Kundalini Syndrome
Encyclopedia
The Kundalini
Syndrome is a set of sensory, motor
, mental
and affective symptoms reported predominantly (according to certain writers on the subject) among people who have had a near-death experience; it has also been attributed to practitioners of meditation
or yoga
.
Researchers in the fields of psychiatry
, transpersonal psychology
, and near-death studies
. describe a complex pattern of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms associated with the concept of Kundalini, sometimes called the Physio-Kundalini syndrome
, or Kundalini-syndrome. This psycho-spiritual and transformative process is believed to occur in connection with a near-death experience, or with prolonged, intensive spiritual or contemplative practice, as practiced within a few sub-disciplines of meditation or yoga. Other factors that may trigger this symptomatology includes a variety of intense personal crises or experiences. According to writers in the field of transpersonal psychology the process is not always sudden and dramatic, it can also start slowly and increase gradually in activity over time. If the accompanying symptoms unfold in an intense manner that destabilizes the person, the process is usually interpreted as a spiritual emergency
.
.
A few theorists within the transpersonal field, such as Greyson, refers to this symptomatology as the "Physio-Kundalini syndrome", while other Western
academics use the description Kundalini-experience/awakening when describing clinical features related to the concept of Kundalini. Thalbourne describes the term "Kundalini" as "a theoretical construct to explain a syndrome of various psychophysiological and other phenomena...".
However, Transpersonal literature indicates that the overview of symptoms is not meant to be used as a tool for amateur-diagnostics
. According to writers in the field, the interpretation of symptoms is not straightforward. Symptoms associated with Kundalini-activity might not always represent such activity, but instead be an indication of other medical conditions, in need of attention. Kason emphasizes that any unusual or marked physical symptom needs to be investigated by a qualified medical professional:
devoted an appendix of his 1977 book Stalking the Wild Pendulum: The Mechanics of Consciousness to what he called “Physio-kundalini Syndrome”. Bentov's colleague Lee Sannella subsequently also used the term to describe the incidence of physiological phenomena found to be coexistent with experiences of kundalini. Both Bentov and Sannella, concurred with Gopi Krishna
's view that kundalini is a symptom of an evolution toward higher states of consciousness.
These researchers were especially interested in kundalini problems - unusual physiological occurrences that tended to happen in situations where subjects practiced long periods of meditation without proper guidance or supervision. Many of Bentov and Sannella's case studies were mostly practitioners of Transcendental Meditation
as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
.
Bentov and Sannella held positive views of meditation as a means of releasing stresses in the body. Their main concern however was that unusual bodily reactions or mental states related to kundalini arousal might lead to inappropriate and potentially harmful medical interventions.
According to Bentov:
On the other hand, Sannella said:
Bentov went so far as to speculate:
According to Kason and others, the awakening of kundalini energies may have side effects and such an awakening, in some instances, may be conceptualized as a spiritual problem. According to Transpersonal theory the awakening of such energies are "accompanied by alterations in physiology and consciousness understood in terms of the Hindu chakra
system". Knowledge of the chakra map may therefore be helpful regarding the interpretation of symptoms. Consultation with a meditation teacher who is not trained in Kundalini techniques, or with a psychiatrist, medical doctor or therapist who is not knowledgeable about this process, often leads to confusion and misunderstanding. Teachers of Yoga familiar enough to guide students through the completion of Kundalini karmic
release are so rare that the likeliness of having side effects solved smoothly is slim.
Even though the symptoms, at times, may be dramatic and disturbing, theorists such as Sovatsky and Greyson tend to interpret the unfolding symptomatology as largely non-pathological, maturational, and of evolution
ary significance for humanity
. According to Scotton Kundalini-symptoms may, or may not, be associated with psychopathology
, but are not reducible to any psychopathology. He also thinks that it is important to differentiate between the signs of Kundalini and the symptoms of pathology
, and not subsume the signs of Kundalini under a pathological diagnosis. Other writers, such as Kason, tend to view the broad scope of the process, with the accompanying symptoms, as resulting in a "psycho-spiritual house-cleaning".
