The breath is a bridge
back to your body.
Trauma-informed breathwork is a somatic, consent-based practice that uses the power of the breath to support nervous system regulation, emotional release, and deep trauma integration — safely adapted for trauma survivors at every stage of healing.
Your breath is one of the most powerful tools your nervous system already has.
The breath is the only autonomic function we can consciously control — which makes it a uniquely powerful gateway into the nervous system. Intentional breathwork can shift the body out of fight-or-flight, activate the parasympathetic nervous system, open access to stored emotions, and create conditions where deep healing becomes possible.
Trauma-informed breathwork brings this power into a framework of safety, consent, and clinical care — so that the breath becomes a source of regulation, not retraumatization.
Not all breathwork is safe for trauma survivors — this is.
Many breathwork practices — particularly intense, high-volume approaches — can inadvertently activate trauma responses, trigger dissociation, or overwhelm a nervous system that is already dysregulated. For trauma survivors, this can feel unsafe and even counterproductive.
Trauma-informed breathwork is different. It is paced, titrated, and attuned to your window of tolerance at all times. Your therapist tracks your nervous system responses throughout — adjusting, pausing, and grounding as needed. Your body leads. Safety comes first.
Shae Ivie-Williams, LPC · SEP
Trauma-informed breathwork at The Healing Spot is led by Shae Ivie-Williams, Licensed Professional Counselor and certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP). With over 10 years of clinical experience, Shae integrates breathwork within a rigorous somatic and trauma-informed framework — ensuring this work is always grounded, safe, and clinically held.
Consent at Every Step
Nothing happens without your agreement. You choose the pace, intensity, and depth of each session. There is no pushing, no performance, and no expectation — only invitation.
Window of Tolerance Awareness
Your therapist tracks your nervous system responses throughout — noticing signs of hyperarousal or shutdown and adjusting accordingly, so you always stay within a range that feels challenging but safe.
Titrated and Paced
We move slowly and intentionally — in small doses that allow your system to process and integrate rather than overwhelm. Slow is safe. Small is profound. Less is often more.
Grounding Always Available
Grounding resources are woven throughout each session and are always immediately accessible. If something arises that feels too intense, we know how to bring you back — quickly, safely, and with care.
Rooted in Somatic Understanding
This work is grounded in the same somatic framework as Somatic Experiencing — understanding the nervous system's rhythms, survival responses, and natural healing capacity.
Integration, Not Just Release
Emotional release is not the goal — integration is. What surfaces during breathwork is processed and metabolized, not just activated and left. Every session ends with grounding and closure.
Every session is paced to your nervous system — never pushed beyond it.
Each session is thoughtfully structured to build safety before going deeper, honor what arises, and close with integration. No two sessions look exactly the same — because no two nervous systems are the same.
Check-in & Resourcing
We begin by checking in with your body and nervous system — noticing what's present, establishing a sense of groundedness, and identifying any resourcing that might be helpful before we begin.
Setting Intention & Consent
You share what you're hoping to explore or release. We discuss the type of breathwork practice we'll use, what to expect, and you offer your consent to proceed — with full awareness that you can pause or stop at any time.
The Breathwork Practice
Guided by your therapist, you engage with a specific breath pattern — calming, activating, releasing, or integrating, depending on your needs. Your therapist stays present and attuned throughout, adjusting as your system communicates.
Processing & Integration
After the active breathwork, we pause in stillness — allowing your nervous system to settle and integrate. What arose is gently processed: somatically, emotionally, and with curiosity rather than analysis.
Grounding & Closing
Every session ends with a grounding practice to ensure you leave feeling anchored, present, and resourced — never activated and unmoored. You are cared for all the way to the end.
Trauma Survivors
Anyone carrying stored trauma in the body who wants a somatic, non-verbal path toward release and integration.
Anxiety & Hypervigilance
Those stuck in chronic fight-or-flight whose nervous system never fully settles, even in moments of safety.
Emotional Numbness
Those in shutdown or freeze who feel cut off from their emotions and want to reconnect — gently and safely.
Therapy Clients Seeking Integration
Clients already working in EMDR, IFS, or SE who want breathwork to deepen and integrate what they're processing.
Burnout & Chronic Stress
Those depleted by long-term stress, caregiving, or racial and cultural trauma seeking real nervous system restoration.
Spiritual Seekers
Those drawn to breath as a pathway to expanded awareness, ancestral connection, or inner wisdom — held in a clinically safe container.
Powerful — but not always safe for trauma.
Often high-volume, intense, and designed to push through resistance
May inadvertently trigger trauma responses or dissociation
Emotional release is prioritized, sometimes without adequate integration support
Facilitator may not have clinical training in trauma or nervous system regulation
One-size approach without individual nervous system attunement
Powerful — and specifically designed to be safe.
