Evolving Beyond Breathwork
A Gathering of Grofian breathwork practitioners committed to the equality, advancement and evolution of “The Work”
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Czech Republic
9-17 October 2024
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Illuminate Shadows Heal & Reconcile Divisions Shift the Paradigm
Introduce Transparency Renew Balance Deepen Consciousness
Explore Power Relations Revitalize Community
Mission Statement
To organize and hold a gathering of Grofian breathwork practitioners to co-create and co-facilitate Grofian breathwork with a commitment to, and interest in: exploring the limitations, pathologies and shadows of the current Grofian breathwork gestalt; striving to heal the divide(s); facilitating personal and collective growth; integrating or exploring other modalities; expanding personal and global consciousness, and, of course, creating the space and practicing Grofian breathwork together.
Objectives & Commitment
● A gathering for certified facilitators and trainees of GTT or GLT who have completed at least three standard modules (GTT) or the first year of the GLT;
● A co-created meeting format generating space for the practice and facilitation of Grofian/Holotropic breathwork;
● Exploring modalities in Trauma Therapy—the work of Ursula Wirtz, Bessel van der Kolk, Babette Rothschild, Gabor Maté and others;
● Identification, illumination and shift of shadows in the gestalt, including but not limited to:
● cult-like tendencies;
● transpersonal narcissism;
● power dynamics, inability to solve interpersonal tensions (i.e. Grof/Sparks conflict, others);
● patriarchy, paternalism, gender bias(es) & exclusion;
● marginalization, ostracism, or rejection of trainees and/or certified practitioners (e.g. those divergent or non-compliant with the mainstream Grofian narrative);
● narrow-mindedness, breathwork ‘monotheism’;
● hierarchy, ethnic & racial barriers;
● rivalry & competition;
● favoritism;
● changing, double, or flexible standards;
● ulterior motives and hidden motivations;
● profit-based realities;
● patterning, programming and systemic contradictions;
● issues that remain unnamed, unidentified or unspoken.
● Shamanic journeying;
● Evolve and deepen facilitation skills (via mastermind approach);
● Breakout discussion groups;
● Deep sharing circles;
● Yoga, movie yoga, dance, meditation.
Aspects in Greater Detail
Over the past 30+ years, many individuals have engaged in the theory and practice of holotropic breathwork through the Grof Transpersonal Training (GTT) or, more lately, through the Grof Legacy Training (GLT). These organizations and the individuals involved provided structure and support, education and wisdom, and made the advancement and practice of holotropic breathwork possible. The wonders and accomplishments, the compassion, dedication and the selfless commitment(s) and service of all the people who made this possible are very demanding of a deep respect and gratitude.
The long list of milestones, achievements, dedication and personal sacrifice(s) notwithstanding, the Grofian breathwork gestalt has suffered and, likely, if not certainly, it has been setback substantially by certain obvious developments: e.g. the split or schism between what are effectively {a} the European versus North American ‘schools’ of Grofian breathwork, or we can say, the {b} GTT versus GLT organizations, or simply {c} Grof versus Sparks. Over the course of many years, prior to the actual delineation of the split between the two unique entities, GTT and GLT, numerous issues arose due to the sometimes aligned, sometimes conflicting interests and motivations of the individuals, as the leaders, practitioners, and organizations changed over time and space.
The Grofian breathwork gestalt has also suffered and, likely if not certainly, been setback substantially by certain developments that remain obtuse, obscured or unacknowledged: these are the not so obvious developments. Many practitioners—both certified facilitators and uncertified trainees (how many? how few?)—have engaged the Grofian breathwork gestalt only to find, sooner or later, that {1} the ideals and standards were not universally or equitably applied or practiced; {2} interpersonal dynamics sometimes became major factors in one’s being embraced or shunned, supported or sidelined, chosen or not chosen; {3} there exist prejudices, imbalances, and other power-based, gender and/or hierarchical realities that were/are the critical determining factors in any individual’s advancement within the breathwork community; or {4} there is really only an imagined community.
