Frequently asked questions

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What is Holotropic Breathwork?

Holotropic Breathwork is an approach to self-exploration that brings together inner discovery, human connection, and trust in the wisdom of your own psyche. It is built on a carefully prepared, supportive environment where trust can grow, personal boundaries are respected, and everyone has room to discover their own inner process.

At our workshops, creating this kind of space begins well before the workshop and continues throughout it. Preparation includes an individual conversation to assess whether participation is a good fit, an introduction to the approach, and time to get to know one another. An evening of socializing and an opening circle give participants the chance to share what matters to them, ask questions, and gradually feel a sense of belonging in the group. Clear agreements about confidentiality, consent, and mutual respect help create a space that can be trusted.

Empowerment is an integral part of the preparation and of the entire workshop. Your experience belongs to you: we respect your choices, your boundaries, and your own understanding of what is unfolding within you. Facilitators offer attentive support and trust in your capacity for inner discovery. We invite you to explore at your own pace, ask for support, and decide for yourself how much of your experience you wish to share.

In such an environment, breathing and evocative music support entry into non-ordinary states of consciousness. These can open space for bodily sensations, emotions, inner images, insights, and experiences of connection that may be harder to reach in an everyday state of consciousness. Each session unfolds differently. There is room for stillness and rest as well as for movement and emotional expression.

Participants work in pairs, taking turns in the roles of "breather" and "companion," also known as the sitter. The companion offers a calm, caring presence, and trained facilitators are available throughout the session. Both roles are valuable: receiving support and accompanying another person can each deepen our understanding of trust, vulnerability, and caring for one another.

The group is an essential part of the workshop. By listening, sharing, and compassionately accompanying one another, participants can feel a sense of belonging while keeping the freedom to follow their own individual path. The experience of being accepted in both our vulnerability and our strength can in itself be deeply meaningful.

This process continues with integration. Creative expression, sharing circles, rest, and guidance for the days after the workshop help participants explore the meaning of their experience and discover how to bring it into everyday life.

Holotropic Breathwork invites us to meet ourselves with greater openness, discover our inner resources, and experience how a caring, supportive community can support our personal exploration.

Martin Boroson summed up Holotropic Breathwork well: "In my view, one of the most common misconceptions about Holotropic Breathwork is spread, unintentionally, by Grof himself and by many trained facilitators. They describe the method mainly as a way to safely experience an unusual state of consciousness. Some people find this very appealing, but it overlooks the many other reasons for attending a workshop, and it does not accurately describe what most people experience as the main benefits of the workshop:

At a Holotropic Breathwork workshop, people often experience, for the first time, a space of deep safety and fundamental trust.

They learn to take a break from everyday life for their deeper concerns and dreams. They learn to bear witness to their own suffering and the suffering of others.

They learn to support one another through a dramatic process of unfolding. They learn that the vast spiritual treasures of the Cosmos are available within each of us.

They learn to trust their inner healer. They learn that experiencing their own truth is the fastest path to wholeness.

They learn to be compassionate toward themselves and others.

They learn to celebrate their own uniqueness and respect the differences of others.

They learn that it is okay to feel small and vulnerable, and that it is okay to feel big and powerful.

They learn to feel compassion for everything in the created universe as a part of themselves, and they realize that they too are a part of everything.

They learn to trust the deep wisdom of their own psyche and to remain open to its ever-evolving story."

Martin Boroson is the author of The One-Moment Master: Stillness for People on the Go and of the interfaith creation story Becoming Me, which is based on his Holotropic experiences.