Does Breathwork Actually Work? Understanding the Power of Cathartic Breathwork

If you've spent any time looking into breathwork, you've probably encountered some extraordinary claims.

Release your trauma. Clear emotional blocks. Transform your life. Heal what you've been carrying for years.

It is reasonable to question those claims.

The wellness world has a tendency to take something genuine and surround it with promises that are much bigger than the evidence — or the experience — can necessarily support.

So, does breathwork work?

The honest answer is more interesting than either yes or no.

There is now a meaningful body of research showing that deliberate breathing practices can influence stress and psychological wellbeing. A 2023 meta-analysis published in Scientific Reports, examining 12 randomised controlled trials involving 785 adults, found a small-to-moderate association between breathwork and reduced subjective stress, with similar findings for anxiety and depressive symptoms. The researchers nevertheless urged caution because many of the studies had methodological limitations and moderate risk of bias.

There is also evidence for measurable physiological effects. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews examined 223 studies of voluntary slow breathing and found increases in vagally mediated heart-rate variability during breathing, immediately afterwards and following multi-session interventions.

But there is an important distinction.

Breathwork can look simple from the outside, but the experience can be physically and emotionally intense.

There is now a meaningful body of research showing that deliberate breathing practices can influence stress and psychological wellbeing. A 2023 meta-analysis published in Scientific Reports, examining 12 randomised controlled trials involving 785 adults, found a small-to-moderate association between breathwork and reduced subjective stress, with similar findings for anxiety and depressive symptoms. The researchers nevertheless urged caution because many of the studies had methodological limitations and moderate risk of bias.

There is also evidence for measurable physiological effects. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews examined 223 studies of voluntary slow breathing and found increases in vagally mediated heart-rate variability during breathing, immediately afterwards and following multi-session interventions.

But there is an important distinction.

Evidence that deliberate breathing can influence our physiology, stress and subjective experience is not the same thing as proof that every claim made about every form of breathwork is true.

In fact, the research itself gives us a reason to be careful about overstatement. A 2023 randomised controlled trial of coherent breathing found that, although participants improved over time, the breathing intervention was not significantly better than its active breathing comparison for stress, anxiety, depression, wellbeing or sleep.

And research specifically examining high-ventilation forms of breathwork remains comparatively young. A 2023 review found substantial changes in subjective experience and physiological state associated with these practices, while also concluding that rigorous clinical research is still needed to establish their therapeutic applications.

Small physical cues, such as soft hands and a steady posture, can help keep the practice grounded.

So perhaps the useful question isn't whether breathwork is magic or nonsense.

It is:

What can the breath actually do, and what might become possible when we use it deliberately?

That is where cathartic breathwork becomes interesting.

Why the Breath Matters

Breathing is something your body does automatically, thousands of times a day, without requiring conscious thought.

But unlike many other automatic processes, breathing can also be deliberately changed.

We can slow it down. Deepen it. Alter its rhythm. Change the relationship between the inhale and the exhale. And when we do, we can influence the state of the body and, in turn, our internal experience.

Think about what happens when you are anxious.

The breath often becomes faster, shallower or more restricted. When you are frightened, you may find yourself holding your breath. When you are deeply relaxed, your breathing tends to become slower and more effortless.

The relationship works in both directions.

Our emotional state influences the breath, but deliberately changing the breath can also influence our physiological and psychological state.

This is part of what makes breathwork so interesting.

The breath gives us somewhere to place our attention.

Most of us spend an enormous amount of time inside the thinking mind. We analyse conversations, replay experiences, anticipate what might happen next and try to understand why we feel the way we do.

There is nothing wrong with thinking. Understanding can be extremely valuable.

But there are times when understanding something intellectually doesn't necessarily change how it feels to live with it.

You can know why you react a certain way and still find yourself reacting that way.

You can understand a pattern and still repeat it.

You can know what you should do and still feel unable to move.

Breathwork offers a different entry point.

Rather than continually trying to understand an experience, the attention can begin to move towards experiencing what is actually happening within the body.

That distinction can be important.

Sometimes change begins not with another explanation, but with a different experience of something you have already understood.

What Makes Cathartic Breathwork Different?

Cathartic breathwork is an active form of breathwork that uses a continuous, circular breathing technique to create an environment where physical sensations, emotions, memories and deeper internal experiences can arise.

Rather than breathing in, pausing, and then breathing out, the inhale flows directly into the exhale, and the exhale flows directly back into the inhale.

There is no deliberate pause between the two.

Inhale → exhale → inhale → exhale.

Sometimes change begins not with another explanation, but with a different experience of something you have already understood.

What Makes Cathartic Breathwork Different?

Cathartic breathwork is an active form of breathwork that uses a continuous, circular breathing technique to create an environment where physical sensations, emotions, memories and deeper internal experiences can arise.

Rather than breathing in, pausing, and then breathing out, the inhale flows directly into the exhale, and the exhale flows directly back into the inhale.

There is no deliberate pause between the two.

Inhale → exhale → inhale → exhale.

Group breathwork should feel contained, well-held and clearly guided.

The continuous rhythm creates a sustained cycle of breathing that is quite different from taking a few slow breaths to settle yourself.

As the breathing continues, the experience can become increasingly immersive. Attention can move away from the constant activity of the thinking mind and towards what is happening within the body.

Research into high-ventilation forms of breathwork suggests that these practices can produce substantial changes in physiological state and subjective experience. However, research into their therapeutic applications is still developing.

That distinction matters.

