Grof and the Levels of Altered States of Consciousness

Stanislav Grof is a well-known Czech psychiatrist, a foundational figure in psychological counseling and transpersonal psychology. He is one of the most prominent specialists in psychedelic psychotherapy (back when it was still legal) and a researcher of altered (holotropic) states of consciousness. Grof uses the term “holotropic” states because these states can be achieved not only through psychedelic substances. Since 1970, Grof has been unable to practice LSD psychotherapy, but many of these states can be reached through meditation or “holotropic breathwork,” a physiological technique similar to Wim Hof’s breathing method.

Many are familiar with Shulgin’s scale for the intensity of psychedelic experiences:

— No effect
+/- Something vague
+ Obvious and noticeable effects, but mild—think of it as a “museum” level
++ Strong effects, but you can still socialize and function if you want to
+++ Very intense experience, normal activity is difficult, and it takes a lot of willpower not to be completely absorbed by the effects
++++ A special level of experience that is hard to repeat just by increasing the dose or repeating actions; a rare mystical experience, as strong or stronger than +++

This classification is convenient for understanding the intensity of an experience, but it doesn’t reflect the nature of the experience itself. Shulgin was a chemist-experimenter who tested new substances on himself and close friends. His scale is simple, practical, and widely understood, despite the subjectivity of these perceptions.

Grof’s Scale of Holotropic States of Consciousness

Aesthetic Level
Psychodynamic Level
Perinatal Level:
- Prenatal (in the womb)
- Contractions
- Onset of Labor
- Birth
Transcendental Level

Grof developed this scale as an observer during thousands of psychedelic therapy sessions. In the 1950s and 60s, he was a proponent of psychoanalysis, which posits that the roots of our psychological problems lie in childhood. Therapy, therefore, involves “regressing” to original traumatic experiences and working through them. This is likely why Grof created a “psychoanalytic” gradation that considers not only the intensity but also the content of experiences, with each subsequent level representing a regression to the origins of our consciousness.

Aesthetic Level

This involves changes in perception: colors, sounds, geometry. There may be hallucinations, but no deep emotional experiences. Viewing Van Gogh or Seurat paintings reveals their dynamic aspects and the true depth of the artists’ talent. Music sounds different and leads to deeper aesthetic experiences.

Psychodynamic Level

This is the level of deep personal experiences. Grof uses the term COEX (specific constellation of memories consisting of condensed experiences), a kaleidoscope of memories from another stage of life. Rather than a strictly psychoanalytic interpretation, these are very personal, concentrated experiences. The idea of “regression” may be influenced by the therapist’s expectations. In these states, thoughts can direct experiences and hallucinations in various directions, and a single thought can quickly unfold into a personal heaven or hell. The subjective quality (qualia) of the experience depends greatly on your mindset and intentions.

For example, recalling a past event where you acted against your values can lead to a negative, even hellish, experience. However, by consciously redirecting your intention, you can shift from a bad trip to a positive one. Grof’s patients often relive past scenes, but in personal experience, these can be abstract and not necessarily tied to specific past events. Sometimes, the therapist’s suggestions may shape the content of the experience, especially since LSD activates more of the brain’s visual processing areas than usual.

Perinatal Level

Grof, as a talented psychoanalyst, understood that the original trauma and the root of many personal problems could be birth trauma. The perinatal level is segmented into perinatal matrices, described in detail in his books. Here’s a brief overview:

Matrix 1: Primary Union with the Mother
Being in the womb, which can feel like cosmic harmony and blissful peace if the womb is “good.” This intrauterine paradise resembles religious enlightenment and bliss. There is relaxation, harmony, no needs or desires, and a sense of safety. If negative, it feels like a “contaminated world” with looming threats. There is an awareness that this stage cannot last forever.
Matrix 2: Onset of Separation from the Mother
The beginning of contractions while the cervix is still closed. Experiences of unbearable suffering, panic, and a sense of hopelessness. Physical and spiritual torment, existential crisis, and the feeling that the suffering will last forever.
Matrix 3: Synergy with the Mother
Contractions continue, but the cervix is open. Confrontation with your darkest qualities. The first “sexual experience.” Sexually aggressive images from the unconscious.
Matrix 4: Birth
The moment of birth. All possible sensations of being born or reborn. A feeling of renewal and being born anew.

Grof writes: “If we look at the perinatal sphere from a personal perspective, it appears as the foundation of our individual unconscious, a repository of ‘undigested’ fragments of experience that most threaten our life and bodily integrity. From this perspective, we perceive the perinatal process and the violence it entails primarily as a threat to our individual existence. From a transpersonal perspective, identification with the bodily ego is a product of entrenched ignorance, a dangerous illusion responsible for our unproductive, destructive, and self-destructive lives. Once we understand this fundamental truth of being, perinatal experiences, despite their intense and painful nature, become for us radical, harsh, but at the same time compassionate attempts to break the prison of our false personality and achieve spiritual liberation. We are not destroyed, but reborn into a higher reality where we reunite with our true nature.”

Transcendental Level

This is the experience of the death of the “self” and reunion with God or the Universe. This stage is essentially a deepening and continuation of the fourth matrix.

Final Comments

I believe the concept of “perinatality” is heavily influenced by psychoanalysis. Grof’s matrices are less about birth trauma as the original wound and more about describing the process of working with the self in altered states of consciousness. The perinatal theme is a clear and understandable metaphor.

For example:

Matrix 1: You are sitting or lying down (in meditation or under psychedelics) in complete harmony and comfort, but you sense that a “cosmic” show and a journey into your own depths is about to begin.
Matrix 2: As your consciousness shifts, the first reaction is panic and/or physical discomfort: sensations like the soul leaving the body during meditation, or nausea/vomiting with tryptamines. There is physical discomfort on the edge of collapse, a sense of eternal agony, intense fear, and panic. This stage requires skill or an experienced guide to navigate. In meditation, it takes experience not to interrupt the process here.
Matrix 3: The feeling that you are being broken down to your molecules, with all your “baggage” and flaws coming out; or a visual hallucination artistically playing out your shortcomings. Both in meditation and with psychedelics, time seems to slow down, allowing you to examine yourself in detail. It’s a journey through the darkest corners of your soul.
Matrix 4: The sensation that your cleansed molecules are coming together to form a new you. A feeling of unity with the cosmos.

Even though Grof described perinatal matrices, he accurately captured the processes and stages that occur in the mind during deep immersion in holotropic states (by any method). The culmination is a symbolic death (of your ego, your old self) and the rebirth of a new self, with a sense of being part of something transcendent, primordial, and eternal.

Personally, I believe that subjective experiences of death and rebirth (in God or the eternal, if you prefer) are keys to spiritual (or personal and human) growth.

Let Grof have the final word: “For the future of humanity, it is important that we overcome this denial and come to terms with impermanence and mortality. There are ancient and modern methods of deep self-exploration that help us face the fear of death, fully realize it, and overcome it. We have already seen how ‘dying before death’ opens channels to transcendent dimensions of being and sends us on a journey that ultimately leads us to discover our true identity. In this process, we experience emotional and psychosomatic healing, and our lives become more fulfilling. This profound psychosomatic transformation raises our consciousness to a completely new level, where life is no longer a burden, but a reward.”

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Grof and the Levels of Altered States of Consciousness