Transpersonal psychology, expanded states of consciousness and body therapy
If someone had told me in the past that I would study and become passionate about Transpersonal Psychology, the body-mind-soul connection, altered states of consciousness and Holotropic Breathwork, I would have said:
Holo- what, please?
I had no clue about all these terms. As a political scientist, I worked for international organizations in conflict countries, later I developed and implemented projects to combat human trafficking, first as an employee and since 2008 as a freelance consultant.
A severe personal crisis lead me to discover Holotropic Breathwork®. Suddenly the path was the goal and this path led me into new, unknown worlds.
Working with trauma, I have asked myself throughout my life if and how it might be possible to grow into a fulfilled and healthy life. In a life where joy and well-being truly exist despite whatever painful and damaging experiences one might have had and that lead to rather contracted states of consciousness. The sentences that I hear from my clients and that I used to say to myself are:
I feel more death than alive. Even if I'm with other people, I'm lonely. I am in a constant struggle for survival and feel utterly exhausted and tired of functioning in this world.
Today many different and exciting modalities for self-discovery, personal development and trauma healing exist. For me Holotropic Breathwork® and the therapeutic work in expanded states of consciousness brought the shift and allowed for a comprehensive transformation and integration of trauma. With this inner shift my perspective on and experience of the outside world changed as well. Today I say:
Life is colorful and worth living.
Even if there are problems, challenges or conflicts, I deal with them differently today. Not because I learned it mentally, but because I am not anymore in flight/fight or freeze mode but see the world from a relaxed inner state. Instead of (unconscious) fear, curiosity and joy are my motivation now.
Many people who come to Holotropic Breahtwork and embark onto their inner journey report the same.Not only trauma survivors, but very diverse people.
People
of different ages from 16 to 80,
from different gender
from many different countries,
with diverse professional and educational backgrounds.
Some are simply curious about growth and further development. Some are dealing with relationship issues. Many have health problems or suffer from our culture of 'faster - further - more'. There are many causes for all this. And it is precisely these causes that may enter into consciousness, into our awareness when working in Holotropic states of consciousness. Through active integration work they can then be transformed and everyday life might unfold in new ways.
What is the meaning of Holotropic? Holotropic is a word composed of two Greek terms. Holos means whole, holistic, complete. Trop comes from trepein and means move towards something. Holotropic can roughly be translated as
Moving towards Wholeness.
And that's exactly what this blog is about. What does wholeness mean? What does this has to do with a meaningful and joyful life? And how do I move towards it? What happens during Holotropic Breathwork® and the work in expanded states of consciousness? How are body, mind and soul connected and how can working on one level support and promote the healing of the other levels?
Questions?
You would like to know more? Please follow your curiosity and leave me a comment or question? If possible, I will discuss them in the upcoming articles.