Part of the audience was still crowding at the entrance, taking apart their headphones, when a large man leisurely came out from behind the scenes and sat down on the prepared sofa, comfortably and calmly, as if not on stage, but in his living room. The first impression is that he is younger than I expected (he is 81 years old). Even younger than his own photograph on the large poster to the right of the sofa. On the left is a poster with a famous portrait of Freud. I can't help but compare them. Grof's face is equally significant and unsmiling.

Transpersonal psychology is associated with the mystical (and not only for me: on the cover of the book, which is sold there at the entrance to the hall, Grof is all in concentric circles, with the slicked hair of an experienced gigolo, with a third eye in his forehead). And the mystical is often the work of charlatans. I went to meet him with trepidation and a great desire to check how it really was. But his behavior is very even, there is no steely shine in his eyes, there is no desire to charm in his manner, there is no desire to convince in his voice. In response to a question about working with cancer patients, he says: “We didn’t see the magic. The pain went away, sometimes for up to two weeks, pain that was no longer relieved by drugs. But there were no healings.”

The meeting begins with a conversation about psychedelics. Grof explains that he does not consider himself an LSD promoter. Using psychedelic plants should not be for fun, he emphasizes. They are sacred and deserve to be respected and handled responsibly. For him, it is just a tool, “like a microscope in biology or a telescope in astronomy.”

He says that he prefers to call states of consciousness “nonordinary” rather than “altered.” Changed means bad, defective. And this, on the contrary, is a state of expanded consciousness. In addition, in English the word “altered” is used to describe castrated animals. The owner of a cat can ask another: “Well, how did you “change” yours?” Of course, such a word is not suitable!

His way

• 1931 Born in Prague (Czechoslovakia).
• 1957 Graduated from Charles University in Prague.
• 1965 Received an academic degree (Ph.D.) in medicine.
• 1977 Became one of the founders of the International Transpersonal Association.
• 2012 Conducts master classes in different countries of the world, including Russia.

Psychologies:

Transpersonal psychology is an approach that makes use of non-ordinary states of consciousness and "supernatural" experiences. How would you describe them?

Stanislav Grof:

Any state of consciousness that differs from the usual, waking state, by definition, turns out to be “unusual”: meditation, trance, relaxation, the work of intuition, acting, mystical experience, erotic experiences, hypnosis, dreams, daydreams... Transpersonal psychology studies precisely these. They allow us to go beyond our personal biological and psychological history and gain access to the past, present and future of our Universe and other levels of reality described in the great spiritual traditions. There are also “supernatural” experiences - for example, clinical death, “memories” of previous lives and parapsychological phenomena such as telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition... Things that are inexplicable within the framework of classical psychology. But we must remember that transpersonal psychology is not parapsychology. She expands her field of activity, including research in the field of experimental psychology, neuropsychology, biology, and quantum therapy. It is an open system, not a set of dogmas and beliefs.

How did your interest in such conditions arise?

S.G.:

It arose as a result of my mystical experience, for which I was not at all prepared... I was born into a non-religious family and was raised in the most materialistic spirit, because my country, when I was 17 years old, came under Soviet influence. Everything that more or less resembled spirituality was irreconcilably rejected. Once I discovered Freud's works, they literally fascinated me. I became interested in psychiatry, enrolled in Prague Medical School, then joined a small group of psychoanalysts. But later psychoanalysis disappointed me, not the theory, but the practice, especially the fact that it required a lot of investment - time and money, and gave insignificant results. Even studying medicine, which was very orthodox among us, with a mechanistic idea of ​​the human body, closer to plumbing than to healing, became difficult for me. I almost began to regret choosing this career.

But you continued...

S.G.:

Yes, that’s how it all turned out... or that was fate. In 1956, our research department received a box of ampoules containing a strange substance from a large Swiss pharmaceutical laboratory. It was d-lysergic acid diethylamide, later known as LSD... In the letter, the laboratory asked us if we would agree to experiment with this drug, which had the property of causing special psychotic states: first we had to test it on our patients, then on ourselves... to find out from your own experience what psychosis is! Can you imagine? Of course, I volunteered to participate. I won’t go into details, but what happened transformed my life: after taking a small dose of this substance, I saw an extraordinary light. Later I realized that it was this unspeakable light that was described in the “Tibetan Book of the Dead”: it said that we are destined to see it when we pass into another world. Suddenly I felt like I was flying out of my body, as if my consciousness was flying straight into space, through galaxies and black holes, ever expanding. It seemed to me that I had merged with all that exists, that I was inside the physical Universe. I felt emotions of such intensity that I had never imagined before. Then my consciousness seemed to “narrow”, circled around my body and finally returned to it.

