The Power of Breath: How Breathwork Enhances Healing When Combined with Therapy
- Tamara Agostino
- Apr 2
- 4 min read
Breathing is something we do every moment of the day, often without a second thought. But when we breathe with awareness and intention, it transforms into a powerful tool for emotional healing—helping us regulate stress, process emotions, and reconnect with ourselves.
Breathwork, a practice of controlled breathing techniques, has been used for centuries in various cultures to promote relaxation, self-awareness, and emotional regulation. When combined with therapy, breathwork can help clients process emotions more effectively, reduce anxiety, and develop a deeper connection with themselves.
What Is Breathwork?
Breathwork refers to a range of breathing techniques that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. A teacher of mine likes to say that it is called breathwork for a reason; it takes effort.
Some of the most commonly used breathing techniques that are used in therapy include:
Diaphragmatic Breathing (also known as belly breathing) involves engaging the diaphragm to take deep, slow breaths, which signals the nervous system to relax.
Box Breathing is a technique that involves inhaling, holding, exhaling, and holding again in equal counts (e.g., 4-4-4-4).
4-7-8 Breathing involves inhaling for four seconds, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight to calm the mind and body.
Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana): A yogic practice that balances the nervous system by alternating breaths between nostrils.
Holotropic Breathwork is a deeper, more intense form of breathwork that can facilitate emotional release and self-exploration (a personal favorite of mine!)
How Breathwork Enhances Healing in Therapy
There are so many benefits of breathwork! Here are various ways that breathwork enhances healing when combined with therapy:
1. Regulating the Nervous System
Therapy can bring up difficult emotions, memories, and sensations. Breathwork helps regulate the nervous system, making staying grounded and engaged in the therapeutic process easier. When we experience stress, anxiety, or trauma, our breathing often becomes shallow and rapid, activating the body's fight-or-flight response. Over time, this can contribute to chronic tension, anxiety, and even depression.
By practicing breathwork, individuals can shift their nervous system from a state of hyperarousal (sympathetic activation) to a more relaxed and balanced state (parasympathetic activation). This physiological shift makes it easier to engage in therapy, process emotions, and build resilience against stress.
2. Increasing Emotional Awareness and Processing
Breathwork encourages mindfulness, helping clients become more aware of their emotions without being overwhelmed by them. By focusing on the breath, clients can develop a greater sense of presence and learn to sit with their emotions rather than suppress or avoid them.
3. Reducing Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression
Studies have shown that breathwork can lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and increase feelings of relaxation. Techniques like 4-7-8 breathing or diaphragmatic breathing can provide immediate relief during moments of distress, making them valuable tools for managing anxiety and depressive symptoms.
4. Facilitating Trauma Healing
For individuals with trauma histories, breathwork can help release stored tension and emotions held in the body. Trauma can lead to dysregulated breathing patterns, reinforcing feelings of danger or hypervigilance. Practicing intentional breathwork allows clients to reclaim control over their physiological responses and promote healing.
5. Enhancing Mind-Body Connection
Breathwork encourages clients to reconnect with their bodies, fostering a sense of embodiment and self-compassion. This is particularly beneficial for those who struggle with dissociation or body-based trauma responses.
Integrating Breathwork into Therapy Sessions
Curious about how breathwork can help your therapy journey? Ask your therapist about incorporating it into your session together in simple ways:
Start sessions with a grounding breathwork exercise to help settle into the space.
Use breathwork techniques during distressing moments to regulate emotions in real time.
Incorporate breathwork as homework between sessions to support self-care.
Breathwork is a Journey
Trying a new healing practice can be intimidating. As human beings, we often put pressure on ourselves to get things right the first time. Our inner critic urges us to stay in familiar patterns, believing it will protect us from discomfort or failure. But what happens when we move beyond this resistance?
Breathwork invites us to explore what’s on the other side of that fear. By combining breathwork with therapy, we create a bridge between awareness and release—a powerful synergy for emotional healing. I have witnessed firsthand how breathwork can be a game-changer, allowing me to move through emotional blocks with greater ease.
Think of the breath as a vessel, gently clearing away the layers of tension and unresolved emotions that therapy helps bring to light.
Not all breathwork techniques will resonate with every client. Some may prefer the gentle grounding of diaphragmatic breathing, while others may experience profound emotional shifts through Holotropic breathwork. The key is to explore, remain open, and discover what feels most supportive in your individual healing journey.
Our team of online and in-person counsellors and psychotherapists in Barrie provide quality and effective mental health counselling services in Barrie and virtually across Ontario to individuals (6+), couples and families. We also offer an Affordable Therapy Program that provides counselling services in Barrie to individuals (12+) who are facing financial challenges that need mental health support.
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