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Recommended Readings & Books
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  "The Quick and Dirty:" Our
Top Three Recommendations For Those Who Want to Learn More About Holotropic Breathwork
The
Holotropic Mind by
Stanislav Grof, M.D., with Hal Zina-Bennett, 1993.
This book was intended to translate
Stan's work into language that is more suitable for a mainstream,
non-academic audience. Zina-Bennett was brought in to
interview Stan and write this book to be the most accessible
for someone without much background in Psychology or Transpersonal
Psychology who wants to learn more about Holotropic Breathwork and
Stan.
Psychology
of the Future by
Stanislav Grof, M.D., 2000
If you are interested in not only
Holotropic Breathwork, but also Grof's life work and the field
of Transpersonal Psychology, then this is definitely the first
book I would recommend. Organized as an introductory
college textbook, many of the chapters in this book are summaries
of Dr. Grof's other books.
The
Breathwork Experience: Exploration and Healing in Nonordinary
States of Consciousness by Kylea Taylor, (1994)
Highly recommended! If anyone
is considering attending a Holotropic Breathwork workshop and wants
to learn more about it, this is the book to read! Taylor describes
in very easy-to-comprehend terms the very basic theory behind Holotropic
Breathwork and what to expect at the actual workshop. She includes
participant stories and quotes.
Other Books by Stanislav Grof, M.D.
The
Adventure of Self-Discovery (1988)
Along with The Holotropic Mind, above, this
may be the best book to learn all about the background
and practice of Holotropic Breathwork and the healing potential
of nonordinary states of consciousness. Includes
the unedited version of Stan's famous "Extended Cartography
of the Unconscious." (If you have had an experience that you
do not see listed in Stan's cartography, please contact him!
;-)
The
Transpersonal Vision (Audiocassettes) (1998)
For those who want to really understand the
origins and history and future direction of the field of Transpersonal
Psychology -- from Stan Grof's point of view... this is an amazing
set of audiocassettes! Includes
many of his personal anecdotes and stories from all his experiences
with the people involved in the field through the years.
The
Cosmic Game (1998)
Some
people
emerge from Holotropic Breathwork and other non-ordinary state of
consciousness sessions and share that they've had deep and
vivid spiritual experiences. Over
the course of 45+ years, Stan Grof has been observing and documenting
thousands and thousands of these experiences, and noticing
the commonalities between them. To
find out what those commonalities are, read this book! (Hint: They
are very similar to the basic theme of the Aldous Huxley book "The
Perennial Philosophy" see below)
Spiritual
Emergency (1989,
co-edited with Cristina Grof)
This is the book in which the phrase "Spiritual
Emergency," so commonly used today was first coined. It is
the book which is based on Cristina's personal experiences, which began
to open our culture to an appreciation of the fact that
a very large percentage of people who are diagnosed by modern-day
psychiatrists as having "psychotic" experiences, may in fact
be undergoing a healthy and normal process of spiritual emergence.
The
Stormy Search for the Self (1992,
co-written with Cristina Grof)
Beyond
the Brain (1986)
The most technical of Stan's books, it is nonetheless one of
the most comprehensive of his published writings.
Human
Survival and Consciousness Evolution (1988)
Books
of the Dead: Manuals For Living and Dying (1994)
Ancient
Wisdom Modern Science (1984)
Realms
of the Human Unconscious: Observations From LSD Research (1976)
Stan's first published book, the one based on his first twenty years
of controlled studies of LSD-induced experiences.
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Books About Transpersonal Psychology
Healing
the Split: Integrating Spirit into Our Understanding of the Mentally
Ill, by John Nelson (1994)
Highly recommended -- In my opinion,
this book was unprecedented in it's depth of treatment of the
at-times fine line between spiritual emergence and psychosis. Nelson
bases his theory on his years of working directly with the mentally
ill population, and offers a practical model in a very accessible
style.
Toward
a Psychology of Awakening: Buddhism, Psychotherapy, and the Path
of Personal and Spiritual Transformation, by John Welwood,
(2002)
Another book I highly recommend,
by one of my favorite authors in the field of spiritual psychology.
