed.
For those who feel disconnected from their bodies because of anxiety, trauma, or grief, breathwork gradually strengthens body awareness and builds a capacity to tolerate body sensations. Practices to get you started include:
What Happens to the Nervous System With the Healing Power of the Breath?
The effects of breathing and healing are most apparent on the nervous system. The slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing typical of conscious breathing exercises stimulates the vagus nerve by expanding the nerve endings around the stomach. When the vagus nerve is stimulated, the brain's fear center is deactivated, and the nervous system shifts into a state of rest and safety. Consistent practice supports nervous system regulation and is associated with lower cortisol levels and improved heart rate variability.
How Does Trauma-Informed Breathwork Help Navigate Waves of Grief, Stress, and Trauma?
Trauma-informed breathwork gently regulates the autonomic nervous system with choice-based, gradual-paced breathing techniques. The emphasis on choosing a comfortable breathing rhythm with an extended exhalation is key to downshifting the nervous system and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. When the brain and body receive safety signals, it’s easier to release trapped emotional tension and expand the window of tolerance without becoming overwhelmed.
Breathwork Trauma Release FAQs
How does breathwork for trauma release help manage stress without forcing a positive mindset?
Breathwork for trauma release bypasses the prefrontal cortex, which controls rational thought and cognition, and instead supports bottom-up somatic processing through vagal nerve stimulation. By its very nature, trauma-informed breathwork does not call for positive thinking at all. Instead, the goal is to tap into physiological keys to release tension and live in the present moment, processing physical and emotional sensations. Stress is released through the breath, rather than rationalization.
Is it normal to feel emotional or cry during breathwork?
Yes. Some people experience intense emotional release during a breathwork session. It’s not uncommon to cry, laugh, sigh, or spontaneously yawn as emotions are released. Some people also experience trembling or tingling sensations.
What does trauma-informed breathwork mean?
In the context of breathwork practice, trauma-informed means that your choice and comfort are more important than following a specific technique. The healing power of the breath is unlocked when your body is allowed to breathe deeply, without the pressure to follow a set rhythm. During trauma-informed breathwork practice, you are free to stop when you feel overwhelmed or modify the rhythm to meet your physical limitations.
Practice Emotional Regulation By Breathing and Healing
Your body holds onto intense emotions, while your mind links memories to physical sensations. When you want to heal from trauma and grief, overcoming a nervous system locked up by sense memory is challenging. Breathwork for trauma release is one way to bypass the fear center of the brain and shift the body into a calmer state where emotional trauma, grief, and stress can be safely processed.
Join a guided, trauma-informed breathwork session in LA at Open.