Appreciate your compassion and suggestions. Thank you kindly.
There's an illuminating and relevant collection of work about somewhat similar states of being called "Spiritual Emergency" with Ram Dass, Stan Grof, and others.
Without delving too deep into a complex issue, I've discovered that the resonances I mention extend beyond the online digital matrix. There are definitely algorithms that data-mine everything and create feedback loops using keywords and such, but the really bizarre realization is that the echo-like nature (what Dr. John C Lilly called the Earth Coincidence Control Office [ECCO]) cascades over into the so-called real world. For example, phrases are repeated back to me: I'll say something on the phone to one individual, and then later that day have the exact phrase said to me from an entirely different person. If the reality could indicate the purpose of these recursive repeats it would be easier to deal with why it duplicates and reverberates redundantly. It can be alienating and disorienting to impart a specific phrase to someone, like the number: 161803, and then have a totally different individual repeat it back to me in a separate and unrelated occasion. Is this a common experience for other people? It truly feels like being in the matrix.
Great recommendation about spending time in nature. I enjoy being outdoors - sauntering and cavorting on this beautiful planet. The extended time in cyberspace is due to all of the "pandemic" issues and general lack of friends. I don't need a counselor, I need love.
You're getting lots of downvotes for simply asking a question, but Kundalini experiences can, in fact, be very psychedelic. Tuning into some other threads at /r/kundalini may align with the discussion you're looking for.
For many people, yoga is an hour long "class" where they're instructed to stretch and breathe, before walking or driving back to their regular life. However, the roots of yoga includes living in nature, smoking charas, fasting for days, prolonged silence or isolation, and activating cosmic energies.
And Rogan isn't "trolling for listeners". Activating Kundalini can harm a person who isn't prepared physically, mentally, and spiritually. A related book is Spiritual Emergency, which features numerous doctors and therapists who discuss the delicate relationships between psychological distress, catharsis, and genuine activation of paranormal or metaphysical energy.
A book relevant to this subject is titled "Spiritual Emergency: When Personal Transformation Becomes a Crisis," and features a variety of different authors and researchers with holistic perspectives.
A powerful psychedelic experience is merely a catalyst/vehicle.
The REAL work starts after it during the integration stage because you have the opportunity to bring tangible change to your real (sober) life that can be incredible.
This can include legitimate healing, a new lens by which to look through life, learn something about yourself that you never expected to etc...
Stanislav is a respected professional (who also invented holotropic breathing etc.) that presents research on the topic of using non-ordinary states of consciousness to your benefit.
BTW, my list is not ordered by "highest rated" -- I consider ALL of them to be excellent.
Granted, the book DOES go into ancient traditions etc., so if you are looking for something a bit more practical and easy to digest, start with Spiritual Emergency by the same author :)
Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Dan Ingram has a large section on "The Dark Night" which is largely equivalent to "purifications." Shamatha is thought to make this less extreme, which is probably why TMI focuses less on them, but Dan Ingram also points out that people don't talk about it much because it is taboo to say that meditation can make you feel worse or mess up your life for a while. Not everyone experiences such things, but some people definitely do.
The book Spiritual Emergency also goes into details about weird negative effects of spiritual practice, which can help normalize bizarre or debilitating experiences.
Doing techniques like Core Transformation or Internal Family Systems Therapy can also help integrate things that aren't being naturally processed well by meditation practice. (Full disclosure: I work for the author of Core Transformation).
The book, "Spiritual Emergencies" may offer helpful clarity for you.
Also, to reimprint yourself with positive, relaxing energy, you may find it worthwhile to connect with nature and silence, to include meditation, and frequency soundscapes that help you to feel at ease.
For a mental reset, here's a map of medical ketamine clinics.
They do: http://www.spiritualemergence.org/
Or see Spiritual Emergency.
Another resource (book), and Spiritual Emergence Network.
Sending love.
Whatever your course of action, I would focus on being as gentle and compassionate as possible. And just communicate that you are concerned about her well-being because you love her.
You might consider suggesting a re-integration opportunity for her, in a healing and therapeutic setting, with healthy foods, massages, talk therapy (if she wants), and other beneficial elements that provide a space that feels nurturing and safe.
I would personally remove any negative stimuli (news, loud noises, strange company, barking dogs, televisions, and phones) and create an ambient space with gentle, soothing music, herbal teas, and so on. Maybe even write her a letter about how much she means to you, that you're grateful for her life, and what an incredible human being she is. Emphasize that she is perfectly safe.
