Saturday, January 14, 2017

WELCOME TO THE NEW YEAR!



NEW YEAR

Awaken I lay at 3 am
Seeking answers in my head
None came
I waited that night
Only shadows greeted me.

New Year has arrived
Quietly, softly on this sunny day
Birds sing and trees growing mute
In this circular grassy place
Where the houses stand alone

All is the same except the New Year
All is different in my soul
Longing for home, I sit with a book
Reading “The Fall of Light”

Sadly I think of my life;
How brilliantly in shone
And slowly has dimmed
Falling in a dark place
Like a hollow tree burned inside
By the fire of yesteryears.

Now, the New Year
Like many more, hold some promise
Of better times and happiness
The rising sun shines on me
And my sadness disappears
Like this full moon from the dark-night sky.


The old year has gone and the new one is upon us with more uncertainties and surprises. So, this ‘reflection’ is taking a new path towards making us think. This path may not be so ‘new’ after all, to some, but perhaps a refreshing one.

The last blog was about the way some therapists could reflect about seeking ways of broadening their practice. One way was to look at the work of Alejandro Jodorowsky and his research about Psychomagic.  He clearly opened a door to the ancient practices of shamans and he uses the TAROT card symbolism as a way to offer the client a way towards self-regulation in the healing process. Just like Dr. Fritz Perls opened the door to existential and humanistic therapy, Jodorowsky opened the doors to Psychomagic therapy. A therapy based on his experiences with teachers like Zen masters and Mexican spiritual healers.

Stanley Krippner, director of the Saybrook Institute in San Francisco CA,  states the following in an article  about shams as the first healers: “Shamans have not been taken seriously by most allopathic  physicians despite the fact that many shamanic traditions have developed sophisticated models of healing over the centuries. Furthermore, the models have been flexible enough to survive their contact with allopathic medicine and even to be incorporated in its practice".

One such practitioner is Dr. Stan Grof. Grof and his wife Christina, studied the relationship between altered states of consciousness and Shamanic healing for the past 30 years. Grof begun exploring psychedelics (LSD, Mushrooms, etc) and then spent the last ten years experimenting and writing about powerful non-drug alternatives. His method of therapy is called Holotropic Therapy. This is a method that closely parallels many of the recorded Shamanic healing practices. It combines controlled breathing, evocative music,  focused body work and art therapy (like Mandala drawing).

As we have already explored in the past blog posts, the current ‘verbal’ psychotherapies have not given any positive or conclusive evidence that they work as a way of healing the body, mind and spirit. By using Grof’s holistic approach we transform ‘ordinary’ experience of being into transcendental deep work.  (See article on Holotropic therapy).

The other interesting alternative to  the ‘talking therapies’ is is described in the work of Dr. Arnold Mindell and Amy Mindell. Some of this work (process work) has been mentioned in the previous post but here is a more specific commentary for your reflection.

In Process Work, the authors encourage us to become aware of the more subtle states of consciousness. Often the therapy is not effective because the therapist is not recognizing (not aware) nor interested in the client’s states of consciousness.

It is well documented today that a person can experience a number of different states of consciousness. The first aspect is called “meta-communication”. Here the person can ‘talk about’ and describe clearly their current state of being in the here and now. That means that the client is aware of his or her current state. If a person is not able to describe the state of consciousness, then he or she may be having an inner identification with that state but unable to express it. This then becomes a portal where the Shaman can enter (using various rituals) into this fluid state of consciousness without the need to have a verbal explanation or description.

Many altered states are culturally conditioned. What is considered ‘normal’ in one culture is not so in another. A person with a certain behaviors may be considered ‘abnormal’ in one culture and totally well in another. This is called a “consensus reality”. That is a reality or “truth” based on what most people in that culture define and agree as being real. The Holotropic methods devised by Stan Grof and the many Shamanic healing rituals are designed to enter  the non- consensual reality of the client(or participant) to be able to find the roots of illnesses  that are based mainly on cultural consensus and reverse the mental structures and connect with the clients self- healing ability.

If a person spends a lot of time (which is often) in the consensual state, he or she may find themselves in a split between the inner non-consensual awareness and the cultural belief states thus leading to serious psychotic break down.

Another very interesting state of consciousness is called “extreme state” and is often manifested in a comatose situation. Here the person is not talking, not aware, nor communicating in any way. The person is completely inside of the experience. Amy and Arny Mindell describe the work they do with clients in coma in the book: “Coma: a healing journey”  Laotse pub. 1989.

In summary, here is a list of skills to work with a client’s state of consciousness:

·         -Pay attention how consensus reality is influencing the client’s behavior and beliefs.
·       -  Pay attention to the client’s Inner Child persona.
·       -  Notice client’s projections on the therapist – using “you”, “they” words
·        - Use indirect methods of working like collage, painting ,drama.
·         -Give prescriptions or ‘homework’ for the client to do at home. (see the Psychomagic post).
·       -  Joining the client’s reality as is presented here and now and  designing rituals that connect with that reality.
·         -Working on dreams.