However, Sovatsky believes that it is important to differentiate between the symptoms of a possible Kundalini awakening, and the symptoms of different preliminary yogic processes or pranic imbalances. According to this view, many reported Kundalini problems may rather be signs of the precursor energetic state of pranotthana. The difference between pranotthana and Kundalini itself, is also mentioned by other commentators, such as Bynum. Sovatsky also notes that: kundalini has become a catch word at this early time in its entry in American culture... and attracts those with unspecified, chronic neurological/psychiatric complaints in search of an explanation for their symptoms; the use in the West of Gopi Krishna's problematic kundalini experiences as a standard giving the awakening a reputation as more dangerous than it is.
Some clinicians, such as Scotton, notes that classical western psychiatric treatment may not be the most appropriate approach towards kundalini symptomatology. He does mention a few circumstances (mainly involving psychotic ideation) where he finds drug treatment to be appropriate, but he prefers to handle Kundalini episodes with as little physiological intervention, and drug intervention, as possible.
A few writers, within the fields of psychiatry and psychology
, have suggested a clinical approach to Kundalini-symptomatology. Possible improvements in the diagnostic system, that are meant to differentiate Kundalini-problems from other disorders, have been suggested In an article from the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
, theorists Turner, Lukoff, Barnhouse & Lu mention Kundalini-problems in relation to the DSM-IV diagnostic category "Religious or Spiritual Problem".
Discussion of Kundalini-symptomatology has also appeared in a few mainstream academic journals, including Psychological Reports, where M. Thalbourne operates with a 35 item "Kundalini Scale".
In the book “The Stormy Search for the Self”, Stanislav Grof
, whose wife Christina underwent the dramatic shaktipat
experience, gave prominence to increased levels of energy, shaking, memories of traumas, extreme emotions, inner sounds, visions, sexual arousal, and difficulty controlling behaviours. They recommended anyone having these experiences have a medical examination by a clinician knowledgeable about kundalini because of the similarity between these symptoms and indications of psychiatric and medical problems.
These terms are subsequently also used by kundalini writers Sovatsky and Yvonne Kason.
Yogi Bhajan agreed with Bentov and Sannella and Krishna that problems with kundalini arousal are the result of subtle blockages that must be cleared:
Sannella advises that the doubts and fears that might arise during the kundalini process be handled in a supportive environment like a spiritual hermitage or monastery. Anyone encountering difficulties should consult with someone with experience in this area. He also cautions that breathing exercises are hazardous unless practiced under the guidance of a competent spiritual teacher.
Scotton offers a program of “grounding” interventions, including a prohibition of any consciousness-altering activity – especially the practices that triggered the episode, regular meals – even in the absence of appetite, hot baths to relax and draw the person back to their body, and immersion in routine tasks such as cleaning, mild exercise, laundry, and routine interaction with others.
Scotton continues:
In Farther Shores, Yvonne Kason devotes a large part of the book to understanding and intervening in Spiritually Transformative Experiences. She covers a number of factors, including who has spiritual emergencies and why. Kason then offers up a number of strategies for living with spiritual transformation. Central to these is a balanced lifestyle.
The following is her 10-point Basics of a Balanced Lifestyle:
Kason also offers up a long list (26 items) of grounding strategies, including, “1. Stop meditating. 2. Decrease all forms of concentration... 22. Visualize your energies withdrawing from your head region, moving down the base of your spine, and staying there...”
Kason provides seven indicators of healthy spiritual transformation:
Bentov and Sovatsky both compared the awakening of Kundalini with the onset of puberty in the sense that the nervous system can start functioning on ever higher levels of consciousness. Sovatsky describes it as a “post-genital puberty” as spiritually matured identities become embodied and empowered.
Kason called for research to validate what she called “the kundalini model” to prove a biological basis for Spiritually Transformative Experiences. A few years later Bruce Greyson at the University of Virginia set out to provide the beginnings of such evidence.
