When you read about holotropic breathwork and try to figure out what kind of method it is, the first information you come across concerns altered states of consciousness (ASC). This information is contained directly in the definition, because holotropic breathing is a method of psychotherapy and personal growth based on the use of altered states of consciousness (ASC). Moreover, it is emphasized that altered states of consciousness have unique therapeutic and research potential. What does this mean in practice? What is an altered state of consciousness? Let me start with an example. I will not be much mistaken if I assume that everyone reading these lines is familiar with at least two types of altered states of consciousness - sleep and alcohol intoxication. Agree, these examples immediately brought the ASC closer to you, dear reader. And the term “ISS”, instead of an incomprehensible and (possibly) fraught with danger of abstraction, immediately became closer and more understandable. What do these two such different states have in common - healthy sleep and alcohol intoxication? Both of these states differ in the following features. Firstly, in these states our unconscious is more active and subject to less influence from conscious censorship. The Russian language eloquently describes this peculiarity, speaking about a person who has drunk alcohol: “What is on the mind of a sober person is on the tongue of a drunken person.” In the case of sleep, our dreams indicate the activity of the unconscious. Sigmund Freud also said that “dreams are the royal road to the unconscious,” and based the process of psychotherapy on the material of dream analysis. Another feature of ASC is less obvious and understandable, perhaps, only to professionals. The fact is that certain changes in the functioning of the brain and nervous system as a whole are responsible for the occurrence of ASC. In the case of sleep, these changes are produced by the body itself, in the case of intoxication - by drinking alcohol. Thus, an altered state of consciousness is a state in which the unconscious is more active, and consciousness less strictly performs the functions of an internal censor, while a special mode of operation of the nervous system is physiological basis necessary for the occurrence and maintenance of this state. Altered state of consciousness during holotropic breathing. In holotropic breathing as a method of psychotherapy and personal growth, a key role belongs to conscious work with breathing. It is thanks to breathing that a complex cascade of biochemical reactions is triggered, changing the mode of operation of the nervous system. Holotropic breathing activates those neural structures that are necessary for the emergence of ASC and are responsible for long-term memory, emotional and unconscious processes. It is the activation of the unconscious - with all the dramatic and traumatic memories of the past hidden in it - that is the key to successful psychotherapy, personal growth and positive life changes. Holotropic breathing creates unique physiological conditions in order to recognize the influence of the traumatic past on our lives - and free ourselves from it. Types of altered states of consciousness. As follows from the example given at the beginning of this article, holotropic breathing is far from the only way to enter an altered state of consciousness. ASC of varying degrees of depth and awareness can arise under the influence of a variety of factors. Let us briefly consider the main ways to achieve altered states of consciousness. Firstly, ASC is characteristic of all methods of working with breathing. It is no coincidence that humanity has used breathing since ancient times to achieve significant changes in human life - hence pranayama in yoga, qigong in the Taoist tradition and many other methods. Secondly, ASC occurs in extreme physical or emotional situations. Examples of how a person, in a moment of danger, demonstrates the superpowers of his body and psyche belong to this group. Thirdly, various intoxications (taking alcohol and many drugs) and taking psychoactive drugs can also.