To: K-list
Recieved: 2001/09/18 16:21
Subject: [K-list] Re: Kundalini and mental health
From: Druout
On 2001/09/18 16:21, Druout posted thus to the K-list:
Dear Kate, List,
A number of people on this list have suffered various forms of what has been
called "mental illness." Several others have spoken of the Dark night of the
Soul. There seems to be a thin line between Kundalini and madness--in fact
many feel that madness is simply wayward K.
Dennis Gersten wrote an interesting book called *Are you Getting Enlightened
or Losing your Mind?* (subtitled How to master everyday and extraordinary
spiritual experiences.). He does make a few distinctions, however, and K
active people who have been hospitalized often claim they can tell "who is
who" among the inmates. :)
My wording was not the best when I asked you about your experiences. I
personally have never suffered from depression. My older sister has suffered
from it, though, but her depression does not seem to be as horrendous as your
bouts have been.
I don't know why I have (so far at least) been spared. It may simply be my
chemical makeup. I seem to have a fairly high "set point," and have never
suffered anything more serious than the blues. The one exception was when in
my 20's I went through a few brief sessions of extreme panic attacks. I
wanted my husband to knock me out, they were so frighteningly painful. I'm
not sure what caused them, but they disappeared and never returned once I
started eating snacks. They may simply have been caused by low blood sugar
in conjunction with too much caffeine and tobacco.
I think it's fascinating that you feel these episodes to be part of a
healing/growth process. But I wonder if that knowledge might prevent or
lessen the severity of the occurrences? Is it simply something that has to
be endured? Can the sensations of depression be "translated" into something
less hellish? Or do you have to go down to the depths to come out the other
side?
You can see by the poll below how much in agreement people here are to your
desire for changes in the mental health system. For starters I think people
when admitted should be asked at the outset if they have ever meditated.
Perhaps gradually health care professionals will start treating K- active
people with a different set of more measured responses--perhaps in spiritual
guidance/transformation centers rather than such negatively based Illness
hospitals.
We did a "madness" poll last April (see below) for full results and
comments see
files/K-List%20Polls/Madness%2
0poll.txt
BTW, two of the links you provided are from our very own Kundalini-Gateway
site. The other two are from El Collie (Shared Transformation), one of the
former founders of the K-list! :))
Love, Hillary
****************
An activated Kundalini commonly results in symptoms that can be confused with
mental illness. This often causes a fear that one is going mad, and actually
may cause a diagnosis of mental illness.
Questions:
How many of us have feared we were going mad. What symptoms caused this fear?
How many of us have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness? What
form?
How many of us have been hospitalized for mental illness? For how long?
For obvious reasons :)) all responses sent to me directly will be kept
completely confidential. Let me know if excerpts can be posted in the final
tally.
Love, Hillary
**********************************
Dear List,
Thanks to all! :))
18 people responded to the poll.
To the question, "How many of us have feared we were going mad." only one
answered "no."
HOSPITALIZED:
6 people spent time in mental hospitals. The time spent there ranged from a
week to 2 years. In all but two cases, however, the time hospitalized was
between a week and ten days. The other two were 1 1/2 months and 2 years.
2 were voluntary admissions, 2 were drug related, one was for being "a danger
to self," and one was for a suicide attempt.
***
DIAGNOSIS
11 people were diagnosed at one time or another.
The diagnoses for those 6 who were hospitalized were as follows (some
multiple diagnoses).
Bi polar
ADD
Addictive personality
Depression
Harmfull use of psychoactive substances
Harmfull use of psychoactive substances combined with
unspecified psychosis-family disease
Schizoid personality disorder/psychosis-type personality disorder
Manic-depression w/single schizophrenaform psychotic episode
Two of these people were later told they were normal or never did have
psychotic symptoms
Of those 11 people who feared they were going mad but were not hospitalized:
6 people replied they had never been diagnosed
3 people were diagnosed with depression
1 person was diagnosed with acute psychotic depression
1 person declared sane
***
SYMPTOMS:
Altered states of perceiving reality/OBE's/bilocation/disconnectedness: 7
people
Overwhelming fear, fear of going mad, terror, mental agony, oppressive sense
of doom: 5 people
Hearing voices: 4 people
Depression: 4 people
Mood shifts, hatred for life, rage: 4
Inability to sleep/sleep disturbances: 3
Seeing things or feeling things "not there"/demons: 3
Religious delusion/delusions: 3
Inablility to concentrate: 3
Paranoia: 2
Overwhelming sensitivity/hearing people's minds: 2
http://www.kundalini-gateway.org
DISCLAIMER!
Home | Archive Index | Search the archives | Subscribe
K. List FAQ | Kundalini FAQs | Signs and Symptoms | Awakening Experiences | K. list Polls | Member Essays | Meditations | List Topics | Art Gallery | Cybrary | Sitemap | Email the moderators.
symbol.