In 2000, the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology
published Greyson's paper titled “The Neuropsychological Correlates of the Physio-Kundalini Syndrome” about a study in which he invited a group of 321 volunteers from the International Association for Near-Death Studies to fill out a dichotomous questionaire indicative of degrees of presence of five neuropsychological traits associated with kundalini arousal. These traits were: cerebral dominance, temporal-limbic hyperconnection, a construct known as “fantasy proneness,” another called “absorption,” and a tendency toward disassociation. As a result of his study, Greyson was able to conclude that kundalini arousal is accompanied by a distinctive neuropsychological profile, as his subjects who reported physio-kundalini symptoms also tended to score themselves highly on measures of fantasy-proneness, disassociation, absorption, and temporal-limbic hyperconnection.
Greyson admitted it was impossible to say whether kundalini experiences cause or facilitate these neuropsychological traits or whether persons with this distinct neuropsychological profile are more vulnerable to kundalini arousal. Nonetheless, he concluded that his findings supported Gopi Krishna's claim that kundalini is the force behind biological and spiritual evolution since kundalini arousal appears to be accompanied by specific neurobiological distinctions, as must any engine of biological evolution.
Based on his traumatic experiences, Gopi Krishna conveyed a twofold message of immense dread and great hopefulness around the awakening of Kundalini.
Gopi Krishna was influential as the first widely published author on the subject of kundalini. He attracted Yvonne Kason, a transpersonal psychologist who helped to further popularize his story and integrated his lessons into her practice. Together with a few collaborators, she established the Kundalini Research Network.
According to Stuart Sovatsky: "the use in the West of Gopi Krishna's problematic kundalini experiences as a standard gives the awakening a reputation as more dangerous than it is."
Gopi Krishna described the symptoms of what he thought was kundalini awakening based on his own experiences. From his early years of turmoil, he described a stream of light and a roaring sound in his head, a rocking sensation, a sense of slipping out of his body, followed by a sense of detachment and disinterest, weakness in his arms and legs, fatigue and uneasiness. After many years of effort to understand and master the mysterious kundalini, Krishna was able to report a much happier syndrome:
From his vantage, Bentov catalogued his own list of indications:
DSM-IV does include in its "Glossary of culture-bound syndrome
s" the diagnostic category "Qi-gong Psychotic Reaction", described as "an acute, time-limited episode characterized by disassociative, paranoid or other psychotic or non-psychotic symptoms[...] Especially vulnerable are individuals who become overly involved in the practice." As such, some practitioners believe it to be a case of kundalini energy in disarray. Over-zealous practitioners of Kundalini, Qigong
or Buddhist meditation, without proper guidance or restraint, were observed to lose touch with reality.
Sovatsky acknowledges the qi-gong psychotic reaction as an experience of nonordinary consciousness not unlike what Americans involved in qi-gong, meditation or yoga have experienced. He cautions those who would pathologize this kind of emergency: “That some problems arise as a result of the most auspicious of spiritual experiences, long documented in diverse religions, must, in such cases, also be considered.”
Kundalini
Kundalini literally means coiled. In yoga, a "corporeal energy" - an unconscious, instinctive or libidinal force or Shakti, lies coiled at the base of the spine. It is envisioned either as a goddess or else as a sleeping serpent, hence a number of English renderings of the term such as 'serpent...
Syndrome is a set of sensory, motor
Motor system
The motor system is the part of the central nervous system that is involved with movement. It consists of the pyramidal and extrapyramidal system....
, mental
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
and affective symptoms reported predominantly (according to certain writers on the subject) among people who have had a near-death experience; it has also been attributed to practitioners of meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
or yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
.
Researchers in the fields of psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
, transpersonal psychology
Transpersonal psychology
Transpersonal psychology is a form of psychology that studies the transpersonal, self-transcendent or spiritual aspects of the human experience....
, and near-death studies
Near-death studies
Near-death studies is a school of psychology and psychiatry that studies the phenomenology and after-effects of a Near-death experience .-NDE :...
. describe a complex pattern of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms associated with the concept of Kundalini, sometimes called the Physio-Kundalini syndrome
Syndrome
In medicine and psychology, a syndrome is the association of several clinically recognizable features, signs , symptoms , phenomena or characteristics that often occur together, so that the presence of one or more features alerts the physician to the possible presence of the others...
