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Breathwork

Breathing Together, Healing Together

by Stanislav Grof, M.D.

In the last twenty years, my wife Christina and I have developed an approach to therapy and self-exploration that we call “Holotropic Breathwork™.” It induces very powerful Holotropic states using very simple means – primarily accelerated breathing and evocative music. In its theory and practice, this method brings together and integrates various elements from ancient and aboriginal traditions, Eastern spiritual philosophies, and Western depth psychology.

The Healing Power of Breath

It has been known for centuries that it is possible to influence consciousness by breathing techniques. These procedures used by various ancient and non-Western cultures vary from drastic interferences with breathing to subtle and sophisticated exercises of various spiritual traditions. In materialistic science, breathing lost its sacred meaning and was stripped of its connection to the psyche and spirit. In Western medicine, the psychosomatic response to faster breathing, the so-called hyperventilation syndrome, is considered a pathological condition, rather than what it really is, a process that has an enormous healing potential.

After experimentation, we found that it was sufficient to breathe faster and more effectively than usual and with full concentration on the inner process. Instead of emphasizing a specific technique, we follow the general strategy of Holotropic work to trust the intrinsic wisdom of the body. In Holotropic Breathwork, we encourage people to begin the session with faster and deeper breathing. Once in the process, they find their own rhythm and way of breathing.

The Healing Potential of Music

In Holotropic Breathwork, the consciousness-altering effect of breath is combined with evocative music. Like breathing, music and other forms of sound technology have been used for millennia as powerful tools in ritual and spiritual practice. Since time immemorial,

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monotonous drumming, chanting, and other forms of sound-producing techniques have been the principle tools of shamans in many different parts of the world. The archives of cultural anthropologists contain countless examples of trance-inducing methods of extraordinary power combining instrumental music, chanting, and dancing.

Carefully selected music seems to be of particular value in Holotropic states of consciousness, where it has several important functions. It mobilizes emotions associated with repressed memories, brings them to the surface, and facilitates their expression. It helps to open the door into the unconscious, intensifies and deepens the therapeutic process, and provides a meaningful context for the experience. The continuous flow of music creates a carrier wave that helps the subject move through difficult experiences and impasses, overcome psychological defenses, surrender, and let go.

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