Could Breathwork Actually Release DMT? Here’s What Science Suggests:
While no current study has definitively proven that breathwork causes a DMT release in humans, there are several mechanisms that might support the idea. Let’s break them down:
1. Induced Stress States
Certain types of breathwork shift the oxygen-carbon dioxide balance in your body, which can temporarily alter your blood pH and create a mild stress response.
Interestingly, in lab studies, rats showed elevated levels of DMT in the brain during extreme stress or trauma. The human body may have a similar response—releasing DMT as a survival or adaptation mechanism during high-stress states like birth, near-death, or intense breathwork.
2. Oxygen Levels & Hypoxia
It’s a common myth that breathwork increases oxygen. In fact, rapid breathing can reduce CO₂, narrow blood vessels, and limit oxygen delivery to tissues—a process called vasoconstriction.
This temporary low-oxygen environment (called hypoxia) may actually trigger protective neurochemicals, including DMT, as a way for the brain to adapt and protect itself. Some scientists believe this is the body’s built-in backup plan for survival and resilience.
3. Gamma Brainwaves & Cerebrospinal Fluid Movement
Research into altered states shows that gamma brainwaves—associated with peak consciousness and spiritual insight—are often activated during deep breathwork and meditation.
DMT may be connected to these gamma states. Additionally, breath can influence the flow of cerebrospinal fluid, which happens to contain some of the highest concentrations of DMT found in the body. By modulating this flow, breathwork might help circulate these natural compounds through the nervous system.
A Brief History: When Breath Became the New Psychedelic
When LSD was banned in the late 1960s, psychiatrist Stanislav Grof began developing Holotropic Breathwork as an alternative way to induce non-ordinary states. What he found was remarkable—without substances, people could still experience visions, release trauma, and access parts of the psyche usually hidden in daily life.
That tradition lives on in modern forms of breathwork, including the styles I facilitate today.
So… Is DMT Breathwork Real?
The term “DMT Breathwork” is more poetic than proven. We don’t have clinical evidence showing that DMT is being released every time someone has a deep breathwork journey. But based on experience, tradition, and emerging research, the idea is far from far-fetched.
In truth, the magic of breathwork might not come down to one molecule—it’s about the intelligence of the body. You carry within you a whole internal pharmacy of neurochemicals, ancestral memory, and spiritual wisdom. Breath is the key that unlocks the vault.
Final Thoughts: You Are the Medicine
Whether or not DMT is flowing during your session, the transformation people experience through breathwork is real and undeniable. It has helped people process trauma, awaken spiritually, reconnect with their purpose, and find peace.
I believe this practice should be as accessible as yoga—a gateway to healing that lives within all of us.
If you’re curious to explore breathwork yourself, I offer both private sessions and retreats, and I also train others in trauma-informed facilitation. If you feel called to dive deeper, reach out.
You don’t need anything outside yourself to heal.
Just your breath.
Just your presence.
Just this moment.
— Corey Dupree
Want to learn more about DMT and its role in the human body?
Check out the documentary DMT Quest (I’m not affiliated—just sharing for those who are curious).