The Holotropic Mind

by Stanislav Grof

  The Communist vision contains elements of psychological truth that make it appealing to large numbers of people. The basic notion that a dramatic experience of revolutionary proportions must occur before suffering and oppression will end, and that this upheaval will bring greater harmony, is correct in terms of the process of psychological death and rebirth and inner transformation. However, it is dangerously false when projected to the external world as a political ideology. The basic fallacy lies in the fact that what is essentially an archetypal pattern of spiritual death and rebirth is being given the form of an atheistic and antispiritual program.

  It is interesting to note that while Communist revolutions have been extremely successful in their destructive phase, the promised brotherhood and harmony their victories promised have not come. Instead, the new orders have bred regimes where oppression, cruelty, and injustice ruled supreme. If the above observations are correct, no external interventions have a chance to create a better world, unless they are associated with a profound transformation of human consciousness.

  Echoes and Reflections of Hell

  The perinatal dynamics can also help us understand otherwise incomprehensible phenomena, such as the Nazi concentration camps. Professor Bastians from Leyden, Holland, who has had extensive experience in the treatment of the so-called concentration camp syndrome—emotional problems that develop decades after incarceration—pointed out that the concentration camp is in the last analysis a product of the human mind. The fact that the mental image of such an institution must have preceded its material existence suggests that there is a corresponding area in the unconscious psyche. Bastians expressed this quite succinctly: "Before there was man in the concentration camp, there was the concentration camp in man." I have described earlier that the imagery involving Nazi concentration camps, Stalin's labor camps, and other similar themes spontaneously emerge in the experiences of people confronting the perinatal level of their unconscious. Closer examination of the general and specific conditions in the Nazi concentration camps reveal that they are a realistic enactment of the nightmarish atmosphere of BPM II and BPM III.

  Consider the barbed wire barriers, high-voltage fences, watch towers with machine guns, mine fields, and packs of trained dogs. All these certainly helped to created a hellish, archetypal image of the no exit situation so characteristic of BPM II. The elements of violence, bestiality, and sadism contributed to the atmosphere of insanity and horror that is so familiar to people who have relived their births. The sexual abuse of women and men, including rape and sadistic practices, existed on the individual level, as well as in the "houses of dolls," the institutions that provided "entertainment" for the officers and offered an outlet for their most violent unconscious perinatal impulses.

  One of the most astonishing aspects of the concentration camp practices was the violation of the basic hygienic precautions and the indulgence in scatology. Since this was in sharp contrast with the meticulous German sense of cleanliness and involved a disregard for the danger of mass epidemics, this clearly indicates that irrational unconscious forces were involved. Among the favorite jokes of the Nazi officers was to throw the eating bowls of the prisoners into the latrines and order them to retrieve them. At other times, they kicked inmates into the excrement as they squatted down to relieve themselves. As a result, many prisoners actually drowned in human waste.

  Suffocation in gas chambers and the fires in the ovens of the crematoria were additional elements in the hellish, nightmare environment of the camps. All these are themes that people in non-ordinary states of consciousness often encounter in their inner experiences in the context of BPM III. In peacetime, atrocities similar to these have been perpetrated during prison uprisings; apparently overcrowding and the abuse of prisoners tends to activate unconscious perinatal elements, and eventually erupts in violent uprising and rebellion.

  Significant roots for major sociopolitical upheavals can also be found on the transpersonal level. C. G. Jung believed that the archetypes of the collective unconscious not only influence behavior of individuals, they also govern large historical movements. From this point of view, entire nations and cultural groups are capable of acting out mythological themes. For example, in the decade preceding the outbreak of World War II, Jung found in the dreams of his German patients many elements from the Nordic myth about "Ragnarok," the twilight of the gods. He concluded from this that this archetype was emerging in the collective psyche of the German nation; he predicted that it would lead to a major world catastrophe that would ultimately turn out to be self-destructive for the German people. In many instances, clever leaders specifically use archetypal images to achieve their political goals. Thus Hitler exploited the mythological motifs of the supremacy of the Nordic race and of the millennial empire, as well as the ancient Aryan symbols of the swastika and the eagle. Ayatollah Khomeini and Saddam Hussein have ignited the imaginations of their Moslem followers by references to jihad, that is, the holy war against the infidels.

