Benzodiazepines are among the most widely prescribed medications for anxiety, insomnia, and related conditions. While they can be effective in the short term, long-term use carries significant risks—including worsening anxiety, disrupting sleep architecture, tolerance, dependence, and adverse effects that continue after discontinuation (read more about the complications benzodiazepines can create here). For many individuals, recovery from benzodiazepines requires caring engagement with a healthcare provider, complementary functional medicine strategies, and supportive lifestyle practices.

As a provider who has been helping clients recover from benzodiazepines for years, I want to outline how recovery can be supported on multiple levels: tapering strategies, lifestyle practices that nourish the parasympathetic nervous system, supplements to restore balance, psychotherapy, and advanced functional medicine testing and treatment. Together, these tools can help patients not only taper successfully but also rebuild healthy neurochemistry and move beyond, toward lasting wellness.

Tapering Benzodiazepines Safely

One of the greatest challenges patients face when discontinuing benzodiazepines is the limited awareness among many healthcare providers regarding safe tapering practices. The clinician who originally prescribed the medication may not be fully trained in withdrawal management or the nuances of gradual tapering. As a result, patients are sometimes advised to stop too quickly, or their concerns about withdrawal symptoms are minimized or dismissed. This can leave individuals feeling invalidated and unsupported at the very time they need care, skillful guidance, and reassurance.

The first step in recovery is establishing a supportive tapering strategy. Benzodiazepines must never be discontinued abruptly, as this can trigger severe withdrawal, seizures, and a dangerous condition known as benzodiazepine-induced neurological dysfunction (BIND).

While some individuals may tolerate a relatively faster taper—such as reducing the dose by 20% every 1–2 weeks—this approach is often too aggressive for many patients. A more gradual reduction of about 5% of the current dose every 2–4 weeks tends to be more manageable. Long-acting benzodiazepines are often preferred during tapering because they maintain more stable blood levels and provide smoother withdrawal. Still, not everyone can tolerate even this pace. Some patients require much slower progress, reducing by as little as 2% at a time or pausing for extended periods between reductions. The key is to respect the body’s tolerance, minimize withdrawal symptoms, and support the nervous system throughout the process.

Restoring Balance in the Parasympathetic System

Benzodiazepines markedly increase the activity of the neurotransmitter Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the brain’s primary calming signal. However, our biology is designed to remain alert and responsive to the environment for survival—keeping us safe from threats or accidents. When a chemical such as a benzodiazepine, artificially floods the brain with GABAergic tone, the nervous system adapts by working to restore equilibrium. It does this by reducing the number of GABA receptors, altering their structure to make them less responsive, and simultaneously upregulating excitatory systems, particularly those driven by glutamate, GABA’s stimulating counterpart. Over time, these adaptations not only diminish the medication’s effectiveness but can also alter the body’s ability to feel calm.

Supporting the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS)—the body’s “rest and digest” branch—will foster recovery, as it counterbalances the hyperarousal and stress often amplified during benzodiazepine withdrawal. Strengthening this system creates the foundation for healing, allowing the brain and body to gradually restore balance and stability.

The key is to increase the amount of time you are engaged in restorative, calming activities. This may sound simple, yet many people spend their days rushing from one obligation to the next, eating on the run, and rarely pausing to breathe. For some, this constant state of stress may have been what led to benzodiazepine use in the first place, and not everyone has the luxury of dramatically slowing down their lives. Still, even small moments of intentional rest—a quiet walk, a mindful meal, a few deep breaths—can begin to shift the nervous system toward healing. Over time, these small practices accumulate, helping to restore balance and resilience.

Lifestyle practices that enhance parasympathetic tone include:

Breathwork: Slow diaphragmatic breathing or paced breathing at 4–6 breaths per minute can increase vagal activity and reduce hyperarousal.
Meditation and mindfulness: Regular practice rewires stress circuits and supports GABA activity. Even pausing for a few mindful breaths—at a stoplight or before picking up your phone—can shift the nervous system toward calm and strengthen those pathways.
Yoga and gentle movement: Restorative yoga, tai chi, or qigong integrate breath, movement, and mindfulness, fostering PNS activation.
Time in Nature: Spending time outdoors lowers cortisol and supports calm, balanced brain chemistry. It doesn’t have to involve a strenuous hike—even a walk around the block while noticing plants and animals can be restorative. Simply pausing to look out a window and observing how light shapes and nourishes living things can also foster a sense of connection and calm.
Reducing Stress: working on saying no, doing less, and healthy boundaries can help reduce cortisol – a primary stress hormone.
Sleep hygiene: A regular schedule, dim lighting in the evening, and minimizing stimulants can help restore circadian balance and melatonin production disrupted by benzodiazepines.
Massage and Bodywork: Physical touch and therapies such as craniosacral therapy activate parasympathetic pathways and lower stress hormone output.
Slowing Down to Eat: Taking time to eat mindfully—pausing before meals, savoring flavors, and bringing awareness to the act of eating—activates the parasympathetic nervous system, enhances digestion, and improves nutrient absorption, allowing the body to fully benefit from the food consumed.· Social Connection: Safe, supportive relationships enhance oxytocin release, which counteracts cortisol and strengthens parasympathetic tone.
Heat and Cold Therapies: Practices such as sauna use and cold-water immersion, when applied appropriately, improve vagal activity and resilience to stress.
Creative Practices: singing, making music, art, and journaling engage restorative brain networks and promote shifts into parasympathetic states.
Animal Therapy: interacting with animals increases oxytocin and parasympathetic activity, which in turn reduces cortisol and supports GABAergic calming pathways, leading to measurable reductions in stress and anxiety.
Aromatherapy: Research shows that certain essential oils used in aromatherapy—such as lavender, bergamot, and others—can modulate GABA-A receptors and lower cortisol levels, thereby reducing stress and promoting relaxation.

