Pioneers.Guide to the Transpersonal Internet

Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D, a genius in consciousness research, was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. He received his M.D. from Charles University School of Medicine and his Ph.D. from Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences. He was the head of the Psychiatric Research Institute in Prague, where he conducted research in the clinical uses of psychoactive drugs. His groundbreaking work with LSD therapy led to a two-year Clinical and Research Fellow at John Hopkins University. He stayed on at John Hopkins to continue his research and became Chief of Psychiatric Research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Henry Phipps Clinic of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Grof was a scholar-in -residence at the Esalen Institute, in Big Sur, California, from 1973 through 1987. During this time, he and his wife, Christina, developed Holotropic Breathwork and holonomic integration and coined the term spiritual emergency. The DSM-IV recognizes spiritual emergency (see Lukoff, Lu, & Turner, 1996). In 1987, the Grofs founded the Grof Transpersonal Training for the training and certifying of practitioners in Holotropic Breathwork. They have presented workshops and lectures throughout the world. Their work has received worldwide praise. (For more on holotropic breathwork, see below: Lee and Speier, 1996; Grof's official website; Grof's transpersonal training website.)

Grof is one of the founders of the transpersonal psychology movement and is an active contributor to this movement. He is the founding president of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA), a scientific and educational organization with a mission to promote education and scientific research in all areas related to the transpersonal dimensions and all realms of human nature. Through ITA, he has hosted annual international conferences throughout the world. He teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies and continues to lecture throughout the world. Grof has served on the editorial boards of ReVISION, Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, and Journal of Humanistic Psychology and is also a prolific writer with books published in several languages and with over 100 articles published in many journals - a list of his books is set forth below.

Lee and Speier (1996) point out that some criticize Grof's work because "no one could prove that the experiences he observed and reported reflected the true nature of the human psyche" (p. 83). Grof uses these criticisms to further the goals of the transpersonal psychology movement: he undauntedly challenges the assumptions of the Western scientific paradigm. In particular, he asserts that humans are not "separate systems that communicate only through sensory organs" as declared by the mainstream scientific paradigm (Grof, 1985, p22). In general, he argues that the Western scientific paradigm does not provide support for studying the nature, the meaning, and the purpose of consciousness, as its mainstream methods and methodologies are not capable of studying the same (Grof, 1985).

Grof is a creative thinker, writer, and scientist who boldly challenges not only the limitations of Western scientific paradigm but also the existing neurophysiological models of the brain. He contends that human consciousness transcends the physical brain and is part of cosmic consciousness and that consciousness is the fundamental element of reality. He has proposed a new model of the human psyche and has discovered three levels of human consciousness: the recollective, the perinatal, and the transpersonal. Grof asserts that understanding the perinatal and the transpersonal levels challenges the mainstream's views of both mental illness and mental health. Through his work, he has demonstrated the inherent dignity of the human being to access inner wisdom to heal and resolve the most challenging concerns. He is also noted for his clinical work with people facing death and the cosmological implication of consciousness research. His work and worldview have profound implications not only for psychology, science and philosophy but for all of us in that they portend a paradigm shift involving our basic assumptions about the nature of reality and, therefore, about the inherent nature of humans and of our relationships with each other, animals, plants, our planet, and the universe.

References for Bibliography

Grof, S. (1985). Beyond the brain: Birth, death and transcendence in psychotherapy. New York: State University of New York.

Lee & Speier (1996). Breathwork: Theory and technique. In B. W. Scotton, A. B. Chinen & J. R. Battista (Eds.), Textbook of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology (pp. 366-376). New York: Basic Books.

Lukoff, D. Lu, F. G., & Turner, R. (1996). Diagnosis: A transpersonal clinical approach to religious and spiritual problems. In

B. W. Scotton, A. B. Chinen & J. R. Battista (Eds.), Textbook of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology (pp.231-249). New York: Basic Books.

