Stanislav Grof - M.D., American psychologist of Czech origin. His name is associated with the discovery of a new, transpersonal direction in psychology.

According to the theory of Stanislav Grof, a person's character is formed even before his birth. A passionate desire to have a child, a successful pregnancy, natural childbirth, the first feeding - this is what will provide a happy and harmonious future for a little person.

It is not true that a newborn is a blank sheet of paper! Parents, despite all their efforts, “get” completely formed personalities, Grof believes. With his attitude to this world, parents and what is happening around them. If you want to correct something, you have at your disposal pregnancy, a day after childbirth and the first hours of feeding. Will you have time?

Stanislav Grof believes that at the moment when you put a tiny body to your chest for the first time, and dad is filming this event on camera, the formation of a child's personality is completed. All further, including upbringing and education, will work with the effectiveness of a bactericidal adhesive plaster.

This is a fact proven by the majority of Grof's patients, who, in the course of research, remembered not only the circumstances of their birth, but also the previous nine months.

During this time, the fetus goes through four stages of psychological development, corresponding to the period of pregnancy, labor, childbirth and the first feeding. The information that comes "inside" is "uploaded" into the matrices (in other words, it is sorted into the subconscious), in order to then become the lifelong basis of a person's actions. And let his relatives argue over whose ears and nose he has. You managed the most important thing - to participate in the formation of the character of the baby!

Matrix 1. Paradise or the matrix of love

It "fills up" when the baby is in the womb. At this time, the baby receives his first knowledge about the world, basic and deep. With a successful pregnancy, the child formulates for himself: “The world is OK, and I am OK!”. But for a positive position, this period must be really prosperous. And not only for medical reasons, but also from the point of view of the unborn baby.

And for him, first of all, it is important to be desired.

If a mother flutters throughout her pregnancy at the thought of the upcoming replenishment, her feelings will certainly be transmitted to the baby as the setting “everything is fine with me” for any life situation. By the way, a child's sexual self-awareness is also directly dependent on "internal" information. For example, if the girl's mother strongly desires a boy, in the future the baby may have serious problems with the female nature, up to infertility.

It is also very important that the mother's body works like a Swiss watch. A healthy pregnancy is a sure guarantee that the baby will feel comfortable, expecting only pleasant surprises from life.

Your task: to lay in the subconscious of the child a positive attitude towards the world and towards oneself.

Time to decide: your pregnancy.

Correct result: self-confidence, openness.

Negative result: low self-esteem, shyness, a tendency to hypochondria.

• Emotional discomfort experienced by the mother;
• Expecting a child of a strictly defined gender;
• An attempt to terminate a pregnancy.

Matrix 2. Hell or victim matrix

This matrix is ​​formed in contractions, during the first acquaintance of the child with the environment. The child experiences pain and fear. His experiences are: “The world is ok, I am not ok!”. That is, the child takes everything that happens at his own expense, believes that he himself is the cause of his condition. Labor induction causes irreparable damage to the formation of the second matrix. If during this period the child experiences too much pain caused by stimulation, then the “victim syndrome” is fixed in him. In the future, such a child will be touchy, suspicious and even cowardly.

It is in fights that the child learns to cope with difficulties, to show patience and resistance to stress.

Having coped with her fears, mom can control the course of contractions. This will allow the child to gain tremendous experience in independent problem solving.

During the period of contractions, the baby simply needs to feel the support of his mother, her empathy for him.

After all, now he must learn to look boldly into the future. If the result of the struggle was his benevolent acceptance into a new, kind, glorious world, then he again returns to paradise. The child can experience these feelings only in the mother's stomach. Where you can feel her warmth, smell, heartbeat. Then the newborn is applied to the breast, and he once again receives confirmation that he is loved and desired in this world, that he has protection and support.

If the mother demands “to do something, only as soon as possible!”, Then the baby will, if possible, avoid responsibility. There is also an opinion that the use of anesthesia, which is almost always combined with stimulation or is done by itself, lays the foundation for the emergence of various kinds of addictions (including alcohol, drugs, nicotine, food). The child remembers once and for all: if difficulties arise, doping is needed to overcome them.

Your task: form the right attitude to difficulties and patience.

Time to decide: contractions.

Correct result: patience, perseverance, perseverance.

Negative result: weakness of spirit, suspiciousness, resentment.

Possible errors in solving the problem:

• Stimulation of labor activity
• Cesarean section
• Mom's Panic

Amendment for "cesareans": Grof believed that babies born through caesarean section skip the second and third matrices in development, and remain at the level of the first.

The result of this may be the problems of self-realization in a competitive environment that a person will experience in the future.

It is believed that if the caesarean section was planned, and the baby did not pass the test of contractions conceived by nature, then he will try to escape from problems, and not solve them on his own.

Matrix 3. Purgatory, or the matrix of struggle

The third matrix is ​​laid down as the baby passes through the birth canal. In terms of time - a short period, but do not underestimate it. After all, this is the first experience of independent actions of the baby. Because now he is fighting for his life himself, and his mother only helps him to be born. And if you provide him with proper support at this critical moment for the child, in overcoming difficulties he will be quite decisive, active, not afraid of work, will not be afraid to make a mistake.

The problem is that doctors are often involved in the birth process, and their intervention is not always justified. For example, if a doctor puts pressure on a woman in labor to advance the fetus (as often happens), the child may develop an appropriate attitude towards work: until prompted, pushed, the person will not move in indecision and will miss happy opportunities.

The third matrix is ​​also related to sexuality.

Birth Clue: A woman in labor who is in an altered state of consciousness tends to re-enact the scenario of her own birth. And what did our mothers see in Soviet maternity hospitals? With rare exceptions, alas, nothing good.

You can change this picture:

• Signing up for special courses to prepare for childbirth
• Picking up a good maternity hospital in advance. Moreover, you need to pay attention not only to the big name and technical equipment, but also to the willingness of the staff to support your desire to give birth naturally and preferably without medical intervention.
• By correlating the decision on caesarean section or anesthesia with information on perinatal matrices. If such manipulations are not due to medical indications, but to the desire for comfort, you will deliberately harm the child's psyche.