Perhaps it could be a short-term mental disorder?

S.G.:

No. I was a psychiatrist and immediately realized that this episode was not a crisis, but an incredibly positive one. He transformed me so much that only from that day did I feel that I had truly become a man. This profound change, sometimes called “return to self,” is, incidentally, one of the characteristics of clinical death and some spontaneous mystical experiences. This is why I have devoted much of my psychiatric career to redefining psychosis and exploring the therapeutic effectiveness of non-ordinary states of consciousness. First at the Prague Institute of Psychiatric Research, where for 15 years I conducted research, systematizing all the “visions” of my patients, “travels”, experiences, the impact on their quality of life, in some cases - their recovery... It was the work of a pioneer, because I had no knowledge of the spirit.

Were you not familiar with Jung's work?

S.G.:

No, because in Marxist society his books were included in the list of forbidden literature! In 1967, I was invited to teach in the United States, and when the Prague Spring happened a year later, I decided to stay. In 1973, I became a full-time faculty member at the Esalen Institute for Human Performance in California. Later, my wife Christina and I developed holotropic breathing, a special technique of hyperventilation of the lungs that allows you to “travel” into the unconscious and the other world. At the same time, my intuitive discovery was confirmed: our consciousness - if you like, our “spirit” - is located outside our brain.

What is Holotropic Breathwork Like?

S.G.:

This combination of intense breathing, specially selected physical exercises and music helps to remove bioenergetic and emotional blocks. The method of holotropic breathing is fundamentally different from the methods of traditional psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, which are based on verbal communication. But it has similarities with psychotherapy, where the main emphasis is on the direct expression of emotions and on exercises for the body (for example, Gestalt therapy). But our method is the only one that uses the healing potential that is inherent in altered states of consciousness.

How are classes going?

S.G.:

As a rule, these are group classes. Participants pair up and take turns acting as the breather and the “observer.” During breathing sessions, they draw mandalas in which they express their experiences. And then in small groups they talk about their experience of immersing themselves in the subconscious. Professional instructors constantly monitor the process. Their task is to provide assistance if necessary. At the end of the class they talk to each member of the group. Sometimes participants resort to the help of an instructor in order to more fully comprehend the experience, since new experiences can be very unusual. For this purpose, additional psychotherapeutic techniques are used.

Risk and breathing

“The holotropic breathing method seems easy, but this impression is extremely deceptive,” warns Stanislav Grof. It is not difficult to induce an unusual state of consciousness if you breathe quickly and to stimulating music. However, this can only be done under the guidance of experienced instructors. "The main risk is that the breather's subconscious will remain open and, if the session is not successfully completed, the unusual state of consciousness may persist for a long time and interfere with the person's daily life." In addition, this practice is contraindicated for those who suffer from heart and vascular diseases, or those who have had serious emotional problems in the past that led to their hospitalization in psychiatric institutions. “It is known that hyperventilation can also provoke attacks of epilepsy,” continues Stanislav Grof. “There are also some contraindications that can be determined using common sense, such as recent surgery, injury, or simply a serious illness.”

Most scientists attribute mystical experiences to the activation of certain areas of our brain. What will you answer them?

S.G.:

To say this is to ignore a significant body of research that shows that consciousness is not produced by the brain, like bile by the liver, but is located “somewhere else.” I compare the brain to a television: you can take it apart, study it, understand why it has a color picture and different programs, but this will not tell you anything about how the programs are produced and where they come from. To say that consciousness is just a product of the brain is the same as saying that television creates a program!

You claim that holotropic breathwork changes the lives of those who practice it. How?

S.G.:

Those who have come into conscious contact with the transpersonal part of their psyche gain a new appreciation for their existence and begin to respect the life of any being. Their attention shifts from the past and future to the present moment, they are less angry and offended and know how to enjoy life. Simple circumstances bring them joy: daily activities, food, lovemaking, nature and music. Another important consequence is the acquisition of universal spirituality. Unlike religious dogma, it is based on deep personal experience and is therefore reliable and convincing. In addition, people who have had a transpersonal experience feel wholeheartedly that they are citizens of planet Earth, and not members of one or another racial, social, ideological, political or religious group.

How did you meet Abraham Maslow, with whom you founded transpersonal psychology?

S.G.:

Arriving in the USA, I sent him the results of my observations, since at that time he was conducting research on spontaneous mystical experiences, which he called “paroxysmic experiences.” He was fascinated by my work and my conclusions about the transcendental character of the human mind, and he invited me to participate in the meetings of his humanistic psychology group. I once put forward the idea that in order to better understand why our psyche is able to transcend the boundaries of space and time, we must take into account research in the fields of neurophysiology, biology and quantum physics. And he proposed to found a new school of transpersonal psychology, that is, psychology that goes “beyond the personality.”