In conclusion, I recommend that you reflect on the various interesting non-ordinary interventions and develop your own style and methods of healing. Practice becoming a Shaman or use Psychomagic tools.
Stanley Krippner, again states: “ There are shamanic healing processes that closely parallel contemporary behavior therapies, chemotherapy, dream work, family therapy, hypnotherapy, milieu therapy, and psychodrama. It is clear that Shamans, psychiatrists, psychologists and physicians have more in common than is generally suspected. (acknowledged). For the Shaman, however, the spiritual dimension of healing is extremely important whereas contemporary therapists and  physicians ignore it".

In Art Therapy and Gestalt Therapy we consciously include the spiritual work as essential to wellness. We do not separate the various services that claim the ownership of much consensus reality. The priests claim the soul, the psychologists claim the mind and the physicians claim the body. We explore and include ALL of the dimensions of the human being.

Some day we will include in our therapeutic work the old Shamanic ‘tools’ of soul retrieval, spirit communication, community connection and group healing, explain the meaning of dreams, vision quests and so on. WE must stress the importance of sharing life purpose, service to community, society and caring for Nature.


As a 'bonus' here is an article about Stan Grof and Holotropic therapy:

Healing and Transformation:
The Use of Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness  - With special reference to the work of Stanislav and Christina Grof.
By Martin Boroson, Martin Duffy and Barbara Egan
Psychological illness, or neurosis, can be defined simply as a restriction of consciousness or – to borrow a Hopi Indian idea – a way of living that calls for a new way of living. Psychotherapy, self-exploration and spiritual questing can all be seen as attempts to gain access to the “foreign” realms of the psyche, the territory that transcends the tight, limited boundaries of the ego. Healing begins when the individual finds some way to reach across the divide between ego and non-ego, and acknowledges some of the material as his/her own. The individual dies to his/her former self-image and world-view, and is reborn at a higher (more expanded) level of awareness.
Psychotherapists call this realm beyond ego, the unconscious. In discovering a collective aspect or layer of the unconscious, Jung suggested that the content of our mind is not limited to what we have experienced since birth. Our normal, everyday state-of-consciousness, dominated by the ego, can be called “ordinary reality”, and all other realms of the psyche or states-of-consciousncss can be called “non-ordinary”. In a non-ordinary state of consciousness, the universe can appear fluid and non-mechanical, space and time are relative, moral absolutes vanish, death is but a transition and life exists in a variety of forms. Stanislav Grof, one of the world’s foremost researchers into the healing properties of non-ordinary states of consciousness, calls ordinary reality “hylotropic”, meaning matter-orientated, and the latter, non-ordinary reality, “holotropic”, meaning wholeness-orientated.
Grof observed that the phenomena experienced in a non-ordinary state are thematically linked to one another, and to issues in one’s conscious life or “ordinary” reality. He calls these thematic links “systems of condensed experience” (COEX). An example of a COEX in one individual might be:
Personality:           Fear of intimacy, claustrophobia
Psychosomatic:   Asthma or tightness in the chest
Biography:           Near death experience of drowning or lack of oxygen. Smothering family life; repressive environment
Perinatal:           Experience of being suffocated (swallowing mucous or being strangled by the umbilical cord).
Transpersonal:    Symbolic (or past-life) experience of being buried alive, hanged, etc.
According to Grof’s model, everyone has several different COEX’s operative at one time, and each would have a positive and a negative charge. By experiencing each aspect of the COEX, an individual can clear its negative influence from ordinary life. Using the example above, one could have the full emotional and physical response appropriate to the experiences of drowning, choking, repression (e.g. screaming, fighting, crying, giving up). This would free up the psychological and/or physical pattern, rather than perpetuate the experience in a locked, frozen or jammed form in the unconscious. Each experience of one level of a COEX would subsume major changes of perception and philosophy of life, as well as concrete changes in everyday life. In the above example, the individual might find him/herself able to break free of restricting situations, such as a relationship or job, and find improvements in his/her breathing, self-expression and emotional life. The individual would feel free within, and know that, in the final analysis, the constriction was internal, i.e. maintained in his or her own state of consciousness.
As one goes deeper into the psyche, into the transpersonal realms, it becomes impossible to sustain a belief in simple cause and effect. What one develops instead in a non-causal, more mystical world view that everything the individual has suffered is in some way necessary. Individuals who complete a process of death and rebirth will say that their suffering – no matter how painful or “wrong” from the point of view of ordinary reality – advanced their growth. They are connected to a deeper sense of spirituality, or feel that their existence is part of a greater whole.
Non-Ordinary States for Self-Exploration and Healing
One method through which a non-ordinary state of consciousness can safely be experienced is Holotropic Breathwork, devised by Stanislav and Christina Grof. Deep breathing and carefully selected music are used to induce a non-ordinary state, and focused bodywork is used to finish a session. This work is typically done in a group setting, although everyone’s process is individual. Maximum attention is paid to the safety (both physical and emotional) of the setting. Generally, workshops are residential, in a place removed from ordinary reality, to enable participants to “let go”. A great deal of preparation and integration is done around the sessions, as in any sacred, transforming ritual. Participants are urged to go fully towards any experience that emerges and to suspend judgement until after the experience is completed.
One of the advantages of this work is that the unconscious selects the most important or relevant issue. No ideology is imposed on the client, and the facilitator is not in the role of all-knowing interpreter. The unconscious is completely trusted to provide the necessary healing experience, without therapeutic intervention or prediction. For some people, healing may come in a completely calm and quiet way. For others, it may involve a huge emotional or bioenergetic release. And it can come from any part of the mind or body. As an adjunct to ongoing therapy – particularly for a client who is blocked, has a traumatic history or is very emotionally charged – a holotropic workshop can be invaluable. The preparation for such an experience, and the continued exploration and integration of what emerges, can be done effectively in individual or group therapy.
Holotropic work can often provide a “breakthrough” experience for people whose personal therapy is stuck. A holotropic session encourages and allows the unseen unconscious factor to emerge without any theoretical programme, and gives people a powerful tool for overcoming resistance.
Spiritual Emergence and Non-ordinary States
Research into non-ordinary states of consciousness indicates that many experiences that have been labelled psychotic are actually mystical, and potentially healing, if they are allowed to occur in a safe and supportive environment and if they are properly integrated. The traditional therapeutic situation tries to explore symptoms while ensuring that they do not get too big or unmanageable. The psychiatric model actually tries to suppress symptoms altogether and mistakes that for a cure. In the holotropic model, symptoms are facilitated, i.e. they are helped and encouraged to get as big as they need to until they are resolved. From a holotropic point of view, the problem is not the appearance of the symptom, but the ego’s attempt to control it. In many cases, we have seen longstanding, intense anxiety conditions and psychosomatic disorders resolve, once the client was given permission to allow the non-ordinary experience implicit in the symptoms to emerge fully (i.e. with its visual, emotional and physical components).
It must be stressed that experience with non-ordinary states should be undertaken only in very carefully constructed situations, and that this technique of self-exploration is not suitable for everyone. But for the vast majority of ordinary seekers – people whose pain and confusion has led them to get help, to question who they are – this method of self-exploration holds great rewards and the possibility of profound transformation.
Our culture is certainly one of the most spiritually impoverished of all time. Going about our ordinary lives, obsessed with what Grof calls the nine-to-five “hamburger stand” consciousness, we fail to see the vast, meaningful dimensions of the human soul that await just behind a thin veil. As a culture we have lost the means, and the belief in the importance of gaining access to our deeper selves. It is a skill that most other cultures in the world have considered not just sacred, not just special or exalted, but vital to life itself.
Bibliography
Grof, Stanislav, The Holotropic Mind, 1992, Harper San Francisco Beyond the Brain, 1985,
Grof, Stanislav and Christina, The Stormy Search for the Self: Understanding and Living with Spiritual Emergency, 1991, London.
Spiritual Emergency: When Personal Transformation Becomes a Crisis, 1989, Los Angeles.
Jung, C.G., Memories, Dreams and Reflections.
Barbara Egan, Martin Duffy and Martin Boroson together form the Transpersonal Psychotherapy Group. They are currently training in Holotropic Breathwork with the Grofs. They run three-day, one-day and week-long holotropic workshops in Ireland. 

