Holotropic Breathing was created by Stanislav Grof and you can check out his book The Adventure

of Self-Discovery: : Di!ensions of "onsciousness: : #ew $erspectives in $sychotherapy http:%%www&a!a'on&co!%e(ec%obidos%AS #%)**+),-./.%deeptrancenow-0) 1ou can also read 02 sa!ple pages by clicking the above link& Another book you !ay want to check out is: The Breathwork 3(perience: 3(ploration and Healing in #onordinary States of "onsciousness http:%%www&a!a'on&co!%e(ec%obidos%AS #%)4,.2/-*)+%deeptrancenow-0) And here5s the website: http:%%www&holotropic&co!%

#ote: This article originally appeared in The Inner Door 6ol& /) #o& . 7#ove!ber /44*89 published by the Association for Holotropic Breathwork nternational& AHB can be reached at ,-)-20--.0-. or www&breathwork&co!&

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by Aartin Boroson B/444

n the last four decades9 the >est has seen a flowering of new for!s of therapy9 new spiritual paths9 and the unprecedented availability of 3astern spiritual traditions& >ith so !any products in the super!arket of transfor!ation9 how do we find the product we need9 when we need itC Aany people have spent yearsDand a s!all fortuneDin a for! of therapy or spiritual practice that is not well-tailored to their needs& The situation isnEt helped by the outright disagree!ent a!ongst the various schools of psychology and the various spiritual paths about techniFue9 values9 and even about the nature of reality itself&

The ntegral 6ision

?en >ilber9 considered by so!e to be the G3instein of consciousnessG9 has carefully developed a theory that gives coherence to this proble!& t is a blueprint for a GtotalG path of self-e(ploration9 a vision that he calls GintegralG& Aarshaling considerable evidence9 he suggests that consciousness is arranged as a spectru!9 enco!passing !atter9 life9 !ind9 soul9 and spirit& n !odern ti!es9 each of these levels has been the concern of a different branch of knowledge: physicists look at !atterH biologists look at lifeH psychologists look at !indH and !ystics have investigated soul and spirit& Infortunately9 each discipline tends to ignore or downplay the i!portance of the others& And in psychology alone9 different schools see! to address different levels of the !ind& A truly holistic or integral path would encompass all levels of the spectrum9 acknowledging that we are co!posed of all of these di!ensions& 7/8 >ilber suggests a GplanG for therapy or self-e(ploration that would address each level: Take a practice 7or practices8 fro! each of those levels9 and engage whole-heartedly in all of those practices& <or the physical level9 you !ight include physical yoga9 weight lifting9 vita!ins9 nutrition9 Jogging9 etc& <or the e!otional%body level9 you !ight try tantric se(uality9 therapy that helps you contact the feeling side of your being9 bioenergetics9 etc& <or the !ental level9 cognitive therapy9 narrative therapy9 talking therapy9 psycho-dyna!ic therapy9 etc& <or the soul level9 conte!plative !editation9 deity yoga9 subtle conte!plation9 centering prayer9 and so on& And for the spirit level9 the !ore non-dual practices9 such as Ken9 D'ogchen9 Advaita 6edanta9 ?ash!ir Shaivis!9 for!less "hristian !ysticis!9 and so on& hesitate to give that list9 because9 as you know9 there are literally thousands of wonderful practices for all of those levels9 and shudder at e(cluding any of the!& But please Just focus on the general idea: take one or !ore practices fro! each of the levels of your own being -!atter to body to !ind to soul to spirit -- and e(ercise all of the! to the best of your ability9 individually and collectively& 708 This is a noble path9 a truly royal road9 and one that gives a radically new and e(pansive way for individuals to develop their potential& This spectru! idea9 >ilber suggests9 can also be used by physicians and therapists to diagnose patients: ascertain where in the spectru! the patientEs illness lies9 and then create an appropriate treat!ent plan& 728 But >ilberEs approach9 although typically thorough9 probably strikes !ost people as i!possible challenge& !agine co!ing ho!e fro! a difficult day at work9 after a long co!!ute9 doing the chores9 spending Fuality-ti!e with the kids9 and then beginning a regi!en of Jogging9 Tai "hi9 psychotherapy9 chanting9 and !editation 7not to !ention co!!unity service and political involve!ent8& tEs a great theory9 but hard to i!agine in daily life& However the work of another leading light of transpersonal studies9 Dr& Stanislav Grof9 !ay provide a !ore efficient and practical solution9 e!bracing the entire spectru! in one path&

