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Healing with Holotropic Breathwork What on earth is Holotropic Breathwork? It’s a technique for achieving healing states of consciousness. Still don’t understand? Read this first- hand account of a Holotropic Breathwork journey by Alexandra Salkova McKenzie.
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was running through a deep Usually done in groups, people work In that very instant I noticed that forest. Everything seemed dim in pairs and alternate in the roles of I am not scared of anything. In fact, and dark but I felt joy. Joy experiencer (‘breather’) and ‘sitter’. The it was as if I could reach the girl’s fear Ifrom running, moving and the scents sitter’s primary responsibility is to focus and feel it too, but I wasn’t scared. The of the forest. In that moment, my compassionate attention on the breather. panther, me, realised my power and consciousness moved inward and to my Secondly, the sitter is available to assist strength and I felt fearless instead. surprise, I realised I was a huge, black the breather, but not to interfere or The challenge of being fearless shaggy wolf… interrupt the process. Facilitators are also seemed exciting. I looked into the on hand to help if necessary. darkness and called: “Bring the fear, “This is crazy!” I thought to According to the Holotropic I am ready to feel the fear!” The fear myself but in my years as a student Breathwork website (www.holotropic. came out creeping as a dark fog from of psychology and a practitioner of com): “With the eyes closed and lying the forest, brushed off my coat and various healing therapies, I’ve witnessed on a mat, each person uses their own disappeared. It left me flabbergasted. enough extraordinary experiences breath and the music in the room “Am I truly fearless?” I started to search to know that it’s best to put my to enter a non-ordinary state of for the fear – I felt excitement, as if I intellect to the side so - with curiosity consciousness. This state activates the was playing a game of emotions. and apprehension – I allowed this natural inner healing process of the In that moment, the music changed experience to unfold in front of me. individual’s psyche, bringing him or her and I shifted from the black panther into a particular set of internal experiences.” a beautiful angel floating high in the sky. The wolf ran out of the forest and stood next to a village made of teepees. People were gathered around a fire. Then the music changed into a tribal I looked into the darkness and called: “Bring song and all the villagers - as if they also the fear, I am ready to feel the fear!” The fear heard the loud music - started to dance around the fire. The loud music set the came out creeping as a dark fog from the forest, tone and I was breathing in rhythm brushed off my coat and disappeared. with the dancers and the observing wolf. I couldn’t differentiate who I was; as if Practitioners can relive any stage As my experience unfolded, my I was the music, the villagers, the forest of their own history or enter the consciousness morphed into an angel and the wolf. But at some level I also realms of archetypes, animals, birth floating above humanity. I understood knew I was in a room with my fellow and death. human emotions from a much Holotropic breathers, all of us on a day- higher vantage point. Interestingly, long workshop of self-exploration... ANGELS AND DEMONS Grof states that probably the most Being the wolf and observing the profound experience available in WHAT IS HOLOTROPIC villagers made me aware of my holotropic states is identification with BREATHWORK journey. Somehow, I knew, when I the Supracosmic and Metacosmic Developed by psychiatrist Stan Grof grow spiritually, I will become a black Void (Sanskrit ‘sunyata’), primordial and psychotherapist Christina Grof, panther. In that instance, the wolf Emptiness and Nothingness that is Holotropic Breathwork is a practice morphed into a black panther. The conscious itself. that uses breathing and other elements strength and solid power ran through to allow access to non-ordinary states my veins. Music changed and I noticed I watched the wars across lands for the purpose of self-exploration the villagers could not see me anymore. and thousand of humans fighting and healing. It combines the power of I stood facing a dark corner of the forest. for a cause. Tremendous sadness breathing, the therapeutic potential of A loud cry from one of my fellow and despair was hovering above music, chanting, bodywork and mandala breathers caught my attention. The girl humanity across time. Looking drawing, in order to achieve non- screamed with fear, and her loud shriek down at humanity, I understood… I ordinary, healing states of consciousness. penetrated my panther experience. The experienced absolute nothingness of All of these techniques have been used analytical, logical mind guarding my emotions; the emptiness, which was for centuries in the sacred practices of visions pointed out that she must be vast and sweet, and I became aware of ancient and native cultures. scared of something. a much deeper meaning of existence. cont. overleaf
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cont. from pg15 The music changed and the harmonic tones brought me into another scene. I was one of a group of riders on beautiful WHERE DID THE NAME ‘HOLOTROPIC white horses galloping, as if nearly flying, BREATHWORK’ COME FROM? through the countryside. If you were thinking that ‘holotropic breathwork’ is quite the mouthful, you wouldn’t be the first. The term was coined by psychiatrists Stanislav and Christina Grof and In this moment I became tired. I translates as ‘moving towards wholeness’. opened my eyes and released my sitter A husband and wife team, the Grofs were researchers into the use of non-ordinary from his duties. I felt the experience was states of consciousness for purposes of exploring, healing, and obtaining growth and pretty much finished although the two insights into the human psyche. and half hours had felt like minutes. Stan Grof distinguishes between two modes of consciousness: the hylotropic and the holotropic. The hylotropic refers to “the normal, everyday experience of consensus reality”. The holotropic refers to states that aim towards wholeness and GIFT OF FEARLESSNESS the totality of existence. The holotropic is characteristic of non-ordinary states of After a Holotropic Breathwork session, consciousness such as meditative, mystical, or psychedelic experiences. participants express their experiences Christina Grof died in June 2014 at the age of 73, she is survived by her husband through painting mandalas. At the end who is now aged 83. of my session, I was unable to speak www.holotropic.com for a while, integrating my experiences. I painted my mandala in silence and took my time to assimilate everything. I Similarly, French Jesuit priest realised that the feeling of fearlessness, and philosopher Pierre Teilhard de detaching from emotions, seeing a We are not human Chardin (1881-1955) said, “We are bigger picture behind life and living beings having spiritual not human beings having spiritual fearlessly was a true gift. I recalled experiences, we are spiritual beings Anita Moorjani’s recent book Dying experiences, we are having human experiences.” [Source: To Be Me where she described “being spiritual beings having Le Phénomène Humain, 1955] fearless” as one of the most important Holotropic Breathwork is steps in reaching a fulfilled life. human experiences recommended to anyone who is on Through my professional practice, I a journey of self-discovery. Some am aware of the wisdom of our psyche According to Swiss psychiatrist sessions may not be a walk in the and Holotropic Breathwork’s vision Carl G. Jung (1875-1961), the psyche is park however every lesson we take is further supports that it is not the healer not a product of the brain and it is not another step on our way to true self. or the therapist who is wise, but the contained in the skull; it is the creative Ultimately, every part of our existence, psyche of the individual whose wisdom and generative principle of the cosmos even personal growth cannot be learnt, is tended and brought to flower. (anima mundi). it has to be experienced.
Alexandra Salkova McKenzie of Inner Self Consultancy is a certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Master and Coach, EFT/EET, Reiki and ThetaHealing Practitioner and Ham-Sa Yogini. She provides private coaching for those seeking change, growth and health as well as meditation classes and workshops. Tel 050 698 46 12 or email: [email protected] www.innerselfconsultancy.com
Holotropic Breathwork UAE Want to try Holotropic Breathwork? Email Vanessa on [email protected] for information on future workshops in the UAE. The next one is Friday 10 October from 9am to 7.30pm. A free awareness talk is on Monday 6 October from 7pm to 8.30pm. You can also join the Facebook group called Holotropic Breathwork Dubai for all the latest news.
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