According to Grof, the passivity of many men, their inability to achieve the object of their love, is precisely the result of a “flaw” in the third matrix.

Your task: develops efficiency and determination.

Time to decide: childbirth.

Correct result: determination, mobility, fortitude, diligence.

Negative result: fearfulness, inability to stand up for oneself, aggressiveness.

• Possible errors in solving the problem:
• Medical pain relief
• Epidural anesthesia
• Containment of contractions
• Unwillingness to participate in childbirth (“I can’t - that’s all!”).

Amendment for caesareans: The influence of the third matrix is ​​so weakened in them that it becomes obvious that a baby born through caesarean section will not be able to grow up as a purposeful and active person.

Matrix 4. Paradise again, or the matrix of freedom

The first hours of life are the time to reap laurels after trials. And you are obliged with all generosity, love and cordiality to provide them to the baby. After all, now he must learn to look boldly into the future. If the result of the struggle was a benevolent acceptance of him into a new, kind, glorious world, then he returns to paradise again: "The WORLD is OK, I am OK." The child can experience these feelings only on the mother's stomach, where you can feel her warmth, smell and heartbeat. Then the newborn is applied to the breast, and he once again receives confirmation that he is loved and desired in this world, that he has protection and support.

Such a ritual has long become traditional in Europe, as, indeed, in many domestic maternity hospitals. However, there are still quite a few where mother and baby are separated from each other, which, from the point of view of Grof's theory, is very dangerous. After all, this is how a child learns that all his labors and sufferings are in vain. And since there is no need to wait for a reward, then the future awaits him gloomy.

Amendment for "caesareans": These babies are usually even less lucky: immediately after giving birth, they can be separated from their mother for a long time. Therefore, for the correct formation of the fourth matrix, psychologists recommend that women choose epidural anesthesia in order to take the newborn into their arms immediately after birth.

Your task: formation of the child's attitude to life prospects and full-time acquaintance with the world.

Time to decide: first hours of life.

Correct result: high self-esteem, love of life.

Negative result: laziness, pessimism, incredulity.

Possible mistakes:

• Cutting the umbilical cord at the stage of pulsation
• Birth trauma of the newborn
• "Separation" of the newborn from the mother
• Rejection or critical attitude towards the newborn
• Careless treatment of doctors with a newborn

Correction of matrices after childbirth
If you had a caesarean section, you need:

• To stimulate the child to achieve the goal from infancy;
• Give breastfeeding, which is harder than bottle feeding;
• Teach to reach for toys and other necessary things;
• Do not limit his activity by constant swaddling and the walls of the arena;
• In the future, find a psychotherapist who will help the child “work through” the moment of his birth;

If there was a difficult pregnancy or separation from the child in the hospital, you need to:

• Take the baby in your arms as often as possible;
• Take him for a walk in a backpack - "kangaroo";
• breastfeed;

If there was an imposition of forceps, you need:

• Before demanding independent results from the child, patiently help him
• Do not rush the baby when he is trying to solve some problem.

This approach originates in mysticism, Neoplatonism and Eastern religions. Maslow predicted the emergence of a "transpersonal, transhuman" psychology, focused on "the cosmos, and not on human needs. Transpersonal psychology is one of the areas of modern psychology that began to take shape as an independent field of research in the late 60s in the United States. well-known psychologists, psychotherapists and thinkers: S. Grof, A. Watts, E. Sutich, M. Murphy, S. Krippner and etc. Transpersonal psychology has deep roots in the history of culture and religion, in world spiritual practices that are scientifically substantiated in classical and modern psychology. The leaders of modern transpersonal psychology are S. Grof, K. Wilber, C. Tart, A. Mindell, S. Krippner and others, each of whom develops his own line of research, methods and school.

The term " transpersonal psychology" has Latin and Greek roots. The Greek word "psychology" consists of two words - "psyche", which means soul, spirit, breath and "logos", i.e. word, reasoning. It turns out that the primary meaning of the word "psychology" the following: "word of the soul" or "word of the spirit" The word "transpersonal" comes from the Latin "trans" and "persona", i.e. "through", "through" and "mask". Thus, originally "transpersonal psychology "implies" the word of the soul through and on the other side of the mask".

Transpersonal psychology studies the ultimate abilities and capabilities of a person, it studies consciousness in a wide range of its manifestations: the plurality of states of consciousness, spiritual crisis, near-death experiences, the development of intuition, creativity, higher states of consciousness, personal resources, para-psychological phenomena. It is based on a holistic vision of a person in the perspective of his spiritual growth, classical and non-classical philosophical anthropology, world spiritual traditions, including shamanism, as well as various methods of self-knowledge and psychotherapy, such as meditation, holotropic breathing, body-oriented psychotherapy, art therapy, work with dreams, active imagination, self-hypnosis, etc.

Stanislav Grof became a psychiatrist and researcher of psychedelics in the mid-1950s. In 1954 he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine and began independent research work. From 1954 to 1973 he was doing legal research on psychedelics. In 1974, his wife Christina Grof took a rebirthing class with L. Orr, which complemented the experience of accessing transpersonal experiences through deeper and faster breathing.

This person personifies for me the amazing world of the soul, which is as amazing and fantastic as the worlds that famous science fiction writers reveal to us - Robert Zelazny, Robert Sheckley, Clifford Simak, etc. Grof opened for modern scientific psychology a world of extraordinary, not fully mastered and explored possibilities for the development of psychotherapy, psychotechnics, psychological culture and individual search. Grof groped for something extremely important - the opportunity to experience experiences of extraordinary intensity and richness, which is typical for some extraordinary moments: ecstasy, moments of catastrophes.

The concept of personal in transpersonal psychology, developed by Graf in the process of experiment, studying numerous, groups of phenomena of human consciousness that arise in sessions of psychedelic therapy under the influence of psychedelics (LSD, etc.). The latter provoke the appearance of altered states of consciousness (non-ordinary, other than conscious and unconscious), against which the phenomena of transpersonal experiences develop, defined by the author as experiences that include the expansion or spread of consciousness beyond the usual boundaries of the Ego and beyond the limitations of time and/or space. . In some cases, the subject experiences a relaxation of his usual ego-limitations, his consciousness and self-awareness expands and embraces other personalities and elements of the external. peace; or the subject continues to experience his own. identity, but in a different form, time and space or in another context. It happens that the subject experiences a complete loss of his own. identity and is fully identified with the consciousness of another being or entity. A rather broad category of transpersonal experiences includes phenomena when the consciousness of the subject embraces elements that are usually not associated with his ego identity and are unusual for the three-dimensional world.

