We have now spent several months—about six of them, in fact—digging around the concept of hell. I have pointed out that although it is deeply embedded in our culture, the Dante’s Inferno view of hell is not biblical. I have observed that hell does not register as a location on any GPS system. I have quoted theological views suggesting that hell may be something other than after-death punishment for bad behavior.
But the fact remains that whether or not we consider hell to be politically correct, or a belief we agree with, or a concept we despise, some people experience near-death and similar events that act very much like the traditional descriptions of hell.
Where do we go from here?
Today we are going to the fifty years of exploring non-ordinary states of consciousness conducted by psychiatrist Stanislav Grof and his partner (and wife) Christina Grof. Over their five decades of research, the Grofs have built what he refers to as “a useful source of data about the human psyche and the nature of reality.”
Exactly where we wish to go!
a useful source of data about the human psyche and the nature of reality
The quotes below are brief excerpts from a lengthy article. A link to the complete article appears at the end of this post.
Psychology of the Future: Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research
Stanislav Grof, M.D.
… My primary interest is to focus on experiences that have healing, transformative, and evolutionary potential and those that represent a useful source of data about the human psyche and the nature of reality. I will also pay special attention to those aspects of these experiences that reveal the existence of the spiritual dimensions of existence. For this purpose, the term non-ordinary states of consciousness is too general, since it includes a wide range of conditions that are not interesting or relevant from this point of view.
…I would, therefore, like to narrow our discussion to a large and important subgroup of non-ordinary states of consciousness for which contemporary psychiatry does not have a specific term. Because I feel strongly that they deserve to be distinguished from the rest and placed into a special category, I have coined for them the name holotropic (Grof 1992).
This composite word means literally “oriented toward wholeness” or “moving in the direction of wholeness” (from the Greek holos = whole and trepein = moving toward or in the direction of something). The full meaning of this term and the justification for its use will become clear later in this article. It suggests that in our everyday state of consciousness we are fragmented and identify with only a small fraction of who we really are.
…Holotropic states are characterized by a specific transformation of consciousness associated with dramatic perceptual changes in all sensory areas, intense and often unusual emotions, and profound alterations in the thought processes. They are also usually accompanied by a variety of intense psychosomatic manifestations and unconventional forms of behavior. Consciousness is changed qualitatively in a very profound and fundamental way, but it is not grossly impaired as it is in the delirant conditions. We are experiencing invasion of other dimensions of existence that can be very intense and even overwhelming. However, at the same time, we typically remain fully oriented and do not completely lose touch with everyday reality. We experience simultaneously two very different realities, have ‘each foot in a different world.’
…The emotions associated with holotropic states cover a very broad spectrum that extends far beyond the limits of our everyday experience. They range from feelings of ecstatic rapture, heavenly bliss, and ‘peace that passeth all understanding’ to episodes of abysmal terror, murderous anger, utter despair, consuming guilt, and other forms of unimaginable emotional suffering that matches the descriptions of the tortures of hell in the great religions of the world.
The content of holotropic states is often spiritual or mystical. We can experience sequences of psychological death and rebirth and a broad spectrum of transpersonal phenomena, such as feelings of oneness with other people, nature, the universe, and God. We might uncover what seem to be memories from other incarnations, encounter powerful archetypal beings, communicate with discarnate entities, and visit numerous mythological landscapes. Holotropic experiences of this kind are the main source of cosmologies, mythologies, philosophies, and religious systems describing the spiritual nature of the cosmos and of existence. They are the key for understanding the ritual and spiritual life of humanity from shamanism and sacred ceremonies of aboriginal tribes to the great religions of the world.
…Holotropic states tend to engage something like an “inner radar,” bringing into consciousness automatically the contents from the unconscious that have the strongest emotional charge, are most psychodynamically relevant at the time, and are available for processing at that particular time.
…On the one hand, they appear on the same experiential continuum as the biographical and perinatal experiences and are thus coming from within the individual psyche. On the other hand, they seem to be tapping directly, without the mediation of the senses, into sources of information that are clearly far beyond the conventional reach of the individual.
… These observations indicate that we can obtain information about the universe in two radically different ways: besides the conventional possibility of learning through sensory perception and analysis and synthesis of the data, we can also find out about various aspects of the world by direct identification with them in a holotropic state of consciousness. Each of us thus appears to be a microcosm containing in a holographic way the information about the macrocosm
… The existence and nature of transpersonal experiences violates some of the most basic assumptions of mechanistic science. They imply such seemingly absurd notions as relativity and arbitrary nature of all physical boundaries, non-local connections in the universe, communication through unknown means and channels, memory without a material substrate, nonlinearity of time, or consciousness associated with all living organisms, and even inorganic matter. Many transpersonal experiences involve events from the microcosm and the macrocosm, realms that cannot normally be reached by unaided human senses, or from historical periods that precede the origin of the solar system, formation of planet earth, appearance of living organisms, development of the nervous system, and emergence of homo sapiens.