Welwood is masterful at bridging Western Psychology with Eastern
Philosophy. At
the risk of over-simplifying, he argues that both have valid
truths -- psychology addresses healthy ego development, while
Buddhism and other Eastern perspectives address our spiritual
nature, and ego-transcendence. He suggests that
both of these are important to achieve our highest potential
in the world.
Integral
Psychology : Consciousness, Spirit, Psychology, Therapy, by
Ken Wilber (2000)
A
Theory of Everything : An Integral Vision for Business, Politics,
Science and Spirituality by
Ken Wilber (2001)
The
Spectrum of Consciousness,
by Ken Wilber, (1977).
Shadow, Self, Spirit, by Michael Daniels
The Ego and the Dynamic Ground: A Transpersonal Theory of Human Development, by Michael Washburn
The
Farther Reaches of Human Nature,
by Abraham Maslow (1971)
Paths
Beyond Ego: The Transpersonal Vision,
by Roger Walsh & Frances Vaughan, (1993)
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Other Recommended Readings
The
Holographic Universe,
by Michael Talbot (1992)
Another very readable, and very memorable
book. Talbot sets his sights very high -- intending no less
than a complete synthesis of how almost every form of extra-ordinary
reality could fit into a Holographic Model of the universe, as supported
by the work in physics of David Bohm, and the work in Neurophysiology
of Karl Pribram's holographic model of the brain. "Extra-ordinary,"
in the sentence above, refers to anything that does not
fit into the existing scientific model of the world -- those things
which many people believe in, but for which there is, generally,
little scientific evidence. Things
such as: ESP, Out of Body Experiences, Near-Death Experiences,
medical "miracles," psychic phenomena, placebo effects,
precognition, synchronicities, UFOs, stigmata, photographic memories,
telepathy, mystical experiences, reincarnation, etc.... the list
goes on and on. Talbot suggests that all of these things make
perfect rational and scientific sense when viewed from within a
model of the universe as a hologram. Another great bonus to
this book -- after writing about all of the topics mentioned above,
Talbot included a an excellent reference index at the back. There
you will find references for many of the most cutting-edge scientific
researchers in all of the extra-ordinary subjects listed above,
at least, up until the year the book was written. And, yes,
you will find references to Stan Grof's work on Non-ordinary states
of consciousness and Holotropic Breathwork.
Uncommon
Wisdom: Conversations With Remarkable People, by Fritjof Capra
(1988)
After Capra juxtaposed physics and mysticism
in his landmark book The Tao of Physics , this book captured his
subsequent attempt to bridge those two fields with cutting-edge
thinkers in the fields of medicine, psychology, anthropology, family
therapy, and other fields. A wonderful, very accessible book
about the people Capra met and interviewed along the way. (Hint:
The psychology cutting-edge thinker was Stanislav Grof.) Out
of print now, but used copies still available.
Cosmos
and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View, by Richard Tarnas
(2006)
The
Passion of the Western Mind,
by Richard Tarnas (1992)
Click
to read a great Interview with Tarnas
about the themes of
this remarkable book
The
Perennial Philosophy,
by Aldous Huxley, (1944)
Dark
Night, Early Dawn: Steps to a Deep Ecology of Mind, by Christopher
Bache, (2000)
The
Waking Dream: Unlocking the Symbolic Language of Our Lives,
by Ray Grasse, (1996)
Awakening
in Time : The Journey from Codependence to Co-Creation, by
Jacquelyn Small, (1993)
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Books
About Spirituality & Addiction
The
Thirst for Wholeness : Attachment, Addiction, and the Spiritual
Path, by Christina Grof, (1994).
The
Wide Open Door: The Twelve Steps, Spiritual Tradition, and the
New Psychology ,
by Tav Sparks, (1993).
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Other Books About Holotropic Breathwork
Exploring
Holotropic Breathwork: Selected Articles from a Decade of the
Inner Door ,
Edited by Kylea Taylor, (2003)
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Books About Breathwork in General
Breathwork,
by Swami Ambikananda Saraswati
Conscious
Breathing : How Shamanic Breathwork Can Transform Your Life ,
by Joy Manne.
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