DeSci Fellowship x BreathworkLab

Purpose of preregistration

The first Decentralised Science (DeSci) Fellowship at Brighton & Sussex Medical School (BSMS), University of Sussex, is being launched with the support of the nonprofit psychedelic research organisation DMT Quest and the wider ResearchHub community. The goal is for the ResearchHub community to match DMT Quest’s donation ($250K), resulting in a total funding commitment of $500K over five years to the University of Sussex. This phased funding model allows for transparent, stage-based support tied to research milestones, beginning with this current preregistration covering Year 1 (phases 1 and 2), where $50K has already been secured from DMT Quest and a matching $50K is requested via ResearchHub.

This decentralised funding model prioritises direct support for Dr. Fincham while ensuring transparency and efficiency. The overarching aim is to maximise the impact of funds by supporting young scientists and early career researchers who are emerging leaders in their respective fields. For clarity: decentralised science (DeSci) refers to a new model of research funding and collaboration that reduces institutional gatekeeping by enabling researchers to receive support directly from aligned communities and donors. Preregistration, in this context, refers to the practice of publicly specifying study plans in advance, which enhances transparency and replicability—principles that align closely with DeSci values.

The Fellowship will facilitate the expansion of the Breathwork Lab—the world’s first research group dedicated exclusively to breathwork. Alongside his mentor Dr. Alessandro Colasanti, it will enable Dr. Fincham to supervise PhD, undergraduate, and master’s students, fostering the next generation of breathwork researchers. As the Fellowship progresses, detailed annual preregistrations will be published to outline the planned methods and studies for each year. These will act as a transparent roadmap for the Fellowship's evolving research programme. Given the natural interplay between different research streams across years, a degree of flexibility in preregistration will be maintained, particularly to accommodate future PhD projects.

Currently, the (breath)work is structured into five integrated phases, with this preregistration focusing on Year 1 (phases 1 and 2), which will generate essential qualitative and contextual data. The remaining phases 3–5 will build on this foundation in subsequent years, expanding into experimental and methodological innovations, including movement-informed breathwork (MiB) pioneered by Dr. Ed Caddye, M.D.

By achieving the objectives set out below, the Fellowship will strengthen the Breathwork Lab at BSMS and cement its position as a global leader in breathwork research. The work will also deepen collaborations with the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science (SCCS), led by Professor Anil Seth and Dr. Adam Barrett, and foster new partnerships with the School of Psychology, where Dr. Fincham earned his PhD.

Notably, Dr. Fincham’s breathwork research is already attracting considerable interest from prospective PhD candidates, as well as NHS doctors and other healthcare professionals eager to conduct research at BSMS, SCCS, and the School of Psychology. This Fellowship will position Dr. Fincham to mentor and support emerging researchers in this rapidly evolving field whilst facilitating ongoing collaboration with psychiatrists at BSMS.

For lay audiences on ResearchHub

Plain English Summary

This proposal is for supporting and scaling Dr Guy W. Fincham's BreathworkLab, through funding the world’s first postdoctoral DeSci Fellowship. Initial research has recently suggested that specific breathwork alone may elicit effects similar to traditional psychedelics like psilocybin. Collaborating with renowned scientists like Dr Elissa Epel and having his work featured on Dr Andrew Huberman's podcast platform, Dr Fincham, though an early career researcher having just received his PhD, is at the forefront of this innovative field. Dr Fincham’s ultimate goal is to scale the first BreathworkLab of its kind into a Centre dedicated to research and practice.

Breath is decentralisation

Ask yourself: What is more decentralised than the breath?

Breathing is ubiquitous, permeating, universal, abundant, global, ever-present. Humans have always breathed. Everyone breathes. Most of us take over 20,000 breaths per day, and it is known that we can survive without food for weeks, water for days, but air for only just a few minutes. Mother Nature holds the patent and, as such, breath is accessible to all.

