2021 02 Mag_S_PAcompressed

THE LIFE
such a profound effect.
Instead, Balgooyen directs
me north, to the
brain. “The beta brain
state is similar to hypnosis,
which allows you
to pretty quickly drop
into that deep meditative
state right above
sleep, that usually we’re
just passing through
really quickly while falling
asleep,” she says.
“[Scientists] know that
we have to be in that
beta state to access our
subconscious mind,
where we hold so many
thoughts and the beliefs
that are running our
lives, a lot of times not
to our advantage.”
When I steer the
conversation toward
Mauss’s hallucinatory
experience, it doesn’t
come as a surprise to
her. “It’s definitely common,”
she says. “I’ve
had a lot of people who
have had experience
with psychedelics who
have said breath work is
much more profound.”
How can that be possible,
though? I’ve been
conditioned to think of
substances such as psilocybin
and LSD as incredibly
powerful. Balgooyen
believes that, unlike an
outside substance, your
body is designed to do
the work and can readily
integrate that experience
into its own framework.
“If you have a cut,
it naturally heals,” she
says. “We don’t have to
think about it.”
That’s the breakthrough
moment, the
“Aha!” that ties it all
together for me. For
millennia, practices
like yoga have incorporated
an intense focus
on breathing, using the
body to do the heavy
lifting that substances
couldn’t. Not everyone
had access to the hallucinogens
that scientists
are now increasingly focused
on as alternative
treatments for PTSD and
addiction.
Balgooyen tells me
about future plans, including
going rafting
and trying water therapy.
“You wear a snorkel
and lie facedown while
somebody holds you. It
allows you to get even
deeper,” she says. “Water
is one of the highest
vibrations we have
access to and it also
brings up a lot of stuff
from the womb, so it’s
pretty cool.” Don’t be
surprised if you see me
there.
FEBRUARY 2021 SENSIMAG.COM 19