Could these new anxiety treatments be more beneficial than medication?
Many now believe we’ve been looking in the wrong place as research increasingly points to breathing as a key plank of mental and physical health.
“But I can’t breathe.” I’m sitting across from my GP, each word landing with an exasperated sigh. A spirometry test had confirmed my then 21-year-old lungs were perfectly healthy, but I wasn’t convinced. I was sure I had a lung disease. I demanded an MRI. Instead, I was sent home with valium and a referral to a psychologist.
And so began my descent into the elusive, idiosyncratic realm of anxiety – something affecting more and more of us. While medicine has developed ways to manage its symptoms, finding a cure-all for this complex condition continues. But as more experts begin to view anxiety as not just a disorder of the mind, but of the body, too, we may be getting closer.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than one in six Australians now report experiencing an anxiety-related condition, with panic disorder among the fastest-growing subtypes. And I get it – my first panic attack was terrifying. It hijacked my ability to breathe, snapping the unconscious bond between mind and body. That was nearly two decades ago, and in many ways, I’ve been trying to reclaim my breath ever since.
For years, anxiety was treated as a purely cognitive issue – something to be analysed, rationalised or medicated. But clinical psychologist and somatic therapist Dr Kirstie Missenden believes we’ve been looking in the wrong place. “In our society, we often tend to see anxiety as a problem with our mind,” she says. “But anxiety is primarily a bodily experience. Our heart races, our breath shortens, our muscles tighten – all ready for us to run or fight for our lives.”
While therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) still have a place, Missenden is part of a growing wave of clinicians advocating for more body-based approaches. Somatic therapies such as breathwork, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing), vagus nerve stimulation and trauma-informed bodywork – once considered fringe – are now backed by neuroscience and gradually being welcomed into mainstream medicine.
“In somatic therapy, we support people to use body-based ways to soothe their activated nervous system,” Missenden explains. “Rather than trying to fix or avoid the anxiety, we make space for it to be here.” She often encourages clients to locate where in the body their anxiety lives – a tightness in the chest, a knot in the gut – and guides them to gently observe and sit with the sensation. “It can be useful to say things like, ‘Something in me is feeling anxious’, which creates a sense of compassion, rather than being consumed by it.”
Breath expert James Nestor writes in his best-selling Breath – The New Science of a Lost Art, “Fears and anxiety had a physical manifestation … generated from within a more ancient part of the reptilian brain.” It’s a profound shift in understanding; breathlessness not as a psychological weakness, but as a biological call for regulation.
Studies support this reframing. Nasal breathing alone can boost nitric oxide sixfold, improve sleep, reduce blood pressure and even enhance cognitive performance. “The health benefits of nose breathing are undeniable,” says functional dentist Dr Mark Burhenne, author of The 8-Hour Sleep Paradox. And yet, most of us rarely stop to notice how we breathe. Retraining my own breath – through vagus nerve support, somatic tools and plain awareness – has become a daily act of reconnection. “Breathing is the missing pillar of health,” writes Nestor. Sometimes the answer really is right under your nose.
When yoga and breathwork teacher Kate Kendall invited me to her monthly Breath Experience, I expected a gentle (standard) meditation session. What I experienced instead was transformative. “They should call it euphoric breathing,” the wide-eyed attendee to my left whispered after we said our namastes. “I swear I’ve just spent the past half-hour flying around as an eagle.”
Kendall, who studied under respected breathwork coach and author Johannes Egberts, has seen first hand the transforming effects the practice can have on people who struggle to regulate their nervous systems. “The Wim Hof Method breathing exercises stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the rest-and-digest response,” she explains. “This helps to counteract the effects of the sympathetic nervous system, which is associated with stress and anxiety. That’s why we experience this beautiful, almost overwhelming feeling – a deep relaxation where the mind feels incredibly clear.”
She adds that rapid, deep breathing improves circulation and lymphatic flow, delivering more oxygen to the body’s tissues, regulating carbon dioxide levels and blood pH – resulting in an anti-inflammatory effect.
The therapeutic aspects of this practice and other vagal nerve-toning rituals – think sound healing and ice bathing – aren’t the only factor in their growing popularity. For an increasing number of Australians exploring sobriety and embracing clean living, they’re a social occasion.
“More than ever, people are longing to return to the infinite intelligence of the heart and body,” says Tanya Ali-Jani. Events held by the sound-healing, breathwork and meditation guide often incorporate vivid image projections and dynamic performances, and regularly sell out. “In a world full of noise and distraction, where we are constantly being pulled off centre, breathwork and sound healing have emerged as powerful tools to bring us back into alignment,” Ali-Jani explains.
I experienced this realignment of sorts during a recent women’s wellness retreat at the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa. In between sound-healing sessions, lymphatic massages and pelvic health workshops, I began to exhale more than just tension. Hotels such as the JW Marriott are evolving their spa offerings to reflect a more holistic, long-lasting approach to wellbeing.
“Many of our female guests arrive overwhelmed, anxious or physically tense,” says spa manager Stacey Leong. “We use aromatherapy, mindful breathing and intuitive bodywork to calm the nervous system.” She says touch therapies are no longer just about pampering; they’re a way for women to reconnect to their bodies. “It’s about creating a space to feel held, even for 30 minutes.”
It was during a core awareness workshop with Sarah Percy of the Female Physio Co. that something clicked. The physiotherapist encouraged me to focus on my pelvic floor, inviting it to relax and allow more space for my diaphragm.
I spent the next few days picturing my core unzipping with every slow exhalation, and after days of dedicated practice, I felt a small shift. For the first time in a long time, I was fully in my body. It had been speaking to me all along. I was finally starting to listen again.
This story is from the July issue of WISH.
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