, or Kundalini-syndrome. This psycho-spiritual and transformative process is believed to occur in connection with a near-death experience, or with prolonged, intensive spiritual or contemplative practice, as practiced within a few sub-disciplines of meditation or yoga. Other factors that may trigger this symptomatology includes a variety of intense personal crises or experiences. According to writers in the field of transpersonal psychology the process is not always sudden and dramatic, it can also start slowly and increase gradually in activity over time. If the accompanying symptoms unfold in an intense manner that destabilizes the person, the process is usually interpreted as a spiritual emergency
Spiritual crisis
Spiritual crisis is a form of identity crisis where an individual experiences drastic changes to their meaning system typically because of a spontaneous spiritual experience...
.
Symptomatology
Researchers affiliated with the fields of transpersonal psychology and near-death studies have suggested some common criteria that describe this condition, of which the most prominent feature is a feeling of energy or heat rushing up the spineVertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
.
| Category | Symptoms |
|---|---|
| Sensory and motor symptoms | the feeling of cranial pressures Human skull The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones... |
| the perception of inner sounds | |
| experiences of inner lights | |
| vibrating or tickling Tickle tickling is the act of touching a part of the body lightly so as to cause involuntary laughter or contraction of the muscles;The word tickle can refer to:... sensations in the lower back |
|
| tachycardia Tachycardia Tachycardia comes from the Greek words tachys and kardia . Tachycardia typically refers to a heart rate that exceeds the normal range for a resting heart rate... (rapid heart rate) |
|
| changes in breathing Respiration (physiology) 'In physiology, respiration is defined as the transport of oxygen from the outside air to the cells within tissues, and the transport of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction... |
|
| spontaneous bodily movements | |
| sensations of heat or cold moving through the body | |
| localized bodily pain that starts and stops abruptly | |
| vibrations and itching under the skin | |
| unusual, or intense, sexual sensations | |
| Mental and affective symptoms | fear Fear Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger... |
| anxiety Anxiety Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by somatic, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. The root meaning of the word anxiety is 'to vex or trouble'; in either presence or absence of psychological stress, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness,... |
|
| depersonalization Depersonalization Depersonalization is an anomaly of the mechanism by which an individual has self-awareness. It is a feeling of watching oneself act, while having no control over a situation. Sufferers feel they have changed, and the world has become less real, vague, dreamlike, or lacking in significance... |
|
| intense positive or negative emotions | |
| spontaneous slowing or speeding of thoughts | |
| spontaneous trance states | |
| experiencing oneself as larger than the physical body | |
| experiences of paranormal consciousness |
A few theorists within the transpersonal field, such as Greyson, refers to this symptomatology as the "Physio-Kundalini syndrome", while other Western
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
academics use the description Kundalini-experience/awakening when describing clinical features related to the concept of Kundalini. Thalbourne describes the term "Kundalini" as "a theoretical construct to explain a syndrome of various psychophysiological and other phenomena...".
However, Transpersonal literature indicates that the overview of symptoms is not meant to be used as a tool for amateur-diagnostics
Medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
. According to writers in the field, the interpretation of symptoms is not straightforward. Symptoms associated with Kundalini-activity might not always represent such activity, but instead be an indication of other medical conditions, in need of attention. Kason emphasizes that any unusual or marked physical symptom needs to be investigated by a qualified medical professional:
Bentov's "Physio-kundalini syndrome"
Itzhak BentovItzhak Bentov
Itzhak Bentov was a Czech born scientist, inventor, mystic and author. He was an early exponent of what has come to be referred to as consciousness studies.-Life:Bentov was born in Czechoslovakia and moved to Israel....
devoted an appendix of his 1977 book Stalking the Wild Pendulum: The Mechanics of Consciousness to what he called “Physio-kundalini Syndrome”. Bentov's colleague Lee Sannella subsequently also used the term to describe the incidence of physiological phenomena found to be coexistent with experiences of kundalini. Both Bentov and Sannella, concurred with Gopi Krishna
Gopi Krishna
Gopi Krishna of India was a yogi, mystic, teacher, social reformer, and writer. His autobiography is known under the title Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man....