Yensen, R., & Dryer, D. (1996). The consciousness research of Stanislav Grof. In B. W. Scotton, A. B. Chinen & J. R.Battista (Eds.), Textbook of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology (pp. 75-84). New York: Basic Books.

Grof's Official Web Site

Grof Transpersonal Training - The authentic website of Stanislav Grof. Lectures, Workshops, Books and Music are all available at www.holotropic.com/

OVERVIEW OF THE GROF TRANSPERSONAL TRAINING
MANDATORY MODULES
OPTIONAL MODULES
GROF TRANSPERSONAL TRAINING WEB SITE

Books by Stan Grof:

LSD psychotherapy: Exploring the frontiers of the hidden mind, 1980, 1985, 2001

H.R. Geyer, 2002

Psychology of the future: Lessons from modern consciousness research, 2000

Beyond the brain: Birth, death and transcendence in psychotherapy, 1985, 1990

Books of the dead, 1993

Cosmic game: Explorations of the frontiers of human consciousness, 1998

Transpersonal vision: Volume 6, 1998

The adventures of self-discovery: Dimensions of consciousness and new perspectives and inner explorations, 1997

Beyond death: The gates of consciousness, 1981

East and west: Ancient wisdom and modern science, 1986

Emergencia espiritual, 1992

En busca del ser, 1992

Frontiers of the hidden mind: Insights and discoveries from LSD, 1991

Realms of human unconscious: Observations from LSD research, 1976, 1994

Books by Stan and Christina Grof:

Stormy search for self: A guide to personal growth through transformative crisis, 1990, 1992

Books by Stan Grof and others:

The holotropic mind: The three levels of human consciousness and how they shape our lives,

1992, with Hal Zina Bennet

Consciousness revolution: A transatlantic dialogue, 1999, with Peter Russel

Dimensions of dying and rebirth, 1977, with Hugh Cayce & Raynor C. Johnson

Human encounters with death, 1978, with Joan Halifax

Books edited by Stan Grof:

Ancient wisdom and modern science, 1984, 1990

Human survival and consciousness evolution, 1988, 1987, Marjorie L. Valier

Books edited by Stan and Christina Grof:

Spiritual emergency: When personal transformation becomes a crisis, 1989

Foreword by Stan Grof

Dark night, early dawn: Steps in a deep ecology of mind, 2000, Christopher Martin Bache

Interviews

Thinking Allowed, Conversations On The Leading Edge Of Knowledge And Discovery with Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove and Stan Grof, The Adventure Of Self-Discovery, retrieve at www.williamjames.com/transcripts/grof.htm and www.intuition.org/idxtran.htm

''Frontiers of the Mind'', Interview With Stanislav Grof M.D., Interviewed by www.healthy.net/asp/templates/interview.asp?PageType=Interview&ID=200

Stanislav Grof interviews by Dr. Albert Hofmann, Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California, 1984; Retrieve from www.maps.org/news-letters/v11n2/11222gro.html

Links related to Holotropic Breathwork or Transpersonal Psychology

Grof Transpersonal Training
Holotropic Breathwork Danmark - Holotropic Breathwork in Denmark
Tapes and videos of Stanislav Grof and other related links and info.
Institute of Transpersonal Psychology
CSP - 'Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy'

Other Links & URLs

Allies Transpersonal and Shamanic Strategies, retrieve at www.byronmetcalf.com/allies

Retrieve Chapter 1 of LSD Psychotherapy at www.psychedelic-library.org/grofhist.htmor The Psychedelic Library Homepage

Goddard, G. (1997) Airing our transpersonal differences: Toward reconciliation. Retrieve at mars.ark.com/~gero/transdifA.html

