psychologist, psychiatrist, doctor and psychonaut, narrator of psychedelic experiences and cartographer of the human mind. All this and a little more this author.
Born in the heart of Europe, in Prague, he studied medicine at the underground know the psychology of Freud treated. After a while of practice in psychoanalysis thought of leaving the profession because of the barrenness of the art ... but at that time fell into his hands a dose of LSD. It was a sample sent from the same Swiss laboratory of Sandoz, where he was Albert Hofmann, and then offered for psychiatric hospitals to investigate its usefulness in treating mental disorders. Grof was offered as a guinea pig, ingesting LSD combined experience with the strobe lights of a kaleidoscope. From that day Grof knew that behind this substance was hiding more than just a play of light and paranoia. The LSD allowed to relive traumatic events that had remained hidden in the attic of the mind, in the unconscious. Being able to get them out of oblivion, and experience them again as if it were a present back to a forgotten past, the patient had the opportunity to cross and integrate that experience had left him crippled for life everyday, for relations with others or to himself. And here in the biography, the experiments were extended to the realm of what the West had been known as the mystical knowledge of the spiritual flow of the cosmos.
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Grof worked with schizophrenic and neurotic patients, collecting their accounts of their experiences while recording the changes in their vision for the world and about themselves. Although the use of LSD in Prague was allowed between the medical profession, there were certain problems in terms of spiritual experiences patients reported in the session, because at that time Czechoslovakia was under Soviet rule as a dogma that had to censor the existence of human spirit. Grof
Later he moved to the United States, where he was invited as a resident psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, where he worked with Richard Yensen. In some ways the problems also appeared in the U.S.: in the first lecture he gave in this country about their work explained that some neurotic patients had therapy with LSD in Prague, gradually abandoned their tics to spend an interest in spirituality and the practice of yoga. Given these assertions a neurotic psychiatrist explained his suspicion that he had achieved with such therapy was only passing the patient a type of neurosis another . Anyway, in the U.S.. UU. was difficult to obtain permits to work psychedelics, but in some ways the advantage that they could talk about it, meet many interesting people and publish the occasional book about his studies.
continued working Grof LSD therapy, and most reports compiled from the experiences of his patients, other than their own. By ordering these accounts by type obtained a sort of cartography of the human mind, that is, a collection of different kinds of experiences that, according to him, constituted a map of the human unconscious. From this map came three categories: biographical-type experiences experiences usually neglected children, "the sequence of death and rebirth, similar to the archaic initiation rites, and Grof as a special parallel-biological birth itself, and mystical merger with the cosmos is born Transpersonal Psychology name : experiences that go beyond the person's own biography.
Grof's books are basically a presentation of experiences under the influence of LSD-or rather, after opening the doors of perception that provides the substance. In this sense be regarded as his work is most useful as a first introduction to nature psychedelic experience, as this may be so surprising to a Westerner than giving a few names to things can not help believing that he has experienced a series of experiences that can not make sense.
Grof, in addition to emphasizing the phenomenology of the expanded state of mind, speaks also about the therapeutic use of these substances, the philosophical implications of the universe that draws experience, while a study of the crisis of our Current mechanistic world view, contradictory, and spoilers with everything about the spirit world.
And not to forget anything, to say that this clever author, the problem facing today's world, in relation to the ecological crisis or violence, is located within the human mind itself, that is, to black holes that remain to be explored human consciousness.
In some ways can be considered to Grof, with Ken Wilber is one of the paradigms of Transpersonal psychology.
Books
- The cosmic game. Explorations on the frontiers of human consciousness Book Grof highlight of thought, which draws parallels on the image in the world with Indian philosophy
- final journey. Consciousness and the mystery of death A truly comprehensive study on the survival of consciousness after death. Part of a program of psychedelic therapy with terminally ill patients, and extends in many directions: from ancient bard her books, the cosmologies of various cultures on the other side, the history of research thanatological, karma and reincarnation, maps of consciousness, rites of passage, the near-death experiences ...
- Holotropic Mind. The levels of human consciousness Interesting book about the state of mind, transpersonal psychology, domestic travel
- The psychology of the future. Lessons modern research of consciousness Compendium of all the earlier work of Grof (maps of consciousness, spiritual emergencies, the cosmic game ...), including an interesting chapter on the use of astrology in therapy.
- The Stormy Search of Being A guide to personal growth through spiritual emergency (co-written with his wife) book on 'spiritual emergencies', that is, on experiences of modification of consciousness occurred spontaneously - and usually classified as psychotic Transpersonal Psychology
- . Birth, death and transcendence in psychotherapy fundamental job on the theory of transpersonal psychology. It's basically a discussion on theoretical models and the treatment provided by other schools of therapy (Freud, Rank, Jung, Alder ...) and psychiatry, comparing with the model presented by Grof transpersonal.
- LSD Psychotherapy. The healing potential of psychedelic medicine (Stanislav Grof) This summit could be considered the work of Stan Grof. Posted at mid-career, this book is a very complete guide on how to have a session with psychedelics. More specifically focused on the use of LSD in a therapeutic area, the generosity of book leaves no subject without discussing the art of modern psychonautical: setting session, the figure of the accompanying risks can be avoided, music, preparing the meeting and subsequent integration ...
prologues, articles and interviews
- Special 100 anniversary of Albert Hofmann (Various Authors)
Edited on the occasion of 100 anniversary of Albert Hofmann, discoverer of LSD. It has articles by Jonathan Ott, Fericgla, JC Used, Mati Klarwein, Stanislav Grof, and Fericgla Escohotado, among others. It addresses all aspects Hofmann and LSD: 2 interviews, art visionary, psychotherapy, sociology, philosophy, 60's, spirituality ... - The Healing Power of crisis (Various Authors; Stan & Christina Grof , eds) Collection of essays by various authors, in which he examines the healing and transformative power of spiritual emergencies, periods of crisis where the soil seems to disappear from under your feet, but they also offer the possibility of renewal and spiritual openness, despite the traditional psychiatry regarded them as pathological.
- The journey of the shaman. Healing, power and personal growth
(Various authors) A book builds a bridge between the contemporary shamanism and healing. Discussion in the chapter Grof, the connections between the worldview of the shaman and Holotropic therapy. - Magazine Takiwasi (No. 2) This magazine, which deals with the spiritual use of plants, shamanism and its use in detoxification treatment, contains an interesting article by Grof about addiction
- Magazine Ulysses (# 1 ) ; Ulises (no. 3) Magazines with author texts, which in turn are chapters in his books
- Ulysses Journal (No. 5 ) Extensive interview Grof with Albert Hofmann, creator of LSD-25.
- The Secret Chief. Conversations with a pioneer of the underground psychedelic therapy Movement [Language: English] Foreword by Stan Grof. The book is a conversation with the main character in the California underground scene treatment, focusing on the use of entheogens as tools to delve into the unconscious.
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