Titrated, paced, and attuned to your window of tolerance at all times
Grounding always available — your therapist monitors and adjusts continuously
Integration is built into every session — nothing is left activated and unprocessed
Facilitated by a clinically trained practitioner with a somatic background
Fully individualized — your nervous system's needs lead the session
Somatic Experiencing
Breathwork deepens somatic tracking by activating and completing the physiological stress cycles that SE helps identify — supporting the body's natural discharge and resolution.
Learn more →Internal Family Systems (IFS)
The breath can help protective parts soften and exiles feel safer to emerge. Breathwork creates a regulated internal environment where parts work can go deeper than cognitive approaches alone.
Learn more →EMDR
Breathwork before or after EMDR sessions supports nervous system preparation and integration — creating optimal conditions for memory reprocessing and anchoring adaptive neural networks in the body.
Learn more →Somatic Soundwork
Breathwork and sound healing are natural companions — both working through vibration and the body's felt sense. Combined, they create deeply restorative conditions for nervous system healing.
Learn more →I walk beside you in this work — never ahead of you.
Breathwork, like all somatic work at The Healing Spot, is offered with your nervous system's safety as the non-negotiable foundation. Before any breathwork practice is introduced, we will have established a therapeutic relationship, explored your history, and ensured that the approach is appropriate and well-timed for where you are in your healing journey.
Breathwork is not appropriate for everyone at every stage, and that is something we assess together. If it is not the right fit for you right now, there are many other pathways into this work — and we will find yours.
From the safety of your own space
Virtual breathwork sessions are highly effective and allow you to engage in this healing work from wherever you feel most comfortable and private. All you need is a quiet space and a stable connection.
Available for residents of Georgia, Florida, California, and South Carolina.
Poncey-Highland
In-person breathwork sessions are available at 1074 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306. Being physically held in a safe space with a present practitioner adds a powerful relational dimension to breathwork.
Free parking available.
Is breathwork safe for trauma survivors?
Yes — when it is facilitated by a clinically trained trauma-informed practitioner. Many traditional breathwork practices can inadvertently trigger trauma responses or dissociation in survivors. Trauma-informed breathwork is specifically designed to avoid this, using titrated, consent-based methods that stay within your window of tolerance. At The Healing Spot, your safety is always the non-negotiable foundation.
Can breathwork make trauma worse?
Intensive breathwork done without trauma-informed clinical guidance can activate stored trauma without providing adequate support for integration — which can feel destabilizing. This is exactly why the "trauma-informed" distinction matters. Shae monitors your nervous system throughout every session, adjusts the pace as needed, and ensures nothing is left activated and unprocessed when you leave.
What is the difference between breathwork and somatic therapy?
Somatic therapy is a broader therapeutic framework that uses body-based awareness and intervention to support healing — Somatic Experiencing is one example. Breathwork is one specific tool within that somatic framework. At The Healing Spot, trauma-informed breathwork is not a standalone wellness class — it is offered as a clinical modality woven into a larger somatic and therapeutic context.
Do I need to have done therapy before trying breathwork?
Not necessarily — but at The Healing Spot, breathwork is always introduced after an initial consultation and intake process. This allows Shae to understand your history, assess readiness, and ensure the approach is well-timed for where you are in your healing journey. Breathwork is not appropriate for everyone at every stage, and that is something you and Shae assess together.
Is online breathwork as effective as in-person?
Yes. Virtual trauma-informed breathwork sessions are highly effective — many clients find that the comfort and privacy of their own space actually supports deeper work. Shae offers virtual sessions across Georgia, Florida, California, and South Carolina. All you need is a quiet, private space, a stable internet connection, and a comfortable place to sit or lie down.
Does breathwork help with anxiety?
Yes — breathwork is one of the most direct and effective tools for addressing anxiety at the nervous system level. Because breath directly activates the parasympathetic (rest and restore) nervous system, specific breathwork practices can shift the body out of chronic fight-or-flight and create genuine physiological calm. For anxiety rooted in trauma, trauma-informed breathwork in Atlanta offers a somatic pathway that goes deeper than coping strategies alone.
How is trauma-informed breathwork different from a breathwork class?
Group breathwork classes and wellness events — however well-intentioned — are not designed with clinical trauma care in mind. They typically use standardized approaches without individual nervous system attunement. Trauma-informed breathwork with Shae is a private, individualized, clinically held session — paced to your specific system, with a licensed therapist present the entire time. The difference is significant for trauma survivors.
What should I expect after a breathwork session?
Most clients leave feeling grounded, spacious, and present — sometimes lighter, sometimes emotionally tender, always cared for. Every session ends with a dedicated grounding and integration practice so you are resourced before you go. Shae may also offer brief follow-up reflections or integration suggestions. It is normal to feel a range of things afterward — rest, drink water, and be gentle with yourself.
Your breath has been
here all along — waiting.
Trauma-informed breathwork at The Healing Spot is by appointment only. Reach out to request a consultation and we'll explore whether this is the right next step for your healing journey.
Request a ConsultationBy appointment only · GA · FL · CA · SC · Virtual & In-Person