A theoretical model of the states of the psyche before and during birth, related to transpersonal and perinatal psychology. It was first nominated in 1975 by Stanislav Grof. Grof suggested that each person in the process of perinatal development goes through four archetypal stages or matrices. These matrices form the basic strategies of existence in the world, the perception of reality and ways to respond to stress. The idea of perinatal matrices is criticized as unsubstantiated and is considered unscientific by many researchers.