Stanislav Grof, MD, PhD – Frontiers of The Cosmic Game

Expand Your Understanding of Consciousness, Healing & Human Potential With Guest Jack Kornfield

In this opening session, Stan introduces the foundational discoveries that transformed his life’s work and challenged conventional assumptions about consciousness, mental health, and human potential. You’ll explore holotropic states of consciousness and discover how experiences often viewed as unusual, mystical, or irrational may hold profound potential for healing, self-discovery, and transformation. Drawing on pioneering research into psychedelics, breathwork, and spiritual emergencies, you’ll begin exploring a broader map of the human psyche and its capacity for growth.

During this first class, you’ll:

• Explore the difference between ordinary and holotropic states of consciousness and their role in healing and transformation
• Understand why many mystical and spiritual experiences have been misunderstood or pathologized by conventional psychology
• Discover Stan’s concept of holotropic states and how they can support greater wholeness and self-discovery
• Examine the limitations of materialistic views of consciousness while exploring a broader understanding of human experience
• Hear the story of the discoveries that launched Stan’s pioneering research into consciousness and human potential

Module 1 Special Guest Commentary: Jack Kornfield

Following Stan’s opening session, renowned meditation teacher Jack Kornfield will reflect on the transformative potential of expanded states of consciousness and the role they can play in healing, awakening, and personal growth. Drawing on decades of experience in meditation and Buddhist psychology, he’ll explore how these states can deepen self-understanding and support a more awakened way of living.

Explore the Deeper Patterns Connecting Consciousness, Spiritual Experience & Reality With Guest Chris Bache

Stan explores one of the central questions to emerge from decades of consciousness research: What do transformative spiritual experiences reveal about the nature of reality? Drawing on psychedelic research, wisdom traditions, and scientific inquiry, you’ll examine why similar insights have appeared across cultures and spiritual paths throughout history. Through the lens of The Cosmic Game, you’ll explore a view of reality that challenges conventional assumptions and offers a broader understanding of consciousness and our place in the cosmos.

In this session, you’ll:

• Explore what mystical experiences and expanded states of consciousness may reveal about the nature of reality
• Discover the core principles of The Cosmic Game and the wisdom traditions that have explored humanity’s place in the cosmos
• Examine parallels between ancient spiritual teachings, consciousness research, and scientific perspectives that challenge materialistic views of reality
• Understand why context, intention, and integration are essential for transforming profound experiences into lasting growth
• Consider new possibilities for understanding consciousness, human identity, and our connection to a larger field of existence

Module 2 Special Guest Commentary: Chris Bache

After the teaching, philosopher, psychonaut, and consciousness researcher Chris Bache will explore the deeper implications of Stan’s vision of reality and humanity’s place within it. Known for his groundbreaking work at the intersection of philosophy, spirituality, and expanded states of consciousness, Chris brings a thoughtful and experiential perspective to some of the most profound questions raised in The Cosmic Game.

Discover Your Deeper Identity Beyond the Limits of the Personal Self With Guests Paul Grof & Becca Tarnas

Stan explores how expanded states of consciousness can transform your understanding of who you are. Drawing on decades of research into non-ordinary states, you’ll discover how the journey of healing often opens into a deeper exploration of identity, revealing dimensions of experience that extend beyond personal history and biography. Along the way, you’ll examine experiences of interconnectedness, archetypal realms, and spiritual awakening that point toward a broader understanding of consciousness and the nature of self.

In this session, you’ll:

• Discover how emotional healing can become a gateway to spiritual awakening and deeper self-discovery
• Explore expanded states of consciousness that reveal dimensions of identity beyond your personal history
• Examine experiences of unity with humanity, nature, and the living world, and what they suggest about the interconnected nature of reality
• Understand the role of archetypes, mythological realms, and spiritual symbols as gateways to deeper dimensions of consciousness
• Investigate experiences of the cosmic void and the luminous source of creation and what they may reveal about the foundations of existence

Module 3 Special Guest Commentary: Paul Grof & Becca Tarnas

Following this session, psychiatrist Paul Grof and Becca Tarnas, scholar of depth psychology and archetypal studies and Grof’s biographer, will share reflections on Stan’s work from both a professional and deeply personal perspective.

As Stan’s brother and a pioneering researcher in his own right, Paul brings unique insight into the experiences, discoveries, and spirit of inquiry that shaped Stan’s extraordinary contributions. Stan and Paul began from opposing frameworks — psychoanalytic and psychopharmacological — and yet, while working independently along different paths, their findings converged on the same understanding of the nature of human consciousness.

Transform Your Understanding of Karma, Healing & Spiritual Awakening With Guests Will Keepin & Cynthia Brix

In this engaging Q&A session, Stan explores some of the most compelling topics in consciousness research, including past-life experiences, karma, spiritual emergence, synchronicity, and mystical awakening. Drawing on decades of clinical observation and work with individuals in holotropic states, you’ll examine how these experiences can challenge conventional assumptions about identity, memory, healing, and consciousness. You’ll also discover how direct experience can offer new perspectives on personal challenges and spiritual transformation.

