The Stormy Search for the Self: A Guide to Personal Growth through Transformational Crisis

292 Pages·1992·42.589 MB·English

by  Christina Grof, Stanislav Grof

A Guide to Personal Growth
through Transformational Crisis
i
For T^e
M
Christina GRof and StanIslav 6ro)f, J).
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2012
in
http://archive.org/details/isbn_9780874776492
THE
STORMY
SEARCH
FOR THE
SELF
Also by Christina and Stanislav Grof:
Beyond Death
Spiritual Emergency (as editors)
Also by Stanislav Grof:
Realms ofthe Human Unconscious
The Human Encounter with Death
LSD Psychotherapy
Beyond the Brain
The Adventure ofSelfDiscovery
Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science (as editor)
Human Survival and Consciousness Evolution (as editor)
THE
STORMY
SEARCH
FOR THE
SELF
A Guide to Personal Growth
through Transformational Crisis
CHRISTINA GROF
and
STANISLAV GROF, M.D
JEREMY TARCHER/PERIGEE
P.
Poemonpage8from TheKabirBookbyRobertBly.Copyright (
1971, 1977,byRobertBly, 1977bySeventiesPress.Reprintedby
permissionofBeaconPress.
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Grof,Christina.
Thestormysearchfortheself : aguidetopersonalgrowth
throughtransformationalcrisis / ChristinaGrofandStanislavGrof.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
1. Spirituallife. 2. Psychiatricemergencies. I. Grof,
Stanislav, 1931- . E. Title.
BL624.G76 1990
291.4'2—dc20 89-29259
ISBN0-87477-553-1 ISBN0-87477-649-X(pbk.) CIP
FirstTarcher/PerigeeEdition 1992
Copyright© 1990byChristinaGrofandStanislavGrof
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisworkmaybereproducedor
transmittedinanyformbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,
includingphotocopyingandrecording,orbyanyinformationstorage
orretrievalsystem,exceptasmaybeexpresslypermittedbythe 1976
CopyrightActorinwritingbythepublisher.
Requestsforsuchpermissionsshouldbeaddressedto:
JeremvP.Tarcher,Inc.
5858WilshireBlvd.,Suite200
LosAngeles,CA90036
PublishedsimultaneouslyinCanada
JeremyP.Tarcher/PerigeeBooks
arepublishedby
ThePutnamPublishingGroup
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Design by TanyaMaiboroda
Prin9te8d7in6th5e4Un3it2ed1StatesofAmerica
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Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper.
. 1
CONTENTS
Authors' Note ix
Introduction
1
Prologues
The Uninvited Guest: Christina's Story 8
God in the Laboratory: Stanislav's Story 18
PART ONE
The Stormy Search for the Self
1 What Is Spiritual Emergency? 3
2. The Dark Night of the Soul 46
3. Encountering the Divine 64
4. Varieties of Spiritual Emergency 73
5. Addiction as Spiritual Emergency 100
PART TWO
Charts for the InnerJourney
6. Spiritual Lessons from Other Times and Cultures 115
7. Modern Maps of Consciousness 142
PART THREE
Living in Two Worlds
8. Strategies for Everyday Life 157
9. Guidelines for Family and Friends 169
10. Who Can Help and How? 191
11. The Homecoming 212
Epilogue: Spiritual Emergence and the Current
Global Crisis 234
CONTENTS
vi
Appendix I: The Spiritual Emergence Network 238
Appendix II: A Vision for a Twenty-Four-Hour
Care Center 242
Appendix III: Spiritual Emergency and Mental-Health
Professionals 247
Bibliography 265
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As we have taken the personal and professional steps that
have resulted in the writing of this book, we have been deeply affected
by some very special and significant people. We would like to offer our
gratitude to them for all they have given us.
First of all, thank you to our families for loving and supporting us
during our many detours and diversions, and especially to our beloved
children, Nathaniel and Sarah Healy, who play such essential roles in
ourlives andconstantlybringus newhope, outrageoushumor, andgreat
happiness.
We have had the good fortune to encounter a number of teachers
and other sources of inspiration who have offered us friendship and
direction: our deep gratitude goes to the late Swami Muktananda Para-
mahansa, former head of the Siddha Yoga lineage, for his far-reaching
influence in our lives; to the late Joseph Campbell, our beloved friend,
matchmaker, and guide; to John Perry and Julian Silverman, for their
pioneering work and theirencouragement as we confronted some ofthe
social and professional barriers that they know all too well; to Anne and
Jim Armstrong, Angeles Arrien, Sandra and Michael Harner, Dora Kalff,
Jack and Liana Kornfield, FatherThomas Matus, Brother David Steindl-
Rast, FrancesVaughan,andRogerWalsh, ourcolleaguesanddearfriends
in the transpersonal world, who through their personal explorations,
teaching, andwaysofbeinghavehelpedtoshowusourownpossibilities.
Thank you to the many gifted people who are involved in Holotropic
Breathwork™ for their continuing enthusiasm and for the courage to
undertaketheirownpersonaltransformationandtoJacquelynSmalland
Gregory Zelonka for their support of our work.
We offer our appreciation and respect to Jeremy Tarcher for gently
nudgingus untilwewrotethisbook, andoursincerethankstooureditor,
Dan Joy.
Our deep gratitude goes to Rod Allison, Sam Freeman, Betty Mon-
aghan, NoelleNichols, MickeyReny,NetteWhitmore,andtheothermem-
bers of the loving staff at the former Brightside chemical-dependency
treatment center in Carmel, California. We were enveloped by their pa-
tience, compassion, understanding, and humorduring ourdarkest hour,
vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
viii
as they helped us to transform our crisis into a miraculous opportunity
for healing and expansion.
A special thank you to Margaret Stevens for her honest, willing, and
sensitive assistance during the formulation ofthis project. Our gratitude
goes tothe staffandvolunteers ofthe Spiritual Emergence Network, and
especially to those who have served as its coordinators: Rita Rohen,
Charles Lonsdale, Megan Nolan, Nicola Kester, and Jeneane Prevatt.
Theirvaluable contributions andpersonal commitment, in spite ofmany
hurdles, have provided countless numbers of people with much-needed
help. And finally, thankyou to the many individuals who, overthe years,
have told us very personal stories of their involvement with spiritual
emergencies. Without them, we would not have written this book.