Diana Medina (training advisor; senior teacher) has been an integral part of the Grof Transpersonal Training staff since 1999. A senior GTT workshop leader and teacher, Diana has taught modules and led workshops independently in Colorado, New Mexico, New York and India, as well as working closely with Stan Grof and Tav Sparks at training modules in the U.S., Spain, Ireland,England, South America and Mexico. Diana began her personal breathwork journey in 1993 and was certified in 1998. She lives in a high altitude mountain farming community in southern Colorado and it was in this community she grew up surrounded by a large family deeply embedded in the importance of nature, community and spirituality. Diana has practiced medicine in the specialties of pediatrics and family practice for over 20 years. Recently she has began practicing craniosacral therapy as an adjunct to her interest in holistic healing practices. When she is not working Diana has a passion for African dancing, spending time in nature and enjoying her family and friends. Diana says, “It is a great pleasure being part of the GTT staff and an honor to be a witness and support to people from all over the world in their adventure of self-discovery. What a wonder to feel so deeply this being a member of the world community”
Cáit Branigan
Cáit Branigan is an Ordained Priestess Hierophant of the Western Mystery Tradition, a Bean Feasa (Shamanic Practitioner) and Healer working within the traditions of Ireland. She works with individuals at her healing centre in Co. Wexford. She also teaches groups and conducts ceremonies throughout the country and internationally, work which includes Women’s Mysteries, the facilitation of Rites of Passage and sweat lodges within the Irish Tradition. She is an Ovate with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids and a member of the Fellowship of Isis.
Marc B. Aixalà
Marc B. Aixalà (module teacher and facilitator) is a Telecommunication Engineer and Psychologist with Master studies in Integrative and Strategic Therapy. He has been trained in the therapeutic use of Non Ordinary States of Consciousness. Also trained in MDMA assisted-psychotherapy for PTSD by MAPS and the use of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, Marc is now working as a therapist in a clinical trial with psilocybin in Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona where he also mentors other psychedelic therapists. He has experience as a Team Leader and Trainer in emergency psychological assistance for people going through difficult psychedelic experiences at Boom Festival (Kosmicare 2010-2016).
Marc is the author of Psychedelic Integration: Psychotherapy for Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness (2022).
Marc collaborates with ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education Research and Service) by offering integration psychotherapy sessions for people in challenging situations after psychedelic experiences, developing theoretical models of intervention and training and supervising therapists. He is the author of “Psychedelic Integration: non-ordinary logics and the challenges of psychotherapy in expanded states of awareness”.
Marc B.Aixalà es Ingeniero de Telecomunicaciones (UPC- Barcelona) y Licenciado en Psicología por la Universidad de Barcelona. Posgrado en psicoterapia integrativa y Máster en terapia breve estratégica. Vive en Barcelona, donde tiene su consulta de psicoterapia. Se certificó como facilitador de Respiración Holotrópica en 2012, y desde entonces ha sido un miembro activo en los módulos de GTT en España, como facilitador y profesor y ha facilitado talleres en varios países alrededor del mundo.
Además de su rol como terapeuta y facilitador, Marc trabaja en distintos campos de la psicoterapia asistida con sustancias psiquedélicas. Se formó con MAPS en el uso de la MDMA para el Trastorno de Estrés Postraumático y con Compass Pathways en el tratamiento asistido con psilocibina de la depresión resistente. Actualmente trabaja como terapeuta en un estudio clínico en Barcelona.
Durante años Marc ha trabajado en ICEERS (International Center for Ethnobotanical Education Research and Service), donde se ha especializado en la psicoterapia de integración de experiencias en estados no ordinarios.
Cary Sparks
Cary Sparks (director, teacher) has been supporting people in the course of their inner journeys for over 35 years. She is committed to holding space for those going through personal transformation of all sorts.
Cary and Tav Sparks co-directed Grof Transpersonal Training until Tav’s death in August, 2020. Beginning two years prior, Cary and a circle of advisors had already begun shepherding GTT and Holotropic Breathwork® forward following Tav’s retirement.
Cary began administrating GTT in 1990, working at that time with Stanislav and Christina Grof. In 1998, the Grofs sold the training organization to Tav and Cary. Cary organized multiple large workshops, trainings, and other events – led by Stanislav Grof, Christina Grof, Tav Sparks, and others – for over 30 years.
Cary began facilitating seekers on their inner journeys in 1986. She was certified in Holotropic Breathwork® in 1988, and has worked as a facilitator, workshop leader, and at training events. In 2019, Cary certified as facilitator of a SoulCollage®, a practice for accessing one’s intuition and creating a deeply meaningful personal deck of cards. Both practices rest upon and uphold the healing impulse and empowerment of the individual.
Cary’s book Incensed: The Novel, is a humorous take on the world of transformational workshops (not breathwork!). In addition to writing, her passions are equestrian sports, rock music, nature and her family and cats.
In 1988, Cary founded the Association for Holotropic Breathwork International (with support from Carlin Scherer and John Scherer). She founded and edited its newsletter, The Inner Door, later joined by Tav Sparks, for the first few years of its publication. More recently, Cary and Tav founded The Institute for Holotropics, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with the mission of education and promotion of Holotropic Breathwork® and the holotropic perspective. She is on the Board of Directors for California River Watch.
Cary was Co-Program Director (with Tav Sparks) for the 1995 International Transpersonal Association (ITA) conference in Santa Clara, California (US), Spirit in Action: Awakening to the Sacred in Everyday Life. She was Co-Assistant Program Coordinator, working closely with Stan and Christina Grof, for ITA conferences in Eugene, Oregon (US) in 1991; Atlanta, Georgia (US) in 1992; Prague, Czech Republic in 1998; and Palm Springs, California (US) in 2004. She also served on the ITA board of directors.
