The Holotropic Mind: The Three Levels of Human Consciousness and How They Shape Our Lives

A truely inspired journey through an emerging paradigm in consciousness research. This book is an absolute must read for anyone who has seen the futility of modern material science's need to relegate the mind to the status of a physical anomaly.

The distance between the atoms in my brain is the same overall ratio as the distance between the stars in our galaxy. My head is basically empty space. Just thought you should know. Stanislav Grof is considered to be the Father of Transpersonal Psychology. His opinion that the psyche can be exterior to the brain is well formulated and respected though not necessarily agreed with by mainstream science. The notion that the universe is a machine made up of parts has a strong hold on much of Western Science. The Newtonian view that the universe is composed of solid matter is a hard nut to crack. The metaphysical assumptions seem so obvious. Consciousness is the product of our brains, of matter. Maybe, maybe not. The main objective of this book is to explore non-Newtonian views concerning the relationship of mind with matter. Views congruent with modern physics. Within the context that consciousness does not passively reflect the objective material world; it plays an active role in creating reality itself. Rather than seeing the universe as discrete objects and empty spaces the universe is seen as one continuous field of varying density. Matter and energy are interchangeable. Consciousness is integral to the universe and not limited by any of its parts. This is a book about how we are at a turning point in human history. A point where we have the opportunity to transcend our differences and create a seeming utopia on earth. Where we realize our interconnectedness with not only each other, but with all life on earth, even the universe itself. This is a most optimistic book where the future of man is concerned. We are an essential part of reality. It has taken us 14 Billion years to get here and the universe is on our side. It is our time to shine. Life, like baseball, is a field of dreams. Thou essence art that essence.

Stansilav Grof writes about non-ordinairy states of consciousness from the perspective on one who has experienced them. He explores three transpersonal realms: 1) "within" everyday reality, 2) "beyond" everyday reality, & 3) the "psychoid" realm. The author contends that experiential patterns he calls "Basic Perinatal Matrices" (BMPs) of which there are four, constitute the guiding forces within our lives. These patterns are specific and individualized to each human being, they are the "psychospiritual blueprints" that guide the experiences in our lives from an emotional and spiritual standpoint. These guiding forces can be accessed through altered states of consciousness. There are archetypes and symbolic experiences all human beings share based on the BMPs - these relate to "birth-death" experiences, artistic expression, spiritual symbolism/imagery and several other categories. The book connects/links humans based on their one common experience: physical birth and how it relates to the remainder of the human journey of life. It explores human transpersonal reality which is the core basis of life ... This is an excellent psychological treatise on a complex and controversial subject. Highly recommended reading! Erika Borsos (erikab93)

Stanislav Grof's new book is a moving journey into the depths and heights of the human psyche. Based on thirty-five years of consciousness research-originally with psychoactive substances, then with a powerful non-drug technique, Holotropic Breathwork ™--this work represents the most extensive mapping of inner space compiled to date. Edited with the help of a professional writer this is also one of the most accessible of Grof's writing, appealing both to the interested beginner and the veteran explorer.Grof's research suggests that profound healing happens automatically when people enter certain non-ordinary states of consciousness that are intrinsic to their own being. The process usually begins with a working through of emotionally charged memories from the lifetime. Eventually it deepens into a confrontation with biological birth and the inevitability of death, sequences that are intermixed with historical, karmic, and archetypal themes. Finally the process opens out into ecstatic transpersonal and spiritual realms, beyond the boundaries of individual consciousness. This book is full of fascinating case histories of people who have had the courage to look beneath the surface of everyday reality. Some of the accounts of healing and personal evolution described here will move and inspire you.Self-exploration of this type is truly a kind of final frontier. Grof makes a solid case for the reintroduction of healing practises that use non-ordinary states of consciousness, techniques that have been used in non-industrial cultures for thousands of years. The documented effects of these suggest a potential for healing and transformation "undreamed of" in traditional psychotherapy.

I recommend The Holotropic Mind to two audiences: the scientifically minded willing to follow solid research wherever it goes and the New Age enthusiast willing to explore a radical theory which seeks to explain a wide range of occult phenomenon, from pre-birth memories to ESP to life-after-death. Dr. Grof is skilled psychiatrist and researcher with solid academic credentials in the US and Europe. He was one of the first to experiment with LSD--experiment in the laboratory sense, not in the adolescent escapade sense. His decades of research with thousands of subjects, including himself, has convinced the doctor that altered states of consciousness are the gateway to understanding the nature of the human experience. P. 133 neatly summarizes Dr. Grof's approach, and his book's challenge to the typical Western reader: "The prevalent bias of the modern industrialized world is one of excluding all forms of spirituality as erroneous and misleading. ... While the existence of the experiences is a fact that can be confirmed by any serious researcher familiar with non-ordinary states of consciousness, there are various ways to interpret the same data. This is not so different from any other scientific question. After all the theory of gravity is not the same as gravity itself. Similarly, while we might refuse to take seriously past life experiences because we do not like the theories of reincarnations, we would not think of applying the same thinking to gravity, that is, denying that objects are falling because we do not like the theories of gravity that explain it. There are observable facts about reincarnation. ... It is important to remind ourselves that science never 'proves' anything; it only 'disproves' or 'improves' existing theories." This book is an easy read because it is filled with compelling case histories and stays away from polemic or 'newage' (rhymes with 'sewage') cant. Grof presents his data, places it in the context of other's theories, for example, Jung, William James and Maslow, then leaves the reader free for his own explorations and meaning-making. I wished for more details on his experimental methods, but perhaps that is better covered in one of his many other publications rather than in this slim and brisk volume.