Dharma Combat

Where Spiritual Giants Duke It Out

Stanislav Grof
Taking Hits

Michael Shermer (On Grof's theory that Near-Death Experiences were actually a reliving of birth experiences):  

Wrong, because individuals born via a C-Sections, still have the same experience.

 

Arthur Janov by John Speyrer

"Dr. Arthur Janov would probably disagree that primal theory does not recognize transpersonal aspects. Primal theory does recognize these aspects but recognizes them as purely symbolic manifestations of repressed trauma released from the unconscious mind, perhaps felt in an out-of-sequence fashion. While Janov does not criticize holotropic breathwork by name, his position on transpersonal manifestations such as mysticism and past lives are well known. On the dangers of LSD use, there is also a wide disagreement between him and Grof. (Janov 1980)

While both agree that LSD allows buried traumas to erupt into consciousness with little effort, Janov has called LSD the most dangerous of all drugs. He believes that this is so because, in sufficient quantities over time, LSD can permanently open the gating of repression resulting in a flood of previously repressed material which sometimes cannot be integrated.

Grof, however, feels that the only danger occurs when the patient does not integrate the feelings brought up in an LSD session. At the workshop he said that the patient in LSD therapy should remain in the therapy session that day until all feelings have been integrated. At the same workshop, Dr. Grof emphasized that there is nothing present in LSD that is dangerous. The only effect of the drug is its ability to easily release unconscious feelings that could cause problems unless resolved (Janov 1975; 1980; 1983; 1991).

This, however, is a theoretical question presently, since all work with LSD has been prohibited by law since 1966. But since both Janov and Grof agree that LSD allows buried traumas to rise into consciousness, and since Grof feels that holotropic breathwork accesses the same material as LSD, it would appear that the criticisms that Janov makes against ''. . . some therapists who work with LSD'' would probably also be made by him against holotropic breathwork (Janov 1975).

Specifically, I glean from his writings that Janov feels that repressed trauma must be felt in an orderly fashion, and that primal therapy is a systematic technique for lowering defenses over a period of time. He says, usually that means birth pain should not be felt first. When birth pain is felt too early in therapy, Janov claims that the patients begin symbolizing this early Pain and begin to perhaps imagine their life as a sperm, have past-life scenes or other mystical feelings. But worse than that, he claims they can end in psychosis or as suicide victims. The natural way is the best way, he feels, and that feeling birth pain prematurely can sometimes have disastrous consequences (Janov 1983).

Dr Janov feels that just as the paranoid psychotic might feel that someone out there wants to ``get'' him, someone having a transpersonal experience might feel that a ``cosmic force'' or God will protect him. Janov believes that the contexts for both are the same and that hope and faith brought about by a transpersonal experience can bring some relief from neurotic suffering by raising defenses. Thus, he believes, it is possible for a transpersonal experience to keep the mystic from feeling his actual repressed pain while continuing to enjoy his mysticism (Janov 1983).

He believes '' . . . it is no accident that the former acid-takers stay hooked on UFOs, out-of-body astral projection, bizarre Eastern philosophies, pyramid power, religious conversion, etc. . . . They have been driven crazy by unleashed Primal energy which must be constantly cloaked in ideation.'' (Janov 1983 p. 244)

In the early years of primal therapy, Dr. Janov emphasized the usefulness of controlled breathing, which is an important technique in holotropic breathwork. However, presently this technique is rarely used in primal therapy. Arthur Janov believes that deep breathing lessens blood acidity that results in a reduction of the oxygen carrying capability of the blood. With less oxygen, the brain's cortex is less able to defend against the flood of unleashed repressed material. He believes this overflow is interpreted by the cortex as transpersonal and mystical feelings and visions. (Janov, 1991)

However, Grof does acknowledge that the increased breathing rate lowers defenses. As with the use of LSD, Janov believes that the resultant flood of previously repressed material works against the use of controlled breathing in primal therapy.

In spite of their differences, there is much agreement in basic theory by Janov and Grof. However, Dr. Grof feels that the source of transpersonal experiences has some unknown, outside-of-the-body, explanation. Grof admits that a functioning brain is obviously necessary for the transpersonal experiences to take place, but he tends to believe that their sources lay outside of the neurological system.

. . . My experiences at the workshop began in the primal realm, changed into the transpersonal realm, and soon returned to the primal realm. There was no haphazard meshing of primal states with transpersonal states; rather, it seemed that the progression between the primal and transpersonal states of consciousness tracked the rise and decline in the quantity of release of repressed trauma.

Grof acknowledges that when he was practicing LSD psychotherapy, it was only with higher doses of LSD that transpersonal experiences began. Therefore, it seems logical to assume that when the holotropic breathwork exercises have produced their maximum effect is when transpersonal ideation begins. This progression, from primal to transpersonal I experienced, I believe, validates Arthur Janov's belief that the two non-ordinary states of consciousness have the same origins.

. . . Should primal therapy be combined with ongoing holotropic breathwork" therapy? And conversely, should you combine ongoing primal therapy with holotropic breathwork? I do not know. I have done both, and I am happy with the results as they seem to be complementary."

- written by John A Speyrer

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