The Holotropic $ractice Dr& Stanislav Grof is one of the pioneers of clinical consciousness research9 and has been cited by >ilber as Garguably the worldEs greatest living psychologistG 7.8& >ith "hristina Grof9 he developed a techniFue called Holotropic Breathwork@9 in which clients gain access to a nonordinary state of consciousness through deep9 fast breathing& This process is strengthened by evocative !usic9 and is supported by a considerable degree of preparation and personal

attention& "lients lie on a !attress and close their eyes9 but are free to !ove their bodies9 or cry9 screa!9 sing9 chant9 shout9 !ove9 spit up9 !editate9 etc&9 if the inner e(perience de!ands& n this state of consciousness9 clients can have e(periences that relate to any part of the spectru!9 including: for!less !ysticis!9 archetypes 7eg& deities9 angels9 !antras89 past lives9 sha!anic Journeys9 bio-energetic release9 repressed trau!a 7eg& childhood abuse9 physical accidents89 regression to infancy9 and birth& And for each e(perience that e!erges9 at each level of the spectru!9 any of the Gthousands of wonderful practicesG can e!erge spontaneously& GHolotropicG !eans G!oving toward wholeness9 and Grof believes that each holotropic e(perience !oves the individual to the ne(t appropriate step on their Journey toward wholeness& >e can consider Holotropic Breathwork in three ways9 each illustrating its benefits as an integral or full-spectru! path&

1. As diagnosis: Holotropic Breathwork selects the level of the spectrum at which a persons effort is most effective >hen we enter a holotropic state with an open !ind and no agenda9 the psyche see!s to GselectG the e(perience that is !ost charged or GripeG at that ti!e& Grof calls this the Gradar functionG& The e(perience that e!erges could not have been predicted or planned9 but it invariably turns out to be relevant and effective to the participantEs growth& t is as if we open ourselves co!pletely to discovering what is really going on at the deepest levels of our being at that ti!e9 and we allow that e(perience to evolve and teach us& n other words9 the holotropic session brings an individual directly to the cutting edge of his or her personal evolution. <ro! >ilberEs point-of-view9 we could say that Holotropic Breathwork deter!ines the level of the spectru! that is !ost efficient for present growth& The radar function is like a highly sophisticated diagnostic tool that instantly pinpoints the proble! or potential that is !ost charged e!otionally and !ost significant& =ike a for! of internal triage9 Holotropic Breathwork sorts out what is the !ost urgent& So!e e(a!ples: A client believes that he needs to e(press anger toward his !other9 and has been talking about this for years in therapy& But during his holotropic session9 he re-e(periences a car accident he had !any years ago& :evisiting the !o!ent of i!pact9 the sudden fright9 the need to screa!9 and the way he fro'e in terror9 he is able to release his screa! fro! a fro'en state& This unlocks his anger& A person feels blocked in her practice of Ken !editation9 is starting to despair9 and !ay give up practice altogether& During her holotropic session9 she re-e(periences a !o!ent of her birth when the passage was blocked9 and she went into fetal distress& She releases this trau!a at a physical and e!otional level9 and then finds that her concentration and ability to sit still in her !editative practice has i!proved& A person who is being flooded with !ystical i!ages and subtle energies9 triggered by recreational drug use9 is desperately trying to avoid psychiatric ad!ission& During his holotropic session9 he re-e(periences a near-death e(perience in childhood in which he GleftG his body& >orking through this trau!a in a physical way 7bodywork and catharsis8 helps to GgroundG hi! back in his body&

A person who has been in therapy for !any years9 working on issues of se(ual abuse9 feels locked in a pattern of bla!e& n her holotropic session9 she encounters a divine being who opens up her heart& She is overwhel!ed with co!passion and is able to forgive her abuser& n these cases9 intensive work at the wrong level of the spectru! is inefficient9 if not actually counterproductive& t is far si!pler to invite the psyche to choose the appropriate level for the ne(t step&