Transpersonal experiences fall into two broad categories: expansion of experiences within the framework of objective reality" and " expansion of experiences beyond objective reality". The first include temporal expansion of consciousness (experiences of the embryo and fetus, the experience of ancestors, collective and racial experience, evolutionary experience, the experience of past incarnations, foresight, clairvoyance, "time travel"); spatial expansion of consciousness (going beyond the Ego in interpersonal relationships and experience of dual unity, identification with other personalities, group identification and group consciousness, identification with animals, plants, unity with everything that exists in the world, planetary and extraplanetary consciousness, "spatial travel", telepathy); , tissues, cells.Expansion of experiences beyond "objective reality" includes spiritual and mediumistic experience, experiencing meetings with superhuman spiritual beings, inhabitants of other universes, archetypal and mythical experiences, consciousness of the Universal Mind, Supercosmic and Metacosmic Void, etc.

Experiences in altered states of consciousness and observations related to them cannot be explained within the conceptual framework of academic psychology. Therefore, S. Grof introduced a wider cartography of the psyche, which, as it seemed to him, is more consistent with work in holotropic processes. This map, in addition to the biographical level, also includes the perinatal (perinatal) area associated with the trauma of biological birth and the transpersonal (transpersonal ) an area that is responsible for such phenomena as ongoing identifications of oneself with other people, animals, plants, etc. The latter area is also a source of manifestation of hereditary, ethnic, phylogenetic memory, as well as visions of archetypal creatures and mythological kingdoms.

The term " perinatal" is a compound word of Greek-Latin origin; the prefix peri- literally means "around" or "close", and natalis is translated as "pertaining to childbirth." This term defines the events that immediately precede, are associated with, or immediately after biological birth.

As a result of his research, S. Grof, discovering something new in understanding the biographical and memory-related level of the psyche, introduced the concept of " condensed experience systems» - SKO.

COEX systems consist of emotionally loaded memories from different periods of life that are similar to each other in terms of the quality of feeling or physical sensation they share. Each COEX system has a basic theme that runs through all its layers and represents a common denominator. Then it turns out that the layers of the individual psyche contain variations of this basic theme that took place at different periods of the individual's life. The unconscious of an individual may contain several COEX systems. Their number and the nature of the underlying themes varies greatly from person to person.

S. Grof believes that there is a certain interaction of driving forces between the North Kazakhstan and the outside world. The external events of our life in a special way can trigger the corresponding COEX systems, and vice versa, the operating COEX systems force us to feel and behave in such a way that we reproduce their basic themes in our current life.

S. Grof also introduced the concept of four functional complexes of the deep unconscious as basic, perinatal matrices(BPM)

First BPM associated with intrauterine existence before the onset of childbirth. The experiential world of this period may be referred to as the "amniotic universe." The embryo has no awareness of boundaries and does not distinguish between inside and outside. All this is reflected in the nature of the experiences associated with the reproduction of the memory of the prenatal state. In moments of undisturbed embryonic existence, we usually experience expanse, will, spaces that have no boundaries or limits, we are identified with galaxies or with the entire cosmos. Positive fetal experiences can also connect with archetypal visions of Mother Nature—safe, beautiful, and unconditionally nourishing, like a "good womb."

When we recall episodes of intrauterine disorders, memories of the "evil uterus", we have a feeling of a dark, ominous threat that we are being poisoned with something. The whole world threatens to destroy us and interfere with our comfortable existence.

Second BMP recalls in memory the beginning of biological birth. At the already fully developed first stage of biological birth, uterine contractions periodically squeeze the fetus, but the cervix is ​​still not open. Each contraction causes compression of the uterine arteries, and the fetus is threatened by a lack of oxygen. Replaying this stage of birth in memory is usually accompanied by images of people, animals, and even mythical creatures in a state of suffering and hopelessness, similar to the position of a fetus squeezed in the birth canal. We experience identification with the prisoners in the dungeon, the victims of the Inquisition, the inhabitants of the concentration camps. Our sufferings of trapped animals or reach archetypal dimensions. Under the influence of this matrix, we are stricken with selective blindness and are unable to see anything positive in our lives and in human existence in general.

Third BMP this is the experience of the process of pushing the fetus through the birth canal after the cervix has opened and the head has descended into the small pelvis. At this stage, the contractions of the uterus continue, but the cervix is ​​open and now allows the fetus to be gradually pushed through the birth canal. This causes severe mechanical pressure, pain, and often a high degree of oxygen deprivation and suffocation. The natural accompaniment of such a highly distressed and life-threatening condition is the experience of intense anxiety. BPM 3 is an extremely complex and vivid pattern of experience. In addition to a truly realistic memory of the various stages of the struggle during the passage of the birth canal, it includes the widest variety of types of imagery drawn from history, nature and archetypal spheres. Of all this, the most significant is the atmosphere of titanic struggle, aggressive and sadomasochistic scenes, experiences of perverted sexual relations, demonic plots, bestial infatuation and an encounter with fire. Most of these aspects of BPM 3 can be meaningfully related to some anatomical, physiological or biochemical characteristics of the corresponding stage of birth.

Fourth perinatal matrix BPM 4 the experience of death and rebirth) correlates with the third clinical stage of childbirth - the final expulsion of the fetus from the birth canal and the cutting of the umbilical cord. When we experience this matrix, we complete the previous difficult process of pushing through the birth canal, achieve an explosive release and emerge into the world. This can often be accompanied by detailed and truthful recollections of special aspects of this stage of birth.