Summary

BreathworkLab is an initiative developed through collaboration with ResearchHub and DMT Quest, aimed at conducting robust scientific research on breathwork practices and their therapeutic potential. This long-term project seeks to explore various techniques, with the goal of establishing breathwork as an accessible, nonpharmacological alternative for improving mental and physical health. Inspired by accounts of lived experience of people who have reportedly benefited from breathwork, the initial research plans are to examine in-depth, rich phenomenological experiences so as to fully capture (and not dilute, nor negate) the profound effects, experiences and possibilities that breathwork may confer.

Why support this?

This proposal provides a unique opportunity to support the long-term vision and growth of an early career researcher and leader in their field through the first DeSci Fellowship of its kind. In collaboration with Dr Fincham’s current funders, ResearchHub and DMT Quest, this DeSci Fellowship could pave the way for onboarding esteemed and reputable, open-minded scientists to non-traditional funding through more effective mechanisms using blockchain technology.

What is breathwork?

"Breath" translates as spirit or soul in Latin (spiritus) and Ancient Greek (pneuma), representing a potential interface between conscious and subconscious processes. Breathwork refers to various practices that regulate breathing to improve wellbeing. These techniques have ancient roots, emerging independently worldwide from the Himalayas to Hawaii. While likely originating with shamanic teachings over 10,000 years ago, the most well-known breathing exercises come from yoga, particularly pranayama. In Sanskrit, prana translates as vital energy or life force and ayama as regulation or control. It may be viewed synonymously or better understood, albeit not exactly, as regulating or controlling the breath. This eminent body of yogic breathwork practices started gaining international scientific interest more than half a century ago.

What are the benefits?

Breathing is a powerful tool for influencing our mind and body. Slow breathing can induce relaxation and calm, while reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. Conversely, rapid breathing techniques can create altered states of consciousness similar to psychedelic compounds like psilocybin. This makes breathwork a fascinating and accessible therapeutic tool. Unlike many treatments, breath is something we all possess and can use to tap into our own inner, innate capacity for healing. It's a natural, free resource available to everyone — open source and scalable.

Limitations of the current research

Breathwork, both slow and fast, has garnered a surge in public interest owing to its therapeutic potential. Accordingly, there is a lot of hype starting to emerge around this body of practices that have a long history of use and, while such spiritual and ancient practices are starting to be subjected to modern scientific research, there are few rigorously designed studies examining breathwork alongside the growing interest in non-drug alternatives for inducing altered states of consciousness.

BreathworkLab will help build a solid scientific foundation for breathwork, paving the way for its broader acceptance and application in therapeutic settings.

Methods:

Interview expert breathwork practitioners
Conduct a comprehensive literature review
Study breathwork-naïve participants using:
- Established measures for mystical experiences, psychological insight, emotional breakthrough, and altered states of consciousness (ASCs)
- Phenomenological interviews
- Potential new breathwork-specific scales
Examine the role of suggestibility in reported experiences
Develop and validate new scales for breathwork experiences
Explore movement-informed breathwork (MiB), a novel breathwork and movement practice, with anecdotes linked to profound personal transformation
Continue to inform the future of breathwork research and practice.

Expected Outcomes:

5–10 research papers
Dedicated project website
Dissemination events, nationally and internationally.

Significance

This research will address growing interest in non-drug modalities for inducing ASCs and deepen our understanding of HVB. It will explore how HVB can induce experiences similar to psychedelics when conducted in appropriately curated settings. For example, a rich phenomenological study with some of the most expert practitioners in the world could explore perceived benefits (and harms), along with perceived change processes associated with positive effects. This necessary first step is paramount for elucidating and identifying key outcomes and mechanisms that can then be tested in robust trials, to rigorously assess if and how breathwork is effective in the general population. Moreover, a novel breathing and movement technique called MiB will also be explored for the first time in a scientific setting.

Breath, Being, & Beyond: Lived Experiences of Breathwork

Author

Principal Investigator: Dr. Guy William Fincham
Department: Breathwork Lab, Clinical Neuroscience, Brighton & Sussex Medical School

An Eyeforce documentary on breathwork features Dr. Guy W. Fincham preparing for an MRI scan at Brighton & Sussex Medical School to perform high ventilation breathwork.

