I have heard the question posed in the title countless times, and at the same time the answer is complex enough that I decided to address it in the form of a longer article. Can the practice of Holotropic Breathwork really have effects that are as intense, vivid, deep, and potentially therapeutic—or harmful—as LSD or other psychedelic substances?
For some people, even the possibility of this is frightening; for others, it creates enormous expectations; and for still others, it provokes a skeptical smile. Can a simple breathing practice—often described by people without direct experience as being based mainly on hyperventilation—produce effects as drastic as ingesting a powerful chemical substance?
Putting aside the fact that Holotropic Breathwork is something entirely different from mere hyperventilation, it is not surprising that these two experiential therapeutic methods are often compared. Let us briefly recall how this began. Psychiatrist Stanislav Grof, who had been working with great success in psychiatric hospitals using psychedelic substances, found himself in a situation where work with LSD, psilocybin, DPT, mescaline, and similar substances was banned for many years. Rather than returning to what was then essentially the only accepted therapeutic method—talk therapy—he began developing alternative, legal, experience-based therapeutic approaches.
What interested him in particular was achieving similar effects in terms of emotional intensity—experiences that are not merely remembered but relived. He was also interested in accessing early and/or repressed memories, activating bodily imprints, opening transpersonal domains, transcending the ego, and facilitating mystical experiences. Through trial and error, he and his wife Christina developed Holotropic Breathwork, which he believed clearly addressed these needs. He began to teach it in workshops and describe it in numerous books. These books, in particular, reached many people who were curious to find out for themselves to what extent these two methods could substitute for one another.
But does Holotropic Breathwork really work in the same way as LSD and other psychedelic substances?
From my own experience, as well as the experiences of many participants, it certainly does not work identically—if only because the effects of individual substances themselves differ greatly. Even though it is often difficult to describe these differences in everyday language, and many reported distinctions are subjective. While most people agree that the experiences differ, they do not always agree on how. What appears with one substance for one person may not appear at all for another, and may instead arise with a different substance.
Holotropic Breathwork is therefore not identical in effect to any specific psychedelic substance. However, for many people it resembles the effects of several of them, much as those substances resemble one another. For others, it belongs to a different but related category altogether.
Similarities
First and foremost, both methods very often (with exceptions among people who are insensitive both to substances and to breathwork) produce powerful, emotionally intense experiences whose therapeutic value lies not in intellectual understanding but in direct, lived experience.
When the experience begins, most people go through a phase of turbulence. Both the “come-up” of a substance and the moment when the holotropic process gains momentum are often described as the most difficult, unpleasant, and least creative parts of the journey. The transition from one state to another can be strongly felt, particularly through bodily symptoms and emotional resistance.
Once the process unfolds, various abstract and aesthetic experiences often appear: heightened sensory perception, deep sensitivity to music, a clearing of thoughts, and a slowing down—or acceleration—of time. Many people report pleasant bodily sensations (sometimes euphoria or bliss), as well as joy in simply being alive—especially toward the end of a session, when the more intense experiences subside. A sense of refreshment and reset may last for days afterward, and for many participants, bodily awareness improves significantly.
The feeling of embarking on a great adventure—sometimes containing elements of pure entertainment, like a wild dance party, a journey around the world, or a fierce battle—is another recurring theme in participants’ accounts.
The experience can be multisensory: images intertwine with physical sensations, and bodily movements allow participants to take part in and even influence the unfolding scenes. External stimuli may become incorporated into the experience and synchronize with the inner process.
Like psychedelic therapy, Holotropic Breathwork often activates powerful memories—both pleasant and unpleasant. Some of these, particularly physical experiences such as accidents, illnesses, or surgeries, may later turn out to have been key emotional events, even if participants had previously considered them insignificant or had been in shock or under anesthesia at the time.
In both methods, one usually does not need to force anything—the material emerges on its own and is difficult to negotiate with. The most effective strategy is to surrender to the experience, regardless of how intense or uncomfortable it becomes. In most cases, following the process naturally carries it forward. Blocking it or resisting emotions, thoughts, or sensations can lead to greater difficulty and, in extreme cases, complications that hinder therapeutic work.
Working with trauma or intense emotions involves re-experiencing them, often at extreme intensity, in an order that may not align with expectations, chronology, or therapeutic models, but rather follows an inner associative logic. In both methods, experiences tend to organize themselves into so-called COEX systems (systems of condensed experience), where different life situations connected by a core emotion or theme—such as abandonment, failure, or defectiveness—appear sequentially or alternately during the journey.
