Holotropic Breathwork

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Holotropic Breathwork is a controversial psychotherapeutic approach developed by Stanislav Grof, M.D., believed to allow access to nonordinary states of consciousness. It was developed as an adjunct to LSD psychotherapy and has mostly replaced the latter due to the legal problems concerning the clinical use of LSD. The method combines hyperventilation and relaxation while listening to evocative music in a supportive setting. The state of consciousness thus brought forward is said to activate the natural inner healing process of the individual's psyche, bringing him or her a particular set of internal experiences. This method is based upon Stanislav Grof's 50 years of intensive study of "nonordinary states of consciousness."^{[citation needed]}

Additional elements of the process include "focused energy release work" and mandala drawing or other art techniques, such as working with clay. Holotropic Breathwork is usually done in groups, although individual sessions are done. Within the groups, people work in pairs and alternate in the roles of experiencer and "sitter". The sitter's role is simply to be available to assist the breather, not to interfere or interrupt the process. The same is true for trained facilitators, who are available as helpers if necessary.

"Holotropic Breathwork" is a trademark.

Contents 1 Importance of the birth process 2 Holotropic breathing and rebirthing 3 Reactions and contraindications 4 The experimental nature of Holotropic Breathwork 5 Criticism of Holotropic Breathwork 6 Professional organization 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Importance of the birth process

One small aspect of Grof's extensive theory is the belief that there is a connection between the actions in our lives and our experiences in the birth process. In his book "The Holotropic Mind", Grof (1992) separated this process into 4 stages. These stages are known as the Perinatal Matrices, and they are defined as follows:

1. Amniotic Universe - The womb. The only world that life knows at this point. Blissful feelings of peace and joy.
2. Cosmic Engulfment; No Exit - Equilibrium disturbed; contractions begins. Unbearable feeling of being stuck in hell with no way of escaping.
3. Death versus Rebirth Struggle - Second clinical stage of childbirth; intense struggle for survival.
4. Death versus Rebirth Experience - The child is born. Intense ecstatic feelings of liberation and love. New world begins.

[edit] Holotropic breathing and rebirthing

Holotropic breathing has some similarities to rebirthing, but was developed independently. There is an Association for Holotropic Breathwork International and an extensive training and certification program for facilitators. There are currently more than 1000 trained facilitators located throughout the world.

Holotropic Breathwork is used by practitioners as an approach to self-exploration and healing that integrates insights from modern consciousness research, anthropology, various depth psychologies, transpersonal psychology, Eastern spiritual practices, and mystical traditions of the world. The name Holotropic means "moving toward wholeness" (from the Greek "holos"=whole and "trepein"=moving in the direction of something).

[edit] Reactions and contraindications

According to Grof (1988), the process can induce strong reactions, including "violent shaking, grimacing, coughing, gagging, vomiting, a variety of movements, and a wide range of sounds that include screaming, baby talk, animal voices, talking in tongues or a language foreign to the client, shamanic chanting, and many others" (196). Therefore it is recommended that the therapy room should include an "adequate supply of tissues and buckets or plastic bags for those who might develop nausea and vomit" (202).

Contraindications to be considered include "all individuals with serious cardiovascular problems" and pregnant women (202); while special precautions are recommended in the case of epileptics (203).

He points out that caution is required in the case of individuals with a history of psychiatric hospitalization. Such procedures are "not without certain risks" and "if the process gets to be too active and extends beyond the framework of the sessions, it can require special measures" (251). Elsewhere, he writes that "experiential work with severely disturbed individuals requires a special residential facility with trained staff where continuous support is available for twenty-four hours a day; it should not be conducted on an outpatient basis" (204).

[edit] The experimental nature of Holotropic Breathwork

Grof (1988) admits the experimental nature of the process. Referring to his partnership with his wife, he comments: "Our own experience with this technique has been limited to experiential workshops lasting up to four weeks. We have not had the opportunity to subject it to rigorous evaluation in controlled clinical studies, comparable to my research in psychedelic therapy" (xiv). Later, he adds: "It is important to realize that holotropic work is completely open-ended. It is best to think about it as an ongoing research project and psychological experiment ... The training of the facilitator should never be considered a fait accompli. Holotropic therapy is a process of continuous learning, rather than mechanical application of a closed system of concepts and rules" (207).

[edit] Criticism of Holotropic Breathwork

Holotropic Breathwork has been subject to criticism, on points of medical, spiritual and pastoral concern.

• In 1993 the Scottish Charities Office commissioned a report into the technique, having received complaints concerning its implementation at the Findhorn Foundation, a registered charity. The report was written by Anthony Busuttil (Regius Professor of Forensic Medicine at the University of Edinburgh), whose opinions caused the Findhorn Foundation, which was already unpopular with many of the local Findhorn population, to suspend its breathwork programme. The controversy at the Findhorn Foundation has been well documented by Stephen Castro (1996).

• On 14 October 1993, The Scotsman published an article entitled 'New Age Meditation Course Cancelled on Medical Advice'. The article reported several critical comments concerning Holotropic Breathwork as a form of therapy, made by Dr Linda Watt of Leverndale Psychiatric Hospital in Glasgow. Dr Watt expressed professional concerns that the hyperventilation technique might cause seizure or lead to psychosis in vulnerable people.

