Grof Psychedelic Training Academy

GROF ® PSYCHEDELIC TRAINING ACADEMY

Teaching the Legacy of Stanislav Grof MD PhD

Train to become a Grof® Certified Psychedelic Therapist or Psychedelic Therapist Assistant, or a Grof® Breathwork Facilitator

"The Way of the Psychonaut," "Ethics for Psychedelic Psychotherapy," and "Spiritual Emergence" are available for interest-only participation without program enrollment. Dual certification in Grof® Breathwork is available for students enrolled in the Psychedelic Program.

About the Program

Approximate Cost of the Program

Each course is $990 + GST. The retreat costs vary depending on length and venue costs. It is expected to be approximately $20-25000.00 CDN to complete the program. This does not include travel expenses, and is approximated as of 2024.

Courses will have biweekly Zoom meetings

Zoom meetings are scheduled on either Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday at 4:30pm PDT/PST (depending on enrollment start date). The Way of the Psychonaut Vol One and Two have a rolling enrollment so you can join in anytime. TWOTP Volume One and Volume Two Chapter 1 will start again 31 October 2024

Enroll in The Way of the Psychonaut Volumes One and Two, and you'll have the exclusive opportunity to connect with Stan and Brigitte Grof live on Zoom. This unique experience allows you to introduce yourself and engage directly with the pioneer of transpersonal psychology.

Our Instructor(s)

Neil Hanon, MD, FRCPC, is a psychiatrist based in Kelowna. Recognized for his teaching excellence, Dr. Hanon has received the Undergraduate Psychiatry Clinical Teaching Award from the UBC Department of Psychiatry in 2011 and 2023, along with the Clinical Faculty Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching from the Faculty of Medicine at UBC in 2018. Dr.Hanon, Neil, got involved in Holotropic Breathwork first as a participant to help with his grief after the death of his 17 year old son. He discovered that conventional psychology and psychiatry had no coherent strategy to help him in his grief. Through extensive reading he discovered Stan Grof’s writing on novel theories of the human psyche and was able to attend a breathwork retreat led by Stan and Christina Grof. He found the breathwork so beneficial for his grief that he continued on training and in 2015 become certified as a Holotropic Breathwork facilitator. Driven by his own journey, Neil developed a keen interest in treating grief and spiritual emergence. He co-founded Relief for Grief, which evolved into Jamaica Grief Retreats, offering legal psilocybin mushroom journeys to parents who have lost a child. He also served as the medical director for TheraPsil, assisting patients with End of Life Distress to gain legal access to psilocybin mushrooms. During his time with TheraPsil he was one of 19 Canadian clinical professionals who were granted permission by the Federal minister of Health to legally possess and take psilocybin mushrooms for educational purposes. In 2021 Neil was invited by Stan and Brigitte Grof to co-lead the Canadian arm of Grof Legacy Training International. In late 2023 Grof Legacy Training Canada separated into breathwork and psychedelic streams. Neil continues to lead the Psychedelic Training Program in Canada, and with his extensive background of curriculum development and teaching skills has developed the coursework with emphasis on its application to psychedelic medicine work. 

Neil Hanon MD, FRCPC

Lead Instructor

Our Instructor(s)

Amy Burrell spent her formative years in Brazil and returned to the United States for her higher education. Her experience of two cultures and languages has shaped her world view giving her an appreciation of other cultures and the diversity they bring. Amy has participated in sacred ceremonies for more than a decade and weaves cultural wisdom from these experiences and ongoing international training and mentorships into her work. She began her professional life as a ballet/modern dancer and costume designer. Her appreciation for aesthetics and deep understanding of the body and movement, instilled early on, continue to inform her work. She created art installations working with themes of suspension, timelessness, healing, death and rebirth where participants could experience their own bodies and achieve more self awareness. These themes integrated well into her interest in Grof studies. Amy has a MFA, a BS Dance/Psychology, is a LMT and has has extensive training in trauma-informed holistic healing modalities. Her additional certifications include Grof® Breathwork, Thriving Relationship Coach™, Authentic Tantra® teacher, Reiki Master and SET (structural energetic therapy). She has taught movement and dance at the Federal University of Goiás in Brazil and at Indiana University. She is pursuing Grof® Psychedelic Therapists training in Spain while continuing as a practicing massage therapist. She facilitates Grof® Breathwork workshops and is a Teacher of Grof Legacy Training® nationally and internationally. Amy’s enthusiasm for learning, traveling, and experiencing cultures continues to inspired and enrich her life and work. It is her greatest honour to hold space for others in their transformational journey.

