Healing Trauma Through Breathwork: Releasing Pain from Body and Mind

Trauma isn’t just “in your head.” It lives in your body, shapes your nervous system and can silently affect your health, relationships, and sense of safety long after the original event is over

While talk therapy has its place, many people are discovering the power of breathwork, especially deeper methods like DMT breathwork (also called conscious connected breathing or trauma-informed breathwork) as a powerful way to release stored trauma from both the mind and the body

Let’s explore how trauma works, where it hides, what happens when we’re triggered and how breathwork can help you heal for good

What Is Trauma, Really?

Trauma is not defined by the event itself, but by your nervous system’s response to the event. It happens when something overwhelms your ability to cope, and your body doesn’t return to a regulated state

Trauma can be:

1. Childhood Trauma

• Emotional neglect

• Abuse (physical, emotional, sexual)

• Loss or separation of a caregiver

• Living in unpredictable or unsafe environments

These early experiences shape brain development and can wire the nervous system for hypervigilance, disconnection, or chronic anxiety

2. Significant Life Events

• Breakups, divorce

• Loss of a loved one

• Accidents or serious illness

• Emotional betrayal or humiliation

Even single-incident traumas can imprint deeply if not processed properly

3. PTSD & Complex PTSD

• Combat trauma (e.g., war veterans)

• Sexual assault or violent attacks

• Repeated emotional abuse or captivity (complex PTSD)

These experiences can cause the brain and body to stay in a chronic survival state, long after the danger has passed

Where Trauma Lives: Brain and Body

In the Brain:

• Amygdala (fear center): Becomes overactive, constantly scanning for danger.

• Hippocampus (memory): Impaired, leading to flashbacks or disjointed memory

• Prefrontal Cortex (rational thinking): Becomes underactive, making it harder to calm yourself or see situations clearly

In the Body:

• Hold tension in areas like the jaw, hips, neck, or shoulders

• Show signs of chronic fatigue, gut issues, or autoimmune symptoms

• Stay stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response patterns

Trauma is somatic, meaning it’s stored in the nervous system and tissues, not just the mind. The body may: As trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk says, “The body keeps the score.”

What Happens When You’re Triggered?

When you’re triggered, your body reacts as if the trauma is happening again, even if you’re perfectly safe. This can look like:

• Panic attacks

• Emotional outbursts or shutdown

• Flashbacks or dissociation

• Irrational fear or anxiety

• Physical symptoms like tight chest, nausea, or shaking

Your nervous system is trying to protect you, but in doing so, it may keep you stuck in the past

When Trauma Isn’t Processed…

Unresolved trauma can show up as:

• Chronic anxiety or depression

• Relationship difficulties

• Addictions or numbing behaviors

• Autoimmune disease or chronic pain

• Emotional reactivity or emotional numbness

You don’t just “get over it” by thinking differently, you need to release it through the body.

Breathwork: A Path to Deep Healing

Breathwork is an active meditation using specific breathing patterns to alter your state of consciousness, regulate your nervous system, and release stored emotional or energetic blocks

What Is DMT or Trauma-Informed Breathwork?

• Conscious connected breathing

• Trauma-release breathwork

• DMT breathwork (named for the release of endogenous DMT, a natural psychoactive compound produced during deep breath states)

This technique involves:

• Continuous, rhythmic breathing with no pause between inhale and exhale

• Mouth or nose breathing (guided depending on method)

• Sessions that last from 30 to 90 minutes

• Guided music or facilitation to access subconscious layers

This breath style activates the limbic system, allowing buried emotions, memories, or physical tension to surface and release

What Happens During a Breathwork Session?

• Emotional release (crying, laughing, shaking, yelling)

• Visions or vivid memories

• A sense of peace, clarity, or euphoria

• Deep self-awareness or spiritual insight

• Physical sensations like tingling, heat, or lightness

These are signs of nervous system regulation and emotional detox. You’re literally clearing stuck energy and trauma from your body.

Do You Need a Professional Guide?

Yes, especially at first. Trauma-informed breathwork can open up deep emotional layers.

A trained facilitator:

• Holds a safe, non-judgmental space

• Helps you navigate intense emotions

• Guides you back to regulation if you feel overwhelmed

• Provides integration tools post-session

Once you’re familiar with the technique, self-practice can be safe and supportive, but professional guidance is key for deep trauma healing

Supportive Tools for Healing Alongside Breathwork

• Somatic therapy (working with body-based trauma)

• Journaling or voice-notes for integration

• Cold plunges or shaking exercises (to release stress hormones)

• Yoga or gentle movement

• Grounding techniques (barefoot walking, touch, scent)

• Functional nutrition to support the nervous system (B vitamins, magnesium, omega-3s)