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[And a less urgent resource]
To assist both you and her, you might find helpful information and insights from this book:
"Spiritual Emergency: When Personal Transformation Becomes a Crisis"
From Spiritual Emergency to Healing and Rebirth
'Increasing numbers of people involved in personal transformation are experiencing spiritual emergencies — crises when the process of growth and change becomes chaotic and overwhelming. Individuals experiencing such episodes may feel that their sense of identity is breaking down, that their old values no longer hold true, and that the very ground beneath their personal realities is radically shifting. In many cases, new realms of mystical and spiritual experience enter their lives suddenly and dramatically, resulting in fear and confusion. They may feel tremendous anxiety, have difficulty coping with their daily lives, jobs, and relationships, and may even fear for their own sanity.
Unfortunately, much of modern psychiatry has failed to distinguish these episodes from mental illness. As a result, transformational crises are often suppressed by routine psychiatric care, medication, and even institutionalization.
However, there is a new perspective developing among many mental health professionals and those studying spiritual development that views such crises as transformative breakthroughs that can hold tremendous potential for physical and emotional healing. When understood and treated in a supportive manner, spiritual emergencies can become gateways to higher levels of functioning and new ways of being.
In this book, foremost psychologists, psychiatrists, and spiritual teachers address the following questions: What is spiritual emergency? What is the relationship between spirituality, “madness,” and healing? What forms does spiritual emergency take? What are the pitfalls — and promises — of spiritual practice? How can people in spiritual emergency be assisted by family, friends, and professionals?
This groundbreaking work reveals that within the crisis of spiritual emergency rests the promise of spiritual emergence and renewal.'
When I say "hallucinations," it's really just for lack of a better word. I can tell what is in the real world and what isn't. But what I was experiencing were like what other people describe in other places as "visions." I know what I'm seeing isn't the real world. It's really not the type of problem that people seem to think when I try to communicate it.
That being said, there is some history of mental illness in my family, (as in all families I suppose), but those with those illnesses have been successfully treating them with marijuana for quite some time now without anything like what I've experienced. One family member using this method has actually been diagnosed schizo-affective, and the herb makes it better, not worse.
I understand this evidence is anecdotal and that I'm not a doctor. I have people looking after me to make sure nothing gets out of hand, and am seeking a medical opinion, but I am reasonably confident that it won't turn up anything concrete.
I know this sounds like fucking insanity...but I think maybe this is what's happening to me? https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Emergency-Personal-Transformation-Consciousness/dp/0874775388
Variously, I have seen it put in these terms: http://theyogalunchbox.co.nz/what-is-a-kundalini-awakening-and-have-i-had-one/
In the second link, try to read through the strange Hindu language, it's really his report of the experience itself that I resonate with.(the stuff about the energy in the spine though doesn't mean anything to me, and I did not experience anything like that)
I don't know if Judaism has a word for this, but this is the closest thing I have found so far to describing what I've been experiencing over the last 5 days or so.
Any feedback from anyone would be greatly appreciated.
Edit* Although the links are to things that were probably outside of my worldview...and that makes me feel uncomfortable...the people in those links passed through this experience unmedicated and came out better on the other side.
Hoping this comment gets read.. for whomever has had this experience or similar, I strongly suggest reading Stan & Christina Grof's book "Spiritual Emergency: When Personal Transformation Becomes a Crisis", it has a lot of information pertinent to these kinds of experiences.
To find a therapist, I would suggest looking into the Spiritual Emergence Network, started by Christina Grof to help people find therapists who can recognize and competently work with spiritual emergenc(e/y) without pathologizing it.
The energies associated with kundalini awakening are indeed extremely intense, which is why it is recommended that people never attempt to undertake a kundalini yoga practice unless they are working with a master/extremely experienced kundalini guide. But, as this report shows, these energies can be awoken by psychedelics, by other practices, or even spontaneously. With kundalini yoga, the aim is not to awaken energies that will profoundly destabilize your life as can happen when it is awoken without the proper support, but rather to awaken it within a supportive context that can help one to navigate the experience skillfully.
/u/tralfaz66
As you are an aspiring doctor I want to let you know something that has helped me and a lot of others I know tremendously in the past.
There is also a perspective that sees what in Western medicine is called a manic episode or madness, as a spiritual experience that happens so rapidly it is overwhelming. The idea is that these episodes do not need to be suppressed with drugs, but can be slowly worked through and can even be healing and have positive potential. These fields say there are a lot of people trapped in devalued stories by themselves being convinced they are sick.
See for more information for example Stanislav Grof - Spiritual Emergency or the personal story Sean Blackwell - Bipolar or Waking Up?.
Do you feel like it was a spiritual awakening? Your experiences sound very similar to kundalini awakening. I had a similar experience and found some solace in the books Spiritual Emergency and Kundalini by Gopi Krishna
I was able to come back but some days the veil seems too thin for my own good.