I'm both evidence-based and holistic. Here is some of the research behind the approaches I draw on.
A 2023 review of randomised trials found breathwork was linked with lower stress, anxiety and depression. Slow breathing is well studied for calming the nervous system, and early research on conscious connected breathing shows changes in brain activity and mood after a single session.
Fincham, G. W. et al. (2023). Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials. Scientific Reports, 13, 432. doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-27247-y
Zaccaro, A. et al. (2018). How breath-control can change your life. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 353. doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353
Bahi, C. et al. (2024). Effects of conscious connected breathing on cortical brain activity, mood and state of consciousness in healthy adults. Current Psychology, 43(12), 10578–10589. doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05119-6
Free breathwork sessions →Breathing slowly while focusing on the heart and a positive feeling brings heart rhythm into a smooth, ordered pattern called coherence. HeartMath Institute research links coherence with better emotional regulation and resilience, and heart rate variability biofeedback, which uses the same slow-breathing principle, is well studied.
From February 2027, in person in Pennant Hills, counselling and psychotherapy sessions can include optional heart-rhythm biofeedback using HeartMath's emWave. A small ear or finger sensor shows your heart rhythm on screen in real time, so you can see your body settle as you breathe and practise grounding until it becomes second nature.
McCraty, R., & Zayas, M. A. (2014). Cardiac coherence, self-regulation, autonomic stability, and psychosocial well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1090. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01090
Lehrer, P. M., & Gevirtz, R. (2014). Heart rate variability biofeedback: How and why does it work? Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 756. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00756
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) combines tapping on acupressure points with focused attention on a feeling or memory. Randomised trials have found a single EFT session lowered the stress hormone cortisol more than comparison groups: by about 24% in one study and about 43% in an Australian replication at Bond University.
Church, D., Yount, G., & Brooks, A. J. (2012). The effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on stress biochemistry: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 200(10), 891–896. doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0b013e31826b9fc1
Stapleton, P., Crighton, G., Sabot, D., & O'Neill, H. M. (2020). Reexamining the effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on stress biochemistry: A randomized controlled trial. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(8), 869–877. doi.org/10.1037/tra0000563
Bach, D. et al. (2019). Clinical EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) improves multiple physiological markers of health. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, 24. doi.org/10.1177/2515690X18823691
Bilateral stimulation means engaging both sides of the body or brain in rhythm, for example with eye movements or alternating taps. It is part of EMDR, an established trauma therapy. A meta-analysis of 26 studies found that adding eye movements helped people process distressing memories.
Lee, C. W., & Cuijpers, P. (2013). A meta-analysis of the contribution of eye movements in processing emotional memories. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 44(2), 231–239. doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2012.11.001
PSYCH-K is a belief-change process created by Robert M. Williams. It uses a "whole-brain" posture and simple muscle testing to identify and shift subconscious beliefs. Brain-mapping (QEEG) research by neuroscientist Dr Jeffrey Fannin, working with Williams, reports that the process produces a balanced, bilateral brain-wave pattern they call the "whole-brain state", with both hemispheres communicating more evenly. In one report, 125 EEG recordings showed changes from baseline after the process.
This research is still early, and PSYCH-K is offered here as coaching rather than as therapy.
Fannin, J. L., & Williams, R. M. (2012). Neuroscience reveals the whole-brain state and its applications for international business and sustainable success. International Journal of Management and Business, 3(1). Read the article (PDF)
Fannin, J. L., & Williams, R. M. (2012). Brain-mapping research on beliefs and the whole-brain state. CAPA Quarterly, Counselling and Psychotherapy Association of NSW. Also summarised in NeuroConnections (2011). PSYCH-K research page
Further reading: Williams, R. M. (2004). PSYCH-K: The Missing Peace in Your Life. Myrddin Publications. Lipton, B. H. (2005). The Biology of Belief. Hay House.
Coaching & PSYCH-K →The two halves of the brain do specialise. Nobel Prize-winning split-brain research by Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga showed, for example, that language is mostly handled on the left. The two sides constantly share information through a thick bridge of fibres called the corpus callosum.
The popular idea that people are "left-brained" (logical) or "right-brained" (creative) is not supported by brain imaging. A study of more than 1,000 brain scans found people use both sides about equally overall. What changes from moment to moment is how well different parts of the brain work together, and that is what whole-brain and bilateral approaches aim to support.
Gazzaniga, M. S. (2005). Forty-five years of split-brain research and still going strong. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6, 653–659. doi.org/10.1038/nrn1723
Nielsen, J. A. et al. (2013). An evaluation of the left-brain vs. right-brain hypothesis with resting state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging. PLoS ONE, 8(8), e71275. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0071275
Research summaries are for general information and aren't a promise of results. If you're unsure which approach suits you, a free 15-minute call is a good place to start.