Watch this episode in video:
Listen here:
On this inaugural episode of Connecting Minds, we have Susan Hess Logeais, the writer/producer/director of the just-released feature length documentary The Way of the Psychonaut: Stanislav Grof’s Journey of Consciousness, released on 14th October 2020
The film explores the life and work of Stanislav Grof, Czech-born psychiatrist and psychedelic psychotherapy pioneer. Stan’s quest for knowledge and insights into the healing power of non-ordinary states of consciousness, influenced the discipline of psychology and profoundly changed many individual lives.
In this episode we talk with Susan about how her journey, her discovering Stan Grof’s work, and working with him on creating the film about him. We also get into some deeper topics which were fascinating!
Links to Susan’s work and websites:
Watch The Way of the Psychonaut: https://www.thewayofthepsychonaut.com/
Susan’s website: https://susanhesslogeais.com/
Become a member here to watch expert interviewee Q&A’s and get other resources and updates about the project: https://www.thewayofthepsychonaut.com/learn
The film is also available on:
- Vimeo download/on-demand: https://wotp.vhx.tv/
- Apple TV
- Google Play:
- Amazon Direct: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B08K927SCC/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r
Links to Stan Grof’s work:
His website, where you will find his books and other many resources: http://stangrof.com/
Grof Transpersonal Training (Holotropic Breathwork): http://www.holotropic.com/
Topics discussed in his episode:
- Susan’s background in ballet and how she transitioned into into film-making.
- How she got into Stan Grof’s work.
- Meeting Stan Grof and convincing him to work together on a film to tell his story.
- Who is Stanislav Grof?
- Working with LSD. Unlocking the psyche.
- Co-founding Transpersonal Psychology.
- How the birth process and its traumas can affect us.
- Stan’s work in Esalen.
- The Perinatal Matrices.
- Rites of passage and the mono-myth of death and rebirth.
- The development of Holotropic Breathwork after LSD was made illegal.
- The process of making The Way of the Psychonaut
- The importance of bringing this project to the world. The need for a massive shift in our human consciousness.
- The expert interviews in the film and their pushing of the envelope of our scientific understanding of the mind, the world, and reality.
- Susan’s spiritual practices.
- Using dreams to find answers during periods of creativity.
- Archetypal Astrology and the work of Richard Tarnas.
- Tarnas’ book Cosmos and Psyche: Intimations of a New World View: https://www.amazon.com/Cosmos-Psyche-Intimations-World-View/dp/0452288592
- Working with psychedelic medicines.
- Susan’s strategies and practices to stay healthy.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!