How was this movement received by the American psychological community?

S.G.:

He was completely ignored in official circles*. But we have received support from renowned researchers working in different disciplines, including Nobel Prize winners in physics. To think that any spiritual impulse is psychopathology, and to look for its causes in unresolved conflicts of early childhood, is to be at least 30 years behind the current level of our knowledge of human consciousness.

In Russia, your views evoke constant interest and at the same time a certain skepticism, if not fear. How do you explain this?

S.G.:

The fact is that my method radically questions the usual models of work. It must be admitted that it is not easy for a specialist to abandon the theory on which he based his entire practice and even his existence in order to accept a different system of thinking. But I see that more and more people every day realize their need to establish a connection with the spiritual dimension, their higher self. This need urgently and urgently requires satisfaction! Now I have no doubt: the psychology of the 21st century will be transpersonal, because it is involved in the transformation of the consciousness of the planet.

*The American Psychological Association does not recognize transpersonal psychology as a scientific discipline or the Association for Transpersonal Psychology as a scientific entity. However, the British Psychological Society has established a department of transpersonal psychology since 1996, and it has thus gained recognition in the professional community.

About it

• “Healing our deepest wounds. Holotropic paradigm shift” Stanislav Grof (Ganga, 2012).
• “Journey in Search of Self” Stanislav Grof (AST, 2004).

Grof Stanislav - Psychology of the future. Lessons from Contemporary Consciousness Research - read book online for free

Annotation

Stanislav Grof is widely recognized as the founder and theorist of transpersonal psychology, and his pioneering research into non-ordinary states of consciousness is an important contribution to understanding the nature of consciousness and healing.

In this final book, Grof offered readers an unprecedented amount of data, experiences and facts about unusual states of consciousness, collected by him during almost half a century of research.

Stanislav Grof
PSYCHOLOGY OF THE FUTURE
Lessons from modern consciousness research

PSYCHOLOGY OF THE FUTURE

Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research

State University of New York Press

Translation from English by Stanislav Ofertas

Scientific editor Vladimir Maikov

Publishing house of the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology

Publishing house K. Kravchuk

Publishing house AST

To my wife Christina

With much love and deep gratitude

for your contribution to ideas,

expressed in this book

Editor's Preface

Among the peaks of modern knowledge about man there are obvious, so to speak, “eight-thousanders”. This is how mountaineers call peaks that approach or exceed eight thousand meters in height. One of these peaks is Stanislav Grof, who, along with Freud and Jung, can be called a great innovator and master of modern psychology and psychotherapy.

I was lucky enough to meet Grof in 1989, when he came to Moscow for the third time to conduct a three-day seminar on holotropic breathwork and transpersonal psychology. Before that, my first correspondence meeting with Grof took place in 1980, when I became acquainted with the “samizdat” book "Areas of the Human Unconscious", which I was then destined to publish officially. A man who later became my close friend for many years, until his death, Vitaly Nikolaevich Mikheykin, one of the devotees of “samizdat” and underground psychology, gave me the manuscript of his translation of this book, after which I, like many, after reading Grof walked around as if stunned. It seemed to me that Grof had found the ends of many elusive mysteries of human existence and the mysteries of the cosmos, and tied together the threads of the worlds of science and the existential and mysterious worlds.

Grof really hit upon something extremely important: every person can have experiences of extraordinary intensity and richness, everyone is a cluster of myths, stories, legends, he is that “point aleph” of Borges, where everything converges in one, where the beginning and end of everything, where everyone can free themselves and there is a path to liberation, based on modern data. I then realized that Grof’s four perinatal matrices, described in his cartography of the psyche, are something like guards on the path to freedom.

In encyclopedias on psychology, the name of Stanislav Grof comes third, after Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, among the largest innovators of the science of the secrets of the human soul. Grof's revolutionary discoveries, still ignored by official medicine, inspired the cult directors the Wachowski brothers to create the Matrix film trilogy. The world-famous scientist gave an exclusive interview to Pravda.Ru.
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Dear Stanislav, let me thank you that in the year of your 75th anniversary you found the time for such a serious and large-scale conversation with us. Carl Jung also argued that the baby’s psyche is not a “tabula rasa”. Based on many years of clinical research, you have come to the conclusion that our unconscious contains perinatal (that is, prenatal) and transpersonal areas. But why does official medicine ignore these discoveries?

Modern research in the field of consciousness has brought a lot of evidence that the models of the human psyche that dominate today in official psychology and psychiatry are superficial and inadequate. Based on many years of data from psychedelic research, I had to create an extremely expanded model of the psyche by adding two large areas - perinatal and transpersonal.

