Breathwork for Emotional Release and Processing

Some emotion doesn't move through talking. You can explain a feeling perfectly and still carry it in your chest like a stone. Breathwork works differently: it bypasses the explaining and goes straight to where the feeling is actually held in the body. Jason Donaldson's Galactic Breathing sessions are built around that kind of release, paced so it never overwhelms.

Why breath reaches what talking can't

The breath is directly tied to the nervous system in a way ordinary conversation isn't. Sustained, guided breathing changes the body's chemistry and state in real time, which can loosen emotion that's become stuck or frozen in place. This is well established, general nervous system physiology, not a specific claim about any one method curing anything. What breathwork offers is a doorway into material the thinking mind has trouble reaching on its own.

How the three rounds build toward release

A private session runs 90 minutes, 222 dollars, in person or online. After settling in with light movement, usually Qigong, and a guided meditation to set intention, the session moves into heart centered energy work where you're invited to connect with guides or ancestors. Then three rounds of breath follow, each one ending with an inhale, a hold, a release and rest.

"The first round is all most people will need," Jason says, and it's built to be accessible regardless of experience or physical condition. The second and third rounds build intensity for people who want to go further, opening into altered states where deeper emotional material tends to surface, sometimes alongside channeled messages or a strong felt sense of connection to something larger than the immediate moment. Nothing about this is forced. There's no screaming or pushing past what the body can hold. Jason stays present the entire time, tracking your state and guiding you back to calm whenever it's needed.

What release can look like

It's rarely dramatic. Sometimes it's tears that arrive without a clear story attached. Sometimes it's a wave of anger that passes through and leaves quiet behind it. Sometimes it's simply a physical unclenching, a breath that finally goes all the way down for what feels like the first time in months. As a pre-licensed marriage and family therapist with group facilitation experience, Jason brings real awareness of trauma responses to this work, so the pacing stays attuned rather than pushing anyone past what's useful.

If the emotion you're carrying is specifically grief, breathwork for grief speaks to that more directly. If what's underneath feels more like trauma that needs a careful, somatic approach, breathwork for trauma covers that ground.

After the session

Sessions close with a longer pause, often with channeled messages, then a grounded return and time to integrate and share what came up. Eat and drink lightly in the hour beforehand so your body isn't managing digestion during the work. Many people describe feeling lighter afterward, sometimes tired in a good way, sometimes energized. Integration can continue unfolding for a day or two as the nervous system settles into whatever shifted.

Frequently asked questions

Is emotional release during breathwork always intense?

No. Release ranges from subtle to intense, and the first round is designed to be gentle and accessible for most people. You're never pushed past what you can hold.

What if I don't feel anything release during my session?

That's normal too, and doesn't mean the session didn't work. Some people notice shifts in the days following rather than during the session itself.

Is this safe if I have a history of trauma?

Jason's training includes awareness of trauma reactions, and the pacing is built to be gentle and tracked throughout. If you have significant trauma history, mention it beforehand so the session can be paced accordingly, and know this complements, rather than replaces, care from a licensed mental health provider.

Do I need breathwork experience before trying this?

No. The three round structure is built as a gradual process that works for complete beginners as well as people with years of practice.

What should I do if strong emotion comes up after the session ends?

Integration time is built into the end of every session, and you're welcome to share what came up. If a feeling remains overwhelming afterward, reach out, and if you're ever in crisis, call 988 in the US.

Why the body holds what the mind has already let go of

You can process an event intellectually, understand it, even make peace with the story of it, and still carry the physical imprint for years afterward. That's the gap breathwork is built to close. A clenched jaw, a tight chest, a held breath that's been held so long it feels normal, these are often the body's version of an emotion that never finished moving through. Three rounds of guided breath give that stored material a structured, paced opportunity to finally complete, rather than staying frozen in place indefinitely.

Group settings versus private sessions

Jason has facilitated Galactic Breathing in both private and group formats, running it weekly on the Big Island for over two years with guests from around the world. Group settings add a collective energy that some people find amplifies the release, since everyone in the room is moving through something similar at the same time. A private session offers more individual attention and a pace fully set to your own needs. Either way, the structure is the same: settling, movement, meditation, three rounds of breath, and integration at the close.

Working with a therapist or counselor alongside this

If you're already seeing a therapist or counselor, breathwork can complement that work well, since it often surfaces material in the body that's harder to access through talking alone. Many clients bring what comes up in a session back to their therapy work, and vice versa. Let your session focus stay on the body and breath here, and let the verbal processing and clinical support stay with your licensed provider, each doing what it does best.