Stanislav Grof

Stanislav Grof is a Czech-born American psychiatrist, born July 1, 1931, recognized as one of the principal developers of transpersonal psychology and of research into non-ordinary states of consciousness for psychological healing, self-exploration and growth. His early career centered on psychedelic research, including LSD studies at Prague's Psychiatric Research Institute in the 1950s and 1960s. After moving to the United States in 1967 he worked at Johns Hopkins University and served as Scholar-in-Residence at the Esalen Institute in California from 1973 to 1987. With his wife Christina he developed Holotropic Breathwork, a non-pharmacological technique combining rapid breathing, evocative music, focused bodywork and mandala drawing to access altered states of consciousness without drugs. He also developed theoretical frameworks connecting birth trauma to later psychological conditions and founded the International Transpersonal Association in 1977.