The perinatal area refers to memories of intrauterine life and biological birth. This area consists of four basic perinatal matrices, corresponding to the four stages of labor - from blissful rest in the womb to birth. The transpersonal realm contains experiences of identification with other people, other species, episodes from the lives of our ancestors, both humans and animals, as well as the historical collective unconscious as interpreted by Jung.

My cartography of the psyche bears a great resemblance to Jung's views, except for one fundamental thing. I was surprised and disappointed that Jung vehemently denied that biological birth had any psychological significance, that it was a major psychological trauma. Even shortly before his death, in an interview, Jung denied any possibility of such a meaning.

ATTENTION:

This post is NOT a call for drug use, just as this entire blog is NOT a call for widespread immersion in trance states, opening of the third eye, contact with aliens and dancing naked with a tambourine around the fire.

Each reader has the right to take away from the information transmitted for reflection exactly as much as his personal comfort zone and its framework allow.

If the questions raised take you sharply outside of this sacred zone and/or awaken righteous anger in you, it is recommended.. ).

My (and not only my) experience of working with users of various drugs shows that they pollute the channels of perception in the long term, in some cases making meditative states and full-fledged energy cleansing/independent corrections difficult to implement, and can switch these channels to their own, egregorial ones ( cm Persons with extensive experience with psychedelics (any) usually have more difficulty maintaining focus, both in the normal state of consciousness and in the meditative state. Sometimes the nervous system can be burned out until there is a complete lack of sensitivity to energies and the perception of subtle planes, the antennas are reconfigured to perceive illusory realities, the connection with the VY is blocked,

a gray haze forms, sometimes condensing to a black oil-like substance (strong emotions of anger, grief, hatred, etc. can have the same effect). Depending on natural defenses, breakdowns in the aura can have extremely disastrous results and attract entities based on the principle of similarity (hence the difficulties with depression and addiction).

However, as has already been said many times, there is no one-size-fits-all rule, there is only a statistical average, and it usually varies.

The term "holotropic" means "aimed at restoring wholeness" or "moving in the direction of wholeness. The basic philosophical premise of holotropic therapy is that the average person in our culture lives and acts at a level well below his potential capabilities. Psychologist Stanislav Grof successfully develops this direction in psychology. According to Stanislav Grof, this impoverishment is explained by the fact that a person identifies himself with only one aspect of his being, with the physical body and the Ego. This false identification leads to an inauthentic, unhealthy and unfulfilling lifestyle, and also causes emotional. and psychosomatic disorders of a psychological nature. Transpersonal psychology of Stanislav Grof considers such cases. The development of symptoms of distress can be considered an indicator that a person, based on false premises, has reached a critical point.

The duration and depth of such a breakdown fully correlates with the development of psychotic phenomena, as Stanislav Grof points out. The resulting situation turns out to be crisis or even critical, but at the same time very fruitful. According to Stanislav Grof, the symptoms that appear reflect the body’s effort to free itself from stress and trauma and return to natural functioning.

The main goal of experiential techniques in psychotherapy is to activate the unconscious, to release the energy tied up in emotional and psychosomatic symptoms. Holotropic therapy, transpersonal therapy by Stanislav Grof promotes the activation of the unconscious to such an extent that this leads to unusual states of consciousness. This principle is relatively new in Western psychotherapy, although it has been used for centuries in the shamanic and healing practices of many peoples and in the rituals of various sects. According to Stanislav Grof, for psychotherapy, which uses such powerful means of influencing consciousness, the personalistic and biographically oriented ideas of modern academic psychology are completely insufficient.

In this kind of work, it often becomes clear to Stanislav Grof already in the first session that the roots of psychopathology extend much further than the events of early childhood and go beyond the boundaries of the individual unconscious. Empirical psychotherapeutic work reveals, behind the traditional biographical roots of symptoms, deep connections with extrabiographical areas of the soul, such as elements of an encounter with the depths of death and birth, with characteristics of the perinatal level with a wide range of facts of a transpersonal nature. As Stanislav Grof says, transpersonal vision can explain many things.

Practical work shows that the dynamic structure of psychogenic symptoms contains extremely powerful emotional and physical energies. Therefore, any attempt to seriously influence them is extremely problematic. A therapeutic context that provides and enhances direct experience is required to produce noticeable results in a relatively short period of time. Moreover, given the multilevel nature of psychogenic symptoms, the clinician's conceptual framework must include the perinatal and transpersonal levels of the psyche, without which therapeutic work cannot be fully effective. If the unfinished gestalts of serious mental traumas are not processed, if the process of practical therapy is focused on the biographical level, then its results are usually incomplete.

