Holotropic Breathwork Benefits
As a treatment, holotropic breathwork benefits include physical, spiritual and emotional changes. As each of us is different in many ways, one person’s perceived benefit from holotropic breathwork may be of no relevance or interest to someone else. This means that when you try it yourself, your experience will vary compared to that of other participants in the room or from those who may have taken part previously.
Most people who try this healing practice for themselves still encounter some breakthrough, processing or release, even if it is not immediately evident at the time, and has probably contributed to the popularity of learning how to hallucinate without drugs. This breakthrough allows you to be free of issues that have held you back or impacted your life for several years.
Commonly people who have experienced trauma in their past or been dealing with substance abuse and addictions can find holotropic breathwork to be very freeing and transformative. Due to this phenomenon, holotropic breathing has been referred to as ‘transformational breathing’ or ‘rebirthing therapy’, as after coming through the other side of a session, you can feel a sense of calmness, peace, and renewed energy like you may not have felt in some time.
As holotropic breathwork brings surprisingly powerful results with a relatively short investment of time, it is no wonder its popularity has seen a consistent increase over the last few decades.
Holotropic breathwork benefits break down into three categories:
- Physical
- Emotional
- Spiritual
Holotropic Breathwork Benefits For The Physical Body
We’ll begin with the physical changes since it’s the most tangible and often visible of holotropic breathwork. Holotropic breathwork participants can see improvements in physical ailments and conditions, which can include more chronic conditions. Keep in mind that several holotropic breathwork sessions might be needed if the disease has been there for many years.
At a purely physical level, holotropic breathwork benefits include:
- Reduction in overall stiffness and rigidity within your body.
- Less tension held in the muscles.
- Headaches or migraines can dissipate.
- Improved mobility.
- Absence of pain or a decrease in the sensation of physical pain.
- Clearer skin.
- More vital look .
- Radiating glow.
- Balanced brainwaves.
- Reduced stress and lower levels of associated hormones such as cortisol or adrenaline.
- A reduction in premenstrual pain, tensions or discomfort.
As mentioned, each person will have a different response; there are, of course, many other factors to consider here, such as overall health and wellbeing, that can affect the outcome. These physical benefits can be magnified when you have decided to do other assistive preparation alongside this, such as fasting, detoxification, etc.
Additional practices can significantly improve the results either before a holotropic session or afterwards; your practitioner will be able to negative specific things you can do here in more depth.
Holotropic Breathwork Benefits For Your Spiritual Self
Deciding to embark on a holotropic breathwork journey sends signals to your psyche and spiritual self that you are taking action and preparing.
The main benefits people have reported having attended a class, or one-to-one tutelage include:
- Greater sense of self-awareness.
- A deeper connection to self.
- Transcended the ego and gained insights into life.
- A Renewed sense of purpose.
- Bigger picture perspectives.
- Desire to develop a more regular spiritual practice.
- Feeling of wholeness and more complete.
- Able to move past a limiting belief or blockage that may have prevented your growth.
- Experience of a profound.
- Altered state of consciousness without the reliance on psychedelics which may be outlawed in your part of the world.
- Tap into your inner wisdom & intuition.
- Unlock your creativity and soul skillset.
It is not unusual to feel the effects of these components over the days and weeks ahead, whilst they are gradually digested and processed. Keeping a journal or notepad to record your experiences can prove to be tremendously helpful in this regard and make sense of seemingly unconnected thoughts or developments.
Holotropic Breathwork Benefits: The Emotional Aspect
The emotional aspect of holotropic breathwork benefits was a large part of the driving force in it’s development as an alternative to the offerings from the scientific, pharmaceutical world or medical establishments which can come with side effects, pose danger or just not be very effective.
Taking ownership of your emotions and being proactive in this regard can yield many benefits with no detrimental outcome:
- Improved outlook.
- Better mood.
- Less negative thoughts.
- Process stuck or trapped emotions from the past.
- Reduction in anxiety levels or ideas that can trigger it.
- Helps with interpersonal problems such as hostility, controlling, passive aggression, overly accommodating or neediness.
- PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
- More trustworthiness, both to others and for yourself/ own judgement
- Personal growth
- Relaxation
- Self-discovery of emotions and improvements in emotional intelligence
- Reduction in avoidance behaviours or emotional detachment
Taking time after a session to document what emotions you experienced, along with their intensity, is incredibly helpful when you’ve made progress in certain areas of life.
As you can see there are a lot of potential benefits that can assist with improving your life, from something as simple as breathing!
Benefits From The Integration Component
One of the integral differentiating factors of holotropic breathwork practice versus other types of breathwork is the group setting and sharing, which comes afterwards.
Sharing provides the opportunities to discuss what your journey was like, the good, the bad and the ugly. Done in a safe, non-judgmental environment gives rise to subtle messages or insights that may not have been acknowledged or processed during the breathwork. Additionally, within a group environment your fellow breathers also benefit as the experience may jog a memory within them or prompt them to share their own experiences.
Although an individual thought may seem so obscure that it couldn’t possibly be relevant, it can change someone else outcome from the session, so don’t hold back. For some attendees, integration is where they get the most benefit, and speaking openly and freely could be something they’re unable to do back at home. In a day and age where connection can be so accessible online or via electronic devices the art of in-person communication can be difficult, yet when done in an environment where being vulnerable is encouraged it can be extremely liberating and powerful.
Benefits From Post Breathwork Mandala Drawing Sessions
Unique to holotropic breathing is the mandala drawing session afterwards, where the participants are encouraged to let their creativity flow and produce a circle filled with their experience. Simple pleasures such as drawing can help reconnect and express, be playful and have fun.
Not only is this form of communication a way to non verbally release and process the experience, keeping authenticity bottled up stifles our true selves, becoming constricting and toxic over time. Inner child work and dealing with traumas from a young age can be particularly developmental through this.
Allowing yourself the opportunity to be creative, colourful and arty has been known to distil a world’s worth of pain into a simple picture, what you do with it afterwards is entirely up to you. If you never want to share the meaning or interpretation of that artwork with anyone else, that is your discretion
Conclusion
As the breath is the bridge between autonomous and voluntary processes within our bodies and brains, it can yield results other treatments may not be able to.
While holotropic breathwork benefits are still not fully understood as the scientific world cannot always measure, confirm or corroborate with findings that may space several sectors or dimensions, over the years and decades ahead, we may find that they catch up with the ancient wisdom, teachings, and ancestral knowledge passed down.
What we do know is that when breathwork is carried out under the supervision of a trained facilitator, who has had to practice for more than 600 hours with the Holotropic modality, the transformative effects can be instantaneous.
Granted, there are many other styles of breathwork out there and pranayama, as it’s also known by the yogi’s, has been assisting in personal growth and connection for thousands of years. To truly determine the benefits that can be attained from a relatively natural and straightforward process, you should try it yourself; this way, your conclusions can be based on your own experience. If you’re currently suffering from dealing with the afflictions listed above, then use Frshminds’ directory to find a psychedelic therapist near you who specializes in breathwork.
To learn more about psychedelics and holotropic breathwork’s impact on mental well-being, take a look at our Ultimate Psychedelics and Mental Wellness Guide!
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