Table of Contents
Foreword ix
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xix
Chapter 1 Historical Roots of Holotropic Breathwork 1
1 Sigmund Freud and the dawn of depth psychology 1
2 Humanistic psychology and experiential therapies 2
3 The advent of psychedelic therapy 3
4 Abraham Maslow, Anthony Sutich, and the birth of transpersonal psychology 4
Chapter 2 Theoretical Foundations of Holotropic Breathwork 7
1 Holotropic states of consciousness 7
2 Dimensions of the human psyche 12
3 The nature, function, and architecture of emotional and psychosomatic disorders 14
4 Effective therapeutic mechanisms 16
5 Strategy of psychotherapy and self-exploration 16
6 The role of spirituality in human life 20
7 The nature of reality: Psyche, cosmos, and consciousness 25
Chapter 3 Essential Components of Holotropic Breathwork 29
1 The healing power of breath 30
2 The therapeutic potential of music 32
3 The use of releasing bodywork 37
4 Supportive and nourishing physical contact 40
5 Mandala drawing: The expressive power of art 44
Chapter 4 The Practice of Holotropic Breathwork 47
1 Use of Holotropic Breathwork in individual sessions and groups 47
2 Setting and interpersonal support system 49
3 Theoretical preparation of participants 53
4 Screening for physical and emotional contraindications 55
5 Practical instructions for breathwork sessions 61
6 Preparation for the session and the relaxation exercise 63
7 Conducting Holotropic Breathwork sessions 66
8 The spectrum of holotropic experiences 67
9 The role of the facilitators 87
10 Mandala drawing and the processing groups 91
Chapter 5 Integration of the Breathwork Experience and Follow-Up Work 99
1 Creating conditions for optimal integration 99
2 Easing the transition to everyday life 100
3 Conducting follow-up interviews 102
4 Using various methods complementing Holotropic Breathwork 104
Chapter 6 Trials and Tribulations of Holotropic Breathwork Facilitators 109
1 Encounter with the military junta in Buenos Aires 109
2 Competing with the exhibition of Doberman pinshers 113
3 Culture-bound challenges for Holotropic Breathwork facilitators 114
4 Technological ordeals in Holotropic Breathwork sessions 117
5 The pisspot, oinking piglets, and smoldering Kleenexes 120
6 Supreme ordeal Down Under 121
7 Conducting Holotropic Breathwork in adversarial settings 122
Chapter 7 Therapeutic Potential of Holotropic Breathwork 125
1 Healing of emotional and psychosomatic disorders 125
2 Favorable effect on physical diseases 127
3 Effect on personality, worldview, life strategy, and hierarchy of values 129
4 Potential for healing of cultural wounds and historical conflict resolution 133
Chapter 8 Therapeutic Mechanisms Operating in Holotropic Breathwork 147
1 Intensification of conventional therapeutic mechanisms 147
2 Dynamic shifts in the psyche's governing systems 152
3 The therapeutic potential of the death-rebirth process 153
4 The therapeutic mechanisms on the transpersonal level 155
5 Healing as a movement toward wholeness 157
Chapter 9 Physiological Mechanisms Involved in Holotropic Breathwork 161
1 Biochemical and physiological changes 161
2 Holotropic Breathwork and the "hyperventilation syndrome" 163
3 Psychodynamics of psychosomatic disorders 169
Chapter 10 Past, Present, and Future of Holotropic Breathwork 177
1 Training of Holotropic Breathwork facilitators 177
2 Holotropic Breathwork and the academic community 179
3 Benefits of the holotropic perspective 181
4 Holotropic states of consciousness and the current global crisis 182
Appendix 1 Special Situations and Interventions in Holotropic Breathwork Sessions 185
1 The experience of choking and of pressure on the chest 185
2 Experience of muscular tensions and spasms 186
3 Problems related to blockages in the genital area, sex, and nudity 188
4 Overactive, erratic, and aggressive behavior 192
5 Working with demonic energy 194
6 Excessive self-control and inability to let go 195
7 Working with nausea and the tendency to vomit 196
8 Standing and dancing in the sessions 197
9 Reliving the memory of biological birth 197
Appendix 2 Holotropic Breathwork and Other Breathing Techniques 199
Bibliography 201
Index 211
About Grof Transpersonal Training 219