These lifestyle tools are not quick fixes but gradually retrain the nervous system toward resilience and calm.

Nutritional and Supplement Support

Certain nutrients play a direct role in GABA synthesis and neurotransmitter balance, and benzodiazepines can deplete them over time. Strategic supplementation can help restore this foundation.

Magnesium (especially magnesium glycinate or threonate): Acts as a natural GABA supporter and helps modulate glutamate, easing excitability.
B vitamins (B6, B12, Folate): Vital cofactors for neurotransmitter synthesis; deficiencies are linked to mood changes and cognitive decline.
L-theanine: An amino acid from green tea that promotes alpha brain waves and enhances GABA activity.
Taurine: A calming amino acid that interacts with GABA receptors.
Omega-3 fatty acids: Support neuronal membrane health and reduce neuroinflammation.
Adaptogens (such as ashwagandha and holy basil): can help regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, reducing stress reactivity.

Functional Medicine Testing and Targeted Treatment

One of the greatest strengths of functional medicine is its ability to identify the underlying biological imbalances that contribute to anxiety, stress, poor focus, depression, and difficulty tolerating benzodiazepine withdrawal. My approach integrates psychiatry with functional medicine so that we can “look under the hood” to better understand what deficiencies, toxins, infections, or sources of inflammation may be interfering with healing. By uncovering these root causes, we can target interventions more precisely and support the nervous system’s recovery. Some of the most common imbalances that can disrupt GABA activity and increase stress include:

Gut Dysbiosis: Low levels of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus reduce microbial production of GABA and serotonin precursors, while overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria elevates inflammatory cytokines that worsen anxiety.
Vitamin B6 Deficiency: B6 (pyridoxal-5’-phosphate) is an essential cofactor for converting glutamate into GABA. Inadequate levels impair this pathway, reducing inhibitory neurotransmission, leading to anxiety.
Magnesium Deficiency: Magnesium acts as a natural glutamate receptor antagonist and supports GABAergic activity. Low magnesium increases excitatory signaling and vulnerability to stress.
Cortisol Dysregulation (HPA Axis Imbalance): Chronic stress or adrenal dysfunction can flatten or elevate cortisol rhythms, perpetuating anxiety and reducing GABA receptor sensitivity.
Low Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Deficiency in EPA and DHA disrupts neuronal membrane function, impairs neurotransmitter receptor activity, and increases neuroinflammation, destabilizing GABA signaling.
Glutamate Excitotoxicity: Excess glutamate or poor clearance due to astrocyte dysfunction overwhelms inhibitory balance, leading to hyperexcitability and heightened anxiety.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Impaired energy metabolism reduces ATP availability for neurotransmitter synthesis and receptor signaling, weakening GABA production and stress resilience.
Zinc Deficiency: Zinc modulates both NMDA and GABA receptor activity. Inadequate zinc increases excitability, diminishes inhibitory tone, and correlates with higher anxiety levels.
Neuroinflammation: Elevated cytokines (e.g., IL-6, TNF-α) and oxidative stress impair neurotransmitter systems, reduce GABA receptor sensitivity, and heighten HPA axis activation.
Circadian Rhythm Disruption: Poor sleep, nighttime light exposure, or irregular schedules suppress melatonin, elevate cortisol at night, and reduce parasympathetic recovery, making it harder for GABA systems to stabilize.