The resurrection of the memory of a biological birth is experienced not only as a simple mechanical replay of the original biological event, but also as a spiritual death and rebirth. To understand this, you need to imagine that what is happening in this process includes some important additional elements. Due to the fact that the child in the process of birth is completely limited and has no way to express extreme feelings and respond to the strong physical sensations caused, the memory of this event remains psychologically unlearned and unprocessed.

According to the theory of S. Grof, our attitude towards ourselves and our attitudes towards the world in the postpartum period carry reminders of the vulnerability, helplessness and weakness that we experienced at birth. We went through this physiological process without being emotionally involved. We died as a water-dweller and were born as an air-breathing being.

Of particular relevance is the transpersonal approach in the treatment of drug addiction and alcoholism as types of spiritual crisis, psychotherapy of neuroses and psychoses, in the psychological recovery of society.

The basic method of transpersonal psychology is holotropic breathing. If translated into Russian, then holos - whole, tropos - direction, aspiration. Those. striving for integrity. This is a very interesting method, and the attitude towards it among psychologists is ambiguous. Holotropic Breathwork is one of the most effective methods of using deep altered states of consciousness for therapeutic or research purposes. In the process of holotropic breathing, a person may experience strong bodily sensations and emotional experiences. In the first breathing sessions, experiences are often associated with solving the most pressing problems and conditions perceived by a person as traumatic. This is indeed one of the most effective methods for transforming the inner world of a person, and those who do not want to disturb "their skeletons in the closet" intuitively avoid this method and spread ridiculous speculation that causes fear and distrust in other people.

The typical result of a good holotropic session is profound emotional relief and physical relaxation; many people have reported feeling more relaxed than ever, and continued intense breathing throughout the session is thus extremely powerful and effective in reducing stress and leading to emotional and psychosomatic health. Spontaneous episodes of intense breathing in psychiatric patients can be seen as self-healing attempts by the body. A similar understanding can be found in the literature on spiritual problems. In siddha yoga and kundalini yoga, intentional intense breathing (bhastrika) is used as one of the meditation techniques, and episodes of rapid breathing, called "kriya", often occur spontaneously as one of the manifestations of Shakti, or the activated energy of kundalini. These observations indicate that spontaneous episodes of rapid breathing occurring in psychiatric patients should be supported rather than suppressed by any means.

In holotropic therapy, to induce unusual states of consciousness, along with intensive breathing, special music is used corresponding to these states. As well as controlled breathing, music and other forms of sound technology have been used for thousands of years as a powerful means of altering consciousness. From time immemorial, monotonous chanting and drumming have been used by shamans in various parts of the world. Many non-Western cultures have independently created rhythmic patterns that, in recent laboratory experiments, have been shown to have a marked effect on the physiological activity of the brain, as reflected in EEG changes. Against this background, it is precisely those psycho-traumatic ones that manifest themselves. moments of an individual's life that were stored in the depths of the unconscious and were the cause of personal disharmony. In the process of transpersonal experiences, the psycho-traumatic event is actualized and, as it were, outlived.

Inner experiences in non-ordinary states of consciousness can create a sense of peace and completion on a deep level. Non-ordinary states of consciousness work uses techniques and catalysts to mobilize the inner energy of healing in such a way that the inner wisdom of the body chooses exactly the experience that is relevant to the individual at that moment in time.

The difference between most psychotechniques based on verbal work and work in non-ordinary states of consciousness under supervision is that traditional psychology expects the psychologist to structure and analyze the client's experiences according to some theory. The therapist may even be expected to heal, while healing in non-ordinary states of consciousness occurs within the client and is encouraged rather than directed by the facilitator.

In general, the concept of transpersonal psychology presented new opportunities for studying the individual and collective unconscious, described the levels of mental life unknown in traditional psychology, including the phenomena of archetypal knowledge, experiences from the prehistory of a person’s life, its intrauterine period of development and the psychodrama of birth.

Grof Stanislav - Psychology of the future. Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research

Abstract

Stanislav Grof is widely recognized as the founder and theorist of transpersonal psychology, and his pioneering research on non-ordinary states of consciousness is an important contribution to understanding the nature of consciousness and healing.

In this final book, Grof offered readers an unprecedented amount of data, experiences and facts about non-ordinary states of consciousness, collected by him in the course of almost half a century of research.

Stanislav Grof
PSYCHOLOGY OF THE FUTURE
Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research

PSYCHOLOGY OF THE FUTURE

Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research

State University of New York Press

Translation from English by Stanislav Offertas

Scientific editor Vladimir Maykov

Publishing house of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology

K. Kravchuk Publishing House

AST publishing house

To my wife Christina

With much love and deep gratitude

for your contribution to ideas,

expressed in this book

Editor's Preface

Among the peaks of modern knowledge about man there are obvious, so to speak, "eight-thousanders". So in the language of climbers they call peaks that approach or exceed eight thousand meters in height. One of these peaks is Stanislav Grof, who, along with Freud and Jung, can be called a great innovator and master of modern psychology and psychotherapy.

I had the good fortune to meet Grof in 1989, when he came to Moscow for the third time to conduct a three-day seminar on holotropic breathing and transpersonal psychology. Prior to this, my first correspondence meeting with Grof took place in 1980, when I got acquainted with the "samizdat" book "Regions of the human unconscious", which I was then destined to publish officially. The man who later became my close friend for many years, until his death, Vitaly Nikolaevich Mikheikin, one of the devotees of "samizdat" and underground psychology, presented me with the manuscript of his translation of this book, after which I, like many, after reading Labor Grof walked around as if stunned. It seemed to me that Grof found the ends of many elusive mysteries of human existence and the mysteries of the cosmos, tied together the threads of the worlds of science and the worlds of existential and mysterious.

Grof really groped for something extremely important: every person can have experiences of extraordinary intensity and richness, everyone is a bunch of myths, stories, legends, he is Borges's “alef point”, where everything converges in one, where the beginning and end of everything, where everyone can liberate himself and there is a way of liberation based on modern data. I then realized that Grof's four perinatal matrices, described in his cartography of the psyche, are something like guardians on the path to freedom.

Stanislav Grof gained worldwide fame thanks to his studies of the effects of LSD, altered states of human consciousness. Being one of the founders of transpersonal psychology, he is also its main theorist. Author of over 20 books translated into 16 languages. Behind him are numerous therapeutic sessions and training seminars on holotropic breathing held in different countries.

