The Holotropic Paradigm: The Psyche, the Inner Healer, and Moving Toward Wholeness

This module offers an exciting exploration of the philosophy, principles, and strategies underlying the experience and practice of Holotropic Breathwork.

Topics covered include:

  1. the power of the Inner Healer and moving towards wholeness;
  2. presence: the disciplines required to become an effective Holotropic Breathwork practitioner;
  3. COEX’s: how the Inner Healer orchestrates transformation through our experiences of the psyche;
  4. exploration of the frontiers of the psyche through Movie Yoga;
  5. session stories: valuable teachings from practitioners through their work with breathers;
  6. open forums focusing on every facet of the Holotropic experience;
  7. dance, medication, music journeys and nature celebration.

During the course of the six-day workshop, each participant will experience two sessions of HB as an experiencer, or “breather,” and two sessions as a partner, or “sitter”. Besides the breathwork experiences and the topics covered (described below), there will be art, music, dancing, film, and integration during the workshop.

Registration for for The Holotropic Paradigm Tasmania 2019

Sacred Geometry, Mandala, & Consciousness: New Frontiers of the Holotropic Paradigm

Sacred Geometry is not only a valuable tool for activating deep inner experience, it is a language expressing the interconnectedness of reality. The same patterns of order continually occur at various levels of existence. For example, a simple everyday daisy displays beautiful five-fold geometry. Similarly, this very same pattern forms human DNA and even maps the orbit of Venus around our Earth.

When you meditate upon Sacred Geometric shapes and create Mandalas, you interact with this language. This process illuminates the patterns of the creative principle herself. These higher orders can be revealed through the shapes, invoking a deep experience of their transformative power.

Combining Mandalas with Holotropic Breathwork in the same workshop is a special kind of sacred marriage. The breath takes you inside of yourself, and connects you with your own personal higher ordering principle. This inner healing wisdom is imbued with similar qualities inherent in Sacred Geometry. They both express the archetype of wholeness.

As above, So below (Hermetic axiom)

In addition to Holotropic Breathwork, meditation, dance, ritual, and music journeys, you will:

  • Participate in the creation of a group sand mandala with the tools and techniques developed by Tibetan Buddhist monks
  • Embark upon the Threefold Mandala Process
  • Experience an active guided visualisation combining pattern, focus and breath, built upon sacred geometric archetypes and accompanied by music
  • discover a ‘Grand Pattern’ underlying all of existence, from the shape of our DNA to the movements of the planets and the form of the galaxy
  • Experience how sacred geometry can be harnessed to open a pathway between your everyday awareness and the deeper, hidden aspects of your being

“Regarding Sacred Geometry: You don’t have to understand the ‘geometry’ to experience the ‘sacred’ ”      — Geoff Fitzpatrick

Registration form for Sacred Geometry Tasmania 2019

From past participants:
– Geoff is beautiful person, I like his approach and humor, his teaching is very fluent but also his answering to participants questions and comments, there is a lot of empowerment in his style. He reminds me of Tav (and I love him) :). – Martina, Croatia

amazing energy fields displayed – great insights, exceeded my expectations by far – very good caring and guiding. – Philip, Berlin

– This was one of my favorite modules. – Cielle, Iowa
– The mandala work was fascinating and very profound. – Jane, Ottawa

An article by Geoff on the benefits and beauty of mandala work can be found here: Exploring inside on the outside – my journey with Mandalas.

Geoff Fitzpatrick

Geoff Fitzpatrick B.A. has studied psychology in Trinity College Dublin, and is a Graduate of the Milltown Institute of Theology where he studied spiritual enrichment. He has an active interest in modern consciousness research. He has been constructing mandalas for 10 years and is driven to promote the transformative potential of these sacred circles.