Amy Burrell

Instructor

Our Instructor(s)

Dr Ingrid Pacey MBBS, FRCPC Ingrid is a psychiatrist who had a private psychotherapy practice in Vancouver for 47 years. She retired from private practice in 2019. She worked mostly but not exclusively with women, and her practice came to focus on trauma survivors especially of early childhood sexual abuse. In addition to traditional psychiatric training, she sought additional training in Gestalt Therapy, Bioenergetics, Art training and eventually in 1987-1990 in Holotropic Breathwork with Stan and Christina Grof. She attended numerous conferences on trauma therapy, complex PTSD and dissociative identity disorders. She facilitated monthly weekend Holotropic Breathwork groups from 1989-2004 mostly with her partner Wendy Barrett and also with Jane Cooper. Ingrid and Wendy pioneered ongoing Holotropic Breathwork groups for trauma survivors. From 1990-2004 they facilitated annual 5 day Holotropic Breathwork groups at Hollyhock, some with meditation and periods of silence, and some with a focus on creativity. With her experience in Holotropic Breathwork and trauma therapy, Ingrid became involved with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy research for trauma survivors, for MAPS (US). She was the Principal Investigator for the first research study in Canada 2012-2016. In 2021 she became a trainer for Therapsil, a BC organization advocating for legalization of psilocybin and for training in psilocybin -assisted therapy for end of life distress. Ingrid is now a trainer for Grof Legacy Training, in Canada led by Carolyn Green and Dr Neil Hanon. She is again facilitating Holotropic Breathwork groups in the context of training. Her chapter on MDMA and Holotropic Breathwork appears in “Psychedelics and Psychotherapy”ed Dr Tim Read and Maria Papaspyrou. She lives with her spouse of 40 years, Wendy Barrett. She has 2 children and 3 grandchildren and a malamute named Misty.

Ingrid Pacey MBBS, FRCPC

Instructor

Our Instructor(s)

Javier Charme is Proffessor and Director de la Formación Transpersonal Grof in South-américa since 2009. He is a clinical psychologist with a Transpersonal orientation. He has a private consultation practise in Santiago. He has worked as a facilitador de Respiración Holotrópica since 1999. He graduated in Psychology from the Universidad Santo Tomás de Chile and after that did his Masters en Psychology of the East and West at the California Institute for Integral Studies, CIIS USA 2003. He has facilitated at least a thousand participants in more than 400 group sessions of Respiración Holotrópica. He also uses different influences from eastern traditions including Raja Yoga, Advaita Vedanta and Tibetan Buddhism. He has explored holotropic states for over 32 years. As a committed psychonaut, he has experienced the use of psychedelics in native contexts with numerous taitas and thanks to Grofian Psychology he has experienced hundreds of high-dose psychedelic sessions with different compounds in a therapeutic context. He is one of the most experienced facilitators in the world and is an expert in holotropic states. He is authorized by Stanislav Grof to train psychedelic therapists. Javier has participated in the training of hundreds of transpersonal therapists and psychologists in various postgraduate courses in South America. For a decade he taught several courses on Transpersonal Psychology and Transpersonal Psychotherapy at Universidad Del Pacífico, Chile. He has directed numerous theses and is an international lecturer on topics related to Psychology, holotropic states, psycho-spiritual crises and Transpersonal Psychology and psychotherapy. He has given and organized transpersonal conferences in several countries, leading training cycles and workshops in Chile, the United States, Europe, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Mexico and Ecuador.

Javier Charme

Instructor

Our Instructor(s)

Jack is a GTT & GLT certified facilitator who has been exploring consciousness through meditation, contemplation, and bodywork for the last forty years. He approaches breathwork with a playful spontaneity grounded in a deep sense of wonder, respect and gratitude. He lives in Edmonton. He and his wife have 2 daughters and 5 grandchildren and are part of a supportive community of kindred spirits.

