Does mindful breathing help with OCD? What experts say 

Mindfulness practices are a hot topic these days—even though they’ve been around for thousands of years. A big one right now is mindful breathing, maybe because it’s one of the most foundational and accessible forms. As you focus on the movement of your breath in and out of your body, you can learn how to relax yourself and pay attention to your experiences and surroundings without judgment. Many people find mindfulness practices like this can help ease anxiety and improve their quality of life. 

But the question is whether mindfulness exercises could help you manage your obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). “Usually by the time people come to see us for OCD, they are already doing all sorts of things to try to get rid of their discomfort,” says Patrick McGrath, PhD, chief clinical officer of NOCD. That can include mindful breathing. 

But when it comes to OCD treatment, the potential impact of mindful breathing can be complicated. Read on to learn everything you need to know about mindful breathing and OCD.  

What is mindful breathing?

Mindful breathing is just what it sounds like: it involves paying attention to internal experiences like your breath, body sensations, emotions, and thoughts without judging them or overidentifying with them. The goal is not to try to block all other thoughts out of your mind (that is practically impossible), but to ground yourself in the present moment, help you center yourself, and to ultimately reduce stress. 

There are two key parts to mindfulness: 

• Present-mindedness, which means that your awareness is focused on the here-and-now versus the report you need to hand in later, or what you’re going to make for dinner. 
• Open-mindedness This is about being open to your experiences moment to moment.

Mindfulness involves “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment,” explains Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, professor of medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

How mindfulness can benefit mental health 

Researchers are still sorting out how mindfulness may work. But one theory is that having greater control over your attention could improve your ability to regulate your emotional response to stressful things that happen in your life—everything from a terrible day at work to weathering a divorce. Studies show mindfulness practices alter activity in the frontal-lobe regions of the brain related to attention control. 

Put simply: As you learn how to “watch” your breath, you can create more psychological distance between yourself and your experiences. When presented with stressful situations, you may find you’re better able to stop, breathe, and think through how you’re going to respond. 

A number of studies and research reviews have shown that practicing mindfulness may help you: 

• Relax 
• Ease anxiety and depression
• Change your thought patterns in a more positive direction 
• Accept your thoughts and feelings rather than fight them 
• Improve your ability to tolerate and regulate negative emotions 
• Improve focus 
• Clarify your values 
• Become more flexible in your way of thinking and behaving 

Mindful breathing is associated with similar benefits. For instance, one study of operating room nurses found that breathing meditation helped improve their sustained attention level, reduced feelings of fatigue and work stress, and enhanced career satisfaction. Another study had undergraduate students practice mindful breathing for 15 minutes for four weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their scores for stress and anxiety both significantly decreased.

Can mindful breathing help with OCD? 

OCD is a bit more complicated, because this mental health condition causes a cycle of obsessions and compulsions. And there are pros and cons.

When it comes to mindfulness, you might wonder if there could be something to just breathing through your obsessions. And there can be some pros. “Mindful breathing may offer significant benefits to those suffering from OCD,” says Angela Ficken, LICSW, a Boston-based psychotherapist. But it’s crucial to emphasize that techniques like mindfulness are not evidence-based methods to manage OCD on their own. They can, however, prove to be useful adjuncts to evidence-based treatment, like exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. 

The pros of mindful breathing for OCD

Ficken says that mindful breathing could:

• Reduce anxiety and decrease the intensity of obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. 
• Increase awareness of your OCD-related thought patterns so you can recognize the onset of obsessive thoughts and respond in a healthier way.
• Improve emotional regulation, helping you manage your responses to obsessive thoughts more effectively. 

That said, there are limitations to mindful breathing as an addition to treatment for OCD. 

The cons of mindful breathing for OCD

“It’s crucial to acknowledge that while mindful breathing may provide temporary relief, it can also inadvertently reinforce avoidance behaviors,” says Shmaya Krinsky, PsyD, a licensed therapist and founder of Anxiety and Behavioral Health Psychotherapy. “OCD is characterized by a persistent need to control and neutralize intrusive thoughts through rituals or mental compulsions. Engaging in mindful breathing as a means to escape or suppress these thoughts can perpetuate the cycle of avoidance, preventing you from confronting your fears and learning to tolerate uncertainty.” In fact, avoidance in itself can be a compulsion. 

Dr. McGrath agrees. When most people think of mindfulness, they think about being in the moment, being present, and really taking it all in. “But mindfulness can be a distraction just like anything else,” he says. Therapy, he says, is still a crucial part of tackling your OCD.

The benefits of mindful breathing paired with therapy

One systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published in the Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders found that mindfulness could help improve symptoms of OCD. But the researchers noted that the results were short-lived, and that mindfulness practices are best done in conjunction with therapy.

That’s where exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy comes in. It’s considered the best approach for treating OCD. ERP involves gradually exposing yourself to your fears while helping you resist the urge to perform compulsive behaviors to feel better. “Through this process, you can learn to confront your anxieties and build resilience against OCD’s grip,” says Dr. Krinsky. 

It’s fine to practice mindful breathing throughout the day as you see fit to manage stress or anxiety. But while you’re doing ERP, it’s important to focus on doing that work, rather than your breath. 

“I have no issue with mindful breathing whatsoever. If you practice a breathing technique, that’s great—just not while you’re practicing exposure and response prevention therapy, not in the midst of the exercises,” says Dr. McGrath. “Because then you’re focusing on your breathing and it’s taking away from the focus on the ERP exercise. For a set period of time, I want you to really focus on learning how to handle the thing that you’re afraid of, to fully engage in the therapy without doing anything else to distract yourself.” 

How to practice mindful breathing

If you want to give mindful breathing a try, but aren’t sure where to start, here are some pointers. 

• Find a comfortable position. You can sit or lie down—whatever feels right—and try to find a quiet space.  
• Focus on your breath. Next, focus your attention on your inhalations and exhalations. There’s no need to modify your breathing style—just notice as your body naturally breathes in and breathes out. 
• Notice thoughts, feelings, and sensations. As you breathe, you may notice your mind wandering to an ache in your back or a stream of thoughts about your upcoming day. That’s okay. Simply notice them and allow the thoughts to pass without latching onto them. Then, return to focusing on your breath. 
• Keep at it. It doesn’t matter how many times your thoughts or feelings disrupt your focus. Simply continue to return to your breath. 
• Get guidance if you need it. There are plenty of free apps and online resources that can talk you through a mindful breathing exercise. (And there are so many out there that you can find a person or style that works for you.)  
• Make it a regular habit. Set aside a specific time and place to practice mindful breathing for about 5 to 15 minutes. You can also turn to the practice when you’re feeling particularly stressed or anxious to ground yourself in the present again. Just as a regular running routine can help you develop skills, endurance, and strength, so can the habit of mindful breathing. 

Bottom line 

Mindful breathing may offer short-term relief from obsessions and compulsions, but it is not an adequate OCD treatment in itself. It’s essential to seek out therapists who receive specialized training in ERP to effectively manage your OCD. If you’re struggling, you deserve support beyond what mindful breathing exercises can offer. Don’t hesitate to reach out.