Holotropic Breathwork is a non-Drug Approach toward Healing ▽
Holotropic Breathwork is the topic at hand, which is an effective therapeutic modality. It is a way to induce a non-ordinary state of consciousness without administrating any kind of drug. Throughout this post, we will cover the need for healing among humans, what Holotropic Breathwork is, the benefits of psychedelics, and the limitations of talk-therapy.
Humans Need to Heal △
Wouldn’t you agree, all humans have some sort of healing to do at some point in their life? Whether experiencing a trauma, a mistake made in one’s life, or something that happened at birth. If the latter, it could be affecting someone at the unconscious level. Throughout our existence, our perception of life can become blurred by the things that we experience. For example, if a trusted adult hurts a child, the child’s view of trust may be affected by this experience. Which calls for some type of healing to occur to help reframe the experience.
One example to highlight, comes from the Joe Rogan Podcast. Here he talks with Dorian Yates and has an extraordinary experience with a shaman. Yates describes this experience, as taking ayahuasca where his buddy began to freak out. In doing so, it required several adult men to hold him down, as he was belligerent. After the event, he described what he witnessed and endured, as reliving his own birth where the umbilical cord had wrapped around his own neck and therefore chocking him.
Nevertheless, the point here is that this gentleman had been living with an unconscious trauma since birth. I don’t know too many people who remember their own birth. Thus, there could be something affecting us at an unconscious level, which could be the barrier for our ideal life. The video below describes that experience described above, the specific minute is: 4:30.
Limitations of Talk-Therapy ▽
To give more information about the writer, he’s presently working as a counselor in Madison WI and has been providing talk therapy since 2015. The writer is a certified rehabilitation counselor and he’s currently working on obtaining licensure as a professional counselor. Nevertheless, the writer has first-hand experience of the limitations of talk therapy, as he’s an active counselor during his day job.
Furthermore, every human is different, no doubt, but all humans have psychological defense mechanisms that work to protect the person. Sometimes when doing talk therapy with folks, the problem can be so deeply rooted within their unconscious. If so, then that the person is unaware of what the core problem is. For example, a trauma experienced as a child could be the root problem. But if it is never addressed, it could manifest in different forms as an adult. For instance, distrust of people, anger, unable to maintain employment, struggling to maintain healthy friendships or romantic relationships, etc.
The point is, when doing talk therapy, there could be 2 years of talking about what the problems look like nowadays without even addressing the actual problem. A therapeutic modality that allows the client to reach the depths of their unconscious will allow for more healing to happen in a shorter amount of time with a greater affect.
Psychedelics and Healing △
We’re living in 2022–I’m sure you’ve seen somewhere about researchers aiming to understand more about how psychedelics can help humankind therapeutically (e.g., psilocybin mushrooms, lysergic acid diethylamide, ayahuasca, etc.). Thus, I will not bore you with scientific talk, graphs, and statistics about the matter. Yet, I will mention that there are tons of academic papers within peer-reviewed journals. These articles outline the benefit and use of psychedelics and its power on the human psyche. One interesting pattern that’s documented for individuals who have taken psychedelics, the worse the trip is for that person, the bigger the impact of healing is reported. But don’t go having a bad trip on purpose!
What is Holotropic Breathwork? ▽
Stanislav and Christina Grof created Holotropic Breathwork. Stanislav Grof, a psychiatrist and pioneer within psychedelic research before it became illegal created this modality as a substitute due to the law. The goal here is accessing one’s psyche in a way that is not achievable for an ordinary state of consciousness. To perform this technique, there must always be a certified professional alongside the participant. HB is done by essentially making a client hyperventilate and once that is provoked, evocative music is played to heighten the non-ordinary state of consciousness within the client.
Mental Health Resources
For a more professional literature review of the topic, which includes a reference page, please feel free to download below.
If you would like more information about Holotropic Breathwork or work toward certification to facilitate it, follow this link. Otherwise, below are more academic articles on the subject.
Although there are limitations to talk therapy, it can still be very beneficial. Especially if working with a skilled clinician who understands the complexities of the human experience. If you or someone you know is struggling please utilize this page for mental health resources. If you would like to make an appointment for a life coach session, please click here.