All the books of Stanislav Grof in chronological order

Stanislav Grof has gained worldwide fame through research into the effects of LSD, altered states of human consciousness. Being one of the founders of transpersonal psychology, she is also her main theoretician. The author of more than 20 books, which are translated into 16 languages. Behind his shoulders are numerous therapeutic sessions and training seminars on holotropic breathing conducted in different countries.

"Mystical" trend of modern psychology

Transpersonal psychology began to form in the 60's in America. In the focus of research in this area - altered states of consciousness, near-death experience, as well as features of experiences of being in the mother's womb and at the time of birth, memories of which are stored in the depths of the human subconscious.

The psychotherapeutic work includes spiritual and religious practices. To solve intrapersonal problems, to remove physical blocks, clamps, people are offered techniques for experiencing transpersonal experience. It can be achieved through a special way of breathing, hypnosis and self-hypnosis, work with dreams, creativity, meditation.

Participation in the experiment provoked a steady interest in the study of extended states of consciousness

Called a volunteer, in 1956, while participating in a scientific experiment using psychedelic drugs, Stanislav Grof experienced an expanded state of consciousness. By that time already a practicing psychiatrist-clinician with a scientific doctoral degree, he was stunned by the state he had experienced.

For the scientist it became obvious that consciousness is much more than described in the literature on medicine and psychology. This determined the further course of his scientific activity. He actively engaged in the study of extended states of consciousness. Since 1960, for several years Stanislav Grof was engaged in legal work with psychedelic drugs. Until 1967, he studied their effects in Czechoslovakia, then in America until the moment when psychedelics were banned - until 1973.

During this time, the scientist spent about 2500 sessions using LSD, and collected more than 1000 protocols for conducting such studies under the guidance of his colleagues. Stanislav Grof devoted all the books to the results of these and subsequent studies in the field of the altered state of consciousness.

"Esalen" - the center of humanistic alternative education

The Esalen Institute was founded in 1962 by Stanford graduates Michael Murphy and Dick Price. Their goal was to support alternative methods of studying human consciousness. This educational institution is located in the regions where the Indians of the Esalen tribe once lived, on the coast of Central California. This is a very picturesque place: on the one hand the Pacific Ocean, on the other - mountains.

The Esalen Institute played a key role in the flourishing of the public "Movement for Human Development", the ideological basis of which was the concept of personal growth and the realization of extraordinary potential opportunities available to everyone, but not completely disclosed. Innovation, focusing on the connection between mind and body, constant experimentation in terms of personal consciousness led to the emergence of many ideas that later became mainstream.

In 1973, Grof received an advance fee, which enabled him to write the first book. At the invitation of Michael Murphy to work on it, he moved to Essalen. He was offered to settle in a house by the ocean. From there, a beautiful view opened up with a panoramic view of 180 degrees. He came there for one year, and lived and worked there for 14 years, until 1987.

1975 was marked for Stanislav by the fact that he met Christina, his future wife. Since that moment, their personal relationships have begun, closely interwoven with professional ones.

Holotropic Breathwork

From 1975 to 1976, together with Stanislav and Christina Grof, they created an innovative method, which was called Holotropic Breath. Thanks to this, it became possible to enter the extended state of consciousness without the use of LSD and other psychedelic drugs.

At the same time, they started using the new method at their seminars. During the period from 1987 to 1994, the couple held holotropic breath sessions for approximately 25,000 people. According to the authors, this is a unique way of self-knowledge and personal growth.

In consequence, this method served as the basis for holotropic therapy, the sessions of which the scientist was actively practicing. He also conducted courses on the training of practicing transpersonal psychologists.

Together with his wife, Grof traveled the world with his seminars and lectures, talking about transpersonal psychology and the results of consciousness research. For many years he supported people who survived the psycho-spiritual crisis - episodes of expanded consciousness.

Books about the conscious and unconscious

If you read Stanislav Grof's books in order, you can trace the development of ideas about consciousness and its extended states within the framework of transpersonal psychology.

Stanislav Grof in the book "Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death and Transcendence in Psychotherapy" summarizes the results of the author's research conducted over 30 years of his scientific career. It says about the expanded cartography of the psyche, the dynamics of perinatal matrices, psychotherapy and spiritual development.

