Books Related to Holotropic Breathwork Research

This section includes two kinds of books. First, we include books that collect articles and essays on Holotropic Breathwork's reported effects. Although not formal scientific research these provide a background to scientific research and include as well anecdotal material that may indicate interesting directions for scientific research.

The second category of books consists of those used in educating or training therapists. These are useful in a research context as they reveal at least some existing views of when Holotropic Breathwork is effective in a therapeutic setting, and when not, as well as where it fits in an overall therapeutic framework.

General books related to Holotropic Breathwork and books by Stan and Christina Grof about Holotropic Breathwork are listed in another section of this web site, though this link.

Considering Holotropic Breathwork: Essays and Articles on the Therapeutic and Sociological Functions and Effects of the Grof Breathwork, Kylea Taylor, Hanford Mead, 2007, 166 pages.

The first systematic study of the effects of Holotropic Breathwork was conducted by Kylea Taylor and Steve Macy in 1993. Their work with individuals in recovery can be found in this book. Included in this volume is the full description of the author's study while facilitating Holotropic Breathwork at a residential substance abuse recovery program, as well as an article on Jung's Fourth (Inferior) Function as a gateway for breathwork experience, an in-depth exploration of the value of sitting for another in Holotropic Breathwork, and much material on the function of Holotropic Breathwork in trauma recovery.

Shadow, Self, Spirit: Essays in Transpersonal Psychology, Michael Daniels, Imprint Academic, 2005.

Transpersonal psychology concerns the study of those states and processes in which people experience a deeper sense of who they are, or a greater sense of connectedness with others, with nature, or the spiritual dimension. Pioneered by respected researchers such as Jung, Maslow and Tart, it has nonetheless struggled to find recognition among mainstream scientists. Now that is starting to change. Michael Daniels teaches the subject as part of a broadly-based psychology curriculum, and this book brings together the fruits of his studies over recent years. The book makes 30 or more references to Grof throughout the text in comparisons to other transpersonal theorists, with several extended references, including cartography of consciousness (pp. 22-23), evil (pp. 90-92), and the Holotropic Model (pp. 189-192). (The complete text may be found through Google Books.)

Textbook of Transpersonal Psychiatry and Psychology, Bruce W. Scotton, Allan B. Chinen, John Robert Battista, Basic Books, 1996.

This book brings together the work of top scholars and clinicians at leading universities and medical centers on the benefits and risks of transpersonal therapy. After comparing a variety of multicultural approaches - Zen Buddhism, existential phenomenology, and Christian mysticism, among many others - the book offers a wealth of information on specific disorders and the application of transpersonal psychology techniques such as visualization, Breathwork, and "past lives" regression. The book includes a chapter (8) on Grof’s consciousness research and another (35) on Breathwork. With solid scholarship, wide scope, and accessible style, Textbook of Transpersonal Psychiatry and Psychology will become the standard work for students, researchers, clinicians, and lay readers interested in extending psychiatry and psychology into sciences that describe the functioning of the human mind, thereby building bridges between those disciplines and spirituality. (The complete text may be found through Google Books.)