HOLOTROPIC BREATHWORK: EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED

HISTORY

Holotropic Breathwork® is a powerful experiential process of personal discovery and inner exploration where participants use the power of their own breath along with loud evocative music in a safe and supportive setting, to enter an inner journey to discover enhanced states of awareness for healing, connection and insight.

H.B. was developed by Stanislav Grof, a psychiatric medical doctor from the Czech Republic. It was in his home country where Stan begin doing clinical research with psychedelics after his research lab received a box of LSD ampules. His personal experience with the substance widened his understanding of psychology, the human mind and what was possible within us.

Stan moved to Baltimore, Maryland in the late 60’s to conduct clinical psychedelic assisted therapy sessions and research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center utilizing LSD.

When LSD was outlawed in the early 70’s, Stan turned to writing and eventually moved to Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA where he sought other methods to provide a similar experience without the use of the drug. In the LSD sessions, he observed that his patients would sometimes naturally move into an intensified breathing pattern where it would seem to intensify the experience, ultimately bringing people towards resolution.

Leaning in to this real life experience along with global world wisdom from shamanic and other cultures, Stan began to explore using this enhanced breathing as the catalyst and vehicle for entering these non-ordinary states.

This was the start of Holotropic Breathwork.

A UNIQUE APPROACH

NON-ORDINARY STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS / ENHANCED STATES OF AWARENESS

Human beings have utilized non-ordinary states of consciousness for healing, guidance, and connection to both the natural world around them as well as the divine since the very beginning of our species. We can find methods to access these enhanced states across the globe, through all cultures, countries, religions and non-religions.

Meditation, chanting of mantras and prayers, plant medicines, breathwork, fasting, sleep deprivation and even the spinning of The Whirling Dervishes are just a few of the tools people have used to access these enhanced states of consciousness.

As a species- we are very good at accessing these states. It is in our personal and shared ancestry as a humanity. While the term “non-ordinary states of consciousness” is often used to describe such states, I personally believe that these states are quite ordinary for us to access, although they are incredibly special and significant.

HOLOTROPIC BREATHWORK

Derived from two Greek words Holos (wholeness) and Trepein (to travel). Holotropic Breathwork essentially means we are traveling (or moving) towards wholeness through the power of the breath.

Through the enhanced states of awareness induced by the breath and the music, we are opening up to the whole-spectrum of possibility during the session. Through this state you have access to more than you ordinarily do in the every day world. You can travel to other places, times, feel big energies, emotions, have huge insights and deep otherworldly experiences.

I also think of it like we are opening up to the full (or whole) experience of ourselves. We allow space for all of our feelings, emotions, experiences and expressions. We stop trying to control everything and we just allow what wants to come forward to do so. We discover that all experiences have value and benefit and can be therapeutic.

INNER HEALER

This work seems to be guided by each our Inner Healers… or our Innate Healing Wisdom. If you get a small cut, the body knows exactly what to do to heal it. You don’t need to think about it, or try to do anything all. The innate healing wisdom of the body gets activated and knows exactly what to do in order to make the repair and bring you back to a state of healing and wholeness.

The same can be true of the psyche, mind and emotions. This is not a religious or dogmatic belief that one must subscribe to in order to receive benefit. This idea comes from what we witness in the sessions as well as from the experiences shared by the participants of this work for nearly 30 years as a community.

During the session it seems it is the Inner Healer that is bringing forward the exact experience that you need and are ready for in order to bring you to a deeper state of healing, wholeness and understanding in time.

PRINCIPLES

This work provides a unique opportunity to approach healing in a very different way. In our HB sessions we lean in to whatever is organically arising in the session and use the power of the breath to amplify what is happening to make it bigger.

In the western industrial / medical model they often treat symptoms instead of the root cause. They offer “one-size-fits-all solutions” and often discount the unique needs of each individual.

They encourage us to take medications and supplements and engage in processes to tamp down our emotions and challenges. When someone is going through an emotion or crisis, we pat them on the back and say “There, there… dry up those tears. You’ll be ok.”

Modern society is often making everything smaller, minimizing and suppressing everything.

In HB we actually allow everything to be present and even amplify it to make it bigger… So that our experiences can be fully felt and experienced and we can move through them rather than stay stuck or suppressed. This offers great release and even re-patterning of previously difficult experiences.

SELF DIRECTED AND RADICALLY SELF EMPOWERING

The session is guided by you and your own Inner Healing Wisdom. The facilitators are not trying to get you to go anywhere specific or make anything specific to happen. We are like cheerleaders encouraging you to go deeper into whatever is naturally arising for you.

This work is radically self empowering like no other. You are the healer. You have the wisdom within you. We fully trust your inner healing wisdom and will not make assumptions about your process or jump in to “help”.

The facilitators are available to help support you as you need or request.

WHAT IS POSSIBLE

The Cartography of Experience below outlines commonly reported experiences, though truly anything is possible.

• Personal Biography: Re-experience anything from your life’s history. These can be known or not yet remembered. They can be very positive experiences or challenging ones.

• Perinatal Stages: Re-experience any of the stages around the time of your birth.

• Transpersonal Experiences: Any experience that is beyond your ordinary singular sense of identity. Having an experience as an animal, as other people, or tapping into large archetypal energies (feeling the energy of the earth, giving birth to a galaxy, receiving the love of all the mothers of the world)

• Somatic Experiences: Buzzing, Tingling, Body Sensations, Movement and other Energetic Sensations. Meditative and Yogic Sleep States.

