Talk:Holotropic Breathwork

the neutrality issue
I sence that there is present nonneutrality in this article, myself, after reading it. I would guess, for instance, that some1 has leaked the technique, and invited people to go at it despite warnings and trademarks. I also bet some1 has created a web-page of such. I think the link should be posted; but then I don't deny libertarian sympathies, @ all, eitherSlarty2 (talk) 23:18, 27 July 2010 (UTC)

The technique is not secret. There is a book, _Holotropic Breathwork_, that explains the technique in detail. It's 14$ new on Amazon. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.67.241.6 (talk) 19:44, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

the mechanisms and theory issue
The article still didn't make me understand the specific mechanisms by which the technique is supposed to elicit altered states. What are the specifics of this breathing technique and what is the theory of why and how it is supposed to work.

I would think that it would be the first question for 99.99 % of people, yet the article doesn't seem to tackle the issue.

It is like an article about combustion engines that would not explain the basic mechanism of explosion creating a high pressure of gasses, which in turn push pistons, etc...

Mechanism theory please! . —Preceding unsigned comment added by 161.53.149.242 (talk) 12:42, 5 November 2010 (UTC)
 * agree

Cerebral hypoxia sounds dangerous
Apparently even those who do supervised holotropic breathing sometimes have suffered long-term consequences (read this experience report). Actually, I think the very point of this technique is to have long-term effects, yet some of these effects may be positive and some negative. The promoters seem to consider the effects all positive, but from what I've read, there are also many who have had negative effects, such as reduced attention span, hyper-emotionality, hypersensitivity, bipolar disorder...

And it only seems logical that depriving the brain of oxygen for an extended period of time would have lasting, unpredictable results. There are much safer ways to get to extreme altered states of consciousness/apotheosis which I have explored already... I don't think I am going to take the plunge into hypoxia just out of curiosity.

Anyway just wondering why none of the info on dangers of this method is mentioned. Joelrosenblum (talk) 01:44, 13 March 2011 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the useful link. You make some good points. Actually, I created the criticism section back in 2006 (see here). Later I used Grof's own cautionary words to create the 'reactions and contraindications' section. References to critics' publications were also added. These additions were very controversial at the time, and eventually resulted in a request for arbitration (see the archive). One outcome was that the criticism section was much reduced. But I felt that something had been accomplished in that there was at least now an acknowledgment of the criticisms and of Grof's own statements on contraindications. The article hasn't changed substantially since that time, although it remains very unbalanced. For instance, there is little reference to the origins of the technique in Grof's controversial LSD psychotherapy, or to his spiritual claims for the technique. A study of Grof's own works could lead to the article being augmented with such information. Hopefully someone will one day do this! The Communicator (talk) 16:33, 13 March 2011 (UTC)

Redirected to Breathwork
I've redirected this unreasonably bloated and promotional article to Breathwork, both because the subject is not notable enough for a separate article and because Wikipedia is not for advertising. I've merged the worthwhile content (a couple of sentences, complemented with a reference from the history and a sentence from Stanislav Grof). Even though Breathwork is a mere stub compared to the bloated Holotropic Breathwork, the reader who types in "Holotropic breathwork" will now nevertheless get better information and a more encyclopedic perspective, as Breathwork provides a helpful introduction to the concept of breathwork, which was sadly lacking in this rhapsodic article:
 * Breathwork is an umbrella term for various New Age practices in which the conscious control of breathing is meant to influence mental, emotional and physical state – sometimes to claimed therapeutic effect. ... Derived from various spiritual and pre-scientific traditions from around the world, it was pioneered in the West by William Reich.

Bishonen &#124; talk 07:57, 5 September 2014 (UTC).


 * Suggest to combine articles. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.190.132.77 (talk) 21:09, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

Very very different
Breathwork = generic.

Used in yoga. Meditation. Spiritual practices. All sorts of stuff.

Loads of science behind it.

Holothropic breathwork = completely different type of animal.

So unique it deserves own page. Stefek99 (talk) 08:19, 7 June 2023 (UTC)