Faculty
Grof Studies Honorary Chair
Stanislav Grof, MD, PhD
Director Co-Director Co-Director and Registrar
Renn Butler, PhD Jay Dufrechou, PhD Mari Castle, PhD www.rennbutler.com www.grof-legacy-project-usa.org www.breathwork9.com
Renn studied with Stanislav Grof and Richard Tarnas at the Esalen Institute in California beginning in 1980 and certified as a Holotropic Breathwork® facilitator in 1989, recertifying in Grof® Breathwork in 2023. He offers workshops in British Columbia and abroad, as well as archetypal astrology consultations with clients around the world. Renn’s first book, Pathways to Wholeness, about astrology and psychedelic experiences, was published in 2014, followed by The Archetypal Universe in 2018, which focuses on dreams, and The Astrology of Love and Relationships in 2022 about relationships. His six-month online course in Archetypal and Holotropic Astrology has received enthusiastic reviews. Renn received his PhD from Ubiquity University in 2022. He lives in Victoria, B.C. and worked part time as a health care worker with physically, mentally, and emotionally challenged adults for over thirty years.
In the mid-90s, Jay followed experiences of spiritual emergence into the experiential doctoral program at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology. Until transitioning into his roles for Grof® Legacy Training, Jay has primarily worked as a lawyer/mediator while teaching and supervising dissertation research in transpersonal psychology. Jay has assisted the facilitation of holotropic breathwork in the US, Canada, UK, India and China and is a certified Grof® Breathwork Facilitator. He will act as a Director and Secretary-Treasurer for the Training and is particularly interested in developing the research branch of Grof® Legacy Project, including projects using the lens of archetypal astrology to examine correlations between non ordinary state experiences and indications from transit and natal charts. Jay currently divides his time between Helena, Montana, and Los Angeles. Along with colleagues, Jay will assist in the development of Grof® Breathwork events and Grof® Legacy Training opportunities in southern California and various other parts of the United States, as well as developing online programs in Stan's work.
Mari Castle has two Masters degrees, in Transpersonal Psychology and Oriental Medicine, and a PhD in Wisdom Studies through Ubiquity University. She certified in Holotropic Breathwork® in 2005, recertifying in Grof® Breathwork in 2023. Mari is an Acupuncturist and Transformational Life Coach offering services for clients interested in a holistic mind, body, and spirit approach to health and wellness, one that includes an opening to their higher spiritual nature. Mari’s PhD focused on the mysteries and ritual of the ancient wisdom of the Fertile Crescent. She travelled internationally and studied a number of cultural approaches to healing the body through a spiritual practice, including Buddhist, Sufi, Hindu, Pagan, Sumerian, and Eastern Medicine approaches. In her travels, she had a special opportunity to launch a Mindful Living project with Dr. Andrew Weil. Mari is the author of two books, Unveiling the Modern Goddess Thru Symbolism, Chakras, and Myth and The Sacred Union: Connecting the Masculine and Feminine Within for Personal Transformation.