First Taste
Lloyd’s journey into breathwork therapy began as a teenager in New Zealand. During this early search for deeper self-awareness, he explored meditation, fasting, self-analysis, and cognitive change techniques. These practices eventually led him, at age 22, to breathwork, where he discovered a profoundly transformational method for understanding the mind–body connection.
I clearly remember my first experince of breathwork. I charged into my first practice on my own, but had to stop after only 10 minutes - for me, it was such a strong experience, my whole body lit up with energy and I was frightened of where it might lead. I thought, wow, I just created that with my breathing. The experience touched me at my core - I knew I needed to explore it more deeply but with support.
These early experiences shaped every aspect of Lloyd’s later career in counselling, psychotherapy, academic teaching, and doctoral research. Today, he has more than 40 years of personal breathwork practice and over 30 years of professional clinically oriented practice
Early Influence
Lloyd’s introduction to breathwork came in the early 1980s through the original Rebirthing work of Leonard Orr and the Loving Relationships Training (LRT) developed by Sondra Ray. He later worked as an assistant facilitator with LRT. His thinking was also shaped by the work of Phil Laut and Jim Leonard, who eventually developed Vivation, another early conscious-breathing method.
During this intense period of exploration, Lloyd practiced conscious breathing in both warm and cold water. Warm-water sessions are known for bringing forward stored somatic memory — particularly relating to birth trauma — while cold-water sessions can activate and integrate fear-of-death experiences. Through this deep engagement, Lloyd became a certified breathwork practitioner, and later a supervisor and trainer.
The Development of Guided Respiration Mindfulness Therapy (GRMT)
As Lloyd continued his psychotherapy work alongside breathwork practice, it became clear that for breathwork to be accepted within clinical and mental health environments, it needed to be both scientifically grounded and clinically safe. Breathwork methods often produce profound states of relaxation and altered consciousness, yet they can also evoke intense somatic and cognitive material, including spontaneous regression.
To ensure consistent therapeutic outcomes, breathwork needed:
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A coherent theoretical foundation
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Reliable mechanisms of change
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Clear protocols for safety and optimization of integration
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Training methods suitable for clinicians
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Evidence from clinical trials
Guided Respiration Mindfulness Therapy (GRMT) emerged from this need.
A Clinically Grounded Breathwork Model
GRMT is the result of many years of clinical refinement combined with Lloyd’s doctoral research, which investigated the mechanisms of change involved in therapeutic breathwork and established training methods for mental health professionals. GRMT was also initially evaluated in a clinical trial for depression and anxiety, demonstrating measurable improvements in psychological wellbeing.
Evidence-Based Outcomes
Recent research shows that GRMT is effective in:
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Reducing psychological distress
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Increasing mindfulness
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Enhancing self-compassion
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Supporting emotional regulation in high-stress professions
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study involving full-time clinical nurses found significant positive outcomes, highlighting GRMT as a promising approach for healthcare workers and mental health practitioners seeking an evidence-based breathwork intervention
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Ongoing research into GRMT for chronic pain is also showing exciting promise.