From the author: Are you hesitant to take Holotropic Breathwork because you think or someone told you that it is very interesting, it is very emotionally powerful and you can get hooked on it? Martin Boroson has an answer to this. We continue the series of publications about the method of holotropic breathing (Holotropic Breathwork™), which will ultimately compile extensive material in the format of answers to the most exciting questions about HD. Are you hesitant to take holotropic breathwork because you think or someone told you that it is very interesting, it is very emotionally powerful and you can get hooked on it? Certified presenters have something to answer to this. We continue the series of publications about the method of holotropic breathing (Holotropic Breathwork™), which will ultimately compile extensive material in the format of answers to the most exciting questions about HD. 12 Things You Should Know About Holotropic Breathwork. Part 4/FB_LINK Is Holotropic Breathwork Addictive? I have certainly seen that some people seem to be “hooked” on Holotropic Breathwork. But here you should be careful in your judgments. Many people turn to holotropic breathwork as a last resort or when experiencing a psychospiritual crisis. In these cases, a period of intense inner work is not only desirable, but also valuable to them. They may want or even need to give themselves over completely to their inner process. For other people, a holotropic breathwork workshop may be the only place where they can truly be themselves and allow themselves to release the very strong energies they are struggling with. At the same time time, there are other people, like me, who consider holotropic breathwork a spiritual practice and try to do it at least a couple of times a year - as long as someone would go on a meditation retreat. And while I've seen plenty of people who have practiced holotropic breathwork intensively for a while, and a few people who seem overly attached to it for a while, I've never seen anyone "addicted" to it. There is probably no other practice that in the hands of a drug addict it cannot turn into addiction. Holotropic Breathwork is definitely not suitable for people who are actively addicted to something (be it drugs, alcohol, food or behavior) because it tends to bring to the surface only the material that the addict is trying to suppress through the addiction; Conflict increased in this way can increase addictive behavior. But once an addict enters recovery, holotropic breathwork can be healing, helping the recovering addict work through repressed material and perhaps helping to uncover the deeper patterns that led them to addiction. (Grof, S. (1985) Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death and Transcendence in Psychotherapy, Albany: State University of New York. 267 – 268. See also Sparks, T., The Wide Open Door, and Grof, C. , The Thirst for Wholeness.) Martin Boroson with Jean Ferrell, Ninke Merbis and Dara White