This statement reflects the understanding of the Institute for Holotropics as of July 2026 and may be updated as additional information becomes available.
A Statement from the Institute for Holotropics
To our colleagues, trainees, facilitators, and the wider Holotropic Breathwork® community,
For some time, many of you have been asking about the relationship between the Institute for Holotropics (IFH) and the organization currently operating in Europe under the name Grof Transpersonal Training Europe (GTTE). For a long time, we chose not to give out the details publicly because we hoped that a cooperative solution could still be found and we did not want to further fuel the conflict. We apologize that this has resulted in an extended period of uncertainty and confusion for many in the community.
This statement is intended to provide clarity. It is not written to reopen old conflicts or ask anyone to take sides. At the same time, we believe that clarity requires honesty about the events that led to this point. Our purpose is to explain, first, why the Institute for Holotropics and its affiliated organizations now operate on a separate training and certification pathway from GTT Europe. We will also explain what that means for those who are currently in training or considering certification.
– Board of Directors, Institute for Holotropics
PART 1 – EXPLAINING THE SEPARATION
Tav and Cary Sparks – Stewardship of the training
When Stanislav and Christina Grof sold Grof Transpersonal Training to Tav and me in 1998, they entrusted us not only with an organization but with stewardship of the international Holotropic Breathwork® training and certification system. This was not the creation of a new program, but the continuation of the work we had already been doing alongside Stan and Christina, now under our ownership.
The HB training was never simply a collection of modules. It was an integrated certification system grounded in a lineage, a set of ethical principles, a body of practice, and a shared understanding of what it means to prepare facilitators to hold Holotropic Breathwork® sessions safely and responsibly.
From the early 1990s Tav and I–and since his passing in 2020, me with the support of trusted advisors–devoted our lives to holding the energy for and directing Grof Transpersonal Training. Alongside an extraordinary international faculty, we developed trainings around the world, certified hundreds of facilitators, and helped nurture a worldwide community dedicated to Holotropic Breathwork®. Those relationships were never merely professional. Many became lifelong friendships.
Relationship with International Organizers
Tav and I held the view that the Holotropic Breathwork® certification program should grow organically, and we believed in “following the energy” by working only with those who requested to coordinate training in their region. Additionally, we recognized that strong regional communities require autonomy, local leadership, and sensitivity to culture, language, law, and circumstance.
Over the years, modules and certifications were held in Italy, Scandinavia, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Germany, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Austria, Australia, Brazil, the UK, India, China, the US, and other locations. We probably could have made Holotropic Breathwork® grow bigger and faster, but Tav and I were more concerned with quality control. It was of primary importance to us that HB remain true to the practice as S & C introduced it to the world, according to the Principles of Holotropic Breathwork and Ethical Agreements for Holotropic Breathwork documents signed by all practitioners.
For many years prior to the Covid pandemic, Spain was the flagship training in Europe. By the end of that time, the center of energy had shifted to Austria, where it continued. Thomas Liska and Sonja Busch aka Holotropic Austria, Holotropic Europe, and now Grof Transpersonal Training Europe (GTTE) did a real service to the community in starting up training again as soon as possible after the pandemic (as did the Polish training). Thomas and Sonja have also been responsible for positive organizational developments over the years we worked together.
In 2012, Tav and I created the Institute for Holotropics (IFH), a 501c3 non-profit organization, to oversee the stewardship of Holotropic Breathwork. The IFH has a board of directors whose mission is to create an organizational structure which will ensure the vitality and ethical standards of Holotropic Breathwork indefinitely into the future, beyond any of our lifetimes.
The conflict with GTTE
1) In 2018, without asking or even informing us, Thomas Liska applied to register the EU trademark for Grof Transpersonal Training in his own name.
Tav and I sent Thomas a strongly worded email stating that this was not appropriate and that he should turn over the trademark immediately. We wrote that, “Grof Transpersonal Training is our business name…and while you are licensed to use it when you contract with us to offer modules, we do not feel it would be appropriate for anyone other than ourselves to hold the trademark, especially in the EU.”
In his written response, Thomas assured us that the application had been filed only to protect the training, acknowledged that “GTT is with you,” and wrote that “it is no problem to change the owner.” Based on those assurances, we believed the matter would be resolved.
The transfer of ownership was never made.
2) Between 2018 and 2023, training modules continued to be offered through their organization (GTT Austria), although there were concerns on each side. It became harder for us to communicate with Thomas and Sonja. They were unwilling to coordinate their scheduling with us so that modules in other European countries had to work around them, and they did not provide information we needed to keep track of participants. Upon their suggestion, the contracting fee was lowered considerably at the time of the pandemic and beyond.
3) Following the certification intensive in 2023, Thomas and Sonja simply decided to stop contracting with us entirely (since Tav was gone, at that point it would have been with me or the IFH). However, they continued to use the name Grof Transpersonal Training and offer the exact training program as if it was theirs to begin with, without telling people they were no longer connected with the original Grof Transpersonal Training and thus with the original lineage of the training and Holotropic Breathwork®.
It is often repeated in training modules that those who become certified in HB may offer it in workshops but are not licensed to train others. Any training needs to be offered under a different name. If Thomas and Sonja did not want to work with me and the IFH any longer, they could have still offered such a training, as others have in the past, while simply using a different name for the training and for the breathwork. Instead, they just carried on as if they were still part of the original lineage.
To be clear, no matter that they are using the name, GTTE are no longer connected with the original Grof Transpersonal training in Holotropic Breathwork®.
