Intensive breathwork linked to altered consciousness and brain network changes in a small MRI study
Published in Brain Activity, Brain/Neurology, Consciousness, Scanners and Imaging.
Published October 10, 2026.
An October 10 announcement from the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology describes MRI research on high-ventilation breathwork and altered consciousness. Researchers from the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim are presenting the findings at the ECNP Congress in Munich.
Thirty healthy, experienced practitioners performed intensive breathwork during scanning. They reported altered perception, vivid imagery, feelings of unity and changes in their sense of self. Some descriptions resembled psychedelic experiences, with less pronounced visual effects.
Imaging showed reduced cerebral blood flow. Participants reporting stronger altered states also showed greater changes in the default mode network, which contributes to self-related thought. The researchers suggest that changes in network communication may help explain experience intensity beyond changes in blood flow alone.
The study was small and uncontrolled, and all participants already practiced breathwork. It does not establish a treatment for depression or other psychiatric conditions, or demonstrate comparable effects in beginners. Larger randomized studies are needed to assess clinical relevance and therapeutic benefit.