!. As healing" Holotropic Breathwork facilitates the method or practice that is most appropriate to an individuals present needs 3very for! of therapy or spiritual path has its list of dos and donts9 and its own proscribed !ethod for treat!ent or spiritual progression& n !editation you sit absolutely still9 and in trance-dancing you !ove until youEre ecstatic& n bioenergetics you e(press your anger9 and in kundalini yoga you re-direct it internally& But Holotropic Breathwork@ is e(traordinarily method free & A client is si!ply encouraged to allow whatever is e!erging as they breath deeper and faster& They are only GreFuiredG to keep their eyes closed9 so that the e(perience is not proJected onto others9 and to stay on their !attress9 so that they can be kept safe& There is no ti!e li!it9 no noise li!it9 no rules of posture or diet9 no institutional hierarchy9 no guru9 no sacred te(t9 and no dress code& f the inner e(perience wills it9 the client can screa!9 cry9 chant9 pray9 regress to infancy9 speak in tongues9 !editate9 !ove into yoga postures9 leave their body9 enter their body9 punch a beanbag9 shake9 sweat9 gyrateDthe list is endless& An inner healing !echanis! is allowed to do whatever is necessary for healing and transfor!ation of the individual9 dictating the actual for! of practice or therapy9 without i!position of anyoneEs ego needs9 acade!ic or cultural background9 or belief structure& The Holotropic Breathwork session is a physical and e!otional space where the deepest di!ensions of our being are given encourage!ent to work their !agic& And the actual form and method of transformation is chosen #y the emerging e$perience. >e could say that %pirit itself chooses the for! and !ethod of its evolution&

&. As prescription" Holotropic Breathwork directs a client to forms of self e$ploration that will #e most effective outside of the holotropic e$perience Holotropic Breathwork provides a prescription for other for!s of healing& n this sense9 it is like an all-e!bracing referral agency& f you are confused about what therapy or spiritual practice to pursue9 si!ply gain access to a deep non-ordinary state of consciousness9 and see what e!erges organically& ;ne client found herself vacillating between a co!!it!ent to TEai "hi9 hatha yoga or Ken !editation& But after a series of holotropic sessions in which her body spontaneously went into yoga postures9 each acco!panied by physical healing and spiritual insight9 her path was clear& She co!!itted herself to a for!al practice of hatha yoga& Another person found that in spite of his spiritual hunger9 his sessions were focused on a lonely part of

his childhood& This was an i!portant GprescriptionG to do so!e inner child work9 or supportive psychotherapy9 outside of the sessions& n this sense9 Holotropic Breathwork is not si!ply one of the Gthousands of wonderful pathsG9 but is a !eta-path9 a post-!odern clearing house for everything fro! biofeedback and psychoanalysis to Alcoholics Anony!ous and past-life regression to Sufi dancing and kriya yoga& These additional therapies can aug!ent the practice of Holotropic Breathwork9 until9 perhaps9 the inner dyna!ic shifts and a different for! of practice is GprescribedG&

A Big 3(perience of 3verything Grof acknowledges the i!portance of working through all levels of consciousness& <ro! e(tensive clinical observation9 he discovered an e(traordinary pheno!enon that is consistent with >ilberEs concept of the spectru!& Grof noticed that an individualEs issues are grouped along certain the!es& There are co!!on patterns linking oneEs e!otional issues9 physical proble!s9 birth dyna!ics9 and profound universal spiritual Fuestions& Grof calls these threads or chains Gsyste!s of condensed e(perienceG9 or ";3LEs for short& Here is the way a ";3L !ight e!erge in a series of Holotropic Breathwork sessions: Sa!antha has suffered9 !ost of her life9 fro! persistent throat infections& 3!otionally9 she feels inhibited fro! e(pressing herself& During her first Holotropic Breathwork session9 she re!e!bers a !usic teacher fro! ele!entary school who viscously told her that she GcouldnEt sing a noteG& n another session9 a childhood incident e!erges in which her brother tried to strangle her& n re-e(periencing this9 she screa!s and screa!s--releasing long-held !uscular tension in her throat& As her process deepens9 in subseFuent sessions9 she e(periences a !o!ent of her birth when the cord was around her neck9 and understands that at a deep9 unconscious level9 she has always confused her drive to e!erge and be free with a lifethreatening9 choking sensation& >hen her process deepens to the transpersonal level9 she relives a past-life as a !an be-headed for his religious convictions& And then one day9 she has a shift on an entirely sy!bolic9 spiritual level& She e(periences herself as a swan9 singing as it dies& <or the first ti!e in her life9 she has an i!age of singing while dying9 instead of singing or dying& n this session she feels her voice restored to her9 and she loses her fear of death& Having released so !uch fear and tension in her throat through this process9 she now rarely gets a throat infection& According to Grof9 the ";3LEs are finally resolved when they have been addressed at all levels 7-8& This e!bracing vision offers hope to those who have been through encounter groups and re-birthing9 psychoanalysis and !ushroo!s9 but have found that the sa!e old proble!s keep reappearing& To those !any weary souls9 Holotropic Breathwork offers the possibility of other di!ensions of the psyche9 and other for!s of release9 that9 when accessed9 will do the trick& The !ost transfor!ative e(perience !ay have been right there all along9 awaiting only the hu!ility of the ego9 the freedo! fro! !ethod9 and the openness and safety of the setting& Aost spectacularly9 in Holotropic Breathwork9 we can have e(periences that touch on several levels of the spectru! at once9 or even e!brace the entire spectru!& t is co!!on for individuals to have a profound spiritual reali'ation at the sa!e ti!e as a !aJor physical release& n this si!ultaneous e(perience9 we also beco!e aware that all levels of Being are