"Mystical" direction of modern psychology

Transpersonal psychology began to take shape in the 60s in America. The focus of research in this area is altered states of consciousness, near-death experiences, as well as features of the experiences of being in the mother's womb and at the time of birth, the memories of which are stored in the depths of the human subconscious.

Spiritual and religious practices are included in psychotherapeutic work. In order to solve intrapersonal problems, remove physical blocks, clamps, a person is offered techniques for experiencing transpersonal experience. It can be achieved through a special way of breathing, hypnosis and self-hypnosis, work with dreams, creativity, meditation.

Participation in the experiment provoked a steady interest in the study of expanded states of consciousness

Volunteering in 1956, while participating in a scientific experiment using psychedelic drugs, Stanislav Grof experienced an expanded state of consciousness. Already a practicing psychiatrist-clinician with a scientific doctorate by that time, he was stunned by the experienced state.

For the scientist, it became obvious that consciousness is something much more than described in the literature on medicine and psychology. This determined the further course of his scientific activity. He actively engaged in the study of expanded states of consciousness. Beginning in 1960, Stanislav Grof was engaged in legal work with psychedelic drugs for several years. Until 1967, he studied their effects in Czechoslovakia, then in America until the moment when psychedelics were banned - until 1973.

During this time, the scientist conducted about 2500 sessions with the use of LSD, and collected more than 1000 protocols for conducting such studies under the guidance of his colleagues. Stanislav Grof devoted all his books to the results of these and subsequent studies in the field of an altered state of consciousness.

"Esalen" - the center of humanistic alternative education

The Esalen Institute was founded in 1962 by Stanford graduates Michael Murphy and Dick Price. Their goal was to support alternative methods of studying the human mind. This educational institution is located in the area where the Indians of the Esalen tribe once lived, on the coast of Central California. This is a very picturesque place: on the one hand, the Pacific Ocean, on the other - the mountains.

The Esalen Institute played a key role in the flourishing of the public "Movement for the Development of Human Potential", the ideological basis of which was the concept of personal growth and the realization of extraordinary potentialities that everyone has, but is not fully disclosed. Innovation, a focus on the connection between mind and body, constant experimentation in terms of personal consciousness led to the emergence of many ideas that later became mainstream.

In 1973, Grof received an advance fee that enabled him to write his first book. At the invitation of Michael Murphy to work on it, he moves to Essalen. He was offered to settle in a house on the ocean. From there, there was a beautiful view with a panoramic view of 180 degrees. He came there for one year, and lived and worked there for 14 years, until 1987.

1975 was marked for Stanislav by the fact that he met Christina, his future wife. From that moment began their personal relationship, closely intertwined with the professional.

Holotropic Breathwork

Between 1975 and 1976, Stanislav and Christina Grof worked together to create an innovative method called holotropic breathing. This made it possible to enter an expanded state of consciousness without the use of LSD and other psychedelic drugs.

At the same time, they began to use the new method in their seminars. Between 1987 and 1994, the couple performed Holotropic Breathwork sessions for approximately 25,000 people. According to the authors, this is a unique way of self-knowledge and personal growth.

Subsequently, this method served as the basis for holotropic therapy, the sessions of which the scientist actively practiced. He also taught training courses for practicing transpersonal psychologists.

Together with his wife, Grof traveled the world with his seminars and lectures, talking about transpersonal psychology and the results of consciousness research. Over the years, he has supported people who have experienced a psycho-spiritual crisis - episodes of expanded consciousness.

Books about the conscious and the unconscious

Stanislav Grof in the book "Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death and Transcendence in Psychotherapy" summarizes the results of the author's research conducted over 30 years of his scientific activity. It talks about extended cartography of the psyche, the dynamics of perinatal matrices, psychotherapy and spiritual development.

Grof suggested that most of the mental conditions classified as illnesses in psychiatry, such as neurosis and psychosis, are crises of a person’s spiritual and personal growth that almost anyone can face.

The reason may be a spontaneously experienced spiritual experience, which you could not cope with on your own. The author offers psychotherapeutic approaches based on the use of the human body's ability to self-heal.

Stanislav Grof's book "Space Game: Exploring the Limits of Human Consciousness" offers readers a synthesis of modern science and ancient wisdom, psychology and religion. The theoretical views of the author are based on extensive clinical studies.

In the book "Call of the Jaguar", the results of many years of research are presented by the author in the form of a work of art - a science fiction novel. The plot is based on real experiences of transpersonal experience both of the author himself and those observed by other people.

20th century: books by Stanislav Grof in chronological order

1975 "Regions of the Human Unconscious: Evidence from LSD Research".

1977 "Man in the Face of Death", co-authored with Joan Halifax.

1980 "LSD-Psychotherapy".

1981 "Beyond Death: The Gates of Consciousness", co-authored with Christina Grof.

1984 "Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science", edited by Stanislav Grof. The book includes articles by many speakers who spoke at the 1982 conference of the International Association for Transpersonal Psychology in Bombay, India.

1985 "Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death, and Transcendence in Psychotherapy".

1988 Human Survival and edited by Stanislav Grof and Marjorie L. Valer. A total of 18 contributors contributed to this book.

1988 "Journeys in Search of the Self: Dimensions of Consciousness and New Perspectives in Psychotherapy".

1989 "Spiritual Crisis: When Personal Transformation Becomes a Crisis", co-authored with Christina Grof.

1990 "The Frantic Search for Self: A Guide to Personal Growth Through a Transformational Crisis," co-authored with Christina Grof.

1992 "Holotropic Consciousness: The Three Levels of Human Consciousness and How They Shape Our Lives," co-author Hal Zina Bennett.

1993 "Books of the Dead: Guides for Life and Death".

1998 "Transpersonal Vision: The Healing Possibilities of Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness".

1998 "Space Game: Exploring the Frontiers of Human Consciousness".

1999 "Consciousness Revolution: A Transatlantic Dialogue", co-authored with Erwin Laszlo and Peter Russell. Wrote the preface to the book

21st century: books by Stanislav Grof in chronological order

year 2000. "Psychology of the Future".

year 2001. "Call of the Jaguar".