Immediate and long-term effects are dramatized as self-analysis deepens, reaching the limits of birth and death. Claustrophobia and other types of anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies, alcoholism, drug addiction, asthma, migraines, sadomasochistic tendencies and many other problems can be deeply worked through perinatal experiences. However, in cases where the problems are rooted in the transpersonal realm, the final result cannot be obtained until the person agrees to the specific experiences of the transpersonal experience. There may be intense experiences of past incarnations, themes of the racial and collective unconscious, as well as many other topics. Different schools of psychotherapy differ greatly from each other in their understanding of the nature and functioning of the human psyche, interpretation of the origin and dynamics of psychogenic symptoms, as well as attitudes regarding successful strategies and techniques of psychotherapy. This fundamental mismatch of views on basic issues is one of the reasons that psychotherapy does not have the status of a scientific procedure. One can support the idea, first put forward by Carl Gustav Jung, that the psyche has a powerful potential for self-healing, and the source of autonomous healing powers is the collective unconscious. Hence, the doctor’s task comes down to helping to get to the deep layers of the psyche, without engaging in rational consideration of problems using any specific methods of changing a person’s mental situation according to a pre-determined plan.

Healing turns out to be the result of the dialectical interaction of consciousness with the individual and collective unconscious. The technique of psychotherapy, developed on the basis of modern research of consciousness, relies primarily on direct experience as the initial transformative means. Verbal options are used in the preparation stage and then at the end of the session to enhance the integration of experiences. The doctor shapes the direction of the work, creates a friendly work environment and offers techniques that activate the unconscious through breathing, music and body work. Under such conditions, existing symptoms intensify and move from a latent state into a manifested state, becoming accessible to consciousness. The doctor's task is to facilitate this spontaneous manifestation, fully trusting this autonomous healing process. The symptoms are blocked energy and extremely concentrated experiences. And here the symptom turns out to be not only a problem, but an opportunity in equal measure. When the energy is released, the symptom is transformed into a conscious experience and, thanks to this, can be worked on. It is very important that the doctor facilitates involuntary disclosure without interfering with the process and specifics of the experiences, no matter what nature they acquire - biographical, perinatal or transpersonal.

The main credo of holotropic therapy is the recognition of the potential of unusual states of consciousness, capable of transformation and evolution, and having a healing effect. Since in these states of consciousness the human psyche is capable of spontaneous healing activity, holotropic therapy uses methods of activating the psyche and inducing unusual states of consciousness. This usually leads to a change in the dynamic balance of the original symptoms, which are transformed into a stream of unusual experiences that disappear in this process.

It is very important that the therapist facilitates the unfolding (development) of this process, even if he does not understand it at some point. Some experiences, despite their powerful transformative power, may not have any specific content; they may represent intense emotions or physical tension followed by deep relief and relaxation. Quite often, insight and specific content emerges later or even in subsequent sessions. In some cases, resolution (result) appears at the biographical level, in others - in perinatal material or in themes of transpersonal experiences. Sometimes a dramatic healing process and personality transformation, accompanied by results extended over time, are associated with an experience that defies rational understanding.

The holotropic therapy procedure itself includes: controlled breathing, stimulating music and various forms of sound, as well as focused work with the body. It has been a known fact for centuries that through breathing, regulated in various ways, it is possible to influence the state of consciousness. The procedures that were used for these purposes in the ancient cultures of the East varied quite widely - from active (violent) interventions in the respiratory process to sophisticated methods of spiritual practices (traditions). Profound changes in consciousness can be caused by changes in breathing frequency - hyperventilation and, conversely, slowing down, as well as a combination of these techniques.

From a generally accepted physiological point of view, hyperventilation leads to excessive release of carbon dioxide from the body, the development of hypocapnia with a decrease in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in the alveolar air and oxygen in the arterial blood, as well as respiratory alkalosis. Some researchers have traced the hyperventilation chain of changes in homeostasis even further, right down to biochemical processes in the brain. It turned out that the changes here are very similar to those that occur under the influence of psychedelics. This means that intense breathing can be a nonspecific catalyst for deep mental processes. Numerous experiments by S. Grof revealed that in pneumocatharsis, the main importance is not the specific breathing technique (there are a great many of them in different approaches), but the very fact that breathing for 30-90 minutes was performed at a faster pace and deeper than usual . In this case, many participants in a psychotherapy session experience deep transformative experiences. Most of them experience the process of death and rebirth in a symbolic form, or even literally remember their own birth. Many examples can confirm the correctness of Wilhelm Reich regarding the fact that psychological resistance and defense use mechanisms of breathing restriction. Respiration is an autonomous function, but it can be influenced by volition; increasing the rhythm of breathing and increasing its effectiveness contributes to the release and manifestation of unconscious (and superconscious) material.

