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Comment by Oliver Williams on November 4, 2009 at 11:13pm

Thomas

I am following up on your post in this forum on June 20th in which you tell of receiving permission to post Dan Hewett's study on this site.

Can you tell me if this was successfully achieved as I would like to read it.

Many thanks for any help you can give me.

Best - Olliver

Comment by Thomas Merton Brightman on October 13, 2009 at 1:04am

Helena quote: "Thomas, are you a professional therapist? When you worked with the various groups, did they initially contact you for therapy because of a (family, relationship, personal) crisis?

I am not a therapist. I am a practitioner of Holotropic Breathwork, Integrative Breathwork, MARI Mandala Assessment and GIM (Guided Imagery); and practicing Mentor/Life Strategist. I treat all my process as educational and for depth work, clients sign releases. The sample release is printed in Kylea's book.

The three generations of one family made a special request. I advertised among existing HB clients for those who would like to breath as a consistent group four times a year--once each season of the year. The men only, women only were both happenstance and planned. Same sex groups do, in some ways behave differently than mixed groups. The parent-child HB was for parents and children who had done previous work with me. The gay and lesbian affinity groups were requested; and, some were for those with AIDS in which they wanted small affinity group sessions. I even did a special affinity group for personnel moving out of deep intelligence work back into civilian life for which they required special sitter selection to monitor anytime said or done in the process. I find that the overall HB benefits of large group, small group, affinity group, and individual sessions are universal; however, there are unique manifestations of individual process varying by type of group dynamics created by the focus with those who come to affinity groups as their intentions and material varies. HB is about the process doing you, not you doing the process; yet, affinity groups use the process so that those present when outcomes present themselves are uniquely invested in the breather or a shared relationship. As a comparison, Twelve-Step programs are Twelve-Step Programs, but what happens at SIA, AA, Alanon, Alateen, CODA, ACA, OA, DA, etc., etc., use a core process to access different material for different groups. SIA material would not get raised effectively in AA. SIA meetings are longer to deal with expanded emotional content, etc. My life and professional experience has been enriched by doing HB process in all the aforementioned variations...WITHOUT COMPROMISING ANY CORE HB TENENTS...just putting that core to work in group settings for special safety, requests, etc.

Thomas Merton Brightman

Comment by Thomas Merton Brightman on October 12, 2009 at 10:23pm

Helena...

As a former member of SEN, I know from experience that Spiritual Emergence versus Emergency is well informed by Grof teachings. Set and setting can be spontaneous and 'sitting' can be instantaneous. I followed a person around the streets of a major US city for an entire night keeping that person's space safe for what they were doing through in spiritual emergence. As a non-therapist, not licensed in therapy, there is always some risk of not knowing the depth and breadth of a Spiritual Emergency event, but I have been fortunate to have any and all of my interventions be positive for the person involved and no harm occurred by not accessing emergency care. In fact, over 3000 clients over twelve years of concentrated Breathwork and SEN work the harm I saw occur was when people intervened with medical treatment too soon and left people stuck in emotional cages from which medication induced purgatory, if you will.

Some one just arrived...will pick up this thread later.

Thomas Merton Brightman

When I posed my Q I had the specific angle of 'prevention' in mind - what can we (non-therapists, such as I am) offer the public so that some Spiritual Emergencies (such as the one I experienced in the 1990's) can be prevented via workshops based on Grof-theory (and not necessarily on HB practice), in other words, can we now develop 'methods' (Grof-theory based, Tarnas informed, possibly Laszlo informed as well) that would offer to a segment of the public the 'preventative care' view of Spiritual Emergence so that 'emergency care', when one falls into Spiritual Emergency, will not be needed.

Thomas, are you a professional therapist? When you worked with the various groups, did they initially contact you for therapy because of a (family, relationship, personal) crisis?

Like you, I have taken Grof theory into my life and see it "proven" all the time. After HB helped me personally (from 1999 on) to switch my spiritual emergency into spiritual emergence, my family benefited by understanding Grof theory (as a sense-making tool in looking at experiences and behavior) even though some of them had not done HB.

My granddaughter was born under difficult conditions in 2000 and it has proven to be amazing to see the results of Grof-informed parenting and grand-parenting. We all discussed the Grof take on the "no way out" imprint of the second matrix and tried to make sure that when, from infancy on, she re-experienced those feelings and energies and acted them out, there was a "safe container" embrace for her this time to facilitate healing of that original trauma.

As I hope is understood from what I've said above, I am interested in joining forces with GTT certified non-therapists who offer (or are hoping to offer) Grof-theory based specialized wkshops to present non-standard approaches to various interpersonal (and personal) issues. HB would not be offered in these workshop, even though it would be explained there. It would be left up to the participants whether they then reach out to either certified therapists who offer HB in their practices, or whether they attend experiential HB workshops. In either case Grof work would be advanced.

Helena in Seattle

Comment by Helena Benda on October 9, 2009 at 7:45pm

Thank you, Thomas, for your very thoughtful response to my Oct 1st question.

