From Awakening to Volatility: The Emotional Threshold Shift in Intensive Breathwork Practice — The Annihilation of Emotional Buffering
SSRN Electronic Journal January 1, 2026 HealerRiz Riz
Repeated high-intensity breathwork may, in some individuals, lower emotional thresholds and increase volatility rather than calm the nervous system. The same mechanisms that help access suppressed emotions can also sensitize anger pathways and reduce buffering capacity when activation outpaces integration. The analysis calls for scrutiny of these threshold effects, especially where families observe shifts in tolerance and restraint.