Abstract

"Breath" stems from the Latin spiritus, meaning spirit, soul, or life force. Breathing is a byproduct of movement and muscular contraction, highlighting the indiscernible separation between life and movement. Put simply: how we move and how we breathe can impact our lives profoundly. This project seeks to systematically explore the phenomenological landscape of high ventilation breathwork (HVB), a set of contemplative practices known for inducing altered states of consciousness (ASCs). Under carefully designed conditions—aligned with the principles of “set and setting”—HVB can elicit profound, often transformative experiences akin to those induced by psychedelic substances such as psilocybin. This research will unravel HVB’s phenomenology through thematic interviews with expert practitioners, identifying core patterns in their lived experiences.

Complementing this, a comprehensive literature review—encompassing scientific studies, theses, ancient texts, archival materials, and popular media—will provide historical and cultural context. In the experimental phase, breathwork-naïve participants will engage in HVB sessions, evaluated using validated measures of mystical experiences, psychological insight, emotional breakthrough, and ASCs. Additional methodological innovations will also include evaluating the role of suggestibility in HVB-induced ASCs and developing new breathwork-specific scales to capture under-explored dimensions of breath-induced ASCs (in collaboration with SCCS and the School of Psychology). Moreover, we will explore the integration of breathwork with movement (movement-informed breathwork; MiB) and assess its unique phenomenological and potentially transformative impacts through psychophysiological measures, with the potential to deliver it to military veterans (Dr. Colasanti’s population of care).

This multidimensional approach will yield critical insights into the psychological and experiential dimensions of breathwork, with potential implications for therapeutic application. The planned outputs include 5-10 peer-reviewed publications, a dedicated project website, and public dissemination events to engage diverse audiences. In light of the growing interest in nonpharmacological pathways to ASCs, this research highlights the transformative power of our own breath as an accessible, innate tool for consciousness exploration and healing.

An Eyeforce documentary on breathwork.

Background

We can live for weeks without food, days without water, but only minutes without breath. The proposed research aims to methodically explore the phenomenological profile of high ventilation breathwork (HVB), a body of contemplative practices— practised by millions of people worldwide—designed to induce altered states of consciousness (ASCs). With thoughtfully curated set and setting, HVB has been shown to elicit profound mystical experiences and ASCs akin to those evoked by psychedelics(1,2), including medium to high doses of psilocybin(3). Current research on ASCs has predominantly focused on pharmacological methods; however there is a growing interest in nonpharmacological approaches, which are often more accessible and culturally acceptable. This also removes medical, legal and, financial barriers.

Despite ancient and modern use paired with countless anecdotal evidence of its profound effects, both secondary and empirical research on HVB are limited(4). No published review or empirical study has yet deeply explored and analysed lived experiences of HVB through rich qualitative methodologies. Moreover, the aforementioned studies(1–3) comprised participants with either some or a considerable amount of HVB experience. The latter also applies to the sample in a pioneering study on HVB and ASCs conducted at Brighton & Sussex Medical School (BSMS), investigating the neurobiological correlates of the acute subjective effects induced by HVB across three experimental settings with experienced practitioners: An online, psychophysiology lab-based, and MRI-based study (all three of which Dr. Fincham participated in as a subject whilst completing his Psychology PhD, which led to his collaboration with the BSMS team). Findings suggest the effects consistently resembled ASCs observed with psilocybin(5).

Our project addresses the above knowledge gaps by providing a rigorous phenomenological characterisation of HVB. Through conducting a comprehensive literature review on HVB across all time periods and world regions, we will glean unique insights into lived experiences from historical to contemporary accounts. Moreover, by interviewing expert practitioners and conducting controlled sessions with breathwork-naïve participants, we will generate novel empirical data on the nature and impact of HVB-induced ASCs among a diverse sample. Further novel data will be collected on how characteristics and suggestibility shape lived experiences of HVB, along with the development and validation of innovative subjective tools attempting to better capture the phenomenology of HVB and address limitations of existing ASC measures, elevating future research. Concurrently, we will explore the novel practice of movement-informed breathwork (MiB), research we have begun to pioneer at BSMS, with the aim of exploring how targeted interventions—such as breathwork guided by muscular tension and the application of specific movement patterns—can be developed and applied to alleviate chronic pain, improve nervous system regulation, and facilitate somatic-emotional integration (6,7).