Tapes

Retrieve at nepenthes.lycaeum.org/People/grof.html

Videos

Retrieve at www.thinkingallowed.com/4sgrof.html

Bibliography
		Stanislav Grof *A Brief Biography*
		Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D, a genius in consciousness research, was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. He received his M.D. from Charles University School of Medicine and his Ph.D. from Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences. He was the head of the Psychiatric Research Institute in Prague, where he conducted research in the clinical uses of psychoactive drugs. His groundbreaking work with LSD therapy led to a two-year Clinical and Research Fellow at John Hopkins University. He stayed on at John Hopkins to continue his research and became Chief of Psychiatric Research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Henry Phipps Clinic of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Grof was a scholar-in -residence at the Esalen Institute, in Big Sur, California, from 1973 through 1987. During this time, he and his wife, Christina, developed Holotropic Breathwork and holonomic integration and coined the term spiritual emergency. The DSM-IV recognizes spiritual emergency (see Lukoff, Lu, & Turner, 1996). In 1987, the Grofs founded the Grof Transpersonal Training for the training and certifying of practitioners in Holotropic Breathwork. They have presented workshops and lectures throughout the world. Their work has received worldwide praise. (For more on holotropic breathwork, see below: Lee and Speier, 1996; Grof's official website; Grof's transpersonal training website.) Grof is one of the founders of the transpersonal psychology movement and is an active contributor to this movement. He is the founding president of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA), a scientific and educational organization with a mission to promote education and scientific research in all areas related to the transpersonal dimensions and all realms of human nature. Through ITA, he has hosted annual international conferences throughout the world. He teaches at the California Institute of Integral Studies and continues to lecture throughout the world. Grof has served on the editorial boards of ReVISION, Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, and Journal of Humanistic Psychology and is also a prolific writer with books published in several languages and with over 100 articles published in many journals - a list of his books is set forth below. Lee and Speier (1996) point out that some criticize Grof's work because "no one could prove that the experiences he observed and reported reflected the true nature of the human psyche" (p. 83). Grof uses these criticisms to further the goals of the transpersonal psychology movement: he undauntedly challenges the assumptions of the Western scientific paradigm. In particular, he asserts that humans are not "separate systems that communicate only through sensory organs" as declared by the mainstream scientific paradigm (Grof, 1985, p22). In general, he argues that the Western scientific paradigm does not provide support for studying the nature, the meaning, and the purpose of consciousness, as its mainstream methods and methodologies are not capable of studying the same (Grof, 1985). Grof is a creative thinker, writer, and scientist who boldly challenges not only the limitations of Western scientific paradigm but also the existing neurophysiological models of the brain. He contends that human consciousness transcends the physical brain and is part of cosmic consciousness and that consciousness is the fundamental element of reality. He has proposed a new model of the human psyche and has discovered three levels of human consciousness: the recollective, the perinatal, and the transpersonal. Grof asserts that understanding the perinatal and the transpersonal levels challenges the mainstream's views of both mental illness and mental health. Through his work, he has demonstrated the inherent dignity of the human being to access inner wisdom to heal and resolve the most challenging concerns. He is also noted for his clinical work with people facing death and the cosmological implication of consciousness research. His work and worldview have profound implications not only for psychology, science and philosophy but for all of us in that they portend a paradigm shift involving our basic assumptions about the nature of reality and, therefore, about the inherent nature of humans and of our relationships with each other, animals, plants, our