Breathwork vs. Psychedelics: How High-Ventilation Breathing mirrors substance-induced Experiences in the Brain

When Dr. Stanislav Grof faced the ban on LSD research in the late 1960s, he didn't abandon his exploration of non-ordinary states of consciousness. Instead, he developed Holotropic Breathwork, based on his observation that intentional, sustained overbreathing could induce intense altered states that he found similar to those he had seen in psychedelic sessions.

Early research is now exploring Grof's observation. A few small studies suggest that high-ventilation practices (such as Holotropic Breathwork and Conscious Connected Breathing) can produce experiences that resemble psychedelic states on standard questionnaires. Here is what research suggests about why some breathing practices are often experienced as resembling psychedelic states.

Subjective Phenomenology: Entering the Same Doorway

Assessments using validated altered-states questionnaires — such as the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) and the 11-Dimensional Altered States of Consciousness (11-D ASC) scale — suggest that high-ventilation breathwork can produce profiles that resemble those of psychedelics in some respects, such as ego dissolution. In a 2026 trial of 24 experienced practitioners, one breathwork session produced larger psychedelic-like effects than a body scan meditation. The study was small, open-label and exploratory.

Participants in these studies often report:

• Ego Dissolution & Oceanic Boundlessness: The rigid boundaries of the personal "I" soften, giving way to a profound sense of unity with one's surroundings or a larger whole.
• Emotional Catharsis & Somatic Release: Many people describe strong emotions or held tension coming to the surface, sometimes with shivering, sounds or tears.
• Vivid Internal Imagery: Participants frequently report seeing geometric patterns, archetypal visions, or vivid biographical memories in the mind's eye.
• Transcendence of Time and Space: The linear perception of time dissolves, making a 45-minute session feel timeless or instantaneous.

The Brain Mechanics: Shared Neural Architecture

While psychedelics act as exogenous molecules and breathwork alters blood chemistry, both converge on the same fundamental brain dynamics.

Quieting the Default Mode Network (DMN):

The Default Mode Network is the brain's "ego hub" — a network of interconnected regions (including the medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex) responsible for self-reflection, autobiographical memory, and maintaining a constant internal narrative.

Brain imaging shows that psilocybin reduces activity and connectivity within the DMN. By down-regulating this top-down manager, the brain steps out of habitual rumination loops, allowing normally separated brain regions to cross-communicate freely. Whether high-ventilation breathwork does the same has not been established, so this remains a hypothesis.

Increasing Neural Complexity (Lempel-Ziv Entropy):

EEG studies of psychedelics report increased neural signal diversity (measured via Lempel-Ziv complexity). A small 2024 study of 14 novices found that psychedelic-like experiences during breathwork were associated with higher Lempel-Ziv complexity as well. Under normal waking conditions, the brain operates in a structured, low-entropy state. During psychedelic exposure, brain activity shifts into an "entropic" mode — a highly flexible state where novel insights and non-linear thinking emerge naturally.

Emotional Centres Stay Active:

High ventilation lowers blood carbon dioxide and temporarily narrows the blood vessels of the brain, which reduces blood flow. Which brain regions stay active during a breathwork session, and whether that explains why memories and feelings may feel more accessible, has not been established.

How They Differ: The "Endogenous Advantage" of Breathwork

Despite their deep similarities, breathwork and pharmacological psychedelics operate through fundamentally different physiological levers. Understanding these differences highlights why breathwork is uniquely versatile.

Why Steering the Experience Matters

A key difference is that you can usually adjust the intensity yourself. On LSD or psilocybin, if a journey becomes overwhelming, the participant cannot simply turn off the molecule's binding affinity to serotonin receptors.

In breathwork, you can usually adjust the intensity yourself. If an emotional charge becomes too intense, slowing the cadence or taking a few long belly exhales lets carbon dioxide levels recover, which usually eases the intensity within minutes.

This built-in agency builds deep somatic self-trust: it teaches the nervous system that it can venture into intense emotional territory and safely return on its own terms.

Building a Safe Container

Because high-ventilation breathwork triggers such powerful physiological and psychological shifts, set and setting matter just as much as they do in psychedelic therapy.

A safe space, curated music, clear screening for contraindications (see our full list of contraindications), and skilled integration support help keep the experience manageable and reduce the risk of overwhelm.

Before trying any high-ventilation Breathwork practices, please inform yourself about Breathwork Contraindications.

Breathwork can produce intense, altered states without any substance. The doorway to deep self-exploration and profound insight is built directly into our physiology — waiting in every breath. Although it is not a replacement for therapy or medical treatment, and it carries its own risks, which is why screening and a safe setting matter.