Meet Richard

Dr. Richard L. Blake BA (Hons), MSc, PhD

I'm Dr. Richard L. Blake, a British psychology PhD, breathwork researcher, and author based in Austin, Texas. My work sits at the edges of mental health, where mainstream narratives break down and better questions need asking.

My PhD produced the first randomised controlled trial of online Conscious Connected Breathwork (CCB) for anxiety, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders — the highest-impact-factor journal to publish a study on CCB to date. The trial found that six weekly online CCB sessions produced a statistically significant reduction in anxiety symptoms with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.44), providing the first rigorous evidence that CCB can work as an accessible, scalable intervention. The study was subsequently summarised by the evidence-based research platform Examine.com and covered in Yoga Jala.

I serve as Vice President of the Ethical Standards for Mental Health (ESMH) Coalition and chair its research subgroup. The coalition is a network of mental health professionals working to restore clarity, accountability, and ethical standards in how clinical concepts are defined, taught, and applied.

My research has since expanded into family estrangement and the broader problems of therapy culture — subjects the mental health field has largely avoided taking seriously. My forthcoming book, Cut Off: Understanding Family Estrangement, examines how therapeutic language and professional ideology are reshaping how families interpret ordinary conflict, and what that costs us.

Before the research, I was a Men's Health fitness model, and the interest in the body never really left. These days that shows up as a serious biohacking practice — I reduced my biological age by ten years over two years and compete in the Rejuvenation Olympics. I speak regularly on longevity and human performance and my work that has been featured in Longevity Today.

The thread connecting these projects — clinical research, family estrangement, and longevity — is a simple conviction: people deserve access to honest information about their own bodies and minds, even, especially, when it challenges professional orthodoxy. I share that work with a community of over 124,000 people on Instagram, where I break down research, challenge myths, and offer practical tools for regulation, resilience, and long-term health.

Alongside the research, I continue to teach — training new facilitators through the Breath Guru Teacher Training and delivering continuing education for psychotherapists through PESI.

Qualifications

• PhD — Psychology (largest RCT on Conscious Connected Breathwork and anxiety)

• Post Graduate Certificate — Integrative Psychotherapy

• MSc — Commercial Real Estate

• BA (Hons) — History & Business Management

• Breath Guru — Certified Facilitator

• SOMA Breathwork — Certified Instructor

• XPT Performance Breathing — Certified

• Precision Nutrition Level 1

• CrossFit Level 2 Coach

• IPEC Certified Life Coach

• Oxygen Advantage Breathwork Certified

Media & Features

• Co-host — RUNGA Radio podcast, exploring breathwork, biohacking, and mental health

• The Third Wave / The Psychedelic Podcast — Healing Through Breath: Science, Safety & Somatics

• The Future Gen Podcast — Breathwork Revolution: Science, Healing, and the Future of Mental Health

• Tara Garrison Podcast — Conscious Breathwork vs Traditional Therapy

• WellPower Podcast — Why Talk Therapy May Not Work for Everyone

• BreathFinder — Exclusive Interview

• PESI — Continuing education provider for psychotherapists (course facilitator)

• Longevity Today — Online Breathwork Sessions Cut Anxiety Symptoms by 24% in Randomized Trial