's view that kundalini is a symptom of an evolution toward higher states of consciousness.
These researchers were especially interested in kundalini problems - unusual physiological occurrences that tended to happen in situations where subjects practiced long periods of meditation without proper guidance or supervision. Many of Bentov and Sannella's case studies were mostly practitioners of Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental Meditation refers to the Transcendental Meditation technique, a specific form of mantra meditation, and to the Transcendental Meditation movement, a spiritual movement...
as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
.
Bentov and Sannella held positive views of meditation as a means of releasing stresses in the body. Their main concern however was that unusual bodily reactions or mental states related to kundalini arousal might lead to inappropriate and potentially harmful medical interventions.
According to Bentov:
On the other hand, Sannella said:
Bentov went so far as to speculate:
Academic and clinical discussion
Lee Sannella was able to group symptoms into categories, which Kason picked up with some modification. For Sannella, the indications consist of motor phenomena – auto-movement, unusual breathing, and paralysis; sensory phenomena – tickling, sensations of hot and cold, inner lights or visions, and inner sounds; interpretive phenomena – emotions, distortions of thought, detachment, disassociation, and a sense of oneness; and non-physiological phenomena – out-of-body experiences and psychic perceptions.According to Kason and others, the awakening of kundalini energies may have side effects and such an awakening, in some instances, may be conceptualized as a spiritual problem. According to Transpersonal theory the awakening of such energies are "accompanied by alterations in physiology and consciousness understood in terms of the Hindu chakra
Chakra
Chakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...
system". Knowledge of the chakra map may therefore be helpful regarding the interpretation of symptoms. Consultation with a meditation teacher who is not trained in Kundalini techniques, or with a psychiatrist, medical doctor or therapist who is not knowledgeable about this process, often leads to confusion and misunderstanding. Teachers of Yoga familiar enough to guide students through the completion of Kundalini karmic
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
release are so rare that the likeliness of having side effects solved smoothly is slim.
Even though the symptoms, at times, may be dramatic and disturbing, theorists such as Sovatsky and Greyson tend to interpret the unfolding symptomatology as largely non-pathological, maturational, and of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
ary significance for humanity
World population
The world population is the total number of living humans on the planet Earth. As of today, it is estimated to be billion by the United States Census Bureau...
. According to Scotton Kundalini-symptoms may, or may not, be associated with psychopathology
Psychopathology
Psychopathology is the study of mental illness, mental distress, and abnormal/maladaptive behavior. The term is most commonly used within psychiatry where pathology refers to disease processes...
, but are not reducible to any psychopathology. He also thinks that it is important to differentiate between the signs of Kundalini and the symptoms of pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
, and not subsume the signs of Kundalini under a pathological diagnosis. Other writers, such as Kason, tend to view the broad scope of the process, with the accompanying symptoms, as resulting in a "psycho-spiritual house-cleaning".
However, Sovatsky believes that it is important to differentiate between the symptoms of a possible Kundalini awakening, and the symptoms of different preliminary yogic processes or pranic imbalances. According to this view, many reported Kundalini problems may rather be signs of the precursor energetic state of pranotthana. The difference between pranotthana and Kundalini itself, is also mentioned by other commentators, such as Bynum. Sovatsky also notes that: kundalini has become a catch word at this early time in its entry in American culture... and attracts those with unspecified, chronic neurological/psychiatric complaints in search of an explanation for their symptoms; the use in the West of Gopi Krishna's problematic kundalini experiences as a standard giving the awakening a reputation as more dangerous than it is.
Some clinicians, such as Scotton, notes that classical western psychiatric treatment may not be the most appropriate approach towards kundalini symptomatology. He does mention a few circumstances (mainly involving psychotic ideation) where he finds drug treatment to be appropriate, but he prefers to handle Kundalini episodes with as little physiological intervention, and drug intervention, as possible.