planet, and the universe. References for Bibliography Grof, S. (1985). Beyond the brain: Birth, death and transcendence in psychotherapy. New York: State University of New York. Lee & Speier (1996). Breathwork: Theory and technique. In B. W. Scotton, A. B. Chinen & J. R. Battista (Eds.), Textbook of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology (pp. 366-376). New York: Basic Books. Lukoff, D. Lu, F. G., & Turner, R. (1996). Diagnosis: A transpersonal clinical approach to religious and spiritual problems. In B. W. Scotton, A. B. Chinen & J. R. Battista (Eds.), Textbook of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology (pp.231-249). New York: Basic Books. Yensen, R., & Dryer, D. (1996). The consciousness research of Stanislav Grof. In B. W. Scotton, A. B. Chinen & J. R.Battista (Eds.), Textbook of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology (pp. 75-84). New York: Basic Books. Grof's Official Web Site Grof Transpersonal Training - The authentic website of Stanislav Grof. Lectures, Workshops, Books and Music are all available at www.holotropic.com/ OVERVIEW OF THE GROF TRANSPERSONAL TRAINING MANDATORY MODULES OPTIONAL MODULES GROF TRANSPERSONAL TRAINING WEB SITE Books by Stan Grof: LSD psychotherapy: Exploring the frontiers of the hidden mind, 1980, 1985, 2001 H.R. Geyer, 2002 Psychology of the future: Lessons from modern consciousness research, 2000 Beyond the brain: Birth, death and transcendence in psychotherapy, 1985, 1990 Books of the dead, 1993 Cosmic game: Explorations of the frontiers of human consciousness, 1998 Transpersonal vision: Volume 6, 1998 The adventures of self-discovery: Dimensions of consciousness and new perspectives and inner explorations, 1997 Beyond death: The gates of consciousness, 1981 East and west: Ancient wisdom and modern science, 1986 Emergencia espiritual, 1992 En busca del ser, 1992 Frontiers of the hidden mind: Insights and discoveries from LSD, 1991 Realms of human unconscious: Observations from LSD research, 1976, 1994 Books by Stan and Christina Grof: Stormy search for self: A guide to personal growth through transformative crisis, 1990, 1992 Books by Stan Grof and others: The holotropic mind: The three levels of human consciousness and how they shape our lives, 1992, with Hal Zina Bennet Consciousness revolution: A transatlantic dialogue, 1999, with Peter Russel Dimensions of dying and rebirth, 1977, with Hugh Cayce & Raynor C. Johnson Human encounters with death, 1978, with Joan Halifax Books edited by Stan Grof: Ancient wisdom and modern science, 1984, 1990 Human survival and consciousness evolution, 1988, 1987, Marjorie L. Valier Books edited by Stan and Christina Grof: Spiritual emergency: When personal transformation becomes a crisis, 1989 Foreword by Stan Grof Dark night, early dawn: Steps in a deep ecology of mind, 2000, Christopher Martin Bache Interviews Thinking Allowed, Conversations On The Leading Edge Of Knowledge And Discovery with Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove and Stan Grof, The Adventure Of Self-Discovery, retrieve at www.williamjames.com/transcripts/grof.htm and www.intuition.org/idxtran.htm ''Frontiers of the Mind'', Interview With Stanislav Grof M.D., Interviewed by www.healthy.net/asp/templates/interview.asp?PageType=Interview&ID=200 Stanislav Grof interviews by Dr. Albert Hofmann, Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California, 1984; Retrieve from www.maps.org/news-letters/v11n2/11222gro.html Links related to Holotropic Breathwork or Transpersonal Psychology Grof Transpersonal Training Holotropic Breathwork Danmark - Holotropic Breathwork in Denmark Tapes and videos of Stanislav Grof and other related links and info. Institute of Transpersonal Psychology CSP - 'Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy' Other Links & URLs Allies Transpersonal and Shamanic Strategies, retrieve at www.byronmetcalf.com/allies Retrieve Chapter 1 of LSD Psychotherapy at www.psychedelic-library.org/grofhist.htmor The Psychedelic Library Homepage Goddard, G. (1997) Airing our transpersonal differences: Toward reconciliation. Retrieve at mars.ark.com/~gero/transdifA.html Tapes Retrieve at nepenthes.lycaeum.org/People/grof.html Videos Retrieve at www.thinkingallowed.com/4sgrof.html

Stanislav Grof A Brief Biography

Retrieve Chapter 1 of LSD Psychotherapy at www.psychedelic-library.org/grofhist.htmor The Psychedelic Library Homepage

Goddard, G. (1997) Airing our transpersonal differences: Toward reconciliation. Retrieve at mars.ark.com/~gero/transdifA.html

Stanislav Grof
A Brief Biography