  Although it is not an easy task to establish conclusive proof in this area, our full consideration of the perinatal and transpersonal levels of the psyche promises new and exciting possibilities for the study and understanding of human history and culture. Probably the most intriguing among the new insights are those related to the current global crisis. We all have the dubious privilege of living in an era when the world drama is reaching its culmination. The violence, greed, and acquisitiveness that have shaped human history in the past centuries have reached such proportions that they could easily lead not only to complete annihilation of the human species, but to extermination of all life on this planet. The various diplomatic, political, military, economic, and ecological efforts to correct the present course all seem to make matters worse rather than better.

  Does it not seem possible that our efforts at peace fail because none of our present approaches have addressed that dimension which seems to be at the center of the global crisis: the human psyche? There is enough wealth in the world to guarantee a good living standard for everyone on the face of the earth. Similarly, it is not necessary for millions of people to die of diseases for which contemporary medicine has effective remedies. Modern science has the know-how to develop clean and renewable sources of energy and prevent the deterioration of our physical environment. The main obstacle we face as a species is found in the present evolutionary level of our consciousness. That is the primary cause of the senseless plundering of natural resources, the pollution of our water, air, and soil, and the shameful waste of unimaginable amounts of money and energy in the insanity of the arms race. For this reason, it is important to learn as much as we can about the psychological and spiritual dimensions of the predicament we are all facing.

  In our modern world we have externalized many of the essential elements of BPM III. When working to achieve transformation on an individual level, we know that we must face and come to terms with these themes. The same elements that we would encounter in the process of psychological death and rebirth in our visionary experiences appear today as stories on our evening news. We see the unleashing of enormous aggressive impulses in wars and revolutionary upheavals throughout the world, in the rising criminality, in terrorism, and in race riots. Sexual experiences and behaviors are taking unprecedented forms, manifested as sexual freedom for youngsters, promiscuity, open marriages, gay liberation, sadomasochistic parlors, overtly sexual books, plays, movies, and many others. The demonic element is also becoming increasingly manifest in the modern world. The rising interest in satanic cults and witchcraft, the increasing popularity of books and horror movies with occult themes, and satanic crimes attest to that fact. The scatological dimension is evident in the progressive industrial pollution, accumulation of waste products on a global scale, and rapidly deteriorating hygienic conditions in large cities.

  Many people with whom we have worked have volunteered very interesting insights into this situation. Over the past few years hundreds of people have expressed the
belief that humanity is at a crossroads, facing either collective annihilation or an evolutionary jump in consciousness of unprecedented proportions. It seems that we are all involved in a process that parallels the psychological death and rebirth that so many people have experienced individually in non-ordinary states of consciousness. If we continue to act out the destructive tendencies from our deep unconscious, we will undoubtedly destroy ourselves and all life on our planet. However, if we succeed in internalizing this process on a large enough scale, it might result in evolutionary progress that can take us as far beyond our present condition as we now are from the primates.

  As utopian as this might seem on the surface, it might very well be our only real chance. Over the years I have seen profound transformations in people who have been involved with serious and systematic inner quests. Some of them were meditators and had a regular spiritual practice. Others had spontaneous episodes of psychospiritual crises or participated in various forms of experiential psychotherapy and self-exploration. As their level of aggression decreased, they became more peaceful, more comfortable with themselves, and more tolerant of others. Their ability to enjoy life, particularly the simple pleasures of everyday existence, increased considerably.

  Deep reverence for life and ecological awareness are among the most frequent consequences of the psychospiritual transformation that accompanies responsible work with non-ordinary states of consciousness. The same has been true for spiritual emergence of a mystical nature that is based on personal experience. It is my belief that a movement in the direction of a fuller awareness of our unconscious minds will vastly increase our chances for planetary survival. I hope that this book will make a contribution toward those ends, offering assistance and guidance for those who will choose this path or are walking it already.

  NOTES

  Chapter 1: Breakthroughs to New Dimensions of Consciousness

  1. David Bohm, Wholeness and the Implicate Order (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1980).

  2. Rupert Sheldrake, A New Science of Life (Los Angeles: J. P. Tarcher, 1981).

  3. Michael Harner, The Way of the Shaman (New York: Harper & Row, 1980).

  4. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Peter excerpted from Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research (New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

  Chapter 2: Wholeness and the Amniotic Universe—BPM I

  1. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Ben excerpted from Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research (New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

  Chapter 3: Expulsion from Paradise—BPM II

  1. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research (New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

  Chapter 4: The Death-Rebirth Struggle—BPM III

  1. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research (New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

  Chapter 5: The Death and Rebirth Experience—BPM IV

  1. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research (New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

  Chapter 6: An Overview of the Transpersonal Paradigm

  1. C. G. Jung, Septem Sermones ad Mortuos in S. Hoeller, The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1982).

  2. Abraham Maslow, Religions, Values and Peak Experiences (Cleveland: State Univ. of Ohio, 1964).

  3. William James, Varieties of Religious Experience (New York: Collier, 1961).

  4. C. G. Jung, Septem Sermones ad Mortuos in S. Hoeller, The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1982).

  Chapter 7: Journeys Beyond Physical Boundaries

  1. Eugene O'Neill, Long Day's Journey into Night (New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press, 1956), Act 4, 153.