An Eyeforce documentary on breathwork.

Significance

This work presents a unique opportunity to explore our own innate, inner capacity for inducing such profound experiences through the breath (and movement) alone. Our findings could inform the development of new therapeutic practices, contributing to the broader fields of psychology and consciousness, meanwhile sparking interest, curiosity and benefitting society at large.

An Eyeforce documentary on breathwork.

Methodology

Study type

The focus below is on the foundational phases 1-2, where the research aims are explorational. It will allow subsequent hypotheses to be generated, particularly when delivering HVB to novices.

Existing data

Registration prior to creation of data: As of the date of submission of this research plan for preregistration, the data have not yet been collected, created or realised.

Phase 1: Qualitative investigation of HVB experts

This phase will employ thematic analysis to explore the phenomenological experiences and insights of HVB practitioners.

Sample/participants

Up to 20 HVB experts will be recruited through an established and extensive network in the breathwork field. These experts will be seasoned practitioners with extensive experience in facilitating HVB sessions. They will be from all over the world, with a focus on HVB practitioners with many years of skilled practice in Conscious Connected Breathing.

Data collection procedures

Interviews will be conducted online and data will be secured on University systems. These semi-structured interviews will explore practitioners' lived experiences, perceived effects of HVB on consciousness and their interpretations of its therapeutic potential, including their approaches to facilitation and elucidation of ASC outcomes.

Processing and analysis

Interviews will be transcribed and analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach(8). The analysis will proceed through six stages: familiarisation with data, generating initial codes, searching for themes, reviewing themes, defining and naming themes (up to six), and producing the report.

Ethical Considerations

Informed consent will be obtained from all participants, ensuring confidentiality of sensitive information and the right to withdraw from the study. The study will adhere to the University of Sussex’s ethical guidelines.

Output

This thematic study will be drafted and prepared for publication, with a preprint published on ResearchHub, informing the other phases of the research programme.

Phase 2: Comprehensive literature review

Completed concurrently with phase one, this phase will involve a scoping review of existing literature on HVB and its relationship with ASCs.

Search Strategy

A broad range of sources will be consulted from all time periods and global regions, including academic databases, ancient texts, books, popular writing, theses and dissertations, conference proceedings and contemporary discussions on online platforms, forums and social media. The review will also include both primary research studies and theoretical papers, with a focus on the phenomenology and lived experiences of HVB.

Processing and analysis

Sources will be critically appraised, categorised and synthesised to identify key ideas, trends and gaps in the literature. The review will situate HVB within the broader context of ASC research, comparing it to other nonpharmacological methods such as meditation and hypnosis where possible.

Output

The review will be drafted and prepared for publication (preprint published on ResearchHub). It will provide a foundational understanding of the phenomenology of HVB, informing the other phases of the research programme, along with the wider academic community and general public.

Timeline

Since phases 1 and 2 complement one another and form the basis of the research programme, they will be completed and submitted for publication after year 1, before transitioning to further empirical study. Findings will be widely disseminated through multiple channels, with frequent progress updates shared on social media and ResearchHub.

Budget

The initial funding request is for DMT Quest’s $50K donation to be match funded, covering the first year of the DeSci Fellowship ($100K total). Over five years, $500,000 will be donated to the Friends of the University of Sussex, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organisation which supports the advancement of education at the University of Sussex. The gift will be paid in five annual instalments of $100,000. The gift is to support Dr. Guy Fincham’s Fellowship at the Brighton & Sussex Medical School (BSMS) over five years. The fellowship will be known as the Decentralised Science Fellowship. The Friends of the University of Sussex will acknowledge it appropriately.