A physical sensation is not necessarily evidence of a hidden memory.

An emotion does not necessarily need to be released.

And an intense experience is not automatically a healing experience.

Cathartic breathwork is not about manufacturing a particular response. The aim isn't to force yourself to cry, shake, scream or have some dramatic breakthrough because you believe that is what is supposed to happen.

Different people experience the practice in very different ways.

For some, something emotional may arise. For others, the experience may be primarily physical. Someone else may become aware of a memory, a feeling, a pattern or an internal realisation that they hadn't previously been able to access.

And sometimes, nothing particularly dramatic happens at all.

The breath creates the conditions.

What happens within those conditions is yours to experience.

Integration after breathwork can be quiet, simple and practical.

What Can Happen During a Session?

There is no standard cathartic breathwork experience.

Every person arrives with a different body, a different history and a different relationship with their own internal world.

As the breathing continues, some people become aware of physical sensations that they would normally move past without noticing.

There may be tingling or changes in temperature. Muscles may tighten or release. There may be spontaneous movement, trembling or a feeling of energy moving through the body.

Emotions can also arise.

Tears. Anger. Sadness. Grief. Laughter. Joy.

Memories or images may appear unexpectedly. Sometimes something emerges that seems connected to an experience the person already knows about. Sometimes there is simply a feeling that is difficult to put into words.

Other experiences can be much quieter.

A sense of stillness.

A feeling of spaciousness.

A sudden realisation.

A recognition of something that has been present for a long time but has never quite been seen in the same way.

There is a tendency to assume that the more dramatic an experience is, the more meaningful it must be.

That isn't necessarily the case.

Some of the most significant moments can be subtle.

The important thing is not creating an experience for the sake of having one. It is learning to remain present with what is actually happening.

Rather than immediately explaining, judging or trying to control the experience, there is an opportunity to notice it.

To feel it.

To stay with it.

Sometimes the body seems to speak before the mind has found the words.

What Might Bring Someone to Breathwork?

People rarely seek out breathwork simply because they want to learn how to breathe differently.

Usually, something else has brought them there.

It might be stress, grief, anxiety or a major transition. It might be a sense of disconnection from themselves. It might be the feeling that an old way of living no longer fits, even though they can't quite explain what needs to change.

Sometimes it is much harder to define.

Something isn't shifting.

They may have read the books, listened to the podcasts, had the conversations and gained plenty of insight — yet somehow they keep finding themselves in the same internal place.

Perhaps the same relationship patterns keep appearing.

Perhaps they repeatedly hold themselves back.

Perhaps they know exactly what they should do but can't seem to move towards it.

Perhaps everything looks fine from the outside, yet something inside remains unsettled.

Or perhaps there is no obvious problem at all.

Just a sense that there is something more beneath the surface.

This is where the question can begin to change.

Instead of asking:

“What is wrong with me?”

The question becomes:

“What else is there for me to experience?”

You don't necessarily need a perfectly articulated explanation before beginning.

You don't need to arrive with a complete understanding of your history.

And you don't need to know exactly what you are looking for.

Curiosity can be enough.

Frustration can be enough.

Being tired of going around the same internal circle can be enough.

Sometimes the experience itself changes the question you thought you needed to answer.

Safety and Suitability

Cathartic breathwork is an active practice, and because the breathing can become sustained and intense, it deserves to be approached with awareness and care.

Everyone arrives with a different body, a different history and a different set of circumstances. What feels appropriate for one person may not be appropriate for another, and the way the breathwork is approached can make a difference too.

You may come across lists online of conditions that are described as contraindications to breathwork. It's worth understanding that these lists don't always tell the whole story.

Research studies often exclude certain people for a particular study, sometimes simply because researchers need to limit the variables they are looking at or take a cautious approach to risk. Being excluded from a study does not automatically mean that someone is unable to participate in breathwork.

For me, the more useful question is not simply, “Do you have this condition?”

It is, “Who are you, what are you carrying, and is this particular practice appropriate for you right now?”

That's why I prefer to have a conversation before a first session. Understanding something about your circumstances, your health, any medication you're taking and what has brought you to breathwork gives us an opportunity to approach the experience with greater awareness.

If there is something about your health or circumstances that you're unsure about, it may also be worth speaking with your treating health professional before taking part. Not because a diagnosis automatically means you can't do breathwork, but because you deserve to make an informed decision about your own body.

The intention isn't to create unnecessary barriers.

It's to meet you where you are and make sure the practice is approached with care, honesty and respect for your individual circumstances.

Safety isn't separate from the work.

It is part of the work.

Ready to Explore What Might Be Behind the Door?

Perhaps you've already tried thinking your way through something.

Perhaps you've talked about it, read about it, analysed it, pushed through it or simply learned to live with it.

And perhaps you're looking for a different way of meeting yourself.

Cathartic breathwork offers an opportunity to step out of the constant activity of the thinking mind and experience what may be happening beneath it.

Not by forcing something to happen.

Not by chasing a breakthrough.

And not by being told what your experience is supposed to mean.

Simply by creating the conditions to breathe, feel and pay attention.

Inner Gateways offers private 1:1 cathartic breathwork sessions in Brisbane.

Before your first session, you can arrange a free 15-minute discovery conversation. It's an opportunity to talk about what brings you to breathwork, ask questions, share anything you feel is relevant and get a sense of whether this approach feels right for you.

There is no pressure and no performance.

Just a conversation.

The breath is the vehicle.

The journey is yours..