Cary is passionate about sharing the “experience, strength, and hope” she gained in supporting her beloved husband through his memory loss and his end-of-life journey. She welcomes the opportunity to connect with anyone facing their own or loved ones’ illness or dementia, and to share her experience with a partner who courageously chose a death with dignity.
Schedule a personal consultation with Cary Sparks here
Sitara Blasco
Sitara Blasco (teacher; advisor) Psychologist. Holotropic Breathwork Trainer | Senior Member, Grof Transpersonal Training International Faculty. Master in Gestalt Psychotherapy and Integrative Clinical Psychology. Sitara organized in Spain Grof Transpersonal Training. Trained in the SAT Program by Claudio Naranjo. Trained in theater and clown.
Sitara facilitates periodic Holotropic Breathing and training workshops both inside and outside Spain.
She works as a psychologist in Alicante and conducts therapies in English and Spanish through the Internet.
Christine Calvert
Christine Calvert (teacher and module facilitator) is a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a certified Holotropic Breathwork® facilitator. She is the founder of Tribe, a conscious sober living home for men in Austin, TX, focusing on a transpersonal and Holotropic approach to recovery and healing. In addition to bringing Holotropic Breathwork® and other experiential workshops to mental health and addiction facilities, she is passionate about the ethics and integrity needed in facilitating expanded-state work; supporting the integration of Holotropic and psychedelic sessions through somatic resourcing; and creative expression, personal ritual, and group support. Her own personal healing journey was greatly influenced by the Holotropic perspective and she feels deeply dedicated to sharing this work with those seeking healing. She enjoys finding ways to weave her personal and professional experience of different therapeutic and spiritual systems such as Shamanism, Somatic Experiencing, Jungian psychology, attachment theory, and mindfulness practices into her work with others. Christine is currently studying to become a Naturopathic Doctor and maintains a private counseling and consulting practice in addition to facilitating Holotropic Breathwork® nationally.
Wendy Eveleigh
Wendy Eveleigh (module facilitator) is based in NSW Australia and has been practicing in the therapy field since 1994. She has worked in Family Support Services, Crisis Intervention agencies, and Court Support programs. Between 2000–2008 she was employed by the Attorney General’s Department as an accredited mediator with Northern Region Community Justice Centre. In 2008 she commenced private practice at LIFE MATTERS Counselling & Psychotherapy Centre. In addition to private practice, Wendy was employed as a specialist counsellor with NSW Health between 2011-2022, within Drug & Alcohol Clinical Services, however has now returned to full-time private practice. Wendy completed the Grof Transpersonal Training certification in 2009, and since 2010 has worked on staff in the Australian modules.
Wendy is a Registered Clinical Psychotherapist, Mental Health Practitioner, and Clinical Supervisor with the Psychotherapy & Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA). She is also a clinical member of the Australian Centre for Grief & Bereavement, the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMHA), the Australasian Association of Supervisors (AAOS), and the Employee Assistance Professional Association of Australasia Inc (EAPAA).
Wendy is a Certified Advanced Grief Counselling Specialist (CAGCS), a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional – CCTP-11, a certified Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner (SEP), a NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM)® Therapist, and has completed NARM Level 3 Master Therapist Training. Wendy has also completed PACT® Level 1 practitioner training (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy), and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) ® – Level 1. Wendy is recognised as an accredited Griefline counsellor & is qualified to provide Prolonged Grief Disorder Therapy (PGDT).
Wendy’s qualifications include: Master of Arts (Health & Social Wellbeing) (NTI); Graduate Diploma in Mental Health Practice (GDMHP) (UNE); Bachelor of Science (Counselling) (USQ); and Advanced Diploma in Sexual Assault Counselling. She is currently completing a Master of Counselling (UNE).
Jean Farrell
Jean Farrell (teacher; advisor) Born in England, Jean has lived in Ireland for 30 years with her husband, and the children and young people they have fostered.
In England she worked as a senior lecturer in Youth and Community Work, teaching Counseling Skills and Group Work, at Manchester Metropolitan University. In Ireland she works as a psychotherapist and offers supervision to therapists in various agencies working with trauma. She also teaches Counseling and Therapeutic Skills for the National University of Ireland.
She is passionate about Grof Holotropic Breathwork and certified as a facilitator in 1996 and since then offers residential workshops every month in a small centre at her home. She has worked with the Grof Training in Italy, Denmark, Spain, Ireland, England and the Ukraine and has facilitated workshops in Turkey and Croatia.
Her other main interest, when she has time, is her garden which she and her husband attempt to create in the West of Ireland. She has a small playful dog called Maya who reminds her that everything is an illusion.
Holotropic Breathwork: A New Approach to Self-Exploration and Therapy (First Edition)
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“A must read.” – Deepak Chopra
The definitive overview of this transformative breathwork.
In the original version of this book, Stanislav Grof and Christina Grof describe their groundbreaking new form of self-exploration and psychotherapy: Holotropic Breathwork. Holotropic means ‘moving toward wholeness,’ from the Greek holos ( whole) and trepein (moving in the direction of). The breathwork utilizes the remarkable healing and transformative potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness. These states engender a rich array of experiences with unique healing potential—reliving childhood memories, infancy, birth and prenatal life, and elements from the historical and archetypal realms of the collective unconscious. Induced by very simple means—a combination of accelerated breathing, evocative music, and bodywork in a safe and supportive setting, Holotropic Breathwork integrates the insights from modern consciousness research, depth psychology, transpersonal psychology, anthropology, Eastern spiritual practices, and mystical traditions. The Grofs’ work with holotropic states of consciousness has introduced revolutionary changes to psychiatry, psychology, and psychotherapy. Written in a clear, easily understandable style, this indispensable book summarizes their remarkable insights.