Psychedelic Without Substances - The Science, History, and Power of Breathwork

Most people breathe around 20,000 times a day without giving it a second thought. Breath is automatic, background noise, something that happens while we focus on more important things.

And yet, breath is one of the fastest and most powerful ways to change the state of the brain, the nervous system, and consciousness itself.

Long before psychedelics entered popular culture, humans were using breath, sound, rhythm, and ritual to access non-ordinary states. What modern science is now catching up with is something ancient traditions already understood intuitively - the way you breathe shapes the way you experience reality.

At R1SE, our Psychedelic Breathwork sessions are designed to explore these altered states deliberately, safely, and without substances.

Altered States Without Drugs - Not New, Just Forgotten

In the 1950s and 60s, psychedelics such as LSD were legally used in psychotherapy and psychiatric research. One of the most influential figures in this work was psychiatrist Dr Stanislav Grof, who observed that non-ordinary states of consciousness could produce profound insight, emotional release, and shifts in perspective.

Then came prohibition. Psychedelics were banned, research was shut down, and altered states were pushed to the cultural margins, reframed as dangerous or pathological.

Rather than abandoning the work, Grof asked a different question:

If these states matter, how else might humans access them? 

The answer became Holotropic Breathwork - a system using accelerated breathing, evocative music, and focused attention to induce altered states without substances. The term holotropic means “moving toward wholeness,” reflecting the belief that these states are not escapes from reality, but deeper encounters with it.

Modern psychedelic breathwork sits firmly within this lineage. It goes by many names - holotropic, conscious connected, transformational, high-ventilation breathwork - but the principle is the same:

the nervous system itself becomes the gateway. 

Why Breathwork Can Feel Psychedelic

Psychedelic breathwork does not rely on imagination or suggestion alone. It works because it produces predictable physiological changes that directly affect the brain.

At its core, this style of breathwork alters the balance of gases in the blood, the flow of blood in the brain, and the way the nervous system interprets internal signals.

Carbon Dioxide, the Bohr Effect, and the Oxygen Paradox

One of the most misunderstood aspects of breathing is the role of carbon dioxide (CO₂). CO₂ is not simply a waste gas - it is a critical regulator of blood chemistry and oxygen delivery.

During sustained, upregulated breathing, CO₂ levels drop. This makes the blood more alkaline and triggers the Bohr effect. As a result, haemoglobin holds onto oxygen more tightly, meaning less oxygen is released into tissues, including the brain.

This creates a paradoxical state - oxygen levels in the blood can be high, yet oxygen delivery to cells is reduced.

This is why people may experience:

• Dizziness or lightheadedness

• Tingling in the hands, lips, or face

• Changes in vision or brightness

• A sense of floating, disembodiment, or altered perception

When properly facilitated, this is a temporary shift - a physiological doorway that can change perception and open access to non-ordinary experience.

Brain Blood Flow and Electrical State Shifts

CO₂ also regulates cerebral blood flow. When CO₂ drops, blood vessels in the brain constrict slightly, changing how different regions of the brain are supplied.

Sound plays a critical role too. Rhythm, repetition, and frequency can guide the brain away from fast, analytical Beta states and toward Theta-dominant states - the same range associated with dreaming, deep meditation, and the subconscious.

This is where internal imagery, symbolic experiences, and altered time perception often arise.

The Nervous System Lets Go

Prolonged breathing creates controlled physiological stress. When held in a safe container, the nervous system stops fighting the sensations and begins to release habitual control patterns.

This is often when emotion surfaces. People may shake, cry, laugh, move, or feel waves of sensation without consciously choosing to. The body leads. The mind follows.

This is not about forcing anything to happen - it is about removing the filters that normally keep experience narrow and predictable.

The Expansion Journey - Sound and Breath as a Gateway

Our Expansion breathwork journey is designed as a gradual descent into these states.

The session begins with coherent, steady breathing and slowly builds into more expansive, upregulated rhythms. At points, the breath accelerates into “double-time” patterns that deliberately challenge the nervous system.

Sound is not background music here. It is an active guide. Binaural frequencies tuned to 5.5 Hz support entry into Theta wave states, helping the analytical mind soften and release its grip.

Many people report a moment where effort drops away and breathing feels as though it is happening by itself. Thought slows. Sensation becomes richer. A quiet, alert stillness emerges beneath the intensity.

This is not dissociation. It is coherence without control.

Ego Dissolution, Death, and Rebirth

One reason psychedelic breathwork is often compared to psychedelic therapy is its capacity to produce ego-dissolving experiences.

Within the Expansion journey, participants are guided through a structured death meditation - a direct confrontation with impermanence. Rather than being abstract or intellectual, this is experienced somatically.

As breath intensifies and familiar reference points dissolve, the sense of “who I am” can loosen. Roles, stories, and social identities are seen for what they are - constructions rather than constants.

This phase is not always comfortable. Ego dissolution can feel like emptiness, fear, or loss before it becomes spacious or liberating.

On the other side, many people report:

• A sense of merging or formlessness

• Loss of narrative and time

• Profound stillness or unity

• A renewed appreciation for being alive

This cycle of dissolution and return is not about escape. It is about remembering what remains when identity drops away.

What About DMT?

You may hear this work described as “DMT breathwork.” DMT does exist endogenously in the human body, and its role in consciousness remains an active area of research.

What is clear is that many people anecdotally report experiences during deep breathwork that feel strikingly similar to DMT or other psychedelic states. These reports often include vivid internal imagery, loss of time, a loosening of identity, and moments that feel vast, intelligent, or ineffable.

Whether this is caused by endogenous DMT release, or whether it arises from the combined effects of altered CO₂ levels, oxygen delivery, cerebral blood flow, nervous system disinhibition, sound, and context, remains an open question.

What matters experientially is this:

people are accessing states through breath alone that closely resemble those reported in psychedelic journeys. 

The mechanism may still be debated. The experience itself is not.

Who This Practice Is For

Psychedelic breathwork may resonate with people who:

• Are curious about altered states without substances

• Want emotional release or psychological insight

• Already engage in meditation, movement, or somatic practices

• Are more interested in what lies beneath peak experiences than chasing them

No prior experience is required - only a willingness to breathe, stay present, and let the experience unfold.

Important Safety Considerations

This is a powerful practice and it is not suitable for everyone.

You should not take part (or should seek medical clearance) if you have:

• A history of seizures or epilepsy

• Serious cardiovascular conditions

• Uncontrolled high blood pressure

• Pregnancy

• Glaucoma or detached retina

• Acute psychiatric instability

Screening and self-responsibility are essential parts of working with altered states safely.

First Friday Psychedelic Breathwork at R1SE

Friday 6th February - Our First Session

This session marks the beginning of a monthly First Friday Psychedelic Breathwork series at R1SE.

Held in the evening, the container allows:

• Space to integrate afterward

• Nervous system down-regulation

• Depth without overuse

This is not about chasing intensity or stacking experiences. It is about accessing depth with respect.

Final Thought

You do not need substances to explore consciousness.

You do not need to escape the body to transcend it.

Sometimes, the most profound journeys begin with a single breath - taken differently.

You can book the Psychedelic Breathwork session below.