I recommend these tests to help my clients successful recovery:

Organic Acid Testing (OAT): Provides insight into nutrient deficiencies, neurotransmitter turnover, mitochondrial function, gastrointestinal health, and oxidative stress. Results can direct treatment to help address nutrient needs, support neurotransmitter function, and improve health and resiliency.
Cortisol Awakening Response: Cortisol rhythm testing (such as DUTCH or salivary panels) can uncover adrenal dysregulation, which is common during withdrawal. Correcting these imbalances by addressing infections, reducing toxins and inflammation, and supporting recovery with adaptogens, nutrition, and lifestyle strategies helps restore healthy stress tolerance.
Gut Microbiome Testing: The gut-brain axis profoundly influences GABA and serotonin levels. Dysbiosis, leaky gut, or infections can worsen withdrawal. Treating these problems can help a client’s experience with benzodiazepine discontinuation and possibly also treat sources of anxiety problems from their root.
Hormone and Hormone Metabolism Testing: Hormone and hormone metabolism testing helps identify imbalances in cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and their metabolites that can drive anxiety and nervous system instability, allowing for targeted interventions that support stress regulation and improve resilience during benzodiazepine discontinuation.

By combining this information, a personalized treatment plan can be built to restore healthy neurochemistry, making tapering more tolerable and long-term recovery more sustainable.

Psychotherapy and Emotional Healing

Benzodiazepine recovery is not only a physical process but also an emotional one. Many patients began benzodiazepines to manage anxiety, trauma, or insomnia. Withdrawal can temporarily intensify these symptoms, making psychotherapy an essential part of healing.

Although benzodiazepines interfere with learning and memory consolidation, reducing the full benefit that is possible with psychotherapy, it is recommended to start psychotherapy as soon as possible to get the process started. There are many types of psychotherapy. Here are some of the more common modalities that have demonstrated benefit to reducing anxiety, learning coping skills, and recovering from benzodiazepine use disorders:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for anxiety and insomnia teaches patients tools for managing thoughts, behaviors, and sleep without reliance on medications.
Trauma-informed therapy addresses underlying trauma that may have contributed to benzodiazepine dependence.
Somatic therapies such as EMDR, somatic experiencing, or body-based mindfulness help release stored stress patterns in the nervous system.
Support groups and peer connection provide hope and reduce isolation, which is especially important during a long taper.

Psychotherapy, when integrated with functional medicine, provides both mental tools and biochemical support, offering a comprehensive approach to resilience.

Community-based programs can be a powerful source of support for individuals reducing or discontinuing benzodiazepines. Programs such as SMART Recovery emphasize self-empowerment, teaching evidence-based tools like cognitive restructuring, mindfulness, and behavioral planning to manage cravings and anxiety during tapering. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and similar 12-step groups offer structured peer support, accountability, and a sense of belonging, which can reduce isolation—a common challenge in withdrawal. In addition, local programs like the Phoenix sober active community provide opportunities to connect through fitness, wellness activities, and peer support, helping individuals build resilience and healthy social networks. Many also benefit from online or in-person benzodiazepine-specific support groups, which offer education, validation, and practical guidance from others who have experienced tapering firsthand. Together, these community resources foster connection, reduce loneliness, and complement medical and functional medicine approaches, making recovery more sustainable.

Avoiding Withdrawal and BIND

One of the greatest fears for patients is withdrawal syndrome or BIND (Benzodiazepine-Induced Neurological Dysfunction). Symptoms can include anxiety, muscle tension, sensory disturbances, insomnia, and cognitive fog that persists for months or years after the patient stopped taking the benzodiazepine. While these risks are real, they can often be minimized with:

A patient-centered, gradual, and flexible taper that adjusts to individual tolerance.
Functional medicine support to correct deficiencies and reduce neuroinflammation.
Psychological support to build coping strategies.
Lifestyle practices that calm the nervous system and restore sleep-wake cycles.

Hope is crucial. Many patients taper off successfully and go on to experience improved clarity, energy, and emotional stability once the nervous system is restored.

Integrating Functional and Psychiatric Care

The power of combining psychiatry with functional medicine lies in addressing both the mind and the biology of healing. Mountain Psychiatry offers careful tapering, monitoring, and therapeutic support. Functional medicine adds root-cause investigation and targeted restoration of biochemistry, hormones, and gut health. Together, this integrative approach gives patients the best chance for not only discontinuing benzodiazepines safely but also thriving afterward.

Conclusion: A Pathway to Recovery and Hope

Recovering from benzodiazepines is possible. It requires patience, compassion, and a comprehensive plan that includes:

A gradual taper, often 5% every 2–4 weeks, slower when needed.
Lifestyle practices that engage the parasympathetic nervous system and support natural GABA activity.
Nutritional and supplement strategies to replenish depleted resources.
Functional medicine testing and personalized treatment to restore healthy neurochemistry.
Psychotherapy and emotional healing to address root causes of anxiety and insomnia.

I specialize in guiding patients through this journey. With careful planning and an integrative approach, withdrawal and BIND can often be avoided, and true healing can emerge.

If you are considering tapering off benzodiazepines or have struggled with unsuccessful attempts in the past, know that recovery is possible. With expert support and a comprehensive plan, you can restore balance, reclaim your life, and thrive without dependence on these medications.

Recovering from Benzodiazepines: A Functional Medicine Approach to Preventing Harm, and Healing the Brain and Body