About

Dr. Hanon got involved in Holotropic Breathwork first as a participant to help with his grief after the death of his 17-year-old son. He discovered that conventional psychology and psychiatry had no coherent strategy to help him in his grief. Through extensive reading, he discovered Stan Grof’s writing on novel theories of the human psyche and was able to attend a breathwork retreat led by Stan and Christina Grof. He found the breathwork to be so beneficial for his grief that he continued training and in 2015, became certified as a Holotropic Breathwork facilitator. 

Feeling that he needed to do deeper experiential work, Neil was fortunate to have Dr. Ralph Metzner as his teacher and mentor from 2015 until Ralph died in 2019. Neil was also trained in the use of sacred medicines by Francoise Bourzat and was a part of the Consciousness Medicine Community until ethical violations were exposed in the leadership of that community. 

Driven by his own journey, Dr. Hanon developed a keen interest in treating grief and spiritual emergence. He co-founded Relief for Grief, which evolved into Jamaica Grief Retreats, offering legal psilocybin mushroom journeys to parents who have lost a child. He also served as the medical director for TheraPsil, assisting patients with end-of-life distress to gain legal access to psilocybin mushrooms. During his time with TheraPsil he was one of 19 Canadian clinical professionals who were granted permission by the Federal Minister of Health to legally possess and take psilocybin mushrooms for educational purposes.

In 2021, Dr.Hanon was invited by Stan and Brigitte Grof to co-lead the Canadian arm of Grof Legacy Training International. In late 2023, Grof Legacy Training Canada separated into breathwork and psychedelic streams. Dr. Hanon continues to lead the Psychedelic Training Program in Canada, and with his extensive background in curriculum development and teaching skills, he has developed the coursework to include an emphasis on its application to psychedelic medicine work.

Grof Legacy Psychedelic Training in Canada is taught under the name “Grof Psychedelic Training Academy” to reflect both its academic and practical content.