In this session, you’ll:

• Explore the characteristics of past-life experiences, karmic patterns, and transpersonal states of consciousness
• Discover how unresolved emotional, psychological, and spiritual imprints may influence present-day relationships and life challenges
• Understand how holotropic states can support healing by bringing hidden material into awareness for integration
• Examine the relationship between mystical experience, spiritual emergence, synchronicity, and awakening
• Learn why some of life’s deepest questions may be illuminated through direct experience rather than intellectual understanding

Module 4 Special Guest Commentary: Will Keepin & Cynthia Brix

Following the session, Satyana Institute co-directors Will Keepin and Cynthia Brix will explore how the insights of spiritual awakening can be embodied in our relationships, communities, and daily lives. Drawing on decades of work in spiritual practice, sacred partnership, and interfaith wisdom, they offer a grounded perspective on living these insights in service to a more compassionate world.

Discover Your Divine Nature & Place in The Cosmic Game With Guest Rick Doblin

Stan explores a revelation shared across mystical traditions and non-ordinary states of consciousness: that our deepest identity is not separate from the creative intelligence that gives rise to the universe. Drawing on wisdom traditions and decades of consciousness research, you’ll examine how expanded states of awareness can transform our understanding of self, reality, and the spiritual journey. As Stan brings together the core themes of The Cosmic Game, you’ll explore what these insights suggest about humanity’s place in a living, interconnected cosmos.

In this session, you’ll:

• Explore the insight that our deepest nature is inseparable from the creative source of existence
• Examine how mystical traditions describe humanity’s relationship with consciousness, divinity, and reality
• Discover why many consciousness explorers view the physical world as a meaningful experiential reality
• Understand the processes of separation, forgetting, and remembrance that shape spiritual awakening
• Investigate why self-discovery, creativity, love, and conscious evolution may play a central role in The Cosmic Game

Module 5 Special Guest Commentary: Rick Doblin

After Stan’s exploration of humanity’s place in The Cosmic Game, Rick Doblin, founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), will reflect on the growing role of expanded states of consciousness in healing, personal transformation, and cultural evolution. Having spent decades helping bring serious scientific attention to experiences once considered beyond the boundaries of conventional research, Rick offers a unique perspective on their potential to shape the future of healing and human development.

Integrate Spiritual Wisdom Into Everyday Life With Guest Diane Haug

Stan explores a central question of the spiritual journey: If our deepest nature is connected to a greater reality, why is it so easy to forget who we are? Drawing on transpersonal psychology, mystical traditions, and decades of consciousness research, you’ll examine the forces that create a sense of separation and the challenges that often accompany spiritual awakening. You’ll discover how expanded awareness can bring greater meaning, resilience, and perspective to everyday life.

In this session, you’ll:

• Explore the forces that create the illusion of separation and disconnect us from our deeper nature
• Examine why suffering, darkness, and evil have played a central role in spiritual inquiry across traditions
• Understand the challenges and transformative potential that often accompany profound spiritual experiences
• Discover the distinction between direct spiritual experience and belief systems rooted in doctrine or authority
• Learn how to embrace both the human and transcendent dimensions of life while cultivating greater meaning and connection

Module 6 Special Guest Commentary: Diane Haug

Following the teaching, Diane Haug will offer reflections on the challenges and opportunities of integrating profound spiritual experiences into everyday life. As a senior holotropic breathwork teacher and longtime leader in the Grof tradition, Diane brings decades of experience supporting healing, transformation, and spiritual emergence.

Integrate Expanded Consciousness Into a Meaningful Life With Stan Grof and Guests Brigitte Grof, Rick Tarnas & Becca Tarnas

In this closing session, Stan brings together key insights from The Cosmic Game and a lifetime of exploring consciousness. You’ll examine what happens after profound spiritual and transpersonal experiences occur, and discover how to integrate them into everyday life with greater grounding, discernment, and balance. Drawing on decades of work with holotropic states, breathwork, psychedelic research, and spiritual emergence, Stan offers practical wisdom for living with both expanded awareness and the realities of ordinary life.

During this final session, you’ll:

• Discover practical approaches for integrating spiritual, mystical, and transpersonal experiences into everyday life
• Explore the role of preparation, guidance, trust, and discernment in navigating transformative states of consciousness
• Understand the difference between spiritual emergence, spiritual emergency, and experiences often misunderstood as mental illness
• Examine how rites of passage and encounters with the sacred have traditionally supported personal growth and wellbeing
• Learn how to cultivate a balanced relationship between expanded awareness and the responsibilities of everyday life

Module 7 Special Guest Commentary: Brigitte Grof, Rick Tarnas & Becca Tarnas

To conclude the journey, Stan Grof himself, along with Brigitte Grof, psychotherapist and longtime collaborator in Stan’s work… Richard Tarnas, professor emeritus of cultural history and archetypal cosmology who taught with Stan for forty years… and Becca Tarnas, scholar of depth psychology and archetypal studies and Grof’s biographer, will join together for a special conversation honoring Stan’s legacy and exploring the enduring significance of his work. Bringing perspectives from psychology, philosophy, cultural history, and their own close personal connections with Stan, they’ll reflect on how his discoveries continue to shape our understanding of consciousness, spirituality, and human potential.

Healing Our Deepest Wounds: The Holotropic Paradigm Shift
PDF of Complete Book by Stanislav Grof, MD

Celestial Integration: Psychedelics and Archetypal Astrology
PDF Essay by Becca Tarnas

Excerpts From “Holotropic Art: Images From Hidden Worlds”
PDF Book Excerpts by Brigitte Grof