… If they are allowed to run their full course and are properly integrated, they represent a healing mechanism of extraordinary power.
…[A]ll that Freudian psychoanalysis has discovered about the human psyche represents at best the exposed part of the iceberg, while vast domains of the unconscious resisted Freud’s efforts and remained hidden even for him. Mythologist Joseph Campbell, using his incisive Irish humor, put it very succinctly: “Freud was fishing, while sitting on a whale.”
…According to Jung, the psyche is not a product of the brain; it is a cosmic principle (anima mundi) that permeates all of existence and our individual psyche partakes in this cosmic matrix. The intellect is just a partial function of the psyche, which makes it possible for us to orient ourselves in practical situations and solve everyday problems; it is incapable to fathom and manipulate the psyche.
… From the point of view of Western science, the material world represents the only reality and any form of spiritual belief is seen as reflecting lack of education, primitive superstition, magical thinking, or regression to infantile patterns of functioning. Direct experiences of spiritual realities are then relegated to the world of gross psychopathology, serious mental disorders. Western psychiatry makes no distinction between a mystical experience and a psychotic experience and sees both as manifestations of mental disease. In its rejection of religion, it does not differentiate primitive folk beliefs or fundamentalists’ literal interpretations of scriptures from sophisticated mystical traditions and Eastern spiritual philosophies based on centuries of systematic introspective exploration of the psyche. It pathologizes spirituality of any kind and together with it the entire spiritual history of humanity.
the psyche is not a product of the brain; it is a cosmic principle (anima mundi) that permeates all of existence
…Spirituality involves a special relationship between the individual and the cosmos and is in its essence a personal and private affair. At the cradle of all great religions were visionary (perinatal and/or transpersonal) experiences of their founders, prophets, saints, and even ordinary followers. All major spiritual scriptures – the Vedas, the Buddhist Pali Canon, the Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, and many others are based on revelations in holotropic states of consciousness.
…As we have seen, the observations from the research of holotropic states … require a drastic revision of our thinking in [psychiatry and psychology]. However, many of them are of such a fundamental nature that they transcend the narrow frame of these disciplines and challenge the most basic metaphysical assumptions of Western science and its Newtonian-Cartesian paradigm. They seriously undermine the belief that consciousness is a product of neurophysiological processes in the brains and thus an epiphenomenon of matter; they strongly suggest that it is a primary attribute of all existence.
[To read the entire 30+-paged article, which includes a description of Grof’s convictions about the perinatal nature of non-ordinary states of consciousness, go here.]
What Grof is saying here is what in my searching, I’ve come to believe.
Robert A Monroe states “a belief is not a known.” In his out of body excursions, he’s experienced the spiritual for real. The old saying “been there, done that” nails it.
I feel that the answers, or clues to what is are all around us right here, right now. Perhaps this is what Christ meant when he said the kingdom of God is at hand. This is why I trust my perceptions and feelings.
This is qualified by sensing your emotions as you observe. Negative feelings, fear, anger, superiority, jealousy, distort ones perceptions, and render them unreliable.
If these are not in the way, and captivation by unbiased interest is your inner focus, empathy with what’s going on can happen. The forces of change and creation are taking place all around us all the time.
This is the icing on the cake for me.For over three years I have been researching out what happened to me.No one would talk about NDEs. This website has been saying most everything one way or another and confirmed the real core beliefs I have been witnessed to. Thank you everyone for the courage to open up and be right.
Donald, it’s comments like yours that make it a joy. Thank you. And thanks to the helpers.
Donald,
I for one would like to hear more about your experience. Comparing “notes” is how we learn more about nde’s
Hi Donald, I was wondering if you would elaborate on your NDE?
“…in our everyday state of consciousness we are fragmented and identify with only a small fraction of who we really are.”
Wow, does this resonate with my handful of spiritual experiences! What a great article, Nan. Thanks for sharing it : )
I just spent the bulk of today’s free time reading the Stanislav Grof article and surfing the internet for information about Holotropic Breathwork.
Although I’ve tripped across mentions of Grof in the past, I’ve never stopped to dig very deeply into what he was all about. Today’s reading was time well spent.
I’ve discovered way too much in the past twenty four hours to comment on all of it, but Grof’s comparison of the birth experience and distressing NDE’s was a revelation that stands out to me.
