A ventilation apparatus for providing breathing therapy, comprising: a breathing gas delivery system for delivering breathing gas to a user of the apparatus, with a controllable pressure and flow; a pressure sensor for monitoring a breathing pressure; a flow sensor for monitoring a breathing flow; and a processor adapted to: process the monitored breathing pressure and the monitored breathing flow to derive a respiration parameter which is indicative of a relaxation state of the user; estimate a state of relaxation of the user during delivery of breathing therapy based on the respiration parameter; configure settings of the ventilation apparatus in dependence on the estimated state of relaxation for assisting the user in habituating to the breathing therapy; wherein the processor is adapted to configure said settings of the ventilation apparatus to control at least an expiratory pressure level; wherein the processor is adapted to configure the ventilation apparatus settings such as to vary the settings incrementally in steps from a sub-therapeutic level to a therapeutic level, wherein the processor is adapted to so vary the settings incrementally to increase the pressure level from a sub-therapeutic to therapeutic level only while the user remains above a defined relaxation state threshold th min ; wherein, responsive to the relaxation state falling below the relaxation state threshold th min , the processor is adapted to lower the ventilation pressure in order to allow the user to return to a more relaxed state. a breathing gas delivery system for delivering breathing gas to a user of the apparatus, with a controllable pressure and flow; a pressure sensor for monitoring a breathing pressure; a flow sensor for monitoring a breathing flow; and a processor adapted to: process the monitored breathing pressure and the monitored breathing flow to derive a respiration parameter which is indicative of a relaxation state of the user; estimate a state of relaxation of the user during delivery of breathing therapy based on the respiration parameter; configure settings of the ventilation apparatus in dependence on the estimated state of relaxation for assisting the user in habituating to the breathing therapy; process the monitored breathing pressure and the monitored breathing flow to derive a respiration parameter which is indicative of a relaxation state of the user; estimate a state of relaxation of the user during delivery of breathing therapy based on the respiration parameter; configure settings of the ventilation apparatus in dependence on the estimated state of relaxation for assisting the user in habituating to the breathing therapy; wherein the processor is adapted to configure said settings of the ventilation apparatus to control at least an expiratory pressure level; wherein the processor is adapted to configure the ventilation apparatus settings such as to vary the settings incrementally in steps from a sub-therapeutic level to a therapeutic level, wherein the processor is adapted to so vary the settings incrementally to increase the pressure level from a sub-therapeutic to therapeutic level only while the user remains above a defined relaxation state threshold th min ; wherein, responsive to the relaxation state falling below the relaxation state threshold th min , the processor is adapted to lower the ventilation pressure in order to allow the user to return to a more relaxed state. <EOS>