A Pioneering Psychiatrist
The work of Stanislav Grof
The founder of Holotropic Breathwork and of a new cartography of the human psyche
Short bio
Stanislav Grof – A Brief Biography
Dr. Stanislav Grof (1931–) is a psychiatrist with more than seventy years of experience in the field of altered states of consciousness.
He was born in Prague, where he also completed his studies and began his scientific career. At first he researched, and actively took part in confirming, the therapeutic potential of LSD, then a fairly new and promising substance, along with some other psychedelic substances.
You can find much more here ...
Johns Hopkins, Baltimore
In 1967 he was invited to do research at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and he has lived and worked in the United States ever since. He continued his work as head of research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. He also taught at the Henry Phipps Clinic and at Johns Hopkins University.
Esalen Institute, California
In 1973, he became a resident researcher at the Esalen Institute in California, where he and his wife Christina devised a simple method for reaching holotropic states of consciousness: Holotropic Breathwork™.
International Association
He also founded the International Transpersonal Association (ITA) and organized and led many of its conferences around the world.
Teaching and Writing
He is currently a professor of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and writes books.
“Probably the greatest living psychologist in the world.”
HB Founder
Founder of a new cartography of the human psyche and, together with Christina Grof, co-founder of Holotropic Breathwork
The theoretical and practical founders of Holotropic Breathwork are the married couple Christina and Stanislav Grof
Many know Dr. Stanislav Grof as a pioneering researcher into the clinical use of LSD in psychotherapy. Others know him as a co-founder, together with Abraham Maslow and Anthony Sutich, of the movement known as transpersonal psychology. According to Ken Wilber, he is "probably the greatest living psychologist in the world."
Many have also heard of the technique he developed together with his wife Christina Grof, called Holotropic Breathwork™. In 2020, together with Brigitte Grof, he founded a new educational program for certified Holotropic Breathwork facilitators – Grof Legacy Training
2013
Stan Grof in Slovenia
In 2013, Stanislav Grof traveled around Europe and spent more than a week in Slovenia. He had originally planned the visit together with his wife and colleague Christina Grof, but unfortunately she had to cancel her participation due to health problems.
Here are the videos of the lectures: https://velosimed.com/workshops/holotropic-breathwork-hi7x
Stanislav Grof chose Slovenia because of the dedicated work of several individuals, which includes organizing Holotropic Breathwork workshops, providing training in this field, and researching the effects of Holotropic Breathwork on people's lives.
Together with Stanislav Grof, Mojca Studen developed questionnaires for evaluating the Holotropic Breathwork method ...
Lecture, 9 October 2013
A review and renewed fascination with psychology; the legacy of half a century of consciousness research
Seminar, 13 October 2013: Death and Dying
If you would like to hear the recording, you can contact .
Below are some photos taken during the break of the Sunday lecture in Preddvor.
Books
Bibliography
The Way of the Psychonaut (2019)
Realms Of The Human Unconscious: Observations From LSD Research (1975)
The Human Encounter With Death (1977) with Joan Halifax
LSD Psychotherapy (1980)
Beyond Death: The Gates Of Consciousness (1981) with Christina Grof
Ancient Wisdom And Modern Science (1984) edited by Stanislav Grof
Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death And Transcendence In Psychotherapy (1985)
Human Survival And Consciousness Evolution (1988) co-edited with Marjorie L. Valier
The Adventure Of Self-Discovery: Dimensions of Consciousness And New Perspectives In Psychotherapy (1988)
Spiritual Emergency: When Personal Transformation Becomes A Crisis (1989) co-edited with Christina Grof
The Stormy Search For The Self: A Guide To Personal Growth Through Transformative Crisis (1990) with Christina Grof
The Holotropic Mind: The Three levels Of Human Consciousness And How They Shape Our Lives (1992) with Hal Zina Bennett
Books Of The Dead: Manuals For Living And Dying (1993)
The Thirst For Wholeness: Attachment, Addiction And The Spiritual Path (1994) by Christina Grof
The Transpersonal Vision (1998) book and audio recording
The Cosmic Game: Explorations Of The Frontiers Of Human Consciousness (1998)
The Consciousness Revolution: A Transatlantic Dialogue (1999) with Peter Russell and Ervin Laszlo. Foreword: Ken Wilber
Psychology Of The Future: Lessons From Modern Consciousness Research (2000)
Caterpillar Dreams (2004) with Melody Sullivan
When The Impossible Happens: Adventures In Non-Ordinary Reality (2006)
The Ultimate Journey: Consciousness And The Mystery Of Death (2006)
"New Perspectives in Understanding and Treatment of Emotional Disorders," chapter 13 in: Psychedelic Medicine: New Evidence for Hallucinogens as Treatments, Michael J. Winkelman and Thomas B. Roberts (eds.) (2007). Westport, CT: Praeger/Greenwood.
LSD: Doorway to the Numinous: The Groundbreaking Psychedelic Research into Realms of the Human Unconscious (2009)