• Replying to a statement by a spokesman for the Findhorn Foundation, Kate Thomas (1993) writes: "Having studied and taught in the field of metaphysics for over 30 years, I feel able to affirm categorically that genuine spiritual states arise from the genuine application of spiritual principles in everyday life over a lengthy period. There are no short cuts on the spiritual path - and any commercially oriented weekend course attempting to demonstarte otherwise is virtually a 'break-in' to the psyche which amounts to a rape, with all that this implies."

• Stephen Castro (1995) takes issue with the confusion of therapy and spirituality evident in the work of Grof: "in the West, and particularly within the New Age counter-culture, therapy is becoming seen by many as a 'spiritual path,' and the therapist is replacing the image of the Eastern guru as one who is supposedly able to facilitate spiritual growth and experiences" (14). Referring to the introduction of Holotropic Breathwork at the Findhorn Foundation in 1990, Castro shows how this confusion is further complicated by commercial interests. He quotes a Foundation staff member who wrote at the time: "the income out of the training programme itself is only one aspect. We also need to consider that we are qualifying people to give workshops in a realm which opens up a deep inner spiritual knowing and which can provide a good income on top of it, and that we can potentially earn substantial sums by hosting workshops for the public in the future" (14). Castro points out that he was one of those who wrote open letters to the Foundation community warning "against the indiscriminate commercial employment of the technique of holotropic breathing in the name of 'spirituality'" (15). He includes a lengthy quote from one of these letters, pointing out the clinically established effects of hyperventilation, and concluding: "The use of rhythmic breathing, music, dance, ritual, hallucinogenics, narrative, emotional arousal, sex, physical exertion etc., have been applied in one form or another throughout all ages and ethnic cultures to induce altered states of consciousness. Legitimate traditions warn against any practice employed in an ad hoc manner upon a random collection of people at differing stages of evolutionary growth and needs. Such techniques will merely produce counterfeit experiences - not spirituality - and can be seriously damaging to the developmental potential of the participants" (15).

• Kevin Shepherd (1995) points out that the experimental nature of Holotropic Breathwork should be a cause of concern, especially since the context is one of commercial therapy: "There is no spirituality in the situation of New Age clients being guinea pigs for the completely open-ended experiment ... Commercial therapy thrives upon the suggestion of therapists that everyone needs their ministrations. The idea that prolonged hyperventilation is spiritually transformative can be accused of being opportunistic" (67). In a section entitled "On Holotropic Breathwork", he claims that this procedure should never be promoted to the general public, and avows that its effects should never be confused with spiritual experience: "Hyperventilation is an artificial means of inducing hypoxaemia (i.e., a lack of oxygen to the brain) ... The physiological condition of hypoxaemia is known to have caused hallucinations ... The general denominator here is one of dysfunction, not spiritual expansion or perception" (946). Shepherd likens the breathwork experience to "a very excitatory and unpredictable form of 'shamanism' which involves a serious deception about the nature of spirituality. Drastically altered moods are so often not illumined states of mind, but uncontrolled or primitive states of mind and emotion in which the subject may act irresponsibly" (946).

• Kate Thomas (2000) declares that breathwork facilitators are not adequately qualified to deal with experiences resulting from forced hyperventilation: "It is well known to breathworkers that the content of experiential sessions often spills over into the daily life of the participant in the form of acute disturbance and disorientation - and sometimes leads to breakdown" (11).

Grof disputes many of the medical criticisms of Holotropic Breathwork, arguing that they are based on misunderstandings of the physiological and psychological processes involved. In his paper reviewing the literature on the effects of faster breathing, he concludes that "The fact that during rapid breathing symptoms surface and become manifest is not a pathological phenomenon...With skillful support and guidance, the emergence of symptoms during hyperventilation can result in healing of emotional and psychosomatic problems...". (Grof 2003)

[edit] Professional organization

The Association for Holotropic Breathwork International, Inc. promotes professional and ethical practices governing Holotropic Breathwork.

[edit] References

Castro, S. "New Age Therapy - higher consciousness or delusion?" in The Therapist, Winter 1995, 14-16.

Castro, S. Hypocrisy and Dissent within the Findhorn Foundation: Towards a Sociology of a New Age Community. New Media Books, 1996.

Grof, S., The Adventure of Self-Discovery. SUNY, 1988.

Grof, S., with Bennett, H. The Holotropic Mind: The Three Levels of Human Consciousness and How They Shape Our Lives. HarperCollins, 1992.

Grof, S. "Physical Manifestations of Emotional disorders:Observations from the study of non-ordinary states of consciousness" in Exploring Holotropic breathwork: Selected Articles from a Decade of the Inner Door. Taylor, K [Ed.] Hanford Mead, 2003

Shepherd, K. Minds and Sociocultures: An Analysis of Religious and Dissenting Movements, Volume One: Zoroastrianism and the Indian Religions. Philosophical Press, 1995.

Thomas, K. "Turning the spotlight on a questionable therapy", a letter to the Forres Gazette, 20 October 1993.

Thomas, K. The Kundalini Phenomenon: The Need for Insight and Spiritual Authenticity. New Media Books, 2000.

[edit] External links

• Holotropic Breathwork - Stanislav Grof's website
• Association for Holotropic Breathwork International