A few writers, within the fields of psychiatry and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, have suggested a clinical approach to Kundalini-symptomatology. Possible improvements in the diagnostic system, that are meant to differentiate Kundalini-problems from other disorders, have been suggested In an article from the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease is a scholarly journal on psychopathology.Founded in 1874, it is the world's oldest independent scientific monthly in the field of human behavior. Articles cover theory, etiology, therapy, social impact of illness, and research methods.Editors:*1874-1881:...
, theorists Turner, Lukoff, Barnhouse & Lu mention Kundalini-problems in relation to the DSM-IV diagnostic category "Religious or Spiritual Problem".
Discussion of Kundalini-symptomatology has also appeared in a few mainstream academic journals, including Psychological Reports, where M. Thalbourne operates with a 35 item "Kundalini Scale".
In the book “The Stormy Search for the Self”, Stanislav Grof
Stanislav Grof
Stanislav Grof is a psychiatrist, one of the founders of the field of transpersonal psychology and a pioneering researcher into the use of non-ordinary states of consciousness for purposes of analyzing, healing, and obtaining growth and insight into the human psyche...
, whose wife Christina underwent the dramatic shaktipat
Shaktipat
Shaktipat or Śaktipāta refers in Hinduism to the conferring of spiritual "energy" upon one person by another...
experience, gave prominence to increased levels of energy, shaking, memories of traumas, extreme emotions, inner sounds, visions, sexual arousal, and difficulty controlling behaviours. They recommended anyone having these experiences have a medical examination by a clinician knowledgeable about kundalini because of the similarity between these symptoms and indications of psychiatric and medical problems.
Sign of spiritual emergency
In their 1990 book, transpersonal psychologists Grof and Grof coin the term “spiritual emergency” to describe “critical and experientially difficult stages of a profound psychological transformation that involves one's entire being.” They contrast it with the more gradual process of “spiritual emergence.” They describe the awakening of Kundalini as one of ten varieties of spiritual emergencies.These terms are subsequently also used by kundalini writers Sovatsky and Yvonne Kason.
Psychosis
In their seminal works, Gopi Krishna and Bentov both noted resemblance between kundalini awakening in its immature or undirected state and the state of psychosis. Some years later, Kason set about creating criteria to distinguish between some undergoing a spiritual emergency and someone experiencing psychosis. In a spiritual emergency, for example, a person is challenged by experiences, while in psychosis they are simply overwhelmed by them.Prevention
In the ages-long Kundalini Yoga tradition, a student is only initiated into the practices that awaken the kundalini after a master accepts them as worthy of instruction. The aspirant then takes up their practice, following a strict regimen under the watchful eyes of the master, who for all intents and purposes serves as their counselor and priest.Yogi Bhajan agreed with Bentov and Sannella and Krishna that problems with kundalini arousal are the result of subtle blockages that must be cleared:
Sannella advises that the doubts and fears that might arise during the kundalini process be handled in a supportive environment like a spiritual hermitage or monastery. Anyone encountering difficulties should consult with someone with experience in this area. He also cautions that breathing exercises are hazardous unless practiced under the guidance of a competent spiritual teacher.
Treatment
Bentov defined kundalini difficulties as the release of blockages in the body-mind system, best treated by a gentle program of meditation, yoga and breathing exercises:Scotton offers a program of “grounding” interventions, including a prohibition of any consciousness-altering activity – especially the practices that triggered the episode, regular meals – even in the absence of appetite, hot baths to relax and draw the person back to their body, and immersion in routine tasks such as cleaning, mild exercise, laundry, and routine interaction with others.
Scotton continues:
In Farther Shores, Yvonne Kason devotes a large part of the book to understanding and intervening in Spiritually Transformative Experiences. She covers a number of factors, including who has spiritual emergencies and why. Kason then offers up a number of strategies for living with spiritual transformation. Central to these is a balanced lifestyle.
The following is her 10-point Basics of a Balanced Lifestyle:
- Develop and stick to a regular routine – have regular rising, bed, and meal times and set aside regular periods each week for exercise.