Jack Bowering

Facilitator

Our Instructor(s)

Jane Cooper, BSc, MA, CHyp, CCC, works in private practice as a Transpersonal Psychotherapist in Calgary, respectfully acknowledging the land as the traditional territories of the Tsuut’ina, Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, Iyaxe Nakoda Nations and the Metis Nation of Alberta, Region 3. She walks with western credentials and a lifetime of mystical experiences that inform her personal and professional life. Jane is passionate about experiential work and is a practitioner who believes in the healing potential of non-ordinary states of consciousness. Whether in ceremony, in therapy sessions or facilitating holotropic breathwork, she is grateful for the opportunity to be present for people and ‘bear’ witness in their awakening to themselves. Her work is and has always been to be in service to healing. Jane’s western training includes a Masters in Counselling Psychology, a Bachelor of Science, and certifications in Holotropic Breathwork, Life Skills Coaching, Addiction Counselling, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Reiki III, and Internal Family Systems therapy. Since Jane was a young child, she has experienced life with the awareness of spiritual (non- physical) dimensions and realms. Jane experienced deep connections with spirit and the healing potential of Indigenous ceremonies in a Sweatlodge in 1986 and through her call to apprentice with a shaman in Africa in 1991. In 1993 she had her first experience with holotropic breathwork at a retreat where she met Stan and Christina Grof. It was here where she connected with the power of non-ordinary states, began training with Stan and Christina to facilitate holotropic breathwork and started her apprenticeship with Dr. Ingrid Pacey. That same year, Jane was welcomed into a Native American Church ceremony as well as a Sundance and has continued these spiritual practices since. Jane has facilitated hundreds of holotropic breathwork group workshops and remains very passionate about offering opportunities for individuals to experience this powerful work. She is excited to contribute to Grof Legacy Training, the emerging field of psychedelic assisted therapy, and the overall awareness for the healing potential of non-ordinary states. Jane feels very honored to contribute to the transmission of Stan Grof’s teachings and supports the leadership of Indigenous ways of knowing in guiding this work. She believes the traditional wisdom/spiritual practices and work in non-ordinary states of consciousness has been guiding our species since we have walked this planet and is passionate to contribute to the awakening of the ‘western mind’ as we work together with these master teachers and medicines.

Jane Cooper

Instructor

Our Instructor(s)

Paula Guzman is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice and a Grof ® Breathwork Facilitator and teacher. She is Co-Director and Coordinator for Formación Transpersonal Grof® and Grof® Legacy Training for Latin America and Magister in Psychology of Physical activity and Sports, Universidad Central ChiIe & Universidad Islas Baleares Spain. She is also University Professor, Universidad Autónoma and Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, Chile in the Subjects of Clinical Humanistic and Transpersonal Psychology, Psychological Theories (systemic, humanistic and transpersonal), Professional Abilities, and meditation. She has been a practitioner of meditation with different teachers for many years. She has lectured on different Programs on Mental training for sports, sports psychology and mindfulness for athletes. Relator at the program “Reducción de estrés con Mindfulness y Cognitivo Conductual integrado (MCCI) and Teacher at different programs related to mindfulness and psychology. Paula has explored in depth psychedelic therapy with different compounds and has facilitated many sessions in holotropic states. She leads regular Eastern and Western meditation practices in Chile, being Co-director of the Drikung Kagyu Center of Vajrayana buddhism. She developed a mindfulness program for sportsmen. Paula has organized several International Congresses on Transpersonal Psychology and Psychotherapy and modules on Transpersonal Psychology in South America.

Paula Guzman

Instructor

Here is what some of our students are saying:

“Very thoughtful organized retreat. ”

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“The retreat brought a few points and principles to the foreground: the importance of preparation (mentally, emotionally, and physically), and the profound influence of the environment (cohesive community around me, trickster coyotes in the shadows...”

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“This was by far the best course that I have taken in all my professional training. A truly experiential learning format, the coordination of the retreat and the theoretical learning lead to a deep and embodied understanding of the nature of spiritual emergence. This course sets the stage for a change in how we can support each other through the intense process of transformation, offers hope and a solid foundation of knowledge regarding what it means to be a spiritual being and how this is vital for healing. ”

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“Amazing”

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“Course material was super interesting and relevant, affirming and in depth and breadth. ”

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