Indeed, until you witness in a session or experience this process personally, it is difficult to believe, on theoretical grounds alone, in the power and effectiveness of this technique. The nature and course of experimental sessions using the hyperventilation method varies significantly among different people, so this experience can only be described in general and average terms. Sometimes prolonged hyperventilation enhances relaxation, a feeling of expansion (consciousness) and comfort, and causes visions of light. There are strong experiences associated with an exciting feeling of love and unity with all people, nature, space and God. Experiences of this kind have extremely healing powers and should be encouraged and promoted in every possible way; this is discussed in advance at a preliminary conversation.

It is simply amazing how many people, under the influence of Western culture or for some other reason, are unable to accept ecstatic experiences without suffering and hard work, and sometimes even under these conditions. Perhaps this is due to the feeling of undeserving of such an experience and the feeling of guilt that arises in connection with this. If this can be explained and the person accepts such experiences, then the session proceeds from beginning to end without any intervention on the part of the therapist and turns out to be extremely beneficial and productive. As the number of sessions accumulates, the likelihood of such a smooth flow increases. However, in most cases, hyperventilation first causes quite dramatic consequences in the form of intense emotional and psychosomatic manifestations.

Let's briefly look at the misconceptions regarding hyperventilation that are ingrained in the Western medical model. In textbooks on respiratory physiology, the so-called “hyperventilation syndrome” is described as a standard and obligatory physiological response to rapid breathing. This primarily includes the famous “carpopedal spasm” - involuntary twitching and spasm of the arms and legs. Symptoms of hyperventilation syndrome are usually viewed in a pathological context and explained in terms of biochemical changes in the composition of the blood, such as increased alkalinity and decreased calcium ionization. It is well known that some patients suffering from mental illness are prone to developing forms of hyperventilation with dramatic emotional and psychosomatic manifestations; this is especially true for patients with hysteria. Usually, when signs of hyperventilation appear, they begin to give tranquilizers, give intravenous infusions of calcium, and put a paper bag over the face to prevent a decrease in carbon dioxide in the lungs. This understanding of hyperventilation is not entirely correct. There are many people who do not develop the classic "hyperventilation syndrome" even after prolonged sessions; on the contrary, they experience a feeling of increasing relaxation, intense sexual feelings and even mystical experiences. Some of them develop tensions in various parts of the body, but the nature of these tensions is very different from a “carpopedal spasm.” Moreover, prolonged hyperventilation not only does not cause a progressive increase in tension, but leads to a critical climax, followed by deep relaxation. The nature of this sequence is comparable to an orgasm. In addition, in repeated holotropic sessions the overall amount of muscular tension and dramatic emotion tends to decrease.

Everything that happens in this process can be interpreted as the body’s desire to respond to a change in the biochemical situation by bringing to the surface in a fairly stereotypical form various outdated, deeply hidden tensions and releasing them through peripheral discharge. This usually happens in two ways. The first of these takes the form of catharsis and arousal, which includes tremors, twitching, dramatic body movements, coughing, gasping, gagging, screaming and other vocal manifestations or increased activity of the autonomic nervous system. This mechanism is well known in traditional psychiatry from the works of S. Freud and D. Breuer devoted to the study of hysteria. It is used in traditional psychiatry in the treatment of traumatic and emotional neuroses, as well as in new experimental psychiatry, such as neo-Reichian practice, Gestalt practice and Arthur Yanov's primal therapy. The second mechanism is fundamentally new for psychiatry and psychotherapy and appears to be much more effective and interesting than the first. In this case, deep tensions manifest themselves in the form of prolonged contractions and prolonged spasms. By maintaining such muscle tension for a long time, the body wastes a huge amount of accumulated energy and, freeing itself from it, facilitates its functioning.

The typical result of a holotropic session is deep emotional release (unloading) and physical relaxation. Thus, prolonged hyperventilation is an extremely powerful and effective stress reliever that promotes emotional and psychosomatic healing. Spontaneous cases of hyperventilation in people suffering from mental illness can therefore be considered as an attempt at self-medication. We find a similar understanding in the literature describing the technique of spiritual development, for example, Kundalini yoga, where manifestations of this kind are called “kriya”. It follows from this that spontaneous hyperventilation must be supported in every possible way, and not suppressed. The nature and course of a holotropic session depend on the individual characteristics of the person and change during the session. Sometimes a session can proceed from beginning to end without any emotional or psychosomatic disruptions.