2004 "Dreams of Lilibite". The book was written by Melody Sullivan, and the role of the illustrator went to Stanislav Grof.

2006 "When the Impossible is Possible: Adventures in Extraordinary Realities".

2006 "The Greatest Journey. Consciousness and the Mystery of Death".

2010 Holotropic Breathwork: A New Approach to Self-Exploration and Therapy, co-authored with Christina Grof.

year 2012. "Healing Our Deepest Wounds: A Holotropic Paradigm Shift".

Probably to be continued...

Achievements and contribution to the development of science

Known throughout the world as a modern reformer of psychiatry and the brightest representative of transpersonal psychology. His innovative ideas influenced the interpenetration of Western science and the spiritual dimension. The books he authored have been translated into several languages. He has been researching the healing and transformative potential of expanded states of consciousness since the 1960s.

In 1978 Stanislav Grof founded the International Association for Transpersonal Psychology. The goals for which it was created were to encourage education and research in this area, sponsoring global conferences.

October 5, 2007 in Prague, he was awarded the prestigious award "VISION-97". It was provided by the Dagmar and Vaclav Havel Foundation, established to support innovative projects of great importance for the future of mankind.

Stanislav Grof continues his professional career at the California Institute for Integral Studies in San Francisco, as well as at Wisdom University in Oakland. He lectures and teaches professional training programs in Holotropic Breathwork and Transpersonal Psychology. And also takes part in practical seminars, traveling around the world.

The holotropic approach in psychotherapy represents an important and effective alternative to traditional depth psychology approaches based on verbal exchange between therapist and patient, says Stanislav Grof.

The term "holotropic" means "aimed at restoring wholeness" or "moving towards wholeness. The basic philosophical premise of holotropic therapy is that the average person in our culture lives and acts at a level far below their potential. Psychologist Stanislav Grof successfully develops this direction in psychology.According to Stanislav Grof, this impoverishment is due to the fact that a person identifies himself with only one aspect of his being, with the physical body and Ego.Such a false identification leads to an inauthentic, unhealthy and devoid of accomplishment lifestyle, and also causes emotional and psychosomatic disorders of a psychological nature.Stanislav Grof's Transpersonal Psychology considers such cases.The development of symptoms of distress can be seen as an indicator that a person based on false premises has reached a critical moment.

The duration and depth of such a breakdown is quite correlated with the development of psychotic phenomena, as Stanislav Grof points out. The resulting situation turns out to be a crisis or even critical, but at the same time very fruitful. According to Stanislav Grof, the symptoms that appear reflect the body's effort to free itself from stress and trauma and return to natural functioning.

The main goal of experiential techniques in psychotherapy is to activate the unconscious, to release the energy associated in emotional and psychosomatic symptoms. Holotropic therapy, Stanislav Grof's transpersonal therapy contribute to the activation of the unconscious to such an extent that it leads to unusual states of consciousness. This principle is relatively new in Western psychotherapy, although it has been used for centuries in the shamanic and healing practices of many peoples and in the rituals of various sects. According to Stanislav Grof, for psychotherapy, which uses such powerful means of influencing consciousness, the personalistically and biographically oriented ideas of modern academic psychology are completely insufficient.

In this kind of work, for Stanislav Grof it often becomes clear already at the first session that the roots of psychopathology extend much further than the events of early childhood and go beyond the limits of the individual unconscious. Empirical psychotherapeutic work reveals, behind the traditional biographical roots of symptoms, deep connections with non-biographical areas of the soul, such as elements of encountering the depths of death and birth, with characteristics of the perinatal level with a wide range of facts of a transpersonal nature. As Stanislav Grof says, transpersonal vision can explain many things.

Practical work shows that the dynamic structure of psychogenic symptoms contains exceptionally powerful emotional and physical energies. Therefore, any attempt to seriously influence them is extremely problematic. A therapeutic context is required that provides and enhances direct experience in order to produce noticeable results in a relatively short time. In addition, bearing in mind the multilevel nature of psychogenic symptoms, the physician's conceptual framework must include the perinatal and transpersonal levels of the psyche, without which therapeutic work cannot be fully effective. If the unfinished gestalts of serious psychic traumas are not worked through, if the process of practical therapy focuses on the biographical level, then its results are usually incomplete.

The immediate and long-term effects are dramatized as the introspection deepens, reaching the limits of birth and death. Claustrophobia and other types of anxiety states, depression, suicidal tendencies, alcoholism, drug addiction, asthma, migraines, sadomasochistic tendencies and many other problems can be worked through in depth through perinatal experiences. However, in cases where the problems are rooted in the transpersonal realm, the final result cannot be obtained until the person agrees to the specific experiences of the transpersonal experience. There may be intense experiences of past incarnations, plots of the racial and collective unconscious, as well as many other topics. The various schools of psychotherapy differ greatly in their understanding of the nature and functioning of the human psyche, in their interpretation of the origin and dynamics of psychogenic symptoms, and in their attitudes towards a successful psychotherapy strategy and technique. This fundamental disagreement on fundamental issues is one of the reasons why psychotherapy does not have the status of a scientific procedure. One can support the idea, first put forward by Carl Gustav Jung, that the psyche has a powerful potential for self-healing, and the collective unconscious is the source of autonomous healing forces. Hence, the task of the doctor is reduced to helping to get to the deep layers of the psyche, without engaging in rational consideration of problems using any specific methods of changing the mental situation of a person according to a predetermined plan.

Healing is the result of the dialectical interaction of consciousness with the individual and collective unconscious. The technique of psychotherapy, developed on the basis of modern consciousness research, relies primarily on direct experience as the initial transformative means. Verbal options are used at the preparation stage and then at the end of the session to enhance the integration of experiences. The therapist shapes the course of work, creates a welcoming working environment, and suggests a technique that activates the unconscious through breathing, music, and body work. Under such conditions, the existing symptoms intensify and pass from a latent state into a manifested one, becoming accessible to consciousness. The physician's task is to facilitate this spontaneous manifestation, with full confidence in this autonomous healing process. Symptoms are blocked energy and highly concentrated experiences. And here the symptom is not only a problem, but an opportunity in equal measure. When the energy is released, the symptom is transformed into a conscious experience and thus can be processed. It is very important that the doctor promotes involuntary disclosure without interfering with the process and the specifics of experiences, no matter what nature they acquire - biographical, perinatal or transpersonal.