Expected phases 3-5 in brief

Quantitative and qualitative assessment of HVB in novices, exploring demand characteristics/suggestibility and developing/validating new psychometric tools, along with in-depth exploration of MiB and its therapeutic potential.

Open science and dissemination throughout

Science, regardless of the results, is meant to be shared (it is a public good!). All findings will be published.

To maximise the impact of the research, a multifaceted dissemination strategy will be employed:

Academic Outputs: Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences (i.e., the interdisciplinary conference for psychedelic research—ICPR). Preprints and datasets will be made freely available.
Public Engagement: A dedicated project website will be maintained, featuring updates, resources and findings. Social media platforms will be leveraged to disseminate content and engage with both academic and non-academic audiences, along with public webinars, workshops and podcasts.
Symposium and Future Directions: A symposium on HVB and ASCs will be hosted at the University of Sussex (a collaboration between the Sussex Centre for Consciousness Science and BSMS) bringing together researchers, practitioners and the public.
The ultimate long-term vision is to scale the Breathwork Lab into a Breathwork Centre.

References

Lewis-Healey, E., et al. Breathwork-induced psychedelic experiences modulate neural dynamics. Cerebral Cortex 34, (2024).
Havenith, M. N. et al. Decreased CO2 saturation during circular breathwork supports emergence of altered states of consciousness. Communications Psychology, (2025).
Bahi, C. et al. Effects of conscious connected breathing on cortical brain activity, mood and state of consciousness in healthy adults. Current Psychology, (2023).
Fincham, G. W. et al. High ventilation breathwork practices: An overview of their effects, mechanisms, and considerations for clinical applications. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 155, (2023).
Kartar, A. et al. Neurobiological Substrates of Altered States of Consciousness Induced by High Ventilation. In Review, (2025).
Caddye, E., et al. The Neuromuscular Nexus: Introducing torque chains as a paradigm-shifting framework for physical, mental, and emotional health. ResearchHub 1, (2025).
Caddye, E., et al. Successful non-surgical management of chronic hip pain in the context of Otto’s disease by targeted retraining of the internal torque chain and psoas major. In Review [ResearchHub preprint], (2025).
Braun, V., et al. Doing Reflexive Thematic Analysis. in Supporting Research in Counselling and Psychotherapy: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Research (eds. Bager-Charleson, S. & McBeath, A.) (Springer International Publishing, 2022).

Biography

Dr Guy W. Fincham (X @breath_Guy)

Brighton & Sussex Medical School profile | ORCID: 0000-0002-9534-939X

Dr Guy William Fincham is a world-leading breathwork researcher at Brighton & Sussex Medical School and the founder of the Brighton & Sussex Breathwork Lab, which he aims to expand into a full Centre. His journey with breathwork began as a personal healing tool for chronic fatigue syndrome — an experience that sparked his passion to explore and share its transformative potential.

Opening a conference on music and breath therapy as Keynote Speaker in Poland.

Trained with the Breath Body Mind Foundation in New York, he became the UK’s first Doctoral Fellow of The Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund, Tokyo. He has led pioneering research into slow and fast breathwork, including two of the largest studies in the field. His meta-analysis ranked in the Top 100 of Nature’s Scientific Reports for 2023 (#5) and in the Psychology Collection (#3), placing it in the top 1% of over 28 million research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric, with over 200,000 downloads.

His work has appeared in the BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Economist, National Geographic, TIME, Forbes, and HubermanLab. He features in an upcoming breathwork documentary and has delivered keynote speeches globally, including on music and breath therapy in Poland.

He collaborates with institutions including Oxford, UCSF, Imperial, Maastricht, UCLA, and wellness brand Othership. His research explores the role of breathwork in recovery and performance across health, sport, and consciousness, aiming to position it as a powerful, stigma-free tool for holistic wellbeing.

He is available for advisory work, consulting, coaching, training, and public speaking.

DeSci Fellowship x BreathworkLab

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