Can Breathwork Release Trauma?

Breathwork has emerged as one of the most powerful tools for trauma healing and emotional release. While traditional therapy focuses on talk-based processing, breathwork offers a somatic approach—working directly with the body and nervous system to release stored tension, trauma, and suppressed emotion.

So yes, breathwork can absolutely support the release of trauma. In fact, it often succeeds where other modalities fall short—because trauma isn’t just in the mind, it’s in the body.

Let’s break down how it works, what to expect, and why breathwork can be a profound tool for healing trauma.

Understanding Trauma as Energy Stored in the Body

Modern trauma research, especially from pioneers like Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (author of The Body Keeps the Score), affirms that trauma isn’t just a memory—it’s a physiological imprint stored in the nervous system.

This stored energy can manifest as:

• Chronic tension or pain

• Emotional reactivity or shutdown

• Anxiety, depression, or dissociation

• Addictive patterns or relationship dysfunction

Talk therapy can help bring awareness to these patterns, but it doesn’t always discharge the trapped energy. That’s where breathwork comes in.

How Breathwork Facilitates Trauma Release

Breathwork bypasses the rational, analytical mind and allows you to access deeper, nonverbal parts of the brain and body. Using rhythmic, conscious breathing, you can shift your state, access suppressed emotion, and allow it to surface, move, and release.

At Awakened Breath, we utilize trauma-informed techniques like [Insert technique name] and [Insert technique name] that are designed to:

• Safely access the subconscious

• Create a felt sense of safety in the body

• Allow trapped energy to move through breath, sound, and movement

• Recalibrate the nervous system and integrate the release

This process isn’t always comfortable—but it’s deeply liberating.

What Trauma Release Looks (and Feels) Like

In breathwork sessions, trauma release might look like:

• Crying, shaking, laughing, or yelling

• Sudden emotional memories surfacing

• Physical sensations such as heat, cold, or tingling

• Spontaneous body movements or vocalizations

These are signs that energy is moving. With the right container, this process becomes deeply healing—allowing the body to complete cycles it never could during the original trauma.

That’s why we always recommend working with trained facilitators who can guide and hold space for this level of work.

The Importance of Safety and Integration

Because breathwork can be so powerful, safety and integration are essential. At Awakened Breath, we prioritize trauma-informed facilitation to ensure that:

• Participants feel grounded and supported throughout the process

• There's space to integrate and reflect after deep sessions

• Emotional releases are met with compassion, not judgment

• You're not pushed to go deeper than you're ready for

After trauma release, it’s normal to feel tired, clear, emotional, or even euphoric. That’s why post-session grounding, journaling, hydration, and reflection are key integration steps.

Who Breathwork Helps Most

Breathwork can be especially helpful for those who:

• Struggle to express emotions or feel numb

• Know they’ve experienced trauma but can’t access it in talk therapy

• Want to release emotional tension held in the body

• Are seeking holistic, non-pharmaceutical healing tools

It’s also ideal for coaches, healers, and facilitators who want to help their clients transform at a deeper level.

Can It Be Too Much?

Yes—if facilitated without care. Intense trauma-release breathwork should never be forced, and students should never be left to process alone.

That’s why at Awakened Breath, our trainings and retreats emphasize:

• A slow, safe progression from foundational to deeper techniques

• Consent-based facilitation

• Proper screening and container-setting

• Ongoing integration support

When held properly, this work can be life-changing.

Final Thoughts

Breathwork is one of the most effective somatic tools available for trauma healing and emotional release. It allows the body to process what the mind cannot—releasing old pain, freeing stuck energy, and opening the door to clarity, purpose, and freedom.

Whether you're beginning your healing journey or deepening your path as a facilitator, breathwork can help you unlock what’s been stored and step into your next chapter.

If you’re ready to experience this work in a safe, powerful way, explore the Awakened Breath High Impact Healer Training and become a trauma informed Breathwork Facilitator in just 15 weeks!