You say " ...Having said all of this, in Inner Door and Kylea Taylor Holotropic Breakwork book, I did HB sessions with affinity audiences to see how the experience would serve unique audiences, some of which you just named. As example, I did an HB session for three generations of a single family; for couples only; for men only; for women only; for a set group to do four HB sessions a year as the identical group of people. All of these affinity groups reported benefits from HB being done as the affinity group.
Some grist for the discussion mill...
Thomas Merton Brightman "

When I posed my Q I had the specific angle of 'prevention' in mind - what can we (non-therapists, such as I am) offer the public so that some Spiritual Emergencies (such as the one I experienced in the 1990's) can be prevented via workshops based on Grof-theory (and not necessarily on HB practice), in other words, can we now develop 'methods' (Grof-theory based, Tarnas informed, possibly Laszlo informed as well) that would offer to a segment of the public the 'preventative care' view of Spiritual Emergence so that 'emergency care', when one falls into Spiritual Emergency, will not be needed.

Thomas, are you a professional therapist? When you worked with the various groups, did they initially contact you for therapy because of a (family, relationship, personal) crisis?

Like you, I have taken Grof theory into my life and see it "proven" all the time. After HB helped me personally (from 1999 on) to switch my spiritual emergency into spiritual emergence, my family benefited by understanding Grof theory (as a sense-making tool in looking at experiences and behavior) even though some of them had not done HB.

My granddaughter was born under difficult conditions in 2000 and it has proven to be amazing to see the results of Grof-informed parenting and grand-parenting. We all discussed the Grof take on the "no way out" imprint of the second matrix and tried to make sure that when, from infancy on, she re-experienced those feelings and energies and acted them out, there was a "safe container" embrace for her this time to facilitate healing of that original trauma.

As I hope is understood from what I've said above, I am interested in joining forces with GTT certified non-therapists who offer (or are hoping to offer) Grof-theory based specialized wkshops to present non-standard approaches to various interpersonal (and personal) issues. HB would not be offered in these workshop, even though it would be explained there. It would be left up to the participants whether they then reach out to either certified therapists who offer HB in their practices, or whether they attend experiential HB workshops. In either case Grof work would be advanced.

Helena in Seattle

Comment by Thomas Merton Brightman on October 1, 2009 at 2:28pm

In response to Helena in Seattle...

I believe that the word HOLOTROPIC when separated from BREATHWORK, and used randomly as Holotropic Parenting would dilute the long and tedious process of securing a reliable factual base for the public education of HB.

However, under the heading of MOVING TOWARD WHOLENESS...your 'parenting, relationships and family dynamics' inquiry can find useful dialog--such as--as an outgrowth of one's Holotropic Breathwork experiences, what awareness, learning, etc. was integrated into parenting, relationships, family dynamics, etc.

There is dialog on another discussion group about Holotropic Art with art that occurs after the formal mandala drawing aspect of an HB set and setting session. I have found the art catalyzed, provoked, inspired, etc., by the after glow of an HB session, is, in my mind, labeled Holotropic Art.

Yet, even Jung is too often merely a reference note and Freud is still dominant in medical literature, due to the difficulty of getting new thinking, process, etc., defined, researched and publicized to the point that it become accepted practice with wide use by society.

My parenting, relationships, family dynamics, ad infinitum, have been enhanced by my extensive and ongoing integration into daily life of openings that first came to me in HB sessions. I am, however, very uneasy about beginning to use HOLOTROPIC labels on integrative issues that become possible due to HB sessions, but are not defined as carefully and administered in such a safe set and setting as is HB.

Having said all of this, in Inner Door and Kylea Taylor Holotropic Breakwork book, I did HB sessions with affinity audiences to see how the experience would serve unique audiences, some of which that you just named. As example, I did an HB session for three generations of a single family; for couples only; for men only; for women only; for a set group to do four HB sessions a year as the identical group of people. All of these affinity groups reported benefits from HB being done as the affinity group.

Some grist for the discussion mill...

Thomas Merton Brightman

Just my take on your posed question...

Comment by Thomas Merton Brightman on June 26, 2009 at 7:56pm

Over the year's, including in the Inner Door, I've written about my own S 2 S, States to Stages progression and integration, yet I had not idea that anyone had made a formal study until Chris presented his paper on our site. My life is all the evidence that I need about using NOSC to progress in values stages and needs fulfillment; yet, I'd really be interested in more people sharing their states to stages. Maybe Chris and Dane will choose to present what they gain from each other's research and postulate a format from which members of this site could answer questionaires and widen these two studies.

Thomas Merton Brightman

Comment by Oliver Williams on June 26, 2009 at 7:10pm

Chris

I hope Thomas's post of Dane's study will be of interest. Can we talk next week about any forward motion that could be made with regard to the preparation of S 2 S for peer-review? There is a board meeting on 7/12 and I would like to present current status accurately.

Best - Oliver

Comment by Thomas Merton Brightman on June 26, 2009 at 5:11pm

Oliver,

Thanks for your note. I so hope that Dane and Chris make direct contact with each other and share their learned dialog with the research forum. I do not know if Ken has uploaded Dane;s Doctoral Thesis or if Dane who has now joined the site will upload it himself. I have not been successful with my digital knowhow to get it posted and my copy is a consolidated version. Trust that Ken and Dane will read this and get the study posted. Ken has a copy of Dane's permission to post the material. Chris and Dane's studies are very complementary and expanding of each of other.

Thomas Merton Brightman

Comment by Oliver Williams on June 26, 2009 at 12:52pm

Thomas

Thank you very much for your efforts in seeking to have Dan Hewlett's study posted with this AHBI site. It is just this kind of data-sharing that is essential to building consensus around the healing potential of HB. I look forward to reading it.

Best - Oliver

Comment by Thomas Merton Brightman on June 25, 2009 at 11:21am

Check out this video if you have not seen it... Thomas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U

A good reality check on the premise that more is always being revealed...

Thomas Merton Brightman

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