4) Further, they had their lawyer send threatening letters to us, and to coordinators who worked with us, about the use of a trademark that morally does not belong to them. They told the other coordinators they now needed to contract with them as owners of the Grof Transpersonal Training trademark.
5) Recently, they registered that trademark in New Zealand without informing or consulting the community there, and in Australia, where we have been working and offering training for decades.
6) This has not only a legal and moral side but there is a financial component as well. This is not only a school; it’s a business. GTT was Tav and my living for thirty years. I was forced to abandon a portion of this because two people decided to take it for themselves.
Attempt to mediate
After back-and-forth communications got us nowhere, both parties agreed to hire a professional mediator, sharing the responsibility and the cost. The IFH board and I participated in mediation in the sincere hope that a respectful and cooperative solution could be found. We entered those conversations believing that, despite our differences, we could preserve both the integrity of the work and the relationships that had been built over decades. Mediation happened over the better part of a year.
Earlier in 2026, after extensive negotiations, we reached an agreement that would have allowed both organizations to recognize one another’s training modules, protecting participants who had begun training with one organization and wished to continue with either. From our perspective, although we were giving up a lot and would have to use a different name for any training we did in Europe, this was the most fair and compassionate solution for the community.
After both parties agreed to the terms, Thomas said they would put it into a written contract immediately, however we did not hear them for several weeks. When I finally emailed to ask about the delay, he wrote back saying they decided not to sign it.
I know people are still asking us to reunite as one training. I hope this document explains why that isn’t going to happen. After years of effort, I no longer believe that the level of trust necessary for an ongoing partnership can be restored. This was not the outcome I wanted, but it is clear that continuing to negotiate without that foundation will not be productive.
During the past few months, other respected colleagues have announced their own independent decisions to leave or discontinue working with GTTE. Those decisions were made independently and for their own reasons. While I cannot speak on their behalf, I respect their integrity and understand that their personal experiences also led them to conclude that they could no longer continue to work with GTTE.
I don’t expect that everyone will be happy with where this has led. My hope is simply that people understand why this outcome became necessary. The work itself is far more important than any organization. My commitment, and the commitment of IFH, is to preserve the integrity of Holotropic Breathwork®, to support our trainees and facilitators with fairness and compassion, and to continue carrying forward the lineage that Tav and I devoted our lives to building.
PART 2 – SUPPORTING TRAINING PARTICIPANTS
With mediation concluded, we want to provide clarity about the future, especially for those who have been caught in the middle.
Trainees have entered these programs in good faith, not imagining that they would become affected by organizational decisions entirely outside their control. All of us at the IFH understand that this has been painful and confusing.
Our commitment is to be as fair as we can while also protecting the integrity of Holotropic Breathwork® certification.
Module Participation Credit
The IFH and the trainings associated with it will recognize any modules taken with GTTE through at least 2028. Since GTTE does not share information about who has attended their events, please keep track of which modules you have attended, the title, location, date and teachers. If you apply to attend the certification intensive with IFH, there will be a form to provide us with that information.
Certification Intensive 2025 and beyond
By 2025, GTTE had already separated from us (i.e., the original GTT/IFH) so we had not originally planned to consider participants certified.
However, the certification leaders and many of the staff are longtime, trusted IFH teachers. So, we are confident in the quality of that intensive and trust that anyone approved to be certified by those teachers deserves to be a HB facilitator. However, because GTTE has not shared information, the IFH knows nothing about many of those trainees, in some cases not even their names.
Therefore, the IFH will recognize as HB certified those who took part in the 2025 GTTE intensive. Anyone from that intensive who wishes to be recognized as HB certified by the IFH should contact us (gtt@holotropic.com). We will ask you to complete an application for certification and a $75 application fee (the same as all others who become certified); and to sign the Ethical Agreements and Principles of HB documents, and to be approved by one of the senior teachers from the 2025 intensive. Once those have been received, you will be included as certified HB facilitators by the IFH, and will appear on the holotropic.com website lists of facilitators.
Anyone attending certification intensives given by GTTE after 2025 will not be recognized by the IFH. That means that they cannot use the term Holotropic Breathwork® in any jurisdictions where we hold the trademark.
Those who wish to be certified with the original lineage and recognized by the IFH may attend the closing certification intensive in Poland in 2028. They would also be welcome at the intensive in Colorado, U.S., in October 2027.
Continued Professional Development (CPD) Participation Credit
For those certified persons who need to complete a module for CPD credit, the IFH will recognize any modules taken with GTTE through 2028.
IHF current trainings in Europe:
- Holotropic Poland: Organized by Tomek Kwieciński and Rachela Dobrzańska
- Holotropic Berlin (Germany): Organized by Lydia Schamschula and Cyrus Bruton, starting in July 2027
- IFH / GTT USA European Intensive Certification: Scheduled for August 11-25, 2028
- We expect this list to grow over the next few years. IFH modules in other locations (Australia, Canada, the U.S.) are also open to trainees who wish to attend modules or to be certified in Holotropic Breathwork® through the original lineage and training.
Appreciation and gratitude
The Institute for Holotropics and its partners will continue to carry forward the lineage that Tav and I devoted our lives to building. We will continue to protect the integrity of Holotropic Breathwork®, support our trainees and facilitators, and preserve the values that have guided this work from the beginning: honesty, respect, personal responsibility, and service to something larger than ourselves.
To everyone who has walked this path with us over the years, thank you.
We move forward with gratitude, clarity, and hope.
Cary Sparks
Director
Institute for Holotropics
