To: K-list
Recieved: 2002/12/02 19:27
Subject: [K-list] I was sent this, thought the group might like to take a look.
From: Vanadeux
On 2002/12/02 19:27, Vanadeux posted thus to the K-list:
Subject: The Symptoms of Kundalini AwakeningFrom: Circle Of Light [mailto:ladyisisATnospamgte.net
THE SYMPTOMS OF KUNDALINI AWAKENING
What is spiritual emergency?
When spiritual seekers or even those who do not consider themselves to be on
a spiritual path find themselves experiencing levels of awareness or energy
transformation that they are unable to handle or for which they have no
reference, then the result can be a state of emergency. In this state, a
person feels highly vulnerable and oversensitive to incoming stimuli.
Typically they feel overwhelmed, fragmented, fearful, confused and
disoriented. With their absorption in inner processes, they may not be able
to look after even basic self care.
All these situations can be bewildering and frightening, and at these times
these people need support and reassurance as they undergo their
transformations. The spiritual emergency network in the US seeks to network
people and provide information to facilitate a more gentle emergence of
spiritual potentials. The network is intended to put people in touch with
others who have undergone similar experiences, or with counsellors who are
aware of spiritual dimensions of reality.THE SYMPTOMS OF KUNDALINI AWAKENING
While the awakening Kundalini may be a dramatic experience, the resultant
shift in consciousness may be accompanied by years of physical and
psychological upheavals. The process of Kundalini awakening can vary greatly
from person to person. Some have intense physical symptoms, while others
experience mainly emotional or psychological symptoms. It is as if the new
energy invites a spring cleaning throughout the entire system, with
unresolved physical or emotional conditions coming up for resolution and
release. The life transforming changes which accompany a Kundalini awakening
cover the entire physiological, emotional, mental and spiritual spectrum.
Dr. Greenwell ("Energies of Transformation" -1990) has noted seven
categories of symptoms which have been observed during Spontaneous Kundalini
awakening.
1. Pranic movements or kriyas
Prana is the Hindu word for vital energy. Thus as intense energy moves
through the body and clears out physiological blocks, a person may
experience intense involuntary, jerking movements of the body, including
shaking, vibrations, spasm and contraction. As deeply held armouring and
blockages to the smooth flow of energy are released, the person may
re-access memories and emotions associated with past trauma and injury.
2. Yogic Phenomena
Some people find themselves performing yogic postures or hand mudra gestures
which they have never learned or could not do in a normal state of
consciousness. Similarly, they may produce Sanskrit words or sounds, or have
an awareness of inner music or sound, mantras or tones. Unusual breathing
patterns may appear with either very rapid or slow, shallow breathing. Some
people may not breathe at all for extended periods.
3. Physiological Symptoms
A Kundalini awakening often generates unusual physiological activity as
intense movement of energy releases toxins in the body. Symptoms include
apparent heart problems, pains in head and spine, gastrointestinal
disturbances and nervous problems. Internal sensations have been reported as
sensations of burning, oversensitivity to sensory input, hyperactivity or
lethargy, great variations in sexual desire and even spontaneous orgasm.
Symptoms can be erratic, coming and going without provocation, but are
generally unresponsive to medical treatment.
4. Psychological Upheaval
Spiritual awakening offers a direct challenge to the primacy of ego
consciousness and the myth of separation. It brings with it a challenge to
move beyond the unconscious responses ruled by drives and instincts and
remove ego consciousness from the centre stage of the psyche. It comes as no
surprise that such a challenge produces a period of confusion and unbalance.
People find themselves beset by inexplicable emotional states as they move
to clear out unresolved issues. The emotional roller coaster may swing from
feelings of anxiety, guilt and depression, through to compassion, love and
joy, with accompanying bouts of uncontrollable weeping.
5. Extra Sensory Experiences
As perception expands outside of consensus reality, people experience
atypical visual phenomena, including visions of lights, symbols, entities,
or review of past life experiences. Auditory input may include hearing
voices, music, inner sounds or mantras. Even the olfactory system may be
stimulated with perception of scents of sandalwood, rose or incense. There
may also be disruption of the proprioceptive system, with losing a sense of
self as a body, or feeling bigger than the body, or out of the body, with
the resulting confusion and disorientation.
6. Psychic Phenomena
With the opening up of psychic abilities, a person may experience
precognition, telepathy, psychokinesis, awareness of auras and healing
abilities.
