Similarities btw Breathwork, plant medicine & psychedelics
Been getting questions about the resemblance in experience when it comes to practicing Breathwork compared to plant medicine or even psychedelics. And well, sure there are similarities, maybe foremost in regards to that you can alter state of consciousness, but there are many differences too.
First, there are many different styles and Breath techniques within the term Breathwork -an umbrella term for many ancient breathing practices. In short: you can use breath awareness and conscious breathing for healing, growth, personal development and a transformation for body, mind and spirit. You can use deep breathing to calm and restore by breathing in our parasympathetic nervous system. You can do Breathwork to create a more releasing and clearing feeling of emotions, anxiety, stress or stuck energy by accessing our sympathetic nervous system in a more active style of breathing. To complicate even more, there are several kinds of active and dynamic breathwork styles too. So many different breathing exercises and they can be somewhat similar when it comes to the breathing pattern, but the purpose, and the intention differs.
Hrmm so what does Breathwork have to do with Psychedelic, plant medicine, ayahuasca…?
The easy answer is “it doesn’t” ;). However Breathwork has the ability to alter states of consciousness, shift your emotional state and many Breathworkers explain that they can have visionary experiences and inner journeys which can feel psychedelic, and unexplainable. And people might see similarities if they have had experiences with the plant medicine Ayahuasca for example.
When it comes to psychedelics, The psychiatrist Dr Stanislov Grof, creator of Holotropic Breathwork, LSD therapy researcher and facilitator, with a high interest in altered states of consciousness often comes up in discussion about the connection. He began to use breathwork as an alternative to psychedelic substances in 1968 in controlled forms, connecting it to the natural bodily release of DMT, a hallucinogenic tryptamine chemical specified to a range of psychedelics that includes LSD and psilocybin
To be clear - there are some, but not enough studies within the field (yet?), but one explanation of these similarities could be that the psychedelic chemical DMT, that is involved in certain psychological and neurological states, actually can naturally be released in the brain during an active Breathwork session. Read more about DMT, studies at the bottom
Depending on your own intention Breathwork alone, without substances, can create an altered state of consciousness and can achieve many of the same benefits and be an alternative to psychedelics and/or plant medicine.
Breathwork has you surrendering to your own breath, but you are in full control of the length of the experience. You are by yourself actively producing the benefits by sustaining the breath pattern which is such a strength! You are helping You, it's not an external thing. And ofc, it's legal.
A few benefits of BW - read more here
Altered states of consciousness
Relieves anxiety, stress, depression, PTSD
Therapeutic benefits
Induce synesthesia
Clarity on a mental state
Can create an overall feeling of wholeness and balance
Returning to your own inner wisdom
Personally, I love working with your own breath. It's one of the most accessible and simple tools we have, and it can create such a beneficial cleanse and healing from deep within. It does not only show you where to start, instead the more you practice, the more profound the experience, almost heightened awareness and just a sense of getting closer to You. Feelings of compassion, understanding, gratitude, love, trust… Trust is a tricky thing. We sometimes lose trust in our own ability, but the breath can act as a bridge here, connecting us closer to the inner us, things we might have forgotten or hidden, our conscious meets our subconscious in a beautiful way. The more you practice, it is like breathing and breaking open your own possible armor, opening up for trust in you. And the more secure and trusting in you, you feel, the more you will open for trust in the surroundings as well. It may come together with a release of energetic blockages, old stories or beliefs, traumas, stress or whatever it may be.
Breathwork gives you what you need
Breathwork gives you what you need, not necessarily what you want or even had planned to. Yup, true! Maybe you can use that assumption in regards to substances too - with a big and significant difference. Even though you surrender to your breath and you let go of control of that exact moment - you are in control of the length of the experience.
I think we all decide what's good for us. But I know for sure what Breathwork has done for me and I will be forever thankful towards the power of my breath, body, mind and my ever so growing spirit and soul. The practice allows the conscious mind to soften, letting go of the controlling mind and letting the divine wisdom of the body take you on a powerful healing journey
Breathwork differs every time you practice. And maybe there is not one single reason for so. It is an energetic experience - you have to try it to understand it. Some will feel it after the first try, some might need 2-3 times to let go of the ghosts in mind trying to control. But it is so worth it every single time! Come - I promise I’ve got you.
What is DMT?
DMT (N, N-Dimethyltryptamine) is a hallucinogenic tryptamine chemical specified to a range of psychedelics that includes LSD and psilocybin. It occurs in nature (plants, animals), and has been found in the human body. It is a naturally occurring psychoactive ingredient in Ayahuasca (plant medicine).
DMT is considered to be powerful psychedelic and can lead to intense, unexplainable yet clear and mystical experiences, sometimes almost outer-body experiences. Some research refers to a “spirit molecule”, and it has also been speculated to play a part in our deep sleep (REM) and subconscious.
DMT in our bodies
In the 90's there were experiments on DMT in the human body, conducted by a Dr. Strassman. The conclusion was that the pineal gland makes and secretes it. The pineal gland is a small organ located deep in the center of the brain, and is referred to by some as “the third eye”, “link to our subconscious”, “the seat of the soul”. In 2019 a study published in the journal Scientific Reports concluded that also brain neurons contain the two enzymes required to make DMT, and these neurons were also found in other parts of the brain.
Breathwork & DMT
There are studies but it's not completely scientifically proven that we do release DMT naturally during breathwork. But it is proven that very high and stressful situations can lead to a release of high quantities of DMT in the brain of rats, and this phenomenon may occur similarly in human brains. When we breathe in an active dynamic form of Breathwork, activating our sympathetic nervous system, we consciously expose our body to stress during a shorter period. We change the ratio of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the body, we increase the pH. So Breathwork that induces a stressed state might lead In theory to the release of DMT. Stress is not good over time, but during shorter, conscious periods it can be beneficial for a release and during Breathwork we also have a long integration or rest phase afterwards for the body to shift, transition with is a very important stage to really benefit from it.
Another way of releasing DMT. During Breathwork some might also experience mild hypoxia (reduced oxygen levels in tissues), which potentially could naturally release DMT. During Breathwork we do want balance (oxygen, carbon dioxide). But as we breathe in this active way there is a possibility that the rapid changes in oxygen levels that occur in Breathwork may ignite release of DMT for protection. Sometimes called tetney, or claw hands and it is very much felt physically and it releases during the above mentioned integration phase.
Lastly, there are theories that the release of DMT is due to brainwaves and cerebrospinal fluid. Deep meditation, breathwork and practices where we can reach states of heightened awareness, and higher brain functions activates gamma waves. And there is a correlation between gamma waves and DMT release as they stimulate each other.
Articles below might be of further interest - some easier read than others…
Why does DMT exist? |Endogenous hallucinogens as ligands of the trace amine receptors: a possible role in sensory perceptionBiosynthesis and Extracellular Concentrations of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in Mammalian Brain | Scientific ReportsSpirited display: the first study to show that DMT protects brain and immune cells under stressThe Therapeutic Potentials of Ayahuasca: Possible Effects against Various Diseases of CivilizationDMT is in your head, but it may be too weird for the psychedelic renaissanceBiosynthesis and Extracellular Concentrations of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in Mammalian Brain | Scientific ReportsGamma entrainment frequency affects mood, memory and cognition: an exploratory pilot study - PMCEEG Derived Neuronal Dynamics during Meditation: Progress and ChallengesNeural and subjective effects of inhaled DMT in natural settings | bioRxiv