The main credo of holotropic therapy is to recognize the potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness capable of transformation and evolution, and having a healing effect. Since in these states of consciousness the human psyche is capable of spontaneous healing activity, holotropic therapy uses methods of activating the psyche and inducing non-ordinary states of consciousness. This, as a rule, leads to a change in the dynamic balance of the original symptoms, which are transformed into a stream of unusual experiences that disappear in the process.

It is very important that the therapist contribute to the disclosure (development) of this process, even if he does not understand it at some point. Some experiences, despite their powerful transformative power, may not have any specific content; they can represent intensely expressed emotions or physical tensions, followed by deep relief and relaxation. Quite often, insight and specific content emerge later or even in subsequent sessions. In some cases, the resolution (result) is manifested at the biographical level, in others - in the perinatal material or in the themes of transpersonal experiences. Sometimes a dramatic healing process and personality transformation, accompanied by long-term results, are associated with an experience that is not amenable to rational understanding.

The procedure of holotropic therapy itself includes: controlled breathing, stimulating music and various forms of sound use, as well as focused work with the body. It has been a known fact for centuries that by means of breathing, regulated in various ways, it is possible to influence the state of consciousness. The procedures that were used for this purpose in the ancient cultures of the East varied quite widely - from active (violent) interventions in the respiratory process to sophisticated methods of spiritual practices (traditions). Deep changes in consciousness can be caused by a change in the frequency of breathing - hyperventilation and, conversely, slowing down, as well as a combination of these techniques.

From the generally accepted physiological point of view, hyperventilation leads to excessive release of carbon dioxide from the body, the development of hypocapnia with a decrease in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the alveolar air and oxygen in the arterial blood, as well as to respiratory alkalosis. Some researchers have traced the hyperventilation chain of changes in homeostasis even further, down to the biochemical processes in the brain. It turned out that the changes here are very similar to those that occur under the influence of psychedelics. And this means that intense breathing can be a non-specific catalyst for deep mental processes. Numerous experiments by S. Grof revealed that in pneumocatharsis, it is not the specific breathing technique that is of primary importance (there are a great many of them in different approaches), but the very fact that breathing for 30-90 minutes was performed at a faster pace and more deeply than usual . In this case, many participants in a psychotherapeutic session experience profound transformative experiences. Most of them symbolically experience the process of death-rebirth, or even literally remember their own birth. Many examples can confirm the correctness of Wilhelm Reich regarding the fact that psychological resistance and defense use the mechanisms of breath restriction. Respiration is an autonomous function, but volitional influence can be exerted on it; the increase in the rhythm of breathing and the increase in its effectiveness contribute to the release and manifestation of the material of the unconscious (and superconscious).

Indeed, until you testify in session or experience this process personally, it is difficult to believe, on theoretical grounds alone, in the power and effectiveness of this technique. The nature and course of experimental sessions using the hyperventilation method varies significantly from person to person, so this experience can only be described in general and average terms. Sometimes prolonged hyperventilation enhances relaxation, a sense of expansion (consciousness) and comfort, causes visions of light. There are powerful experiences associated with an exciting feeling of love and oneness with all people, nature, the cosmos and God. Experiences of this kind have an exceptionally healing power, they should be encouraged and encouraged in every possible way to develop them; this is discussed in advance at the preliminary conversation.

It is amazing how many people, influenced by Western culture or for some other reason, are not able to accept ecstatic experiences without suffering and hard work, and sometimes even under these conditions. Perhaps this is due to the feeling of undeserving of such an experience and the feeling of guilt that arises in connection with this. If this can be clarified and the person accepts such experiences, then the session from beginning to end proceeds without any intervention from the therapist and turns out to be extremely beneficial and productive / As the number of sessions accumulates, the likelihood of such a smooth flow increases. However, in most cases, hyperventilation first causes quite dramatic consequences in the form of intense emotional and psychosomatic manifestations.

Let us briefly dwell on those erroneous ideas about hyperventilation that have taken root in the medical model of the West. In respiratory physiology textbooks, the so-called "hyperventilation syndrome" is described as a standard and obligatory physiological response to rapid breathing. This primarily includes the famous "carpopedal spasm" - involuntary twitching and spasm of the arms and legs. The symptoms of hyperventilation syndrome are usually viewed in a pathological context and are explained in terms of biochemical changes in the composition of the blood, such as an increase in alkalinity and a decrease in calcium ionization. It is well known that some mentally ill patients are prone to developing forms of hyperventilation with dramatic emotional and psychosomatic manifestations; this is especially characteristic of patients with hysteria. Usually, when signs of hyperventilation appear, they begin to give tranquilizers, give intravenous infusions of calcium, put a paper bag on the face to prevent a decrease in carbon dioxide in the lungs. This understanding of hyperventilation is not entirely correct. There are many people who do not develop the classic "hyperventilation syndrome" even after extended sessions; on the contrary, they experience a feeling of increasing relaxation, intense sexual feelings, and even mystical experiences. Some of them develop tension in various parts of the body, but the nature of these tensions is very different from "carpopedal spasm". Moreover, prolonged hyperventilation not only does not cause a progressive increase in tension, but leads to a critical climax, followed by deep relaxation. The nature of this sequence is comparable to an orgasm. In addition, in repetitive holotropic sessions, the overall amount of muscle tension and dramatic emotion tends to decrease.