7. Mystical States of Consciousness
A person may shift into altered states of consciousness where they directly
perceive the unity underlying the world of separation and experience a deep
peace and serenity with a profound knowing of wisdom.
In some cases, the state of emergency due to psychological upheaval is so
acute that it resembles a psychotic episode. Many clinicians still regard
phenomena associated with spiritual emergence as indicative of pathology
because the signs are so easily confused with the indicators of psychosis,
mania, depression, schizophrenia or borderline personality disorder. Many
people undergoing spiritual emergency are misdiagnosed and treated with
suppressive medication which further complicates their process.
What can be done to support a Kundalini awakening?
When Kundalini awakening happens to people who are not on a spiritual path
or who have no context or framework to understand the bewildering upheaval
of mind, body and spirit, the experience can leave them fragile and
fragmented. As the Kundalini process involves a redefinition and
reintegration of self, it adds extra pressure when health professionals or
significant others wish to suppress the transformation and insist that the
person conforms to old ways of being in the world.
Of greatest benefit is a supportive framework which can allow people to make
sense of the intricate connection between spirit and the movement of
physical energy in the body, rather than fearing they are going insane. It
is more empowering to understand that Kundalini awakening is a process which
taps into the blueprint for higher consciousness which is latent within
every human. While the enormous changes associated with a spiritual
awakening may demand psychological and social adjustments, they are not in
themselves necessarily indicative of illness. Communication and connection
with others who can provide support and a meaningful context for
understanding the process reduces the isolation and overwhelm and can help
to minimise the disturbance. Someone who has the personal qualities of
creative adaptation to change and a flexible mental framework is more likely
to weather the changes with grace and style than someone who is rigid in
their beliefs and world view.
Humanity's Wake Up Call
Usually the awakening of Kundalini was a process which only occurred after
years of spiritual practice and meditation. Yet increasingly, the Kundalini
experience is being reported among people who are not undertaking spiritual
practices. Since 1993, when Shared Transformation, an American journal for
connecting spiritual awakeners first began, it has been contacted by over
700 people in the throes of spontaneous Kundalini arousal (Collie &
Kress,1995). These increased reports of spontaneous Kundalini awakening at
this time of planetary upheaval may be indicative of a larger purpose at
work, the beginning of a planetary wake up call. Anyone who is on a
spiritual path, or engaging in practices which change body energies, such as
meditation, yogic practices, breathwork, rebirthing or polarity balancing,
may find they begin to resonate with the changing energies at this time and
that they begin their own Kundalini awakening process.
Is Kundalini awakening the same as enlightenment?
It is important not to confuse Kundalini awakening with enlightenment.
Enlightenment rarely results from a single encounter with the numinous. It
is more as if the energetic awakening initiates an expansion in
consciousness which sets the scene for a progression of many experiences
with transpersonal states of consciousness. The intensity and duration of
each of glimpse varies with our readiness to contain and integrate them.
Thus the Kundalini awakening is not an end point in itself, but the
beginning of a transformation of consciousness which expands our capacity to
KNOW the infinite. Spiritual emergence often includes expanded perceptual
abilities, increased energy, creative expression and a dedication to being
of service for the greater good.
In her book, The Energies of Transformation, Bonnie Greenwell (1990) gives
us an indication of what this transformation may bring in practical terms.
"Most of those who awaken this connection with the ecstatic inner Self will
return to being who they were, perhaps doing their lives with more
contentment or a gentler perspective, perhaps more involved and committed in
service to others, perhaps more energised and expressive, perhaps writing
poetry, teaching, loving unconditionally."(p302)
The Spiritual Emergence Network (SEN) http://www.ciis.edu/comserv/sen.html
is a non-profit organization founded by a psychiatrist Dr. Stanislov Grof
and his wife Christina after she experienced a Spontaneous Kundalini
Awakening years ago. Dr. Grof and Christina wrote a book I recommend called
"Spiritual Emergency". Anyone who contacts the network can get referred to
local people who understand how to help people who are having these
difficult experiences. The phone number for the Spiritual Emergence Network
is (415) 648-2610. Another book I recommend is "Energies of Transformation"
by Dr. Bonnie Greenwell Ph.D.
(for additional Kundalini info: http://hometown.aol.com/ckress/symptoms.html
http://www.kundalini-support.com/index-6.html )
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