M
Mike(Mont)
Guest
Stanislav and Christina Grof have been working in the field of nonordinary states of consciousness since the 1950's. A survey of over five hundred cultures found that over ninety percent of them had some sort of nonordinary-state rituals. Our Western culture is one of the few which does not have a socially sanctioned way. There are many different methods, including meditation, prayer, fasting, chanting, drumming, dancing, controlled breathing, ingestion of psychoactive substances, and deprevation of sleep. The nonordinary state is sacred in native cultures and mainly used for healing and seeking wisdom. Many people have spontaneous episodes, like during childbirth or even while running or fasting.
In our society there has been no attempt to distinguish the difference between psychotic and mystic states. Many of the Catholic saints spent much of their time in nonordinary states, and this has also played a central role in many of the world's religions. Western culture has a tendency to classify ordinary states of consciousness as "real" and nonordinary states as "unreal" and discount it. Both are real and result in real experiences and are important to a full life.
Stanislav Groff has identified four general characteristics:
1. sensory vividness
2. trandencence of time and space
3. transcendence of the sharp disctinction between matter and energy
4. " " " " " the part and the whole
"Nonordinary states give us an opportunity to extend our experience beyond the limitations of cause and effect, the three dimensions, and linear time.Through nonordinary states we may experience some of the seemingly paradoxical situations appearing in centuries of mystical literature. The current research in physics also suggests there is a validity to these experiences..."
I got this info from the book "The Breathwork Experience" by Kylea Taylor
Grof has written many books on the subject.
In our society there has been no attempt to distinguish the difference between psychotic and mystic states. Many of the Catholic saints spent much of their time in nonordinary states, and this has also played a central role in many of the world's religions. Western culture has a tendency to classify ordinary states of consciousness as "real" and nonordinary states as "unreal" and discount it. Both are real and result in real experiences and are important to a full life.
Stanislav Groff has identified four general characteristics:
1. sensory vividness
2. trandencence of time and space
3. transcendence of the sharp disctinction between matter and energy
4. " " " " " the part and the whole
"Nonordinary states give us an opportunity to extend our experience beyond the limitations of cause and effect, the three dimensions, and linear time.Through nonordinary states we may experience some of the seemingly paradoxical situations appearing in centuries of mystical literature. The current research in physics also suggests there is a validity to these experiences..."
I got this info from the book "The Breathwork Experience" by Kylea Taylor
Grof has written many books on the subject.
STARBUCKS! KEY is finding the BEST "brainwave" for "altered states of Consciousness"; DO NOT want Theta Waves... supposedly, that is of DEATH (of the physical body). Will R & I
HA! I am focused MORE on ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS, which I have MORE experience with... continue to share what U find... 
Dr. G's career WAS in Psychology, wasn't it? LSD Therapy... Re-Birthing Therapy... 
DUNNO... 
