Grof’s research demonstrated that individuals routinely revisit perinatal patterns during expanded states of consciousness. These experiences are not regressions but opportunities for integration and healing.
When unconscious material connected to birth emerges symbolically or emotionally, it becomes accessible for processing, release, and reorganization.
Modern practitioners use the matrices as:
- maps for understanding emotional content
- guides for interpreting symbolic imagery
- frameworks for supporting deep somatic release
- tools for orienting clients within difficult experiential terrain
By recognizing which matrix is active, facilitators can help clients navigate challenges with clarity and confidence.
BPM I — Oceanic Unity and the Prenatal Universe
BPM I often emerges when the client drops into states of expansion, safety, fluidity, and openness. It corresponds to the undisturbed intrauterine environment — a realm of connection and timeless presence.
Possible Client Experiences
- floating in warm water or light
- visions of oceans, cosmic space, soft light, or enveloping womb-like forms
- dissolution of bodily boundaries
- feelings of unconditional safety, unity, or merging with existence
- deep trust, spaciousness, or timeless awareness
In its distorted form, BPM I may show as:
- existential emptiness
- diffuse anxiety
- a sense of cosmic abandonment
- longing for connection
Facilitator’s Role in BPM I
The facilitator acts as a stable and reassuring presence, helping the client:
- stay connected to the body while allowing the expansion
- relax into the experience without grasping for meaning
- trust the process and avoid drifting into dissociation
- maintain slow, conscious breathing
If anxiety or disorientation appears, the facilitator responds with:
- grounding cues (“Feel the mat under your body…”)
- a calm voice reminding the client of safety
- gentle redirection to breath and bodily awareness
BPM I often becomes the foundation for deep trust in the transformation process, and for many participants represents their first contact with profound transpersonal states.
BPM II — No Exit: Compression, Impasse, and Existential Pressure
BPM II corresponds to the onset of uterine contractions when there is pressure without movement. In breathwork, this may manifest as emotional, physical, or symbolic constriction.
Possible Client Experiences
- pressure in the chest, throat, or whole body
- a sense of being trapped or immobilized
- overwhelming helplessness or resignation
- imagery of narrow spaces, caves, tunnels, stone walls
- emotional darkness, heavy density, or despair
- fear of suffocation or constriction
Symbolic material can include:
- weight, chains, roots
- insects or snakes in tight spaces
- abandoned rooms, basements, enclosed darkness
Facilitator’s Role in BPM II
Here, the facilitator normalizes the experience:
“This is part of the process — you are not stuck, you are moving through something.”
The facilitator:
- monitors for freezing or collapse (a natural response in BPM II)
- supports steady breath without forcing
- anchors the client through minimal but grounding verbal cues
- encourages tiny movements if the body locks up
- ensures the client does not feel judged or alone
BPM II can be emotionally intense. The facilitator holds a calm, unwavering presence, helping the client move through fear or perceived paralysis until energy begins to rise again.
Passing through BPM II often precedes major emotional or somatic breakthroughs.
BPM III — Struggle, Fire, and the Heroic Passage
This matrix contains powerful activation, drive, and transformational force. It corresponds to the physical struggle through the birth canal.
Possible Client Experiences
- strong somatic movements (pushing, twisting, kicking, arching)
- vocalization, crying, moaning, breathing intensity
- waves of energy surging through the body
- confrontation with anger, determination, or inner fire
- symbolic visions of battles, fire, dragons, warriors, goddesses of destruction or transformation (Kali, Sekhmet, etc.)
- imagery of tunnels, doorways, volcanic explosions
- imagery of tunnels, doorways, volcanic explosionsactivation of suppressed sexuality or willpower
Facilitator’s Role in BPM III
The facilitator acts as a guardian of safe intensity.
They ensure:
- physical safety for the client and others around
- containment of the emotional fire
- permission for expression WITHOUT encouraging uncontrolled chaos
- grounding through breath, presence, and energetic boundaries
The facilitator may use short, stabilizing cues:
- “Stay with the breath.”
- “Let the energy move through you.”
- “You are doing well; you are safe.”
If movements become too abrupt, the facilitator intervenes gently to avoid injury.
BPM III is often experienced as a powerful rite of passage — the moment when inner strength, will, and raw life force mobilize toward transformation.
BPM IV — Emergence, Light, and Rebirth
BPM IV marks the breakthrough into light — the symbolic moment of birth. It combines emotional release, clarity, and profound existential relief.
Possible Client Experiences
- waves of joy, gratitude, or emotional relief
- tears of release
- visions of radiant light, open skies, sacred figures, or archetypal beings
- sensations of breathing freely for the first time
- contact with the “true self,” purity, or inner essence
- insights about life purpose, relationships, trauma, or meaning
Some report:
- encounters with guides or transpersonal presences
- a sense of profound renewal or spiritual clarity
- dissolution of old psychological burdens
Facilitator’s Role in BPM IV
The facilitator helps the client:
- slow down
- integrate the expanded state
- remain connected to the body
- avoid leaping into spiritual bypassing or interpretations that are too grand
The facilitator fosters gentle grounding through:
- slow breathing
- feeling the body on the mat
- time for quiet stillness
- a soft transition into the mandala and sharing phase
BPM IV is uplifting, but facilitators ensure the client integrates the experience into daily life rather than chasing transcendence.
Perinatal Healing as a Modern Therapeutic Dimension
Across contemporary therapeutic settings, the perinatal matrices provide a profound framework for:
- understanding core emotional patterns
- releasing deep-rooted tension
- integrating early imprints
- awakening inner coherence and clarity
- restoring a sense of existential grounding
This understanding sets the stage for the symbolic, mandalic, and archetypal processes.