5 Tips to create a Trauma-Informed Breathwork Space
Breathwork can open powerful doors — sometimes releasing buried trauma or triggering unexpected emotional and physical responses. That’s why it’s essential to create a space that feels safe, grounded, and empowering.Kimi Recor, co-founder of The Portal, shared 5 practical tips on how to hold trauma-informed breathwork sessions. You’ll find more of Kimi’s Breathwork Training here.
1. CHOICE OVER INTENSITY
Participants are invited, not pushed. A trauma-informed breathwork space always emphasizes choice, allowing people to regulate their own experience - slowing down, stopping, or shifting at any point without pressure. By giving people as much information about the breath and about what can happen at the very beginning of the class, we also allow them to make INFORMED choices.
2. EMPHASIS ON RESOURCING + GROUNDING
Before and after deep breathwork journeys, the facilitator helps participants ground into the body, orient to the space, and connect to safety. This might include simple tools like touch, sound, or visual focus points to stay present. This is vital and often overlooked.
3. LANGUAGE THAT’s EMPOWERING, NOT COMANDING
Trauma-informed facilitation uses invitational language: “You might try…” or “If it feels safe for you…” instead of “Do this now.” This creates more psychological safety and reduces the risk of re-triggering powerlessness.
4. AWARENESS OF SOMATIC RESPONSES
Breathwork can unlock stored trauma, so a trained facilitator is attuned to signs of dysregulation like shaking, numbness, disassociation, or overwhelm and knows how to gently support the process.
5. CONSENT IS ONGOING
Trauma-informed spaces treat consent as dynamic, not a one-time thing. Facilitators check in, especially before physical touch or encouraging deeper emotional release. The space stays responsive to each person’s evolving boundaries.
