How Breathwork Helps Release Trauma (Even When Talk Therapy Doesn’t)

By Tony Prana — SOMA Breathwork Guide, Long Island

Trauma lives in the body — not just the mind.

You can talk about your past all day long, but if your nervous system stays locked in survival mode, true healing stays out of reach. That’s why more people in Long Island, Suffolk County, and around the world are turning to breathwork classes to go beyond traditional therapy and finally feel safe, free, and whole again.

In this post, we’ll explore how breathwork, especially SOMA Breathwork, helps release trauma in ways talk therapy often can’t — and why people who felt “stuck” for years are experiencing powerful emotional breakthroughs after just one session.

💥 The Limits of Talk Therapy (And Why It’s Not Always Enough)

Talk therapy is powerful. It gives you insight, helps you name your wounds, and creates space for awareness. But it has one major blind spot:

🧠 It speaks to the mind — not the body.

Trauma, according to experts like Bessel van der Kolk (author of The Body Keeps the Score), is stored in the nervous system, muscles, fascia, and breath patterns. You may know you're “safe” mentally, but your body still reacts as if danger is present — holding tension, shallow breathing, hypervigilance, emotional numbness.

That’s where breathwork becomes a game-changer.

🌬️ What Is Breathwork (And Why Is SOMA Different?)

Breathwork is the practice of consciously changing your breathing pattern to regulate your nervous system, process emotions, and shift your state of consciousness. SOMA Breathwork, the method I guide here in West Babylon and throughout Suffolk County, takes this to a whole new level.

In a SOMA breathwork class, we use rhythmic breathing, uplifting music, guided visualization, and breath retentions to activate deep healing states. Think of it as meditation meets movement, with a physiological reset.

What makes SOMA unique?

• It uses a scientifically backed 4:4 rhythm to synchronize brainwaves.

• It guides you into safe, expanded states of awareness where trauma can surface and release naturally.

• It helps you rewrite limiting patterns at the subconscious level — without needing to relive painful memories.

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🧠 Breathwork vs Therapy: How Healing Actually Happens

Let’s break down the key differences in healing style:

That doesn’t mean breathwork replaces therapy — it complements it.

Many of my clients in Long Island say things like:

🌎 Why Breathwork Is Booming on Long Island Right Now

There’s a movement happening in the healing world — especially here in Long Island, West Babylon, and nearby towns like Huntington, Babylon Village, and Islip.

People are waking up to the fact that talking isn’t enough.

They're searching for:

• Breathwork near me

• SOMA breathwork Long Island

• Breathwork classes in Suffolk County

• How to release trauma naturally

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And they’re showing up to events not just for relaxation — but for transformation.

At my breathwork sessions, I guide individuals and small groups through immersive journeys that help them feel grounded, emotional, alive, and finally at home in their body again.

🔥 What Happens in a Trauma-Release Breathwork Class?

If you’ve never been to a SOMA breathwork class on Long Island, here’s what you can expect:

1. A safe, welcoming space (no prior experience needed)

2. Grounding meditation to settle the body and create intention

3. Rhythmic breathing with music to activate your parasympathetic nervous system

4. Breath retention (kumbhaka) to go beyond the thinking mind

5. Guided visualization and NLP techniques to gently release stored emotional energy

6. Integration time with journaling, optional sharing, and grounding

You may cry. You may laugh. You may feel tingles or waves of energy. All of it is valid. All of it is healing.

💡 Real Healing Starts from the Inside Out

If you’ve tried therapy but still feel stuck…If you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected from your body…If you're ready to experience true, embodied healing...

Then it’s time to explore breathwork — not just as a relaxation tool, but as a spiritual and scientific method of trauma release.

I invite you to join me at one of my upcoming breathwork classes in West Babylon or Huntington. Whether it’s your first session or your fiftieth, SOMA Breathwork will meet you exactly where you are — and help you move forward.

📍 Upcoming Breathwork Classes – Long Island & Suffolk County

✨ July 13 – Sound Healing & SOMA Breathwork (Port Jefferson)✨ August 2 – Mini Retreat: Cacao Ceremony + Trauma Release (Huntington)✨ Weekly Private Sessions – West Babylon

👉 View Upcoming Events

🔁 Final Thoughts

Breathwork isn’t about fixing you.It’s about returning to your wholeness.It’s about feeling safe again in your body.It’s about releasing what’s been trapped for too long.

And sometimes, it all starts… with a single breath.