The kundalini crisis

http://www.edgarcayce.org/th/tharchiv/research/pineal.html
Thus, Krishna’s emphasis on the enlightening properties of kundalini is balanced by his awareness of its destructive potential when awakened prematurely. As Krishna observes, in some cases the difference between the two outcomes is difficult to assess:

There is a close relationship between the psychotic and the mystic. In a mystic, there is a healthy flow of prana into the brain, and in the psychotic the flow is morbid. In fact, the mystic and the psychotic are two ends of the same process, and the ancient traditions class mad people as mad lovers of God, or something divine. (in Kieffer, 1988, p. 110)

Joseph Campbell expressed the same idea poetically by stating, “The schizophrenic is drowning in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight” (in Mintz, 1983, p. 158). Sannella (1987), a psychiatrist, also notes the dual manifestations of the kundalini experience:

I have also witnessed this regrettable tendency among those who have stumbled onto the kundalini experience. But this says nothing about the experience itself, which is not inherently regressive. On the contrary, I view the kundalini awakening as an experience that fundamentally serves self-transcendence and mind-transcendence. (p. 20)

In 1974 Sannella co-founded the Kundalini Clinic in San Francisco, a facility dedicated to helping persons undergoing sudden kundalini arousal.

The transformative potential of spiritual awakening with psychotic features (which we have designated as kundalini crisis) has been noted by Christina and Stanislav Grof and labeled “spiritual emergency.” Christina’s description of her spiritual emergency and Stanislav’s clinical insight into the transformative potential of these experiences provide a valuable resource in this area. Their criteria for distinguishing between spiritual emergency and psychosis provide a helpful “yardstick” for clinical assessment.

Among favorable signs [indicating spiritual emergency] are a history of reasonable psychological, sexual, and social adjustment preceding the episode, the ability to consider the possibility that the process might originate in one’s own psyche, enough trust to cooperate, and a willingness to honor the basic rules of treatment. Conversely, a lifelong history of serious psychological difficulties and of marginal sexual and social adjustment can generally be seen as suggesting caution. Similarly, a confused and poorly organized content of the experiences, presence of Bleuler’s primary symptoms of schizophrenia, strong participation of manic elements, the systematic use of projection, and the presence of persecutory voices and delusions indicate that traditional approaches might be preferable. Strong destructive and self-destructive tendencies and violations of basic rules of treatment are further negative indicators. (p. 256)

Christina Grof founded the Spiritual Emergence Network (SEN) in 1980 to provide educational information and a referral service for people experiencing transformational crises. It is currently located at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (250 Oak Grove Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025; 415/327-2776). Tweet