“I have two great passions, one is the exploration of consciousness the other is the construction of mandalas. In effect these are two sides of the same coin. The first time I saw a mandala was about 25 years ago. A group of Tibetan Monks came to Trinity College Dublin. They spent a week creating a magnificent Kalachakra sand mandala. I was mesmerised by the experience, the colours, the shapes and the sound of the chak purs are as vivid in my memory today as they were all that time ago. It was eight years later in that very same university whilst studying psychology I came across mandalas for a second time. I studied the work of Carl Jung and Stanislav Grof both of whom saw the mandala as a powerful psychotherapeutic tool. The depths of the psyche that I touch when constructing mandalas are similar in tonality to those from breathwork. I have borrowed heavily from the map of consciousness drafted by Stan Grof to navigate my way through the experiences activated whilst constructing mandalas.

But the greatest teachers for me have been the shapes themselves – The geometric symbols that date
back into our prehistory and their origins dwell in the very fabric of what creates the universe itself. Nothing has exposed me to more mystery or opened me to greater depths of inner experience than working with these symbols. The sum total of my seeking, the knowledge gleaned from the courses, workshops of all kinds, powerful peak experiences and exposure to enlightened teachers can be distilled down to one very simple thing…….I believe there is a greater wisdom available to us at all times. The thing is, this higher wisdom is easier to experience than it is to explain.”

Celtic Shamanism: The Elemental Wheel and the Ancestral Legacy*

As we travel through life, we are greatly impacted by our environment: culturally, physiologically and through our family lineage. Thus we are shaped, thus we grow. Often, this environmental impact remains unconsciously active within us, influencing our choices and our experience of life.

Within this workshop, we will explore our ancestral legacy – a legacy shaped by the experiences, emotional life, gifts/skills and trauma of our ancestors, both near and distant. Working with the circle of life – inception/birth; youth; middle years and old age – we will track our ancestors in our physical, mental/emotional and spiritual bodies. By doing so, we seek to heal, enrich and awaken to our true selves.

Using shamanic journeying, we will connect to our recent and deep ancestors, finding guides to aid us in understanding the legacy that we carry within. We will delve into the patterns that arise from that legacy and explore the means to resolve that which is unresolved through journeys, pathworking, movement and sound work.

The beauty of this module is that besides the four deeply healing holotropic breathwork sessions (2 as a breather and 2 as a sitter) shamanic journeying will be experienced in a way that you can take this skill back home with you and practice there as well to integrate and foster further transformation.

Registration information and forms

Cait Branigan

Cait Branigan is an Ordained Priestess of the Western Mystery Tradition, a Bean Feasa (Shamanic Practioner) and Healer working within the traditions of Ireland. She works with individuals for healing at her centre in Co. Wexford. She also works with and teaches groups in Ireland and abroad. An essential part of her work is in the area of Women’s Mysteries in which she has conducted workshops and ceremonies around the country. She also facilitates sweat lodges within the Irish Tradition and performs Rites of Passage within the community. She is an Ovate with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and a member of the Fellowship of Isis.

Added note:  A truly mystical yet grounded practitioner, what Cait brings to GTT modules is absolutely unique and hugely important. After experiencing her work personally, we recognized that she is one of those special people we rarely come upon – a teacher of great intelligence, power and wisdom, with a true feminine shamanic perspective.  Cait’s depth and ability, mind and heart, add another powerful dimension to the deep inner work we do with Holotropic Breathwork. Cait’s has taught at several GTT modules (only once before in the U.S.) and previous attendees have been deeply appreciative of the opportunity to be with, and learn from, her.

Celtic Shamanism: The Elemental Wheel and the Ancestral Legacy

As we travel through life, we are greatly impacted by our environment: culturally, physiologically and through our family lineage. Thus we are shaped, thus we grow. Often, this environmental impact remains unconsciously active within us, influencing our choices and our experience of life.

Within this workshop, we will explore our ancestral legacy – a legacy shaped by the experiences, emotional life, gifts/skills and trauma of our ancestors, both near and distant. Working with the circle of life – inception/birth; youth; middle years and old age – we will track our ancestors in our physical, mental/emotional and spiritual bodies. By doing so, we seek to heal, enrich and awaken to our true selves.