 Stanislav Grof MD

 Grof is known, in scientific circles, for his early studies of LSD and its effects on the psychethe field of psychedelic therapy. Building on his observations while conducting LSD research and on Otto Rank's theory of birth trauma, Grof constructed a theoretical framework for prenatal and perinatal psychology and transpersonal psychology in which LSD trips and other powerfully emotional experiences were mapped onto a person's early fetal and neonatal experiences. Over time, this theory developed into what Grof called a "cartography" of the deep human psyche. Following the suppression of legal LSD use in the late 1960s, Grof went on to develop a theory that many states of mind could be explored without drugs by using certain breathing techniques. He continues this work as of 2015 under the trademark "Holotropic Breathwork".
Grof received his M.D. from Charles University in Prague in 1957 and then completed his Ph.D. in medicine at the Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences in 1965, training as a Freudian psychoanalyst at this time. In 1967 he was invited to be as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, United States, and went on to become Chief of Psychiatric Research at the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center where he worked with Walter Pahnke and Bill Richards among others. In 1973 he was invited to the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, and lived there until 1987 as a scholar-in-residence, developing his ideas.
As founding president of the International Transpersonal Association (founded in 1977), he went on to become distinguished adjunct faculty member of the Department of Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness at the California Institute of Integral Studies, a position he remains in as of 2015[update].




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