Stanislav Grof (born 1931 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology and a pioneering researcher into the use of altered states of consciousness for purposes of healing, growth, and insight. Prague (Czech: Praha (IPA: ), see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... Transpersonal psychology is a school of psychology that studies the transcendent, or spiritual dimensions of humanity. ... The phrase altered state of consciousness was coined in the 1970s and describes induced changes in ones mental state, almost always temporary. ...

Grof is known in particular for his early studies of LSD and its effects on the psyche—the field of psychedelic psychotherapy. He constructed a theoretical framework for pre- and perinatal psychology and transpersonal psychology in which LSD trips and other powerfully emotional experiences were mapped onto one's early fetal and neonatal experiences. Over time, this theory developed into an in-depth cartography of the deep human psyche. Following the legal suppression of LSD use in the late 1960s, Grof went on to discover that many of these states of mind could be explored without drugs and instead by using certain breathing techniques in a supportive environment. He continues this work today under the title "Holotropic Breathwork". For other uses, see LSD (disambiguation). ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Psychedelic psychotherapy refers to psychotherapeutic practices involving the use of psychedelic drugs. ... Pre- and perinatal psychology is the study of the psychological implications of the earliest experiences of the individual, before (prenatal) and during (perinatal) childbirth. ... Transpersonal psychology is a school of psychology that studies the transcendent, or spiritual dimensions of humanity. ... Fetus at eight weeks Foetus redirects here. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Holotropic Breathwork is a psychotherapeutic approach developed by Stanislav Grof, M.D. which allows access to nonordinary states of consciousness. ...

Grof received his M.D. from Charles University in Prague in 1957, and then completed his Ph.D. in Medicine at the Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences in 1965, training as a Freudian psychoanalyst at this time. In 1967, he was invited as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, USA, and went on to become Chief of Psychiatric Research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center where he worked with Walter Pahnke and Bill Richards among others. In 1973, Dr. Grof was invited to the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, and lived there until 1987 as a scholar-in-residence, developing his ideas. The Charles University of Prague (also simply University of Prague; Czech: Univerzita Karlova; Latin: Universitas Carolina) is the oldest and most prestigious Czech university and among the oldest universities in Europe, being founded in 1340s (for the exact year, see below). ... // Psychoanalysis is a family of psychological theories and methods based on the pioneering work of Sigmund Freud. ... The Johns Hopkins University, founded in 1876, is a private institution of higher learning located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. ... Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more Motto: Get In On It (formerly The City That Reads and The Greatest City in America; BELIEVE is not the official motto but rather a specific campaign) Location of Baltimore in Maryland Coordinates: Country State County United States Maryland Independent City... University of Maryland, Baltimore, (also known as UMB, and occasionally as UMAB due to its former name, University of Maryland at Baltimore) was founded in 1807. ... Esalen Institute is a center for humanistic education, a nonprofit organization devoted to multidisciplinary studies ordinarily neglected by traditional academia. ... View of Lucia, Big Sur. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

Being the founding president of the International Transpersonal Association (ITA) (founded in 1977), he went on to become distinguished adjunct faculty member of the Department of Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness at the California Institute of Integral Studies, a position he remains in today. This is similar to the Association for Transpersonal Psychology, but with a more international emphasis. ... The California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is a private San Francisco, California-based graduate school whose programs focus on clinical psychology on one hand, and the study of the worlds various spiritual traditions on the other. ...

Notably, Grof's brother, Paul Grof, was chairman of the World Health Organization committee that evaluated ecstasy. Stanislav helped Rick Doblin deliver information about the drug to his brother. Paul ultimately dissented from the committee's decision to regulate Ecstasy as a Schedule I drug under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances. Paul Grof, a psychiatrist, was a member of the World Health Organization committee that evaluated ecstasy. ... Flag of World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, acting as a coordinating authority on international public health, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. ... MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine), most commonly known by the street names ecstasy or XTC (for more names see the full list), is a synthetic entactogen of the phenethylamine family, whose primary effect is believed to be the stimulation of secretion as well as inhibition of re-uptake of large amounts... Rick Doblin. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ...

Bibliography

• Realms Of The Human Unconscious: Observations From LSD Research (1975)
• The Human Encounter With Death (1977) with Joan Halifax
• LSD Psychotherapy (1980)
• Beyond Death: The Gates Of Consciousness (1981) with Christina Grof
• Ancient Wisdom And Modern Science (1984) Edited by Stanislav Grof
• Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death And Transcendence In Psychotherapy (1985)
• Human Survival And Consciousness Evolution (1988) Edited with Marjorie L. Valier
• The Adventure Of Self-Discovery: Dimensions of Consciousness And New Perspectives In Psychotherapy (1988)
• Spiritual Emergency: When Personal Transformation Becomes A Crisis (1989) Edited with Christina Grof
• The Stormy Search For The Self: A Guide To Personal Growth Through Transformative Crisis (1990) with Christina Grof
• The Holotropic Mind: The Three levels Of Human Consciousness And How They Shape Our Lives (1992) with Hal Zina Bennet
• Books Of The Dead: Manuels For Living And Dying (1993)
• The Thirst For Wholeness: Attachment, Addiction And The Spiritual Path (1994) by Christina Grof
• The Transpersonal Vision (1998)
• The Cosmic Game: Explorations Of The Frontiers Of Human Consciousness (1998)
• The Consciousness Revolution: A Transatlantic Dialogue (1999) with Peter Russell and Ervin Laszlo
• Psychology Of The Future: Lessons From Modern Consciousness Research (2000)
• Caterpillar Dreams (2004) with Melody Sullivan
• When The Impossible Happens: Adventures In Non-Ordinary Reality (2006)
• The Ultimate Journey: Consciousness And The Mystery Of Death 2006)

See also

• Transpersonal psychology
• Archetype
• Jungian psychology
• Integral theory (philosophy)

Transpersonal psychology is a school of psychology that studies the transcendent, or spiritual dimensions of humanity. ... An archetype is a generic, idealized model of a person, object or concept from which similar instances are derived, copied, patterned or emulated. ... Jungian psychology is a theory developed by Carl Gustav Jung, and is central to the Neopsychoanalytic school of psychology. ... This article is about integral theory in philosophy and psychology. ...

External links

• Holotropic Breathwork
• Stan Grof MP3 audio - from Shift in Action, sponsored by Institute of Noetic Sciences
• Grof biography