deeply interwoven& =ong before the end of our Journey9 before we have solved all our proble!s or united with the nfinite Divine9 we e(perience an ever-deepening awarenessDin the fabric of our Being and the fibers of our bodyDof the sea!lessness of "reation&

The >hole Spectru! 3!braced ?en >ilber has been credited with unifying <reud and the Buddha9 creating an integral vision that spans the past and future of consciousness9 and !ore& And Holotropic Breathwork9 free to !eander everywhere and anywhere across this spectru!9 brings us directly to the cutting edge of our evolution& t reFuires only that we lean toward the truth that is e!erging now and here9 in the deepest and farthest reaches of the present !o!ent& >ith unprecedented opennessDin theory and !ethodD it e!braces all the ancient for!s of worship and all the !odern !eans of personal growth9 and even holds space for those paths yet to be invented& Through it9 we can gain access to the entire spectru! of consciousness9 to all the !agnificent di!ensions of Being9 and we can travel along any or all of wonderful therapies and paths9 ai!ing always9 steadfastly9 at the one9 integral goal& MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM 7/8 A truly integral path9 he !aintains9 would also include the inner 7GinteriorG8 and the outer 7Ge(teriorG8 of everything9 as well as the cultural or social aspect of each level& <ollowing his lead in the citation9 a! si!plifying his work here& 708 >ilber9 ?en GA Ticket to Athens9G an interview in $athways: A Aaga'ine of $sychological and Spiritual Transfor!ation9 /44+& 728 >ilber9 ?en et al9 Transfor!ations of "onsciousness9 7Boston: Sha!bala9 /4*,89 pp& /..,& 7.8 >ilber9 ?en9 The 3ye of the Spirit9 7Boston: Sha!bala9 /44+89 p& /,-& 7-8 n Grof5s version of the spectru!9 these are the sensory9 personal unconscious9 birth9 and the transpersonal& MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM :eco!!ended :eading: Grof9 S& 7/4408& The Holotropic 'ind& HarperSan<rancisco& Grof9 S& 7/4**8& The Adventure of %elf Discovery& State Iniversity of #ew 1ork press& Grof9 Stanislav& The (osmic )ame& State Iniversity of #ew 1ork press& >ilber9 ?en& 7/4428& The %pectrum of (onsciousness& Nuest Books& >ilber9 ?en& 7/44,8& A Brief History of *verything& Sha!bala $ublications& >ilber9 ?en& 7/4**8& The 'arriage of %ense and %oul" Integrating %cience and +eligion& :ando! House&

'artin Boroson studied philosophy at ,ale and has an 'BA from the ,ale %chool of 'anagement. He trained in transpersonal psychology with Dr. %tanislav )rof- and facilitates Holotropic Breathwork workshops in Ireland with the Trans.ersonal )roup. His multi disciplinary theatre piece- >ords9 #ot->ords- inspired #y /en and the art of )eorgia 012eefe- will #e presented in Du#lin in 1333. He is the author of The Big Birth- an illustrated story of creation- inspired #y his holotropic e$periences- which is #eing developed for pu#lication around !444. He can #e reached at temenos5iol.ie.