Some people have been deeply hurt by the obvious, or subtle, or invisible and unspoken realities, or by the other unacknowledged shadows—both personal shadow and organizational and collective shadows.
Some people have withdrawn from the Grofian breathwork, others have been excluded or marginalized, and still others have been caught somewhere in between being ‘in’ with one or both of the Grofian breathwork factions, or ‘out’ with them, forced to declare allegiance, take sides, or otherwise negotiate what is obviously a rather hostile terrain full of smoke and few mirrors. Some of the otherwise dedicated and enthusiastic practitioners have also withdrawn due to the conflict between leading people in the training body—Stan Grof versus Cary and (the late) Tav Sparks—and the practitioners’ realizations of the limitations and inability ‘to grow to wholeness’ even while following the basic methodologies created by the very founders. This has also led to people’s feelings of betrayal.
Many (how many? how few?) practitioners remain wounded, disappointed, even feeling betrayed in the witnessing of the conflict and the need to figure out how to dance with it. Many questions have arisen, and many questions remain. How (and why) to trust the people who weren’t able to follow their own high ideals? How to find healing in the environment or ‘community’ which no longer offers/ed a deep trust or safety? Some found, working for some years, even decades, that recommendations like ‘take it to the matt’, and ‘trust the process’ and ‘make it vertical’ don’t solve everything and, further, that the methodology (and practice) is not as effective a panacea as is presented and assumed. Some practitioners have concluded also that the Grofian method has not fully evolved in relation to other trauma therapies, and that it may never do so.
On the above basis, a few practitioners have decided to call for a gathering of Grofian breathwork practitioners, either certified facilitators or experienced trainees (see suggested requirements), with the objective of addressing the factors articulated immediately above, and others articulated in the bullet list of Objectives and Commitments (also above: higher).
No matter where you might reside on (or situate yourself on) the spectrum of practitioners (certified facilitators, or trainees), we invite you to join this gathering in the interest and ideal of compassionately and comprehensively articulating, exploring, healing and integrating unaddressed shadows of the community, the training, the work. We invite everyone to bring your knowledge, wisdom, experience and art of how-to-do, and to share it and your Self with others. And, of course, we invite you to join and breathe.
We would like to propose exploring a non-hierarchical (horizontal) teaching and group facilitation style which relies upon the ‘hive mind’ mastermind approach and equitable peer-to-peer co-creation and co-facilitation concepts. We invite you to explore and discuss other modalities of trauma therapy. We invite you to join us in pursuit of becoming more conscious and better qualified facilitators, a process where individuals in the group complement and invigorate the explorations and practices. We invite you to deepen your connection to the community, and your Self, or to reconnect in the community, or with it, to renew trust, to refresh and invigorate your Self and others, and to shine light on the shadows by creating an environment of transparency, inclusion, equitability and trust where everybody is welcomed.
We invite you to experiment—we will share our facilitating abilities in ad hoc groups, where these, who are willing and qualified to facilitate, will hold space for those called to do their breathwork—and we swap tasks later. Our aim is an exploration of breathwork facilitation, structures, and processes in a group setting (that naturally includes a central breathwork component and opportunity), that is co-created, co-facilitated, informed by non-hierarchical, horizontal, peer-coordinated, improvisational, consensus decision-making.
We will deepen and broaden our skills, knowledge and consciousness to overcome the split in community, to renew our strength and trust. We will meet to be together, to heal, to have wonderful and meaningful time, to be joyous and become wiser.
Let’s gather, spend some time together, and grow!
Price: 15.000 CZK/approx. 600 EUR or 655 USD – includes accommodation + full board (10.400 CZK) and organization fees (4.700 CZK) – i.e. key note speakers, sound system rental, tissues, mandala room and other costs. Organizers work at the voluntary base.
Organizers: Keith Harmon Snow keith.harmon.snow@gmail.com
Jiřina Macháčková jirina.machackova@seznam.cz