Grof suggested that most of the mental states classified in psychiatry as diseases, for example neuroses and psychoses, are crises of the spiritual and personal growth of a person that almost everyone can face.

The reason can be spontaneously experienced spiritual experience, which you can not manage on your own. The author offers psychotherapeutic approaches based on using the ability of the human body to self-heal.

Stanislav Grof's book "Space game: the study of the boundaries of human consciousness" offers readers the synthesis of modern science and ancient wisdom, psychology and religion. The author's theoretical views are based on extensive clinical research.

In the book The Call of the Jaguar, the results of many years of research are submitted by the author in the form of an artwork - a science fiction novel. The plot is based on real experiences of the transpersonal experience of both the author himself and those observed in other people.

20th Century: Stanislav Grof's books in chronological order

1975 year. "Areas of the human unconscious: data from LSD studies."

1977 year. "Man in the Face of Death," co-authored with Joanne Helifax.

1980 year. "LSD-Psihoterapiya".

1981 year. "Beyond death: the gate of consciousness," co-authored with Christina Grof.

1984 year. "Ancient wisdom and modern science," edited by Stanislav Grof. The book includes articles by many speakers who spoke at the 1982 conference of the International Association of Transpersonal Psychology in Bombay, India.

1985 year. "Outside the brain: birth, death and transcendence in psychotherapy."

1988 year. "Human survival and the evolution of consciousness," edited by Stanislaus Grof and Marjorie L. Valer. In total, 18 co-authors worked on the creation of this book.

1988 year. "Traveling in search of yourself: measuring consciousness and new perspectives in psychotherapy."

1989 year. "Spiritual crisis: when the transformation of personality becomes a crisis," co-authorship with Christina Grof.

1990 year. "Furious search for oneself: leadership to personal growth through a transformational crisis," co-authored with Christina Grof.

1992 year. "Holotropic consciousness: the three levels of human consciousness and how they shape our lives," co-author Hal Zina Bennet.

1993 year. "Books of the Dead: Guidelines for Life and Death."

1998 year. "Transitional vision: The healing potential of unusual states of consciousness."

1998 year. "Space game: The study of the boundaries of human consciousness."

1999 year. "The Consciousness Revolution: Trans-Atlantic Dialogue," co-authored with Erwin Laszlo and Peter Russell. The preface to the book was written by Ken Wilber.

In just 24 years, the author wrote no few, no fewer than 15 books. Given that he had a great many other important and time-consuming tasks, it seems incredible.

21st Century: Stanislav Grof's books in chronological order

year 2000. "Psychology of the future."

year 2001. "Call of the Jaguar".

2004 year. "Dreams of Lilith." The book was written by Melody Sullivan, and the role of the illustrator went to Stanislav Grof.

2006 year. "When the impossible is possible: adventures in unusual realities."

2006 year. "The greatest journey, the consciousness and the mystery of death."

2010 year. "Holotropic Breath: A New Approach to Self-Study and Therapy," co-authored with Christina Grof.

year 2012. "Healing of our deepest wounds: a holotropic paradigm shift."

Most likely, the continuation follows ...

Achievements and contributions to the development of science

Stanislav Grof - known throughout the world as a modern reformer of psychiatry and the brightest representative of transpersonal psychology. His innovative ideas had an impact on the interpenetration of Western science and the spiritual dimension. The books he authored are translated into several languages. Studies of the healing and transforming potential of extended states of consciousness, conducted by him, have lasted since 1960.

In 1978 Stanislav Grof founded the International Association of Transpersonal Psychology. The purposes for which it was created were the encouragement of education and research in this direction, sponsoring global conferences.

October 5, 2007 in Prague, he was awarded the prestigious award "VISION-97". It was provided by the Dagmar Foundation and Vaclav Havel, created to support innovative projects of great importance for the future of mankind.

Stanislav Grof continues his professional career at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, as well as at the University of Wisdom in Oakland. He teaches lectures and teaches training programs in the field of holotropic breathing and transpersonal psychology. And also takes part in practical seminars, traveling around the world.