Everything that happens in this process can be interpreted as the desire of the body to respond to a change in the biochemical situation by bringing to the surface in a rather stereotyped form various obsolete, deeply hidden tensions and releasing them through peripheral discharge. This usually happens in two ways. The first of these takes the form of catharsis and responsiveness, which includes tremors, twitches, dramatic body movements, coughs, gasps, gagging, screams, and other auditory manifestations or increased activity of the autonomic nervous system. This mechanism is well known in traditional psychiatry from the works of Z. Freud and D. Breuer, devoted to the study of hysteria. It is used in traditional psychiatry in the treatment of traumatic and emotional neuroses, as well as in new experimental psychiatry, such as Neo-Reichian practice, Gestalt practice and Artur Janov's primary therapy. The second mechanism is fundamentally new for psychiatry and psychotherapy and seems to be much more effective and interesting than the first. In this case, deep tensions manifest themselves in the form of prolonged contractions and prolonged spasms. By maintaining such muscle tension for a long time, the body wastes a huge amount of accumulated energy and, freeing itself from it, facilitates its functioning.

A typical result of a holotropic session is a deep emotional release (unloading) and physical relaxation. Thus, prolonged hyperventilation is an exceptionally powerful and valid stress reliever that promotes emotional and psychosomatic recovery. Spontaneous cases of hyperventilation in people suffering from mental illness can therefore be seen as an attempt at self-medication. We find a similar understanding in the literature describing the technique of spiritual development, for example, Kundalini yoga, where manifestations of this kind are called "kriya". It follows from this that spontaneous hyperventilation must be supported in every possible way, and not suppressed. The nature and course of a holotropic session depend on the individual characteristics of the person and change during the session. Sometimes the session can proceed from start to finish without any emotional or psychosomatic failures.

However, in most cases, everything starts with a rather dramatic experience, which, after some time, individually significant, is replaced by strong emotions and the development of stereotypical patterns of muscle tension. The emotional manifestations observed in this context are wide-ranging; the most typical of them are anger and aggression, anxiety, sadness and depression, feelings of failure, humiliation, guilt and worthlessness. Physical manifestations include, in addition to muscle tension, also headaches and pains in various parts of the body, breathlessness, nausea, vomiting, choking, increased salivation, sweating, sexual sensations and a variety of motor movements. There are people who remain perfectly calm, almost motionless; they can experience very deep experiences, and at the same time it seems to an outside observer that either nothing is happening to them, or they are just sleeping. Other people are very aroused and show increased motor activity. They are shaken, twisted in some complex movements, rolled from side to side, they take uterine positions, behave like babies fighting in the birth canals, or look and act like newborn babies. It is also quite common to observe movements resembling crawling, swimming, digging, climbing, and the like. Often, movements and gestures are surprisingly refined, complex, specific and diverse. You can see strange animalistic movements imitating snakes, birds and other representatives of this world, accompanied by the corresponding sounds. Physical tension develops in certain parts of the body during a breathing session. Not being simple physiological reactions to hyperventilation, they are complex psychosomatic structures that depend on individual characteristics and, as a rule, have a specific psychological content characteristic of a given person. Sometimes they are an increased version of habitual tensions and pains, manifested as chronic problems or in the form of symptoms that occur during moments of emotional or physical stress, fatigue, insomnia, weakness caused by illness, alcohol or drug use. In other cases, they can be seen as reactivation of old problems that arose during infancy, childhood, puberty, or as a result of severe emotional stress. Regardless of whether a person recognizes in these physical manifestations the specific events of his biography, it is still interesting to consider them in terms of psychological significance or content. For example, if a spasm develops in the arms and legs ("carpopedal spasm" in traditional terminology), then this indicates the presence of a deep conflict between a strong desire to perform certain actions and an equally strong tendency to restrain (inhibition) this action. The resulting dynamic balance is the simultaneous activation of flexor and extensor muscles of the same intensity. People who experience such spasms usually report that throughout their lives, or at least most of it, they have felt suppressed aggressiveness, restrained the desire to lash out at others, or experienced unsatisfied sexual desires.

Sometimes painful tensions of this kind are unfulfilled creative impulses, such as, for example, painting, dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, some kind of craft or activity carried out with the help of hands. This approach allows one to penetrate into the essence of the conflict that generates these tensions. As a rule, the process, having reached the culminating point of tension, is replaced by deep relaxation and a feeling of removing the barrier that prevented the free circulation of energy in the hands. Often people who have experienced this have discovered various creative abilities and achieved amazing success in drawing, writing, dancing or crafts.

Another important source of muscle tension is memories of past surgeries or traumas. In periods that cause pain and suffering to a person, one has to suppress, sometimes for a long time. Emotional and physical reactions to pain. And if the trauma is healed only anatomically and not emotionally integrated, it remains as an incomplete gestalt. Therefore, a physical injury is fraught with serious psychological problems, and, conversely, its elaboration in therapeutic sessions can contribute to emotional and psychosomatic recovery. The tension of the leg muscles has the same dynamic structure, only less complex; this reflects the fact that the role of the legs in human life is simpler than that of the arms (hands). Many related problems are related to the use of the legs and feet as tools of aggression, especially in early life. Tension and spasms in the hips and buttocks are often associated with sexual protection, fears and inhibitions, especially in women. The archaic anatomical name of one of the muscles of the thigh actually sounds like a "guardian of virginity" - musculus custos virginitalis. Many muscle tensions can be correlated with physical injuries. At a deeper level, the dynamic conflicts that cause tension in the muscles of the limbs and many other parts of the body are related to the "hydraulic" circumstances of biological birth. At this stage of the birth process, the child, often for many hours, finds himself in a situation that is fraught with horror, anxiety, pain and suffocation. This causes powerful neural stimulation that receives no peripheral output, as the child cannot breathe, scream, move, or escape from the situation. The blocked energy accumulates, as a result, in the body, it is stored equally in the flexor and extensor muscles. If this dynamic conflict comes out for a discharge (late in time), it proceeds in the form of intense and purely painful spasms. Sometimes it is possible to trace the deeper causes of tension in the arms and legs in the realm of transpersonal experiences, in particular with various past life memories. It is interesting to note that many tensions in other parts of the body are observed in those places that the tantric system calls the centers of mental energy of the "subtle body" - chakras. This is not surprising, since the techniques of holotropic therapy are similar to the exercises used in the tantric tradition, which attaches great importance to breathing. During a typical breathing session, tensions and blockages intensify and become more apparent. Prolonged breathing promotes dynamic development, reaching the climax of the process with resolution and release.