- Get plenty of sleep and rest and set aside regular times for daily relaxation and weekly recreation.
- Do not skip meals. Eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet. You don't need to deprive yourself of occasional treats, but avoid junk foods in general.
- Keep the amount of stress and hectic activity to a minimum.
- Communicate and share your thoughts and feelings with a supportive person daily, or as often as possible.
- Keep your sex life moderate, and pay attention to your body if it seems to be telling you to cut down.
- Spend time in nature; get plenty of natural daylight.
- Avoid toxins and self-destructive habits such as smoking and drugs; keep alcohol consumption to a minimum.
- Get regular physical exercise, at least two or three times a week.
- Spend a moderate amount of time each day in meditation, prayer, and/or a spiritual practice.
Kason also offers up a long list (26 items) of grounding strategies, including, “1. Stop meditating. 2. Decrease all forms of concentration... 22. Visualize your energies withdrawing from your head region, moving down the base of your spine, and staying there...”
Kason provides seven indicators of healthy spiritual transformation:
- You will find yourself developing more noble traits of character, such as compassion, universal love, gratitude, charity, truth, honesty, and humility.
- Your desire to be of service to humanity will grow and may become a primary focus as your feelings of unity with all humankind and all creation grow.
- You will have an intense inner yearning for the divine.
- You may experience a spontaneous flow of tears and overwhelming emotion at the mention or thought of the divine.
- You will find yourself developing a more clear, discerning intellect and deeper psychological insights, along with a deeper moral fibre.
- You may find yourself developing new gifts of inspired creativity.
- You will find yourself repeatedly experiencing mystical states of consciousness.
Evolution
Sannella observed: “Today kundalini awakenings occur more frequently, with and without training.” He suggested a significant cause. “People experience kundalini phenomena more frequently because they are actually more involved in disciplines and lifestyles conducive to psychospiritual transformation.” Sannella contrasted this situation with Carl Jung's observation in 1932 during a seminar on the kundalini that the awakening of this force had rarely, if ever, been witnessed in the West. Stanislav Grof considers Jung's view that the awakening of Kundalini was exclusively an Eastern phenomenon and that it would take at least a thousand years before this energy could be set in motion as “probably the most remarkable error of his entire career.”Bentov and Sovatsky both compared the awakening of Kundalini with the onset of puberty in the sense that the nervous system can start functioning on ever higher levels of consciousness. Sovatsky describes it as a “post-genital puberty” as spiritually matured identities become embodied and empowered.
Kason called for research to validate what she called “the kundalini model” to prove a biological basis for Spiritually Transformative Experiences. A few years later Bruce Greyson at the University of Virginia set out to provide the beginnings of such evidence.
In 2000, the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology
Journal of Transpersonal Psychology
The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology is a semi-annual, peer-reviewed academic journal which is published by the Association for Transpersonal Psychology...
published Greyson's paper titled “The Neuropsychological Correlates of the Physio-Kundalini Syndrome” about a study in which he invited a group of 321 volunteers from the International Association for Near-Death Studies to fill out a dichotomous questionaire indicative of degrees of presence of five neuropsychological traits associated with kundalini arousal. These traits were: cerebral dominance, temporal-limbic hyperconnection, a construct known as “fantasy proneness,” another called “absorption,” and a tendency toward disassociation. As a result of his study, Greyson was able to conclude that kundalini arousal is accompanied by a distinctive neuropsychological profile, as his subjects who reported physio-kundalini symptoms also tended to score themselves highly on measures of fantasy-proneness, disassociation, absorption, and temporal-limbic hyperconnection.
Greyson admitted it was impossible to say whether kundalini experiences cause or facilitate these neuropsychological traits or whether persons with this distinct neuropsychological profile are more vulnerable to kundalini arousal. Nonetheless, he concluded that his findings supported Gopi Krishna's claim that kundalini is the force behind biological and spiritual evolution since kundalini arousal appears to be accompanied by specific neurobiological distinctions, as must any engine of biological evolution.
