Quotes from Stanislav Grof

At a time when unbridled greed, malignant aggression, and existence of weapons of mass destruction threatens the survival of humanity, we should seriously consider any avenue that offers some hope.

It is possible to transcend the usual limitations of the body, ego, space, and linear time.

The materialistic paradigm of Western science has been a major obstacle for any objective evaluation of the data describing the events occurring at the time of death.

The Emerald tablet (Tabula smaragdina) by Hermes Trismegistus, which became the basic tenet of esoteric systems such as Tantra, Kabbalah, or the Hermetic tradition, confirms these observations with its message: "as above so below" or "as without, so within." Each of us is a microcosm containing, in some mysterious way, the entire universe.

And, as Albert Einstein pointed out, it is impossible to solve problems with the same level of thinking that created them.

The fact that at the core of emotional disorders is the birth trauma, a process of life and death, explains the intensity and depth that otherwise would be incomprehensible.

If the above observations are correct, no external interventions have a chance to create a better world unless they are associated with a profound transformation of human beings.

Swami Muktananda, the head of the Siddha Yoga tradition, used to say, "God dwells in you as You.

We know we are just insignificant parts of the universe, but each of us is the entire universe.

The deciphering of these experiences requires knowledge of the basic principles of the unconscious dynamics as described by Freud, especially the mechanisms of dreamwork, and also familiarity with certain specific characteristics of the LSD state and its symbolic language.

Grof, S. 2006. The Ultimate Journey: Consciousness and the Mystery of Death. Ben Lomond, CA: MAPS Publications.

Patients reported that their psychedelic sessions were an invaluable experiential training for dying.

It is possible to see the intermediate state between lives as being in a way more important than incarnate existence.

Traditional academic science describes human beings as highly developed animals and biological thinking machines. We appear to be Newtonian objects made of atoms, molecules, cells, tissues, and organs.

There is an urgent need for a radical revision of our current concepts of the nature of consciousness and its relationship to matter and the brain.

The knowledge of the realm of death makes it possible for the shaman to move freely back and forth and mediate these journeys for other people.

I have to say I regretted giving up animated movies.

Consciousness after death demonstrates the possibility of consciousness operating independently of the body.

Coming to terms with the fear of death is conducive to healing, positive personality transformation, and consciousness evolution.

The experiences associated with death were seen as visits to important dimensions of reality that deserved to be experienced, studied, and carefully mapped.

If consciousness can function independently of the body during one's lifetime, it could be able to do the same after death.

I believe it is essential for our planetary future to develop tools that can change the consciousness which has created the crisis that we are in.

The materialistic paradigm of Western science has been a major obstacle for any objective evaluation of the data describing the events occurring at the time of death.

An important consequence of freeing oneself from the fear of death is a radical opening to spirituality of a universal and non-denominational type.