However, in most cases it all begins with a fairly dramatic experience, which after some time, which is individually significant, is replaced by strong emotions and the development of stereotypical patterns of muscle tension. The emotional expressions observed in this context range widely; the most typical of them are anger and aggression, anxiety, sadness and depression, feelings of failure, humiliation, guilt and insignificance. Physical manifestations include, in addition to muscle tension, also headaches and pain in various parts of the body, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, choking, increased salivation, sweating, sexual sensations and a variety of motor movements. There are people who remain completely calm, almost motionless; they can experience very deep experiences, and at the same time it seems to an outside observer that either nothing is happening to them, or they are just sleeping. Other people become very agitated and exhibit increased motor activity. They shake, twist in complex movements, roll from side to side, assume fetal positions, act like babies struggling in the birth canal, or look and act like newborn babies. It is also quite common to observe movements resembling crawling, swimming, digging, climbing and the like. Often movements and gestures are surprisingly refined, complex, specific and diverse. You can see strange animalistic movements imitating snakes, birds and other representatives of this world, accompanied by corresponding sounds. Physical tension develops in certain parts of the body during a breathing session. Not being simple physiological reactions to hyperventilation, they are complex psychosomatic structures that depend on individual characteristics and, as a rule, have specific psychological content characteristic of a given person. Sometimes they are an intensified version of the usual tensions and pains, manifested in the form of chronic problems or in the form of symptoms that arise during moments of emotional or physical stress, fatigue, insomnia, weakness caused by illness, alcohol or drug use. In other cases, they can be seen as a reactivation of old problems that arose during infancy, childhood, puberty, or as a result of severe emotional stress. Regardless of whether a person recognizes specific events in his biography in these physical manifestations, they are still interesting to consider in terms of psychological meaning or content. For example, if a spasm develops in the arms and legs (“carpopedal spasm” in traditional terminology), this indicates the presence of a deep conflict between a strong desire to perform certain actions and an equally strong tendency to restrain (inhibit) this action. The dynamic balance thus created is the simultaneous activation of the flexor and extensor muscles of the same intensity. People who experience these spasms usually report that throughout their lives, or at least most of their lives, they have felt suppressed aggressiveness, suppressed urges to lash out at others, or experienced unfulfilled sexual urges.

Sometimes painful tensions of this kind are unfulfilled creative impulses: such as, for example, painting, dancing, singing, playing a musical instrument, some kind of craft or activity carried out with the hands. This approach allows us to penetrate into the essence of the conflict that gives rise to these tensions. As a rule, the process, having reached the climax of tension, is replaced by deep relaxation and a feeling of removing an obstacle that interfered with the free circulation of energy in the hands. Often people who experience this discover various creative abilities and achieve amazing success in drawing, writing, dancing or crafting.

Another important source of muscle tension is memories of past surgeries or injuries. During periods that cause pain and suffering to a person, one has to suppress, sometimes for a long time. Emotional and physical reactions to pain. And if the trauma is only healed anatomically and not emotionally integrated, it remains as an incomplete gestalt. Therefore, physical trauma is fraught with serious psychological problems, and, conversely, working through it in therapeutic sessions can contribute to emotional and psychosomatic recovery. Leg muscle tension has the same dynamic structure, only less complex; this reflects the fact that the role of the legs in human life is simpler than the role of the arms (hands). Many of the problems involved are related to the use of the legs and feet as instruments of aggression, especially in early life. Tension and spasms in the hips and buttocks are often associated with sexual defensiveness, fears and inhibitions, especially in women. The archaic anatomical name of one of the thigh muscles actually sounds like “guardian of virginity” - musculus custos virginitalis. Many muscle strains can be correlated with physical injury. At a deeper level, the dynamic conflicts that cause tension in the muscles of the limbs and many other parts of the body are associated with the "hydraulic" circumstances of biological birth. At this stage of the birth process, the baby is exposed, often for many hours, to a situation of terror, anxiety, pain and suffocation. This causes powerful neural stimulation that receives no peripheral output because the child cannot breathe, scream, move, or escape the situation. The blocked energy accumulates, as a result, in the body, and is stored equally in the flexor and extensor muscles. If this dynamic conflict comes out for release (time-delayed), it occurs in the form of intense and purely painful spasms. Sometimes the deeper causes of tension in the arms and legs can be traced to the realm of transpersonal experiences, particularly with various past life memories. It is interesting to note that many tensions in other parts of the body are observed in those places that the tantric system calls the centers of psychic energy of the “subtle body” - chakras. This is not surprising, since the techniques of holotropic therapy are similar to the exercises used in the tantric tradition, which places great importance on breathing. During a typical breathing session, tensions and blockages intensify and become more pronounced. Long breathing promotes dynamic development, reaching the climax of the process with resolution and release.

