Healing Our Deepest Wounds: The Holotropic Paradigm Shift by null

Healing Our Deepest Wounds: The Holotropic Paradigm Shift Reviews

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  applewood

  This book came about as the result of Dr. Grof receiving the prestigious "Vision 97" award from Dagmar and Vaclav Havel in 2007. As a recipient he was asked to prepare a publication representing his best work. This book is that presentation Grof's own choice of a best of representation of his most important areas of scientific interests and contributions, and in a 50+ year career this covers a wide range of ideas and insights!
  
  Grof's research has put him at the cutting edge of Transpersonal Psychology (he coined the term in the late 60's), in it's emergence from Maslow's humanistic psychology, which means he has rubbed shoulders with some the best and brightest of thinkers in the past half century. He has also conducted vast research into non ordinary states of consciousness (vast in quantity and scope, as with his high dose LSD clinical studies), and so has much to teach us on realms less accessible to our regular daily experience. What Dr. Grof has as a result contributed to modern psychology (although not yet very widely applied), is the notion that our health and dis ease is effected by three realms of experience 1) our regular history of conscious experiences from birth to present, 2) our unconscious (although imprinted) experiences of our birth trauma, and 3) our transpersonal connection to the collective unconscious, and our experience of endless lives from birth through death, as well as our subliminal sharing of memories and sense of oneness with others. He calls this holistic view "Holotropic" or "moving toward wholeness."
  
  This simple formulation (of a complete sense of what our personal history includes) alone is as profound as it is utterly simple. In my own life I have come to collect a variety of dots (memories, dreams and reflections as CG Jung might say), which when connected make up just the kind of picture or world view Grof is advocating. So reading this collection of Grof's writings is life affirming and inspiring for healing is an ongoing challenge for all of us. I am not familiar with all the subjects and thinkers he touches upon, nor have I ever participated in any kind of Holotropic Breathwork therapy, so I can't evaluate that portion of his writings. But I get the overall impression that Dr. Grof is very open minded and inclusive in his approach, which can (and sometime does for me) give the impression of inexact science (and thus sloppy thinking). An example of this is his praise of Fritjof Capra's The Tao of Physics, which was culturally ground breaking at the time, but not very scientifically or even philosophically accurate in retrospect. Another example is the way he classifies the states of consciousness, as with his BPM Basic Perinatal Matrices (this kind of classification always strikes me as pseudo scientific). I don't disagree with the classifications (since they are mostly outside my personal experience) as much as the need to define experience in such a way.
  
  But my personal misgivings are merely that. What I do like is how he has been willing (and productive) in studying what most scientists wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. This includes his clinical research into LSD psychiatric therapy, and various patient's experiences with "spiritual emergencies" and Holotropic Breathwork. What we get to read is a summary of a great thinker/researcher's life's work a synthesis of the past half century's scientific/spiritual inquiry, from the mainstream to the fringe. And for this I am very grateful. Another plus, a real added treat to the whole book, is the inclusion of abundant paintings and drawings (although shown in B&W), showing a poetic expression of these emotional and spiritual states and experiences. These works of art along with the inclusion of many research subject's personal stories to fill out these illustrations makes the whole book much interesting.
  
  One of the challenges of such an approach (the blending of art and science through descriptions of subjective states) is that it blurs the lines of modern knowledge and scientific inquiry by opening up a Pandora's box of mythology (astrology, shamanic journeys, mystical revelation, lucid dreams and hallucinations), all very fertile material, but not so easy to classify and define and get a handle on. In other words it is expansive by it's very nature, and so, outside of the current paradigm of materialistic science. This is not the solid ground of science, as much as the swampy bog where psyche meets substance, where dreams are made real (at least for their duration).
  
  Whether we are wanting insight and tools to heal ourselves and sort out our own vast mix of experiences, or merely to experience them vicariously through the experiences of Dr. Grof's patients and subjects, this book provides wonderful food for thought, application and holotropic growth.
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  Donna Rapp

  Not for everyone as some of this book can sound so unconventional that you may be shocked. For those of us who are familiar with some of the research and knowledge this book contains, it is refreshing! Great to know this work is being done! A must read if you are at all interested in psychedelic research and the human condition!
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  Praha2014

  This book was amazing to read after going through a Holotrophic workshop. It helped me understand my experiences during the workshop better and clearer. I achieved substantial healing and my experience was cathartic. I admire Dr. Grof and his work.
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  goodreads Customer

  Grof's writing is spectacular, his understanding of consciousness is beyond anything else available to read and allows for a non academic to understand & process
  Highly recommended
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  goodreads Customer

  This is one of the finest books I have read in a couple of years! WOW! Stan is a Sage!!!
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  goodreads Customer

  Brilliant book by an brilliant mind!
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  Katya Nova

  Truly. This book summarizes Stan Grof's most important findings and essentially, is his life's work. My husband & I signed up for the Holotropic Breathwork course immediately after reading this book. We owe it to ourselves and our children to transcend. Get this amazing book now!
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  Marijke Van de Venne

  Provides some answers on questions and explains some experiences I have been looking for for years now.
  A definitive Aha experience
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  Graham Mummery

  Stanislav Grof is one of the pioneers of transpersonal psychology who has spent over fifty years exploring consciousness and various ways of accessing it, including breathwork and LSD. He is a qualified psychiatrist whose researches are thorough and disciplined, and his work on LSD was on the scientifically and ethically disciplined end of the research, far from the "tune in and drop out" aspects that lead to the drug being banned.
  
  However, Grof's observations have also lead him to the radical conclusion that the current scientific paradigm is inadequate to explain what he has observed. He holds the view that a greater awareness of consciousness will make for a radical change in our view of ourselves. In doing this he has surveyed various forms of psychotherapy (including Freudian, Rankian and Jungian approaches) to develop an inclusive approach that addresses different levels of consciousness including the instinctual, personal, existential and archetypal.
  
  This is inevitably controversial in some conventional areas. I will leave readers to make their own mind up over these issues, though personally, I have found Grof's observations useful. What we get here is a succinct guide to his ideas that is engaging and and clear. Grof is also literate on the philosophical differences which lead him to accept evidence that others will discount.
  
  The book itself came about after Grof received an award from the former Czech President Vaclav Havel in 1997. It contains transcripts with speeches from the from the ceremony. There are also chapters on the history of transpersonal psychology, Grof's ideas about levels of consciousness, birth trauma, spiritual crisis, what his researches have revealed about the roots of violence, as well as on psychedelic research and a tribute to the discoverer of LSD Albert Hoffman.
  
  Readers familiar with Grof's work may find this holds little new for them. But the text is referenced for those who wish to follow up what is read here. That said there are some updates on some of his work. Those coming to Grof for the first time won't find a better short introduction even from the man himself.
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  goodreads Customer

  Always fascinating
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  emilia silvas/francis quinn

  interesting book, recommend it, scientifically based on an unconventional topic. may be of use for addicts and not only. very informative