  2. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Jenna excerpted from The Adventure of Self-Discovery (Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

  3. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

  4. Rusty Schweickart, "Space-Age and Planetary Awareness: A Personal Experience" in Human Survival and Consciousness Evolution, edited by Stanislav Grof (Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

  5. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

  6. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

  7. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from The Adventure of Self-Discovery (Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

  8. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from The Adventure of Self-Discovery (Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

  9. J. E. Lovelock, Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1979).

  Chapter 8: Across the Borders of Time

  1. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research (New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

  2. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Richard excerpted from Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research (New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

  3. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Inga excerpted from The Adventure of Self-Discovery (Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

  4. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Nadja excerpted from Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research (New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

  5. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Renata excerpted from Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research (New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

  6. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

  7. Stanislav Grof, case study excerpted from Realms of the Human Unconscious: Observations from LSD Research (New York: Viking Penguin, 1975).

  8. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Jesse from The Human Encounter with Death.

  Chapter 9: Beyond a Shared Reality

  1. Aldous Huxley, Heaven and Hell (Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books, 1971).

  2. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Richard excerpted from The Adventure of SelfDiscovery (Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

  3. Stanislav Grof, the case study of Eva Pahnke excerpted from The Adventure of Self-Discovery (Albany: State Univ. of New York Press, 1988).

  4. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

  5. Christina Grof and Stanislav Grof, The Stormy Search for the Self (Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1990).

  6. Christina Grof and Stanislav Grof, The Stormy Search for the Self (Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1990).

  7. C. G. Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections (New York: Pantheon Books, 1961).

  8. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

  9. Joseph Campbell, from lecture at the Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA, 1984.

  10. Lao-tsu, Tao Te Ching (New York: Vintage Books, 1972).

  11. Stanislav Grof, unpublished case study.

  12. William Blake, Johannes Brahms, and Giacomo Puccini in Higher Creativity by W. Harman and H. Rheingold (Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1984), 46.

  Chapter 10: Experiences of a Psychoid Nature

  1. C. G. Jung, "On the Nature of the Psyche" in The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche, collected works, vol. 8, Bollingen Series XX (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1960).

  2. Paul Kammerer, Das Gesetz der Serie (The Law of the Series) (Stuttgart and Berlin, 1919).

  3. Camille Flammarion, The Unknown (London and New York, 1900), 191ff.

  4. C. G. Jung, Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle, Vol. 8, Bollingen Series XX (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1973).

  5. C. G. Jung, Letter to Carl Selig, February 25, 1953, in Letters: Nineteen Fifty-One to Nineteen Sixty-One, Vol. 2, Bollingen Series XCV (Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press, 1973).

  6. Hans Bender, Telepathie Hellsehen und Psychokinese (Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany: Aurum Verlag, 1984).

  7. Raymond E. Fowler, The Andreasson Affair (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979).

  8. Elda Hartle
y, Sacred Trance in Bali and Java, a documentary film.

  9. Stanley Krippner, Human Possibilities (Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/ Doubleday, 1980).

  10. Jules Eisenbud, the World of Ted Serios (New York: William Morrow, 1967).

  Chapter 11: New Perspectives on Reality and Human Nature

  1. Sam Keen, The Faces of the Enemy (New York: Harper & Row, 1986).

  2. A. Bastians, "Der Mann im Konzentrationslager und der Konzentrationslager im Mann," mimeographed manuscript, n.d.

  RECOMMENDED READING

  Bache, C. Lifecycles: Reincarnation and the Web of Life. New York: Paragon House, 1990.

  Bateson, G. Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1979.

  Bateson, G., and Bateson, M.C. Angels Fear: Towards An Epistomology of the Sacred. New York: Macmillan, 1987.

  Bohm, D. Wholeness and the Implicate Order. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1980.

  Bohm, D., and Peat, D. Science, Order, and Creativity. New York: Bantam, 1987.

  Briggs, J., and Peat, D. Looking Glass Universe: The Emerging Science of Wholeness. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1984.

  ___. Turbulent Mirror: An Illustrated Guide to Chaos Theory and the Science of Wholeness. New York: Harper and Row, 1989.