Our Facilitators
Holding Space
The facilitators in this training come from backgrounds in transpersonal psychology, breathwork, psychotherapy, and related disciplines, and are trained within the Grof® lineage.
They create a grounded and carefully held environment in which holotropic states of consciousness can be approached with presence, safety, and ethical responsibility.
Particular emphasis is given to relational attunement and the ability to remain with depth processes as they unfold — supporting participants in meeting their experience with honesty, stability, and respect for the rhythm of their own system.
This work is held with deep respect for the intelligence of the human psyche and the unfolding nature of each individual process.
Jay Dufrechou
Facilitator and Leader
Jay is a senior facilitator within the Grof lineage and Director of Grof Legacy Training USA, with a background in law, transpersonal psychology, and decades of experience working with holotropic states.
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His path into this work followed an earlier career in law and mediation. In the 1990s, experiences of spiritual emergence led him to transpersonal psychology, where he completed a doctoral degree at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology.
Jay has worked with holotropic states for decades and was certified as a breathwork facilitator in 2015. He has facilitated internationally across the United States, Europe, and Asia, contributing to both training and supervision.
Working closely with Stan and Brigitte Grof, he’s involved in the development of international training programs in Grof® Breathwork and Grofian Psychedelic Therapy.
He brings a steady and thoughtful presence to his work, grounded in long-term experience and a deep respect for the processes that unfold in holotropic states.
Simona Rakuša
Facilitator and Co-Leader
Simona Rakuša is a facilitator and teacher within the Grof lineage, working with holotropic states of consciousness through an approach that integrates psychotherapy, breathwork, and psychedelic therapy.
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Simona’s path into this work began with a Holotropic Breathwork experience in 2010, which opened a lasting curiosity for the inner landscapes of the psyche.
She brings over 15 years of experience supporting individuals in the preparation, navigation, and integration of expanded states of consciousness, working internationally across workshops, retreats, and training programs.
Within the Grof lineage, she contributes to training programs in breathwork and psychedelic therapy through Grof Legacy Training USA, and has also collaborated with the MIND Foundation in Berlin.
Her work is grounded, attentive, and respectful of the intrinsic intelligence of the psyche, creating spaces where deep processes can unfold with clarity, structure, and care.
Robert Hirsch
Facilitator
Rob is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and Grof® Breathwork facilitator within the Grof lineage, whose work brings together clinical psychiatry, contemplative practice, and transpersonal psychology.
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His path into this work began in clinical psychiatry before leading him toward mindfulness meditation and Buddhist psychology.
He spent nearly a decade as a resident monastic in the Plum Village tradition in France, where contemplative practice became a central part of his understanding of the human mind and its capacity for healing and transformation.
He later trained as a Grof® Breathwork facilitator through CESHUM in Paris and has since facilitated workshops and professional trainings across Europe and Asia, while continuing his work as a clinical psychiatrist in Switzerland.
His professional path has also included humanitarian work with the International Committee of the Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières, together with ongoing engagement in psychotherapy and psychedelic research.
He brings a calm and attentive presence to this work, integrating clinical understanding with contemplative practice and transpersonal psychology.
His approach is grounded in deep respect for the transformative potential of awareness, human connection, and the innate intelligence of the psyche.
Tomislav Baksa
Facilitator
Tomislav is a certified Grof® Breathwork facilitator and Gestalt psychotherapy trainee based in Croatia, working at the intersection of transpersonal psychology, experiential practice, and relational therapeutic work.
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Originally trained in IT and business, Tomislav has spent many years balancing professional work in consulting and entrepreneurship with a sustained commitment to inner development, psychology, music, contemplative practice, and the exploration of healing through expanded states of consciousness.
His path into transpersonal psychology began with his first Holotropic Breathwork experience in 2010 — an encounter that initiated a deep process of personal inquiry and transformation. He certified as a Holotropic Breathwork practitioner in 2016 and has since co-facilitated workshops and training modules across Europe, accompanying others in holotropic states within workshop and training settings.
Affiliated with Grof Legacy Training and Grof® Breathwork, he brings a grounded and attentive presence to this work, shaped by direct experience, ongoing study, and respect for the intelligence of the psyche. Alongside his facilitation work, he is currently completing training in Gestalt psychotherapy.
Naja Pogačar
Facilitator
Naja is a facilitator within the Grof® lineage whose work integrates Holotropic Breathwork, contemplative practice, ritual work, and expressive modalities rooted in sound, movement, and connection with nature.
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Born in Slovenia, Naja studied English and American Studies with a specialization in linguistics and translation, and later continued her studies in cognitive science.
Alongside her academic path, she developed a deep engagement with Celtic Druidic traditions, contemplative practice, and other forms of spiritual exploration that eventually led her toward Holotropic Breathwork and transpersonal psychology.
Over the years, she came to recognize the profound role of community, embodied expression, and non-ordinary states of consciousness within processes of healing and self-inquiry. She has been involved for many years in organizing, supporting, and facilitating Holotropic Breathwork workshops and facilitator trainings across Europe.
Her work is grounded in deep respect for the self-healing capacities of the psyche and the importance of creating spaces where experience can unfold freely and without judgment.
Alongside facilitation, she works with ritual, sound, movement, voice, and nature-based practices, supporting processes of integration, transition, and connection through both individual and collective work.
Learn more about the structure, approach, and experiential foundation of the training
Beneath the surface of every effective practitioner lies a capacity for presence, self-awareness, and inner stability. The readiness assessment, which consists of a range of self-reflective questions as part of the application process, is designed to help you explore where you are in your personal and professional journey — clarifying your strengths, identifying areas for growth, and illuminating whether this path of transformational training aligns with your current stage of development.
The Grof© Legacy Training is not simply an educational program, but an invitation into deeper inquiry, expanded consciousness, and embodied transformation. Through the assessment process, you’ll gain insight into your preparedness for immersive transpersonal work while discovering whether this training resonates with your calling, values, and long-term vision for healing, facilitation, and human potential.