Everybody knows that leaving the womb is a traumatic experience (the baby makes dang sure you know about it), but I’ve never heard anyone delve so deeply into the other aspects of the experience as well as Grof does. The hours prior to the baby’s emergence is obviously where the real hell is at. Excellent, insightful stuff.
In the process of reading Grof’s hypothesis, I couldn’t help but think about Carl Sagan and his theory dismissing near-death experiences as a mere reliving of the birth process. Sagan saw the NDE as an ecstatic emergence into the light of the world, but he forgot about the contractions, cutting of of oxygen supply, and other hellish sensations the baby undergoes in the womb prior to birth.
To quote Grof, “A person in this predicament often becomes convinced that this situation will never end and that there is absolutely no way out.”
Of course, Grof and Sagan aren’t coming from the same perspective, but if Sagan had taken the NDE seriously, he might have been on to something. Shallow insights from great thinkers is such a shame.
Love these AHA!moments! Great work, Mr. Dawg.
I was a breech birth. I started to come out feet first, and they had to turn me around. I’ve had to deal with an attention deficit all my life. I wonder if these are things we agree on before we come here.
Handicaps and overcoming them lead us into understanding in ways we may have never discovered and evolved to otherwise.
My first Son Jesse had to gave a caesarian birth because he couldn’t get through the vaginal canal. He has disabilities. I told him these were handicaps he took on to accelerate his spiritual growth in this incarnation. And sure enough he’s a great soul, and becoming greater every day. I’m proud of him.
Wow, I thought that this was one thread that would really take off. I wonder about our future here?
Some topics take time to consider, Dave. For many people, this is new stuff, not easy to comment on. Patience is the key!
“Some topics take time to consider, Dave. For many people, this is new stuff, not easy to comment on. Patience is the key!”
Yep. Part of me thinks Stanislav Grof is the most brilliantly insightful shrink since Jung, and part of me thinks he’s what happens when Hinduism meets LSD. In any event, you can’t have a serious discussion about consciousness in this day and age without mentioning him.
When I read Grof’s words or hear him speak, he seems so profound and spiritually knowledgeable, but when I look at videos of his followers, holotropic breathwork looks like something for air-headed rich folks with too much time on their hands, and not enough drugs. Examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E69Wf79NX0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMxBOjvZQIo
Of course, that negative perception of holotropic breathwork could be driven by the type of person who would put up personal videos on Youtube to begin with.
For now, I put Grof in the same category as Bernardo Kastrup – way ahead of the game in understanding consciousness, even if I don’t buy the whole enchilada.
I’ve never done holotropic breathwork; never met Grof, though he’s been a key force behind NDE work all along. As you say, Rabbit, other than Jung’s, his is the first work I’ve encountered that helps me make sense of NDEs. But then, yes, the work has provided such great suggestiveness–but who are the people with time and money and inclination for possibly dozens of day-long sessions? (I quickly add that I make that quantitative estimate based on what I’ve read or others have said; maybe for some people a couple of sessions are enough.) And the individuals I have known who have done the therapeutic series…well, I am not reassured about groundedness. It does seem to me that it is the theoretical level of Grof’s work that has the greater value. Anyone with firsthand experience, please chime in!
I’ve done breath work with Victor Sobe, a therapist trained by Wilhelm Reich. This was extremely beneficial in freeing up energy blocks in my body. These blocks deaden your inner sense of self, and block you from feeling your spirit. “Energy” could…. also be called “spirit”or life force. Reich called it Orgone Energy, and felt that all living things contained it. Maybe I shouldn’t stuff this into the thread, but it was another variation on therapeutic breathing techniques.
Thanks, Dave. A member of my family has found a Reichian approach helpful. I should have qualified my remarks about breath work, which can be extremely valuable, as you say. Problems occur when any approach draws people for a superficial trendiness (ego again!) rather than thought-through purpose.
Wilhelm Reich breathing therapy under Victor Sobe
Call it Orgone Energy, spirit, soul, how ever you want to call or conceptualize it. Reich believed that it was all around us as if it were an ocean, and that it came from space. All living things also contained it within and were powered by it. Upon the death of the body, the energy left the body, and rejoined the “over all” energy. Victor Sobe said the unanswered question was whether the individual consciousness remained intact.
In the body. it’s not a static thing as if we were a container with water in it. Instead, it flows up your back into your head, and down your front to your crotch and up your back again in a continuous loop. In living things the head is the point of forward locomotion of the energy. The rear end, or crotch in animals with legs is the point of sharpest deflection of the energy returning up the back, which is why it’s so sensitive and the sex organs are located there. Therefore, it’s a flowing force within you.
