The definitive overview of this transformative breathwork. In the second edition of this classic text, Stanislav Grof and Christina Grof describe their groundbreaking form of self-exploration and psychotherapy: holotropic breathwork. Holotropic means "moving toward wholeness," from the Greek holos (whole) and trepein (moving in the direction of). The breathwork utilizes the remarkable healing...
Stanislav Grof describes the meaning of Holotropic states of conscience, the “states moving toward wholeness”, such as that kind of states which “traditional” psychology and psychiatry normally call altered.
The objective of this paper is to summarize my experiences and observations concerning the nature of the human psyche in health and disease that I have amassed during more than fifty years of research of nonordinary states of consciousness. I will focus specifically on those findings that represent a serious theoretical challenge for academic psychology and psychiatry and suggest the revisions...
The Concept of Spiritual Emergency T here exists increasing evidence that many individuals experiencing episodes of nonordinary states of consciousness accompanied by various emotional, perceptual, and psychosomatic manifestations are undergoing an evolutionary crisis rather than suffering from a mental disease (Grof, 1985).The recognition of this fact has important practical and theoretical...
The usefulness of dipropyltryptamine (DPT) as an adjunct to psychedelic therapy was explored in a pilot study carried out on 51 alcoholic patients from the Alcoholic Rehabilitation Unit at Spring Grove State Hospital. The evaluation of the results was based on the comparison of pre- and posttreatment results of a battery of psychological tests and of pretreatment and follow-up ratings of an...
You hold in your hands a visionary book, one that offers a new understanding of healing, mental health, and human potential, along with powerful techniques to bring about these transformations.Developing such an integrated understanding, which combines science, experience, and spirit is critical for the twenty-fi rst century.The prevailing materialistic culture has created a divided world where...
The International Transpersonal Association (ITA) was formed in 1978 for the purposes\nof promoting education and research in transpersonal subjects, as well as sponsoring\nglobal conferences for the international transpersonal community. The association was\nsubsequently dissolved in 2004, but is now in the process of being reactivated and revitalized.\nAs background for this development, this...
The International Transpersonal Association (ITA) was formed in 1978 for the purposes of promoting education and research in transpersonal subjects, as well as sponsoring global conferences for the international transpersonal community.The association was subsequently dissolved in 2004, but is now in the process of being reactivated and revitalized.As background for this development, this paper...
Thirty cancer patients suffering from psychological distress participated in a pilot project of individual psychotherapy that offered – over a four week period of time – approximately twelve hours of conventional verbal interaction and a single intensive drug-assisted therapy session that employed dipropyltryptamine (DPT), a short-acting psychedelic drug. The efficacy of the total therapeutic...
The paper describes the results of a clinical study exploring the potential of a complex psychotherapeutic program utilizing psychedelic compounds to alleviate the emotional and physical suffering of cancer patients. A total of 60 cancer patients participated in this experimental study. In 44 of these patients, LSD (200-500 p%per os) was administered as an adjunct to psychotherapy; in 19...
The use of LSD in the treatment of alcoholism has led to many claims concerning the drug's efficacy. Efforts to verify these reports in controlled studies have been difficult because of the unique effects of LSD. Despite this formidable methodological obstacle a number of investigations have been carried out. A critique of these is presented followed by our own research experience in a...