The stories in this book are based on my experiences in a series of approximately twenty Holotropic BreathworkTM sessions between 1990 and 2018. Holotropic Breathwork is a self-exploration and therapeutic technique developed by Stanislav and Christina Grof (see item below) in which modified breathing, evocative music, and group support in a safe environment are used to bring unconscious material into consciousness and to release energy blockages in the body. In these sessions I experienced myself as a participant in sequences of dramatic action in various historical periods. These kinds of stories are one category of experience typically reported by those involved in this form as well as other forms of inner work.
Many of my sessions during this time dealt with the abuse of power in personal relationships – particularly between men and women – and between groups – particularly when the abuse extended to the destruction of one group by another. These two kinds of abuse seemed to be related. An additional recurring element was the importance of my accepting the inevitability of my own death; that is, my abuse of power was experienced as an attempt to deny or overcome my own mortality. Together these stories constituted for me a very personal developmental journey, with important ramifications for my daily life. At the same time the experiences provided a new perspective on what appeared to be specific historical events and general patterns in society.
After the events of September 11, 2001, I felt that it would be good for me to document these stories, or at least some of them, in a form that would be accessible to other people as a way to share these perspectives on the abuse of power and on conflicts between groups. The best form to use for this expression was not obvious. After many experiments I decided to use the form of “historical fiction” and so it is in that form that this book is offered. Whether the book will find any resonance with the public or not is something that only time will tell. What is certain is that writing it – which meant grappling with my own hopes and fears, strengths and weaknesses, clarity and confusion – has been valuable for me; I am changed because of it, and I believe for the better.
I have continued regular Holotropic Breathwork sessions since the time of the experiences I have reported here. The content of the sessions in recent years has become less dramatic. My sessions now deal most often with the nuances of relationships in my extended family and my connection with the natural world. Occasionally the topic of reconciliation between peoples and religions comes up, particularly the roots of the current conflicts between the various “Descendents of Abraham” with one another and between the First Peoples of our world and those who seek to subjugate and/or eradicate them.
Holotropic Breathwork
The stories in this book were in their original form experiences from Holotropic Breathwork sessions. As mentioned above, Holotropic Breathwork is a self-exploration and therapeutic technique developed by Stanislav and Christina Grof in which modified breathing, evocative music, and group support in a safe environment are used to bring unconscious material into consciousness and to release energy blockages in the body. Information about Holotropic Breathwork and a global online community of people interested in Holotropic Breathwork can be found on the internet.
The book Holotropic Breathwork: a New Approach to Self-Exploration and Therapy by Stanislav Grof, MD, and Christina Grof, published by the State University of New York (SUNY) Press in August 2010, provides the best information available on this technique.
After being deeply impressed by the value of my own experiences with Holotropic Breathwork, I decided to do what I could to help make it available to others. My partner and I have both trained and been certified to offer this technique to others. We offer regular Holotropic Breathwork workshops together in our center, the Synergeist Institute, in the German Black Forest.