Bilal Ahmed, MBBS
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
I’m a psychiatrist based in Karachi, Pakistan, with a deep interest in mind-body practices and how they can be integrated into our mental health systems to build resilience and well-being in our communities.
Growing up with a troubled childhood and adolescence, I experienced anxiety and depression firsthand. With little awareness or support for mental health at the time, I began a personal journey of self-exploration. Along the way, I discovered the transformative power of breathing practices and meditation — simple tools that helped me navigate emotional pain and shift my mental state in profound ways.
Driven by curiosity and the lack of such approaches in my formal medical training, I sought to learn more. In 2017, I had the opportunity to train with Dr. Richard Brown and Dr. Patricia Gerbarg, completing the Breath-Body-Mind Introductory and Level 1 courses, and assisting in workshops at Kripalu and with Serving Those Who Serve (SWTS) in New York. I later completed Level 2 training online in 2020 and recertified in 2025.
Since then, I’ve returned to Pakistan and completed my residency in Psychiatry at the Aga Khan University Hospital.
Pakistan faces immense psychological stress due to an unstable sociopolitical climate, displacement, poverty, and climate change. With a severe shortage of mental health professionals, I am committed to working at the grassroots level — developing community-based, preventative mental health services. Breath-body-mind practices form a core part of this vision: accessible, scalable tools that support emotional regulation, healing, and resilience.
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