Holotropic breathwork

Domain VII · Transpersonal, psychedelic & altered states · Stanislav Grof, Christina Grof · 1970 · Esalen Institute, California

What it is

Holotropic Breathwork (HB) is an experiential method developed by Stanislav Grof (psychiatrist) and Christina Grof (1941–2014, founder of the Spiritual Emergence Network). The Grof paper places its origin at the Esalen Institute in the mid-1970s; the GTT info pack says it has been offered "since…

Format

• HB is not a phased course of therapy. It is a repeated session format, usually delivered in workshops (one-day, weekend or six-day residential modules). Each participant normally has one session as breather and one as sitter per pair of sessions.
• Criteria for further sessions. No published rule was found. Before booking another session, check that the last one is integrated: sleep and functioning are back to baseline and no unresolved state is still intruding.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Typical session count and spacing. The primary sources set no fixed number of sessions. In training, each six-day module includes two sessions as breather and two as sitter, and certified practitioners are asked to breathe at least twice a year. A secondary source suggests spacing sessions several weeks apart, often every 1–3 months.
• Training (GTT, per Nov 2024 pack). At least two years of training:
• Ten workshop experiences led by certified practitioners.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• A facilitator's urge to rescue or to steer content. Ask whether this meets a criterion before acting.
• Sitters who become flooded themselves. A facilitator can relieve them; sitters often learn a great deal from the role.
• Clients seeking repeated sessions to chase intensity; post-session destabilisation they hide from the workshop organiser.
• Lingering derealisation, strong unresolved emotion or physical symptoms. These mean more bodywork or support, not discharge.
• Pairs with close existing relationships or power differences, such as a client paired with their own therapist. Re-pair if needed.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.