Stanislav Grof Books

This comprehensive work is a tour de force through the worlds of psychology, psychotherapy, Holotropic Breathwork, maps of the psyche, birth, sex, and death, transpersonal experiences, psychospiritual death and rebirth, reincarnation, karma, mystical states, archetypes, spiritual emergency, art, artists, and higher creativity. Grof reviews the history of depth psychotherapy, the important revisions that are needed to make it more effective, and why the inner quest is such an essential activity.

Dr. Grof's extensive research on consciousness reveals that the roots of trauma often stem from birth experiences or unresolved historical events embedded in the collective unconscious. These unresolved issues manifest in individuals or groups connected to the past. Traditional therapies that focus solely on personal history or medication fail to address these deeper psychological wounds. Dr. Grof explores societal issues like violence and greed, suggesting that the fear and aggression prevalent among individuals and groups may largely arise from the unconscious expression of unresolved historical traumas. Despite this, he offers a hopeful perspective: there are therapeutic methods that utilize a specific non-ordinary state of consciousness, allowing individuals to access and heal these deep-seated traumas. He refers to this state as Holotropic, meaning “oriented toward wholeness.” Dr. Grof outlines various techniques to achieve this Holotropic state, emphasizing Holotropic Breathwork, which he developed with his partner Christina, and psychedelic therapy, which he pioneered in the 1950s and is now being revisited in clinical research for treating addictions and PTSD.

Beyond personal history and archetypal themes, a comprehensive psychology must address the significance of birth and death. Stanislav Grof, M.D., known for his pioneering work on the psychological and spiritual aspects of birth, now shares insights from over fifty years of research into death and dying. He distills teachings from ancient wisdom and modern science on how to confront death. This ultimate journey is a profound challenge, influencing our approach to life and death. Those who engage in deep self-exploration often develop a sense of planetary citizenship, reverence for all forms of life, and a universal spirituality. Such radical inner transformation may be humanity's best hope for survival. The text explores ancient and aboriginal rituals and spiritual practices that illuminate the experience of death, offering ways to ease the dying process and integrate it meaningfully into life. It also summarizes contemporary studies that provide new perspectives on phenomena related to death, including psycho-spiritual death and rebirth, near-death experiences, and the expanded cartography of the psyche derived from Grof's extensive research in psychedelic therapy, Holotropic Breathwork, and spontaneous psychospiritual crises.

The classic work by one of the founding fathers of consciousness research.

Beyond the Brain seriously challenges the existing neurophysiological models of the brain. After three decades of extensive research on those non-ordinary states of consciousness induced by psychedelic drugs and by other means, Grof concludes that our present scientific world view is as inadequate as many of its historical predecessors. In this pioneering work, he proposes a new model of the human psyche that takes account of his findings. Grof includes in his model the recollective level, or the reliving of emotionally relevant memories, a level at which the Freudian framework can be useful. Beyond that is perinatal level in which the human unconscious may be activated to a reliving of biological birth and confrontation with death. How birth experience influences an individual's later development is a central focus of the book. The most serious challenge to contemporary psycho-analytic theory comes from a delineation of the transpersonal level, or the expansion of consciousness beyond the boundaries of time and space. Grof makes a bold argument that understanding of the perinatal and transpersonal levels changes much of how we view both mental illness and mental health. His reinterpretation of some of the most agonizing aspects of human behavior proves thought provoking for both laypersons and professional therapists.

In his culminating work, the leading figure in consciousness research synthesizes findings from psychedelic therapy, Holotropic Breathwork, literature, cross-cultural studies, ancient mystical sources, and psychological data. This profound articulation of nonordinary states of consciousness reveals philosophical, metaphysical, and spiritual insights regarding human nature and reality. It addresses fundamental questions about existence, portraying life as a cosmic play that transcends time, space, and dualities, suggesting a deep connection between the individual psyche and the universal creative principle. This identity with the Divine is central to all major spiritual traditions. The book's significance lies in its alignment with the world's great wisdom traditions, offering modern corroboration of perennial philosophy. It presents a coherent picture of how individual experiences relate to universal consciousness patterns. Grof’s work integrates profound client experiences and demonstrates remarkable convergence with deep spiritual experiences across cultures and history. Stanislav Grof, MD, a psychiatrist with over fifty years of experience, has led significant research in nonordinary states of consciousness. He has held key positions at various institutions and is a founder of transpersonal psychology. He has received numerous accolades and authored several influential books on consciousness and psychotherapy.

Summarizes Grof's experiences and observations from more than forty years of research into non-ordinary states of consciousness.

Stanislav Grof's first 17 years of research into non-ordinary states of consciousness induced by LSD and other psychedelics led to a revolutionary understanding of the human psyche. His research was the impetus behind a vastly expanded cartography of the unconscious, including two new realms still unacknowledged by official academic circles--the perinatal domain, which holds memories of the various stages of birth, and the transpersonal domain, which mediates experiential identification with other species and mythic figures, visits to archetypal realms, access to past life memories, and union with the cosmic creative principle. The research presented in this book provides a map of the psyche that is essential for understanding such phenomena as shamanism and near death experiences as well as other non-ordinary states of consciousness. This map has led to the development of important new therapies in psychiatry and psychology for treating mental conditions often seen as disease and therefore suppressed by medication. It also provides a new threshold to understanding and entering the numinous realm of spirit.

This comprehensive work is a tour de force through the worlds of psychology, psychotherapy, Holotropic Breathwork, maps of the psyche, birth, sex, and death, transpersonal experiences, psychospiritual death and rebirth, reincarnation, karma, mystical states, archetypes, spiritual emergency, art, artists, and higher creativity. Grof reviews the history of depth psychotherapy, the important revisions that are needed to make it more effective, and why the inner quest is such an essential activity.

Here Grof presents a useful model of the psyche—a model extended by his thirty years of studying non-ordinary states of consciousness. It is useful for understanding such phenomena as shamanism, mysticism, psychedelic states, spontaneous visionary experiences, and psychotic episodes. The model is also useful in explaining the dynamics of experiential psychotherapies and a variety of sociopolitical manifestations such as war and revolution. This book might have been entitled Beyond Drugs. The second part describes the principles and process of the non-pharmacological technique developed by the author and his wife, Christina, for self-exploration and for psychotherapy. Grof explores in detail the components of this technique. He describes its method, its effective mechanisms, as well as its goals and potential. Its practice is simple, since it utilizes the natural healing capacity of the psyche.