Gopi Krishna
The phenomenon of kundalini energy run amok in the absence of expert guidance first gained popular and academic attention with the case of Gopi Krishna. On his own, Krishna had practised an arduous routine of pre-dawn meditation from the age of seventeen years. In 1937, at the age of thirty-four, Gopi Krishna began to experience dramatic and distressing changes in his body and consciousness. Knowing very little about kundalini, he began to read as much as he could with his altered consciousness. Gradually, with the little helpful information he was able to glean and with the passage of twelve years, Gopi Krishna's kundalini awakening led to the development of new, inspired creativity. Gopi Krishna founded the Kundalini Research Institute and set out to learn more about and to teach others about kundalini. He is the author of several books.Based on his traumatic experiences, Gopi Krishna conveyed a twofold message of immense dread and great hopefulness around the awakening of Kundalini.
Gopi Krishna was influential as the first widely published author on the subject of kundalini. He attracted Yvonne Kason, a transpersonal psychologist who helped to further popularize his story and integrated his lessons into her practice. Together with a few collaborators, she established the Kundalini Research Network.
According to Stuart Sovatsky: "the use in the West of Gopi Krishna's problematic kundalini experiences as a standard gives the awakening a reputation as more dangerous than it is."
Gopi Krishna described the symptoms of what he thought was kundalini awakening based on his own experiences. From his early years of turmoil, he described a stream of light and a roaring sound in his head, a rocking sensation, a sense of slipping out of his body, followed by a sense of detachment and disinterest, weakness in his arms and legs, fatigue and uneasiness. After many years of effort to understand and master the mysterious kundalini, Krishna was able to report a much happier syndrome:
From his vantage, Bentov catalogued his own list of indications:
DSM-IV: Possible parallels
While kundalini problems are not listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, through the efforts of David Lukoff, Francis G. Lu and Robert P. Turner, a new diagnostic category called “Religious or Spiritual Problem” was included in the fourth edition, DSM-IV published in 1994. This category was proposed to offset the tendency of mental health professionals to ignore or pathologize religious and spiritual issues brought into treatment. While acknowledging the consensus within transpersonal psychology that kundalini awakening is a form of spiritual emergence, or emergency, and should not be diagnosed or treated as a mental disorder, some psychologists note it could precipitate forms of mental disorders or exacerbate preexisting conditions.DSM-IV does include in its "Glossary of culture-bound syndrome
Culture-bound syndrome
In medicine and medical anthropology, a culture-bound syndrome, culture-specific syndrome or folk illness is a combination of psychiatric and somatic symptoms that are considered to be a recognizable disease only within a specific society or culture...
s" the diagnostic category "Qi-gong Psychotic Reaction", described as "an acute, time-limited episode characterized by disassociative, paranoid or other psychotic or non-psychotic symptoms[...] Especially vulnerable are individuals who become overly involved in the practice." As such, some practitioners believe it to be a case of kundalini energy in disarray. Over-zealous practitioners of Kundalini, Qigong
Qigong
Qigong or chi kung is a practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise, healing, and meditation...
or Buddhist meditation, without proper guidance or restraint, were observed to lose touch with reality.
Sovatsky acknowledges the qi-gong psychotic reaction as an experience of nonordinary consciousness not unlike what Americans involved in qi-gong, meditation or yoga have experienced. He cautions those who would pathologize this kind of emergency: “That some problems arise as a result of the most auspicious of spiritual experiences, long documented in diverse religions, must, in such cases, also be considered.”
Further reading
- Kundalini Rising: Exploring the Energy of Awakening, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Andrew Newberg, Sivananda Radha, Ken Wilber, John White, Stuart Sovatsky, Gopi Krishna, Barbara Harris Whitfield, Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, et al., Boulder, Colorado, Sounds True, Inc., 2009 ISBN 978-1-59179-728-9
- Whitfield, Barbara Harris (1995) Spiritual Awakenings: Insights of the near-death experience and other doorways to our soul (Health Communications, 1995).
- Yogi Bhajan with Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, The Mind: Its Projections and Multiple Facets, Santa Cruz, NM, Kundalini Research Institute, 1998 ISBN 0-9639991-6-8