Using shamanic journeying, we will connect to our recent and deep ancestors, finding guides to aid us in understanding the legacy that we carry within. We will delve into the patterns that arise from that legacy and explore the means to resolve that which is unresolved through journeys, pathworking, movement and sound work.

The beauty of this module is that besides the four deeply healing holotropic breathwork sessions (2 as a breather and 2 as a sitter) shamanic journeying will be experienced in a way that you can take this skill back home with you and practice there as well to integrate and foster further transformation.

Cait Branigan

Cait Branigan is an Ordained Priestess of the Western Mystery Tradition, a Bean Feasa (Shamanic Practioner) and Healer working within the traditions of Ireland. She works with individuals for healing at her centre in Co. Wexford. She also works with and teaches groups in Ireland and abroad. An essential part of her work is in the area of Women’s Mysteries in which she has conducted workshops and ceremonies around the country. She also facilitates sweat lodges within the Irish Tradition and performs Rites of Passage within the community. She is an Ovate with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and a member of the Fellowship of Isis.

Added note:  A truly mystical yet grounded practitioner, what Cait brings to GTT modules is absolutely unique and hugely important. After experiencing her work personally, we recognized that she is one of those special people we rarely come upon – a teacher of great intelligence, power and wisdom, with a true feminine shamanic perspective.  Cait’s depth and ability, mind and heart, add another powerful dimension to the deep inner work we do with Holotropic Breathwork. Cait’s has taught at several GTT modules, and previous attendees have been deeply appreciative of the opportunity to be with, and learn from, her.

The Holotropic Paradigm: The Psyche, the Inner Healer, and Moving Toward Wholeness

This module offers an exciting exploration of the philosophy, principles, and strategies underlying the experience and practice of Holotropic Breathwork.

Topics covered include:

  1. the power of the Inner Healer and moving towards wholeness;
  2. presence: the disciplines required to become an effective Holotropic Breathwork practitioner;
  3. COEX’s: how the Inner Healer orchestrates transformation through our experiences of the psyche;
  4. exploration of the frontiers of the psyche through Movie Yoga;
  5. session stories: valuable teachings from practitioners through their work with breathers;
  6. open forums focusing on every facet of the Holotropic experience;
  7. dance, medication, music journeys and nature celebration.

During the course of the six-day workshop, each participant will experience two sessions of HB as an experiencer, or “breather,” and two sessions as a partner, or “sitter”. Besides the breathwork experiences and the topics covered (described below), there will be art, music, dancing, film, and integration during the workshop.

Music and Transcendence

This module is an exciting and transformative journey through the world of music. Sound and rhythm have always been vital creative and spiritual tools for transformation. Music has even been called the language of the soul. This is a special opportunity to learn first-hand the music structure that defines Holotropic Breathwork in such a special way.

In addition, we’ll also explore other exciting strategies that help make the Holotropic perspective an essential tool for everyday living.

This module includes: 1) Holotropic music: its history, theory and practice, detailed discussion of the three part structure of a Holotropic Breathwork music set; with demonstrations of specific pieces for each section; 2) Holotropic group work: it’s history, theory and practice, discussion of common group experiences and challenging situations; 3) COEX systems: how we work with multi-level patterns; 4) demonstration of relaxation; 5) facilitator self -care; 6) Practical workshop information – venue, pricing, promotion, brochure, types of workshops.

Registration forms

Spiritual Emergency: Embracing Unexpected Transformation

Understanding spiritual emergency is one of the major contributions of the holotropic perspective. Whether you are a professional or a layperson, someone interested in working with or supporting people in transformational crises, or primarily in your own growth, the module offers a rich experience and valuable information. In addition to differentiating between psychosis and spiritual emergency, we’ll also explore the intensely practical aspects of who, in these kinds of crises, can benefit from Holotropic Breathwork and how best to work with them in their emergencies. This workshop includes a discussion of the concept of spiritual emergency, its manifestations and forms, historical and anthropological perspectives, treatment strategies and work with family and friends.