Sometimes the experiences can be seen like a dream, other times they are experienced or re-experienced in a more embodied way. At times there may be a clear narrative or story and other times just a lot of energy and sensations.

There are often many different types of experiences that emerge in a session. All have great value and can be healing and illuminating.

OUTLINE OF THE WORKSHOP

Opening Circle and Intro Talk

Breathwork Session 1 (2.5 - 3 hours)

Mandala and Lunch Break

Breathwork Session 2 (2.5 - 3 hours)

Mandala and Break

Closing Circle and Integration Talk

Departure (please don’t make plans immediately after the session. It can be a big experience requiring more time.)

SESSION OVERVIEW

Everyone will have a partner for the day. Half the group will breathe in the morning, while half sit in the supportive sitter role and in the afternoon we switch.

Everyone will be laying on a padded mat. The session starts with a brief guided relaxation. Just before the music starts you will be encouraged to begin the powerful breath and surrender as deeply as possible to your own inner wisdom.

Facilitators will walk the floor during the session to make sure everyone is safe and supported as needed. The music will play for about 2.5 to 3 hours hours though you may feel done a little early. At the end of the session a facilitator will come to your mat to make sure you feel complete for the day before we invite you into the integration / mandala space.

BREATHERS & SITTERS

Role of the Breather

This is your time and your session. We will talk more about the breath when we meet in person, but essentially you use the power of your breath along with your deepest surrender to allow and amplify whatever experience wants to emerge.

• Breathe deeper and faster
• Allow yourself to feel any emotions that arise.
• Allow the body to move if it wants.
• Allow verbal, physical or emotional expression of any kind.
• Allow yourself the freedom and space to surrender to your own inner healer and journey through the session as deeply as possible.
• Trust your self.
• Ask for help or support if needed.

In this work you have full permission to really go for it. Allow and amplify everything that wants to be expressed. You have full permission to ask for help if needed as well. The facilitators will do anything and everything possible to support a deep, safe and powerful session for you.

Role of the Sitter

You are the sacred witness and your main job is to help the breather if they need simple things during the session. You don’t need to know much or do much. Just be present and available if your partner requests help with anything.This can be a profound experience. People often report their sitting experience is just as powerful as their breathing sessions.

You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. The facilitators keep a close watch on the whole room and will help support the breathers as needed.

• Help your partner when they make a simple requests.
• Hand them their water
• Cover them with a blanket
• Help them to the restroom
• Sometimes holding their hand or providing simple support (if you’re comfortable with that).
• Never leave your breather alone. When you need the restroom, flag down a facilitator and we will sit for you until you come back.

MUSIC

The music is played at a loud volume and is quite evocative. The music starts with a lot of energy and rhythm to help drive the breath. Then it becomes a bit more emotional and expansive and eventually lands in a softer sweeter place as we begin to make our way back home to our ordinary world.

The music can help bring up feelings, emotions and sensations that can all be useful during the session. Additionally the music helps to hold the “container” as it muffles some of the sounds, emotions and expressions you will hear from the other participants.

FOCUSED ENERGY RELEASE WORK

Sometimes facilitators will help support a participant in their session by offering focused energy release work though supportive touch. This is not massage and we don’t do this uninvited by the breather. Remember it is a self-directed process. Sometimes people may feel a stuck or other sensation in the body that is calling for attention. Support from a facilitator can be powerful to help amplify the feeling and get it to release.

As an example; maybe at the end of a session you feel like there is energy that needs to be released from your hands. They just feel a bit funny or like something is energetically stuck. A facilitator could put their hands up to yours palm to palm and following your lead help to apply pressure. If you press with one ounce of pressure- the facilitator will meet you with that much resistance. If you press with 500lbs of pressure, the facilitator will meet you with that much!

The whole idea is that you are still directing the session and using your own guidance and strength around what is needed, but the facilitator is there to support you, meet you and help you to amplify whatever you need.

Other forms of bodywork may include holding a participants hand or offering a supportive hug. Again, these are only done when requested by the breather. The facilitators (and the sitters) make no assumptions about the process the breather is going through.

MANDALA

At the end of the session the breathers are invited to make use of simple art supplies (crayons, markers, colored pencils, water colors, etc) that will be setup at a table as a non-verbal expression of their session. This is not about making a beautiful piece of art, but to serve as an intermediary between the non-ordinary and ordinary space and also to serve as a reminder of your session.

A lot of people don’t feel like they are “good artists” which is ok. Sometimes just getting a few marks down or an important color down can be really powerful for people. Many participants keep their mandalas for months years or forever and they continue to gain awareness from it over time.

INTEGRATION

Integration is an important part of the process where we begin to move back towards the ordinary world… landing and grounding, while also finding ways to keep the experience, meaning and value alive.

The mandala process, as well as our sharing circle are the beginning steps to our deeper integration.

We encourage self care, taking it easy and finding ways to work with the material in your life after you go home. The day will close with a sharing circle and talk on integration.

Planning to be free the rest of the evening after the workshop and allowing Sunday for integration can be very helpful as well.

NEXT STEPS

*Please respond to the email I sent this from and let me know you’ve read through. Feel free to ask any questions if you have them ahead of time, or save them for our time together. We will offer an introductory talk the day of the event to discuss the most important aspects of the work and make sure everyone understands the approach and how to navigate the session.

There is no need to fully understand or remember everything I am sharing here. This whole thing will make much more sense after you’ve experience it! The team and I are looking forward to seeing you soon!

-Jeffrey Charles Warren