Listening to music while practicing breathwork can lead to a blissful state and changes in blood flow within brain regions responsible for processing emotions. That’s according to a study by Amy amla Kartar from the Colasanti Lab in the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, U.K., and colleagues, published August 27, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS One. The study found these changes occur even when the body’s stress response is activated, and they are linked to reduced negative emotions.

The use of breathwork as a therapeutic method for psychological distress is becoming increasingly popular. Breathwork techniques that involve increasing the rate or depth of breathing, especially when combined with music, can produce altered states of consciousness (ASCs) similar to those caused by psychedelic substances. High ventilation breathwork (HVB) could serve as a non-pharmacological alternative,with fewer legal and ethical barriers to widespread use in clinical settings. Though, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms and subjective experiences of ASCs induced by HVB have not been thoroughly investigated.

To address this gap, Kartar and colleagues studied ASCs induced by HVB in experienced practitioners. They analyzed self-reported data from 15 online participants, 8 lab participants, and 19 individuals who underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Participants engaged in 20- to 30-minute sessions of continuous cyclic breathing while listening to music, followed by completing questionnaires within 30 minutes.

The study revealed that the intensity of ASCs induced by HVB was proportional to cardiovascular sympathetic activation, indicated by decreased heart rate variability, suggesting a potential stress response. HVB also led to a significant decrease in blood flow to the left operculum and posterior insula, brain regions involved in representing the body’s internal state, including breathing. Despite overall reductions in brain blood flow, there was a progressive increase in blood flow to the right amygdala and anterior hippocampus, areas involved in processing emotional memories. These blood flow changes correlated with psychedelic experiences, suggesting they may contribute to the positive effects of breathwork.

Participants consistently reported reduced fear and negative emotions without any adverse reactions during the sessions. HVB reliably enhanced ASCs characterized by Oceanic Boundlessness (OBN), a term coined by Freud in 1920 to describe feelings of spiritual experience, insightfulness, bliss, positively experienced depersonalization, and unity. OBN is considered a key aspect of ASCs induced by psychedelic substances like psilocybin.

The authors stated that their study was exploratory and requires further research with larger sample sizes and a control group to isolate the effects of music. However, the findings offer valuable insights into HVB and suggest avenues for exploring its therapeutic applications.

Key Findings on Breathwork and Brain Function

“Breathwork is a powerful yet natural tool for neuromodulation, working through the regulation of metabolism across the body and brain.”

The authors add: “Our research is the first to use neuroimaging to map the neurophysiological changes that occur during breathwork. Our key findings include that breathwork can reliably evoke profound psychedelic states. We believe that these states are linked to changes in the function of specific brain regions involved in self-awareness, and fear and emotional memory processing. We found that more profound changes in blood flow in specific brain areas were linked to deeper sensations of unity, bliss, and emotional release, collectively known as “oceanic boundlessness.”

Amy Kartar, lead author, adds: “Conducting this research was a fantastic experience. It was thrilling to explore such a novel area – while many people anecdotally recognize the health benefits of breathwork,this style of fast-paced breathing has received very little scientific attention. We are very grateful to our participants for making this work possible.”