These experiences are often accompanied by spontaneous insights into unconscious patterns and profound existential realizations. Energy may be released in powerful ways: highly activated individuals may discharge excess energy and calm down, while those lacking motivation may feel newly energized, as if an internal switch had been flipped.
Both psychedelic and holotropic experiences can involve states that transcend the traditional model of personality: perinatal experiences, symbolic death and rebirth, and classic transpersonal experiences in which one may become other people (often ancestors), animals, plants, or even inorganic phenomena such as rocks, natural forces, planets, or the universe itself. Encounters or identifications with non-physical beings—mythical figures, archetypes, or other non-human entities—are also not uncommon.
Regardless of how one interprets the ontological status of these experiences, they often carry enormous therapeutic potential, sometimes in unexpected ways—releasing traumatic energy or activating inner resources previously inaccessible. In one large study, 82% of Holotropic Breathwork participants reported transpersonal experiences.
Mystical experiences play a particularly important role among these. While their technical definition varies, subjectively they are often described as contact with a divine aspect of existence—whether understood as the material world, sacred symbols, or consciousness itself. Beyond their therapeutic dimension, such experiences often answer deep spiritual questions and become the foundation of an ongoing spiritual practice.
Their effects frequently include increased joy of being, greater mental clarity, and a stronger capacity to live in the present rather than being driven by habitual emotional patterns.
Both methods can also foster a sense of closeness with others who share the experience, along with increased empathy and sensitivity to the needs of others and oneself.
Integration time is essential after both experiences—emotional settling and reflection are particularly important when the process has been difficult or unresolved. In some cases, professional support may be necessary to complete integration. Other therapeutic, spiritual, or coaching methods can serve as valuable complements to such intense sessions.
Screening for individuals for whom these experiences may be unsafe is also similar in both contexts, due to potential physical or psychological complications.
While both methods can occasionally lead to breakthrough experiences in a single session, they tend to be most effective when practiced regularly, with certain themes unfolding over time in a way that suggests an underlying intelligence guiding the process.
In short, both Holotropic Breathwork and psychedelic sessions can produce profoundly transformative experiences capable of reshaping personality structure and life direction. This might suggest they are identical experiences, influenced only by external variables such as mood or context.
Yet many people who have experienced both report meaningful differences.
Differences
These differences are not absolute but statistical—patterns observed by many participants rather than universal truths. I am referring here only to authentic Holotropic Breathwork conducted according to original principles, not to informal breath experiments sometimes labeled as such.
The duration of a holotropic experience is harder to define than that of a substance. While the most intense period is typically the three hours spent breathing on the mat, many participants report that their time as sitters—supporting their partners and witnessing others’ processes—was equally or more intense. Many also describe altered states before and long after the formal session.
Because no substances are involved and the process is activated manually, it may take longer to start and longer to land.
Participants often note that, unlike substances that “carry” the experience regardless of one’s will, breathwork requires ongoing engagement through breathing, expression, and following the inner process. This allows intensity to be modulated more easily, reducing the likelihood of overwhelming experiences or panic attacks.
For this reason, Holotropic Breathwork is often recommended as a way to integrate difficult psychedelic experiences.
However, some participants—especially those with strong emotional suppression or control tendencies—report difficulty crossing a certain threshold in breathwork, as long as an option to retreat remains. In such cases, psychedelic substances may initially bypass these defenses.
Holotropic sessions also tend to be more expressive: louder music, more intense bodywork, and stronger outward expression, such as shaking, crying, or shouting, are common. Psychedelic sessions, by contrast, may involve profound internal processes with minimal outward expression.
Many participants report fewer vivid visuals in breathwork compared to psychedelics, though kinesthetic sensations are often similar. The meaning of experiences may also take longer to crystallize.
Some participants describe a meta-observer during breathwork—a questioning voice wondering whether the process is “real.” Despite this, therapeutic effects often remain strong.
A slightly higher proportion of participants report minimal effects from breathwork compared to substances, though non-responsiveness occurs in both contexts.
Entering a holotropic process requires personal engagement and a sense of safety, making it harder for unskilled facilitators to cause harm. By contrast, substances can induce extreme states regardless of the guide’s competence.
Finally, the relational setting of Holotropic Breathwork—working in pairs, sustained care, and frequent facilitator contact—makes it a deeply interpersonal experience, particularly effective for relational trauma such as abandonment or emotional deprivation.
I hope this text has helped illustrate how similar—and yet distinct—these two complementary methods are, and how these differences may matter when choosing which path to explore.
Not least because, for legal reasons, it is far easier to access Holotropic Breathwork sessions legally in Poland.