Stanislav Grof

The Way of the Psychonaut explores the life and work of Stanislav Grof, Czech-born psychiatrist and psychedelic psychotherapy pioneer. Stan’s quest for knowledge and insights into the healing power of non-ordinary states of consciousness, influenced the discipline of psychology and profoundly changed many individual lives. One of those transformed by Stan is filmmaker Susan Hess Logeais. The documentary utilizes Susan’s personal existential crisis as a gateway to Grof’s impact, from the micro to the macro.

The Way of the Psychonaut explores the life and work of Stanislav Grof, Czech-born psychiatrist and psychedelic psychotherapy pioneer. Stan’s quest for knowledge and insights into the healing power of non-ordinary states of consciousness, influenced the discipline of psychology and profoundly changed many individual lives. One of those transformed by Stan is filmmaker Susan Hess Logeais. The documentary utilizes Susan’s personal existential crisis as a gateway to Grof’s impact, from the micro to the macro.

Western culture treats mental disorders primarily through biomedical psychiatry, but filmmakers Phil Borges and Kevin Tomlinson reveal a growing movement of professionals and survivors who are forging alternative treatments that focus on recovery and turning mental “illness” into a positive transformative experience.

An engaging reflection on the meaning of existence and on the theme of death in the different spiritual traditions of the East and West.

An account of the life and work of Swiss painter, sculptor, architect and designer H. R. Giger (1940-2014), tormented father of creatures as fearsome as they are fascinating, inhabitants of nightmarish biomechanical worlds.

This documentary traces Stan’s phenomenal fifty-year career as consciousness researcher from his early research on psychedelics, to the birth of the transpersonal movement, to Holotropic Breathwork. Highlights include Grof’s first psychedelic experience and its impact on his life and career, his days at Esalen Institute as a Scholar-in-Residence, and his insights into non-ordinary states and their potential for healing and transformation. Included are interviews with Stan, his wife and partner Christina Grof, and UCI researcher Charles Grob, MD, and archival photographs with friends, colleagues, and prominent teachers and visionaries.

The film offers a unique insight into the world of Giger's creation and his private life. In addition to the interview with the artist himself, a considerable part of the documentary is formed by interviews with personalities such as Ernst Fuchs, Stanislav Grof and Debbie Harry. Though the authors do not avoid particular developmental periods of Giger's work, the main purpose was not to create the artist's biography. In this case, it is more likely considered to be an authentic perspective on the peculiar world of this Swiss surrealist artist.

Holotropic Breathwork is arguably one of the most powerful and effective non-pharmacological methods of psychotherapy and self-exploration. It integrates in its theory and practice the findings from modern consciousness research, depth psychology, and mystical traditions of the world. Among the innovations of this revolutionary approach to therapy and self-exploration is the use of a vastly expanded model of the human psyche, new understanding of the architecture of emotional and psychosomatic disorders, and mobilization of the inner healing intelligence and new therapeutic mechanisms. The essential element in this treatment modality is utilization of the healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness, induced by very simple means - faster breathing, evocative music, releasing bodywork, and expressive painting.

The definitive documentary history of the Transpersonal Psychology movement. Includes interviews with many of the field's luminaries such as co-founder of the field, Stanislav Grof, as well as Charles T. Tart, Frances Vaughan, James Fadiman, Miles Vich and many others.

A feature length documentary which invites the viewer to rediscover an enchanted cosmos in the modern world by awakening to the divine within. The film examines the re-emergence of archaic techniques of ecstasy in the modern world by weaving a synthesis of ecological and evolutionary awareness,electronic dance culture, and the current pharmacological re-evaluation of entheogenic compounds.

Long before Timothy Leary urged a generation to "tune in, turn on and drop out," lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, was being used by researchers trying to understand the human mind. This documentary is a fascinating look at the story of "acid" before it hit the streets. Featuring interviews with many LSD pioneers, Hofmann's Potion is much more than a simple chronicle of the drug's early days. With thoughtful interviews, beautiful music and stunning cinematography, it is an invitation to look at LSD, and our world, with a more open, compassionate mind.

In this interview, psychiatrist Dr Stanislav Grof, MD and his wife Christina explain holotropic breathwork, and discuss its uses in psychotherapy. Like hypnosis and psychedelic therapy, holotropic breathwork is a method for invoking non-ordinary states of consciousness for therapeutic purposes. Viewers see patients undergoing holotropic breathwork in a group session, and the patients themselves then report their experiences.

An examination of occultism as practiced in different parts of the world.