Timeless Healing | Coaching | Breathwork

WHY SOME CLIENTS FEEL WORSE
AFTER BREATHWORK

aND HOW TO PREVENT IT

i Thought Breathwork would make
me feel better, but I feel worse, why?

Breathwork is often described as calming, regulating, or even transformational. And for many people, it is. But for others, breathwork can feel uncomfortable, overwhelming, or even destabilising. When this happens, it’s not because the client or coach is “doing it wrong” — it’s usually because the breathwork wasn’t matched to their nervous system, history, or capacity in that moment.

Understanding why some clients feel worse after breathwork is essential for anyone who wants to integrate breathwork into their professional work safely and ethically.

5 Common Reasons Clients
Feel Worse After Breathwork

With a mix of 1:1 coaching, body-doubling, breathwork, and a supportive community, you’ll feel more grounded, focused, and capable — without pressure or judgment. This is your space to reset, take things one step at a time, and actually get things done with support that understands real life.

1. The Nervous System Was Pushed Too Fast

Many popular breathwork styles emphasise intensity, catharsis, or altered states. Faster breathing, breath holds, or prolonged sessions can rapidly activate the nervous system. For some clients — especially those with trauma histories, autism, ADHD, anxiety, or chronic stress — this can tip the system into overwhelm rather than regulation.

Instead of feeling calm, clients may experience:

  • Heightened anxiety or panic

  • Dizziness or nausea

  • Emotional flooding

  • Dissociation or shutdown

  • A sense of being unsafe in their body

2. Struggle with Interoceptive Awareness

Some clients have limited access to internal body signals (interoception). Asking them to focus on breath sensations without sufficient grounding can feel confusing, invasive, or destabilising. Neurodivergent clients, in particular, may need more external anchors and choice-based guidance.

3. Breathwork Activating Trauma Memory

The breath is deeply linked to survival. Changes in breathing can unconsciously activate stored trauma, especially experiences involving fear, helplessness, or loss of control. When this happens without preparation or containment, clients may leave sessions feeling worse rather than better.

4. Lack of Consent and Choice

Breathwork becomes unsafe when clients feel they have to breathe a certain way, keep their eyes closed, lie down, or push through discomfort. Even subtle pressure from a facilitator can override a client’s sense of agency — which is the opposite of regulation.

5. The Facilitator Was Dysregulated

Clients co-regulate with the person guiding them. If the facilitator is rushed, performative, or disconnected from their own body, the client’s nervous system will feel it. Breathwork is not just about technique — it’s about presence.

How to Prevent Clients Feeling Worse After Breathwork

  • Prepare yourself energetically prior to a session. To hold space for others we need to first look after our own nervous system.

  • Go slower than you think is necessary.

  • Prioritise nervous system safety over intensity.

  • Offer permission to stop, change, or opt out of the breathwork at any time.

  • Use short, gentle practices rather than long sequences.

  • Track the client’s cues instead of following a rigid method.

  • Stay within your scope of practice and level of experience.

Breathwork should increase capacity, not overwhelm it.

What Safe Breathwork Looks and Feels Like

Safe breathwork is often quieter, subtler, and less dramatic than what we see on social media

— and that’s a good thing.

What Safe Breathwork
Looks Like

🔆 Choice is explicit and ongoing

🔆 The breathing is natural and not forced

🔆 the breather is comfortable and safe

🔆 Movement and adjustments are welcome

🔆 The facilitator is attuned, calm and responsive

The facilitator adapts to the client,
not the other way around

What Safe Breathwork
Feels Like

🔆 A sense of being in control of your body

🔆 Increased awareness without overwhelm

🔆 Subtle shifts rather than dramatic releases

🔆 Feeling more present after the session

🔆 A sense of safety, not urgency

Safe breathwork doesn’t aim to "break through" defences. It supports the nervous system to soften when it’s ready.

Meet Your Breathwork Facilitator

Mimmi Ebbersten

ACCREDITED ICF LIFE & ADHD COACH
NALU BREATHWORK FACILITATOR

Hi, I’m Mimmi — a holistic life coach, ADHD Coach and breathwork facilitator. I guide men and women navigating stress, overwhelm, and big life transitions.

My own healing began during a time of deep personal change, when I was searching for clarity, calm, and a way to come back to myself. Breathwork became the key that unlocked all of it — and it’s now one of the most powerful tools I share with others.

With a background in trauma-informed coaching, mindset mentoring, and supporting neurodivergent individuals, I hold space in a way that’s gentle, grounded, and deeply attuned.

I’m so looking forward to helping you keep yourself accountable. Please reach out if you have any questions before booking in with me.

Mimmi Ebbersten

NALU Breathwork Is Suitable For:

  • Suits Adults with ADHD, Autism, or executive function challenges
  • Entrepreneurs and Business owners who wish there was more hours in a day
  • Mental Health Professionals wanting to incorporate Breahtwork in their practice
  • Procrastination has taken over: unfreeze yourself through Breathwork
  • Parents who struggle to get on top of life
  • Tertiary students who struggle to balance exams, assessments and life

Ways to Experience Nalu Breathwork

No matter where you are on your healing journey, 

I offer several ways for you to experience the power of Nalu Breathwork:

1. In-Person Breathwork & Reiki Energy Healing Sessions

For a deeply immersive healing experience, I offer private and small-group Breathwork & Reiki Energy Healing sessions online and in person at Zenso House, Southport. This signature healing service combines the fluid energy of Nalu Breathwork with the powerful clearing effects of Reiki, working on a physical, emotional, and energetic level to release tension and restore balance.

Many clients experience:
✨ A sense of deep peace and emotional release
✨ More clarity and focus in daily life
✨ Relief from stress, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm
✨ A renewed connection to their body and intuition

2. Weekly Online Nalu Breathwork Sessions

If you prefer the convenience of practicing from home, join my weekly online Nalu Breathwork sessions. These guided sessions help you stay consistent with your practice and integrate breathwork into your daily life, supporting emotional balance, focus, and nervous system regulation.

3. Nalu Breathwork Instructor Training (Accredited Course)

Are you passionate about breathwork and want to share its healing power with others? Our Nalu Breathwork Instructor Training is an accredited course designed for those who want to become certified facilitators. Whether you’re a coach, healer, or wellness professional, this training will equip you with the knowledge and tools to guide others through transformative breathwork experiences.

Join us for our intimate, 3-day NALU Breathwork Teacher Training on the Gold Coast. You’ll experience the power of this practice firsthand—and learn how to guide others through it too.

🌿 Early bird special: Save $100 when you book in advance

Ready to heal, grow, and guide?
Click here to reserve your place.

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Understanding why some clients feel worse after breathwork is essential for anyone who wants to integrate breathwork into their professional work safely and ethically.

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What I do

I offer personalized coaching, NALU Breathwork, and energy healing to help individuals find clarity, balance, and joy. I specialize in supporting AuDHD adults and those who feel they don’t fit society’s mold, offering a neurodiverse perspective to healing past trauma. Together, we’ll explore the dynamics between neurotypicalism and neurodiversity, fostering understanding while empowering you to thrive. Sessions are available in person at my Varsity Lakes studio or online, offering flexible support on your journey to growth.

How I can Help

Contact

hello [a] timelesshealing.com.au

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Varsity Lakes, Gold Coast

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Healing | Coaching | Breathwork

A HEALING SPACE FOR PEOPLE WHO STRUGGLE TO FIT INTO THE WORLD
VARSITY LAKES, GOLD COAST

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