When this flow of energy became habitually impeded due to pressure and stress from the environment, Armoring occurred. For example, the eyes are a very vulnerable access point to your feelings. If someone is continually “in your face”, you tighten the muscles around your eyes to narrow them. This is a defense to protect your feelings.
Life energy is used to do this. Over time, this can become permanent. Here, some energy is frozen in the service of protection. The jaw muscles from fighting “talking back” cam also become armored. Tightening the diaphragm muscles is a way to suppress the urge to cry. As this occurs, The free flowing energy has to flow around the Armored places like water going around rocks and boulders in a stream,
Somebody who has this condition can react irrationally in social situations they feel are similar to those that created their amour, and yet not understand why. Because the armoring was created far in the past, the effected persons condition seems to them as normal. This varies with different types of armoring, and how bad they are. This is part one.
Orgone Therapy Breathing
In a therapy session, I was on my back on a bed in just my shorts, my knees were raised, and bent pelvis relaxed, arms at my sides. Victor Sobe MD. sat beside the bed in a chair. He would continually observe my aura, and my body.
The first step was to learn to get all of the air out of your lungs. Think of an accordion being squeezed all the way shut, all air gone, and then pulled back out allowing it to expand all the way full again. When the exhale was all the way out, because your knees were raised, and legs relaxed, in full exhale, your pelvis would tip up.
Different ways of working your mouth to impede the exhale, and concentrating on different areas of your body enabled the energy movement to reach the different areas of your body where energy was in stasis
The eyes came first, Then the jaw, then the diaphragm and finally the mid section and pelvis. When the energy block in my eyes broke loose. The suppressed memories of what caused it became immediate again.
The orgone Therapist frees the eyes. The freed energy releases and runs into the Armoring in the jaw. When the armoring in the jaw gives way, the freed energy from the eyes and Jaw runs into the diaphragm. After a session, because your body is not used to the expansion of the free energy, you have anxiety attacks. This can make you start to re amour over again. But as therapy continues it levels out.
Because when starting from the head, the freed energy hits the jaw, then the diaphragm. This frees the energy incrementally, and it’s the only way a patient can tolerate the treatment. If this procedure was done out of sequence, it would be disastrous. A patient could. Totally “nut out”. Talk therapy goes hand in hand, and memories of the events that caused the damage are worked through.
Last is the pelvis, My Victorian mother used to say “Keep Your Mind Above Your Belt!” I would say “But Ma, you keep yelling at me that my brains must be in my feet!”. The bombardment of sexual repression was really bad back then. That made us think of sex more than ever, and feel more guilty about it. It took the 1960’s to break that loose. Continually breathing to flood the pelvis with energy and certain movements of the bent knees finally frees it.
As something new breaks loose the expanded energy re effects the areas that were previously freed. Things still have to be re adjusted an tuned up, stabilized. Everybody’s armoring is different in terms of degree and placement. It takes a trained therapist to get the job done without damaging a patient. All Orgone therapists are MD’s
As the twig is bent so grows the tree. After treatment, patients will always bare the scar. It will always be possible to re armor. However, we have the techniques to combat and overcome this. When I was in the hospital with a block in my small intestine, and a bad candidate for surgery, I used my Orgone breathing techniques to free the block, and I walked out of there.
“All major spiritual scriptures – the Vedas, the Buddhist Pali Canon, the Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon, and many others are based on revelations in holotropic states of consciousness.”
Yes, true. I’m wondering though whether the source of such revelations are benevolent, malevolent or somewhere in between. We’d like to think that the source has man’s best interest at heart. But remember how Jacques Vallee characterized all such revelations as indistinguishable from paranormal experiences that are not healing or transformative. Catholic miracles, for example, resemble paranormal UFO experiences of questionable intent and origin.
There is really no way to know is there. Whether the God of Fear of the Old Testament is the same one that found in the God of Mercy of the New Testament. Nancy, I hope this was one of of the questions posed by Nanci Danilson to the Source when she wanted to know about everything. So did Tom Sawyer. So also Melen-Thomas Benedict.
Do they have anything useful say about the exceptionality of hellish NDEs? Or have they forgotten? Now I realize that the NDE realm is not so one-sided or cut and dry. That there are layers and it’s not walk in the park. Or a trip on a butterfly’s wingtip. Fascinating but disturbing, indeed.
The universe is made up simultaneously of deepest darkness and glorious light, unimaginable violence and utter serenity. As we are part of that universe, it seems not surprising that we and our consciousness should be like that also. And as some Catholic miracles do “resemble paranormal UFO experiences of questionable intent and origin,” I wonder if it is not possible that they are the same type of experience only interpreted from different perspectives. Thanks for your observations.