Transpersonal psychology views a person as a spiritual cosmic being, inextricably linked with the entire Universe, Cosmos, humanity, with the ability to access the global information cosmic field. Through the individual unconscious psyche, a person is connected with the unconscious psyche of other persons, with the collective unconscious of humanity, with cosmic information, the “world mind.”

The original founders of transpersonal (transpersonal) tendencies were K. G. Jung, R. Assagioli, A. Maslow. Their ideas about the collective unconscious, about the “higher self,” about the unconscious mutual influence of people on each other, about the role of “peak experiences” (on the verge of life and death) in personality development served as the basis for the development of transpersonal psychology.

Stanislav's experimental research Grof(b. 1931) confirm the correctness of C. G. Jung’s concept of the inextricable connection of human consciousness with the unconscious phenomena of the personal and collective unconscious, with archetypes, the possibility of human access to the global information field of the collective unconscious and cosmic consciousness in transpersonal experiences.

In the course of experimental studies conducted over 30 years, S. Grof discovered that when a person from the level of consciousness, using special methods (such as meditation, rebirthing, holotropic breathing) begins to penetrate into the area of ​​his unconscious psyche, he goes through several levels:

• 1. Touch threshold. When passing the sensory threshold, a person experiences unusual sensations: a variety of physical and painful sensations in the body (physical barrier), unaddressed, previously often suppressed emotions (a person wants to cry or laugh without any specific reason - emotional barrier) actualization of visual and sound images (color spots, geometric shapes, some landscapes may flash in the field of vision behind closed eyelids, various sounds are heard - figurative barrier).
• 2. Individual personal unconscious (biographical level). Any events or circumstances of a person’s life from the moment of birth to the present moment, which have a high emotional significance of experiences, are actually experienced again. Memories from the biography do not appear separately, but form the so-called systems of condensed experience, representing a dynamic combination of memories from different periods of a person’s life, united by a strong emotional charge of the same quality, intense bodily sensations of the same type.
• 3. Level of birth and death (perinatal matrices). Grof called the next level of the unconscious psyche perinatal(information is stored here about the peculiarities of intrauterine development and the birth of a child, about being on the verge of life and death). Perinatal matrices - these are the deep structures of the unconscious psyche, which contain information about the experiences and sensations of the body from the moment of conception to the completion of birth. Under normal conditions, they are not recognized by a person, although they can significantly influence his health, psyche, behavior and life.

With further immersion into the unconscious psyche, a person can go beyond the limits of his individual psyche, into the transpersonal region.

4. The transpersonal area reveals a person’s connection with the Cosmos, with the collective unconscious, with the world information field, when a person’s consciousness goes beyond ordinary limits and overcomes the limitations of time and space. Transpersonal experiences are interpreted by those who have experienced them as a return to historical times and an exploration of one’s biological and spiritual past, when a person lives through memories from the life of his ancestors, from his incarnations. An individual can go beyond the boundaries of purely human experience and tap into what appears to be the consciousness of animals, plants, or even inanimate objects and processes.

An important category of transpersonal experience will be a variety of phenomena extrasensory perception, for example, the experience of existing outside the body, telepathy, predicting the future, clairvoyance, movement in time and space, the experience of meetings with the souls of the dead or with superhuman spiritual entities. Sometimes transpersonal experience includes events from the microcosm and macrocosm; from areas inaccessible directly by human senses, or from periods historically preceding the appearance of the Solar system, Earth, and living organisms. These experiences clearly indicate that in some as yet inexplicable way, each of us has information about the entire Universe, about everything that exists, each has potential empirical access to all its parts.

A person simultaneously acts as a material object and a vast field of consciousness. People can become aware of themselves through two different modes of experience.

* The first mode can be called hylotropic consciousness(from Greek hyle - matter). It implies knowledge of oneself as a tangible physical being with clear boundaries and a limited sensory range. Experiences of this mode systematically support the following basic assumptions: matter is material; two objects cannot simultaneously occupy the same space; past events are irretrievably lost; future events are empirically inaccessible; It is impossible to be in two or more places at the same time.

* Another empirical mode can be called holotropic consciousness(from Greek holos - whole). Such consciousness is inherent in the few people who have the experience of "peak" and transpersonal experiences. This mode implies a field of consciousness without certain boundaries, which has unlimited experiential access to various aspects of reality without the mediation of the senses. Experiences in the holotropic mode are systematically supported by assumptions opposite to those of the hylotropic mode: the materiality and continuity of matter is an illusion; time and space are highly arbitrary - the same space can be occupied by many objects at the same time; past and future can be empirically transferred to the present moment; You can have the experience of being in several places at once.

Human nature reflects a fundamental duality between the experience of separate existence as a material object and the experience of limitless existence as an undifferentiated field of consciousness, i.e. both hylotropic and holotropic modes are natural to humans.