Functional Breathing Therapy for Addiction & Mental Health Recovery

Reconnect with your body and calm your nervous system through guided breathwork. Delivered one-to-one in our luxury mental health and addiction rehab in Marbella, Spain.

Breathing as a Gateway to Healing

Breathing is one of the most powerful, immediate tools we have to influence our mental, emotional, and physical state. At Sea Recovery, we offer functional breathing therapy as part of our private, luxury treatment programmes for individuals experiencing addiction, trauma, anxiety, emotional burnout, and other mental health challenges.

This isn't just about taking deep breaths. Our guided breathwork sessions help you access your parasympathetic nervous system, release stored tension and trauma, and begin to build new pathways to safety and emotional regulation. Functional breathing gives you control — over your mood, your reactions, and your recovery process.

What Is Functional Breathing?

Functional breathing refers to the intentional regulation of breath to support optimal physical and mental health. Unlike passive or automatic breathing patterns — which are often shallow or erratic in stressed individuals — functional breathing promotes calm, efficient, and stable respiratory habits that directly influence the nervous system.

At Sea Recovery, we guide you through practical, science-backed techniques designed to:

• Lower anxiety and physiological stress responses
• Improve sleep and reduce restlessness
• Support trauma release and emotional regulation
• Increase resilience during addiction recovery
• Strengthen your mind-body connection

Why Breath Matters in Addiction & Trauma Recovery

When we experience trauma — whether developmental, situational, or emotional — our breathing patterns often become disrupted. The body may default to shallow chest breathing, breath-holding, or over-breathing, keeping us locked in a chronic state of tension and hypervigilance.

These patterns can also be reinforced by addiction, burnout, or long-term stress. Breathwork helps interrupt this cycle by signalling safety to the brain, allowing the body to begin releasing tension and re-establishing internal equilibrium.

For individuals in recovery, functional breathing serves as a grounding tool that can be used anywhere, anytime — supporting autonomy, confidence, and emotional mastery beyond formal therapy sessions.

Breath Techniques Used at Sea Recovery

Our sessions are delivered privately by skilled practitioners trained in both breath therapy and trauma-informed care. Techniques are always tailored to your individual nervous system, comfort level, and daily needs. Approaches may include:

• Diaphragmatic breathing: Deep belly breathing to improve oxygenation and calm the vagus nerve
• Coherent breathing: Matching inhale and exhale to stabilise heart rate and emotional response
• Box breathing: A structured method to reduce panic, promote clarity, and improve focus
• Extended exhalation: Lengthening the out-breath to reduce sympathetic arousal
• Nasal-only breathing: Enhancing nitric oxide production and improving respiratory health
• Breath holds: Used safely to build tolerance and rewire stress response systems

Delivered in a Private, High-End Setting

Unlike group-based wellness retreats, Sea Recovery delivers all therapy — including functional breathwork — on a one-to-one basis, ensuring discretion, emotional safety, and uninterrupted attention. Sessions take place in serene, private settings within our luxury rehab residences in Marbella and Sotogrande.

Our approach is fully personalised. Each client receives an individual care plan that integrates breath therapy alongside TRE, sound therapy, art therapy, Gestalt therapy, and more. This allows for layered, multidimensional healing across physical, emotional, and psychological domains.

Who We Support

Functional breathing is suitable for adults seeking treatment for:

• Drug addiction and dependency
• Alcohol addiction and dependency
• Process addictions (e.g. gambling, food, internet)
• Trauma and PTSD
• Chronic anxiety or panic attacks
• Emotional numbness or shutdown
• Burnout and nervous system dysregulation
• Sleep disturbances and chronic tension

We also support individuals with dual diagnosis, helping manage co-occurring addiction and mental health conditions using breath as a stabilising, embodied therapy.

Benefits of Functional Breathing

Clients who integrate breathwork into their daily lives often report:

• Reduced baseline anxiety and fewer panic symptoms
• Greater awareness and control of emotional responses
• Improved cognitive clarity and decision-making
• Restored sleep patterns and deeper rest
• Relief from chronic pain or tension patterns
• Heightened ability to remain present in relationships

Breath becomes more than a practice — it becomes a return to self, a tool for choice, and a compass for healing.

Integrating Breathwork After Treatment

One of the greatest strengths of breath therapy is its portability — it stays with you long after you leave our care. As clients transition from inpatient recovery into daily life, they are encouraged to integrate breathwork into their routines as a personal tool for emotional resilience and relapse prevention.

Whether you’re facing stressful work environments, emotional triggers, or simply navigating life’s unpredictability, conscious breathing can be used to:

• Anchor you in the present moment
• Interrupt negative emotional spirals
• Calm the body before high-stakes conversations or events
• Prepare for restful sleep or reset after overstimulation
• Support continued nervous system regulation in aftercare

As part of our Aftercare Programme, we provide personalised breathwork guides and optional virtual check-ins to help you maintain consistency and deepen the practice over time.

Why Choose Sea Recovery?

Sea Recovery isn’t just another rehab. It’s a sanctuary for emotional safety, deep healing, and self-renewal. Our discreet, high-end environment offers personalised, one-to-one care in a peaceful setting overlooking the coast of southern Spain.

We don’t follow group therapy models or impose generic routines. Instead, we provide space — for breath, for emotion, and for deep nervous system restoration. With a dedicated team of trauma-informed professionals and a maximum client count of just a few at a time, we ensure your journey is fully supported, never rushed, and always grounded in dignity and trust.

Begin Your Breath-Led Recovery

If you’re seeking a luxury rehab experience in Spain that values depth, privacy, and emotional integrity, Sea Recovery invites you to explore functional breathwork as part of your healing. Let your breath become the first step in rebuilding your connection to yourself — grounded, supported, and safe.

Contact our team to learn more