About this episode
Stan Grof, M.D., Ph.D. is a psychiatrist with more than fifty years’ experience researching the healing and transformative potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness. His groundbreaking theories influenced the integration of Western science with his brilliant mapping of the transpersonal dimension. He is one of the founders and chief theoreticians of Transpersonal Psychology and received an Honorary Award for major contributions to and development of the field of Transpersonal Psychology from the Association for Transpersonal Psychology in 1993. Dr. Grof is also the founder of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA) and its past and current president. He has organized large international conferences throughout the world and continues to lecture and teach professional training programs in Holotropic Breathwork and transpersonal psychology. Currently, Dr. Grof is Professor of Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in the Department of Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness, and teaches at the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA. Website: stanislavgrof.com Some of Dr. Grof's many books: Healing Our Deepest Wounds: The Holotropic Paradigm Shift The Ultimate Journey: Consciousness and the Mystery of Death When the Impossible Happens: Adventures in Non-Ordinary Reality Holotropic Breathwork: A New Approach to Self-Exploration and Therapy (Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology) The Holotropic Mind: The Three Levels of Human Consciousness and How They Shape Our Lives Spiritual Emergency: When Personal Transformation Becomes a Crisis (New Consciousness Readers) The Adventure of Self-Discovery: Dimensions of Consciousness and New Perspectives in Psychotherapy and Inner Exploration (SUNY Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology) LSD: Doorway to the Numinous: The Groundbreaking Psychedelic Research into Realms of the Human Unconscious The Cosmic Game: Explorations of the Frontiers of Human Consciousness (S U N Y Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology) The Stormy Search for the Self: A Guide to Personal Growth through Transformational Crisis Interview conducted 10/24/2015 at the Science and Nonduality Conference Summary and transcript of this interview YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Stan Groff's Work 00:02:30 - Discovering a Life-Changing Book and Career Path 00:04:49 - Albert's Mysterious Experiment 00:06:45 - Albert's Bicycle Trip: A Transformative Experience 00:08:28 - The Life-Changing Session with the Strobes 00:10:08 - The transformative power of LSD sessions 00:12:02 - The Perception of the World 00:14:20 - The Unconscious and Spontaneous Episodes 00:16:07 - Peeling Layers of the Psyche 00:18:19 - Exploring the Boundaries of Consciousness 00:19:57 - Rediscovering Ancient Maps of Consciousness 00:21:52 - Expanding the Cartography of the Psyche 00:23:33 - The Levels of the Birth Process 00:25:24 - Archetypal Images and the Birth Process 00:26:54 - The Importance of Asking God for Answers 00:29:23 - World Events and Collective Consciousness 00:31:04 - Transforming Humanity and Saving the Species 00:33:06 - Using Psychedelics for Therapeutic Purposes 00:34:28 - Using breathwork for integration 00:35:46 - Bringing up the Unconscious through Breathing 00:37:10 - The Beginning of a Powerful Session Journey 00:39:38 - Non-drug techniques for therapeutic outcomes 00:41:11 - The Power of Breathwork and Healing 00:42:42 - Subtle Physiology and the Energy Field 00:44:22 - The Experience of Chakras and Energy Flow 00:45:57 - Choosing the Right Psychedelic Experience 00:48:01 - The Challenge of Maintaining Consciousness in a Digital Age 00:50:08 - Transformations through meditative practices and psychedelics 00:51:46 - Meditation in Action 00:53:18 - Training in Holotropic Breathwork 00:55:02 - Building Bonds Through Honest Reflection