From the first LSD session that gave Dr. Grof a glimpse of cosmic consciousness to his latest work with Holotropic Breathwork™, When the Impossible Happens explores fascinating experiments in astral projection; remarkable tales of synchronicity; memories of birth and prenatal life; the survival of consciousness after death, and much more. Here is an incredible opportunity to journey beyond ordinary consciousness—guaranteed to shake the foundations of what we assume to be reality—and sure to offer a new vision of our human potential, as we contemplate When the Impossible Happens.
STANISLAV GROF, M.D., PH.D.
One of the founders and chief theoreticians of transpersonal psychology, Dr. Grof is the president of the International Transpersonal Association, and a professor of psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies and the Pacifica Graduate Institute. His numerous books include Beyond the Brain and Psychology of the Future.
Table of Contents
PRAISE FOR WHEN THE IMPOSSIBLE HAPPENS
ALSO BY STANISLAV GROF
PREFACE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PROLOGUE: Discovering Cosmic Consciousness My First LSD Session
PART 1:THE MYSTERY OF SYNCHRONICITY: Twilight of the Clockwork Universe
THE WAY OF THE ANIMAL POWERS: Praying Mantis in Manhattan
THE DYING QUEEN: When Dreams Foretell What Comes by Day
THE RAINBOW BRIDGE OF THE GODS: In the Realm of the Nordic Sagas
THE PLAY OF CONSCIOUSNESS: Swami Muktananda and Siddha Yoga
THE GURU IN THE LIFE OF HIS DEVOTEES: Is the Siddha Yogi a Cosmic Puppeteer?
DANCE OF THE WHITE SWAN: Underworld Journey in the Salish Spirit Canoe
THE MAKING OF RAINSTORM: Our Hollywood Adventure
THE WATERCOURSE WAY: Meetings with President Václav Havel
UNDER THE SPELL OF SATURN: The Death of My Mother
BLESSING OF THE GODS: Don José Matsuwa and the Huichol Rain Ceremony
SRI YANTRA IN THE OREGON DESERT: UFO Visit or a Spectacular Hoax?
A LESSON IN FORGIVENESS: Peyote Ceremony with Potawatomi Indians
PART 2:TRAILING CLOUDS OF GLORY: Remembering Birth and Prenatal Life
THE CHALLENGES OF NOON DELIVERY: The Story of Leni
THE SCENT OF FRESH LEATHER: The Story of Kurt
THE VISION OF THE OLD OAK TREE: The Story of Anne-Marie
PRENATAL VISIT TO THE ANNUAL VILLAGE MART: The Story of Richard
WINNING THE SPERM RACE: Experiencing the Cellular Level of Consciousness
PART 3:REVISITING HISTORY: Farther Reaches of Human Memory
EPISODE FROM THE RUSSO-FINNISH WAR: The Story of Inga
THE LITTLE GIRL WITH WHITE PINAFORES: The Story of Nadja
RETRIEVING MEMORIES OF THE STOLEN GENERATIONS: The Story of Marianne
ANCESTRAL MEMORY OR PAST-LIFE EXPERIENCE? The Story of Renata
PART 4:HAVE WE LIVED BEFORE? Reincarnation and the Akashic Record
THE SIEGE OF DÚN AN ÓIR: The Story of Karl
THE KARMIC TRIANGLE: Time Travel to Ancient Egypt
IN THE CATACOMBS OF PECHORSKAYA LAVRA: Past Life in Czarist Russia
WHEN SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES CAN BE DANGEROUS: Revisiting the Salem Witch-Hunt
PART 5:ESP AND BEYOND: Exploring the World of the Paranormal
SEEING WITHOUT THE EYES (MINDSIGHT): The Story of Ted
MESSAGES FROM THE ASTRAL REALM: The Story of Richard
PROOF FOR THE EXISTENCE OF THE BEYOND? The Story of Walter
CUT ROSES IN AUNT ANNE’S ROSE GARDEN: The Story of Kurt
LUIZ GASPARETTO: Painters and Paintings from the Beyond
A PARTY FOR EXU: Interview with the Orixás
THE TABOO AGAINST KNOWING THAT WE ARE CLAIRVOYANT: Sessions with Ann Armstrong
ANTS OF THE GREAT MOTHER GODDESS: A Visit to Palenque
ULURU AND ALCHERINGA: An Adventure in Dreamtime
TEMPTATIONS OF A NON-LOCAL UNIVERSE: Failed Experiment in Astral Projection
CHANNELING THE AVATAR: My Mother, Sai Baba, and Holotropic Breathwork
WHEN ALL IS ONE, THERE IS NO PROBLEM: Feats of the Korean Sword Master
STRANGE LEGACY OF THE ANCIENT MAYA: Mystery of the Crystal Skull
THE WONDERS OF SYNESTHESIA: Hugo Zucarelli and the Holophonic Sound
GATEWAY TO THE ABSOLUTE: The Secret of the Toad of Light
MATTER AND CONSCIOUSNESS: Ketamine and the Reenchantment of the World
ON THE INCA TRAIL: Discovering the Secret of Trephination
UFOS IN THE AMAZON: Alien Encounter of the Third Kind
PART 6:UNORTHODOX PSYCHIATRY: Surprising Alternatives to Traditional Treatment
THE PAIN THAT SURVIVED THREE CENTURIES: The Story of Norbert
THE MALEKULAN PIG GODDESS: The Story of Otto
INTERVIEW WITH THE DEVIL: The Story of Flora
EMBODYING THE DAPHNE ARCHETYPE: The Story of Martha
HEALING DEPRESSION BY A SEPHARDIC PRAYER: The Story of Gladys
THE STORMY SEARCH FOR THE SELF: The Story of Karen
WHEN HEARING VOICES Is NOT SCHIZOPHRENIA: The Story of Eva
PSYCHIATRIC HERESY THAT BROUGHT FRUIT: The Story of Milada
THE MAGIC OF SANDPLAY: When a Kitten Can Be Therapist
PART 7:TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND MAINSTREAM SCIENCE
WHEN SCIENCE BECOMES SCIENTISM: Carl Sagan and His Demon-Haunted World
JOURNEY TO THE EAST: Bringing LSD to the Soviet Union
PSYCHE AND COSMOS: What the Planets Can Reveal about Consciousness
EPILOGUE
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT SOUNDS TRUE
BACK COVER MATERIAL
When the Impossible Happens Page 40