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Kundalini syndrome

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Fatehji (talk | contribs) at 15:47, 18 July 2010 (Adding in a section on Yogic Philosophy. There is far too much UNDUE focus on symptomatology of this "syndrome" from fringe authors where it makes it look like people are dying from it left & right.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Physio-kundalini syndrome is a term used by a few Western writers to describe a disparate pattern of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms which, according to certain writers on the subject and some researchers in the fields of psychiatry[1], transpersonal psychology[2][3], and near-death studies[4][5] are associated with the awakening of the kundalini.

While Yvonne Kason objects to the labeling these experiences as pathological, preferring instead to call them Spiritually Transformative Experiences, [6] she uses the term “kundalini” in her writing to describe this range of phenomena for two reasons: First, it comes from the yogic tradition, and today almost everyone – regardless of their religious background or spiritual orientation – has some familiarity with and respect for yoga. Second, the descriptions of spiritually transformative energy and its workings are more detailed and accessible in yoga than they are in some other traditions. Yoga was, at its roots, a systematic and carefully outlined practice designed to stimulate kundalini in a healthy way.[7]

According to Kason and her associates, this psycho-spiritual and transformative process may occur in connection with a near-death experience[8][9], or with prolonged and intensive spiritual/contemplative practice, as practiced within a few sub-disciplines of meditation or yoga[10][11][12]. Other factors that may trigger this symptomatology includes a variety of intense personal crises or experiences[13]. Psychiatric literature notes that “Since the influx of eastern spiritual practices and the rising popularity of meditation starting in the 1960's, many people have experienced a variety of psychological difficulties, either while engaged in intensive spiritual practice or spontaneously.” [14][15] With relation to intense spiritual practice, these problems could, in some instances, be the result of wrong or unfortunate practice. Kason [16] emphasizes the risk associated with certain intensive spiritual practices, especially in circumstances where the practitioner is not mentally and/or physically prepared.

Yogic & Cultural Philosophy

Swami Vivekananda stated in his discourse To Know God on Kundalini; "Whenever there is a manifestation of what is ordinarily called supernatural power or wisdom, a little current of Kundalini must have found its way into the Sushumna. Whenever there is divinity in you, the Kundalini Power must have touched the central nerve. Only, in the vast majority of cases, people have ignorantly stumbled on some practice which set free a minute portion of the coiled up Kundalini. All worship, conscious or unconscious, leads to the this end. The man who thinks he is receiving a response to prayer, does not know that the fulfillment comes from his own nature, that he has succeeded by the mental attitude of prayer, in awakening a bit of Infinity Power which is coiled up within himself." [17]

Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda notes that awakening of kundalini shows itself as "awakening of inner knowledge" and cites his own guru: "Kundalini is the divine mother. A true mother never causes harm or does anything bad to her children."[18]. According to this view true kundalini awakening has no side effects other than pure joy, pure knowledge and pure love. Like every form of energy one must also learn to understand spiritual energy. In order to be able to integrate this spiritual energy, careful purification and strengthening of the body and nervous system are recommended beforehand. According to Maheshwarananada, it will often be found that negative experiences occur only when acting without appropriate guidance.[19]

Symptomatology

Researchers affiliated with the fields of transpersonal psychology and near-death studies (see references below) have suggested some common criteria that describe kundalini problems, of which the most prominent feature is a feeling of energy or heat rushing up the spine[20][21].

  • Other sensory, motor and physiological symptoms may include: the feeling of cranial pressures[22], the perception of inner sounds[20], experiences of inner lights[20][23], vibrating or tickling sensations in the lower back[20], vibrations and itching under the skin[23], cool or flushed skin[24], tachycardia (rapid heart rate)[25], persistent bradycardia[26], changes in breathing[27], spontaneous bodily movements[27], spontaneous assumption of yogic postures[28], sensations of heat or cold moving through the body[23], localized bodily pain that starts and stops abruptly[23], and unusual, or intense, sexual sensations[29].
  • Mental and affective symptoms include: fear[30], anxiety[30], depersonalization[23], intense positive or negative emotions[23], psychotic symptoms or psychotic ideation[31], spontaneous slowing or speeding of thoughts[23], spontaneous trance states[30], experiencing oneself as larger than the physical body[23], and experiences of paranormal consciousness[29].

Summary of known problems: Death, pseudo death, pseudo psychosis, confusion, panic attacks, depression, sadness, suicidal thoughts, urges to self-mutilate, homicidal urges, arrhythmia (irregular heart beat), exacerbation of prior or current mental illness, insomnia, inability to hold a job, inability to talk, inability to drive, sexual pains, temporary blindness, urticaria or rash, and headaches[32][33][34][35][36].

A few theorists within the transpersonal field, such as Greyson[27], refers to this symptomatology as the "Physio-Kundalini syndrome", while other Western academics use the description Kundalini-experience/awakening[37][38]. The process is not always sudden and dramatic, it can also start slowly and increase gradually in activity over time[39]. If the accompanying symptoms unfold in an intense manner that destabilizes the person, then the situation is usually interpreted as a "spiritual emergency"[40].

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[41][42]. Symptoms associated with Kundalini-activity may not always represent such activity, but instead be an indication of other medical conditions, in need of attention. Kason[43] emphasizes that any unusual or marked physical symptom needs to be investigated by a qualified medical professional. For more on this, see note [44].

According to Kason and others, the awakening of kundalini energies may have side effects[45][46] and such an awakening, in some instances, may be conceptualized as a spiritual problem[47]. 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"[48]. Knowledge of the chakra map may therefore be helpful regarding the interpretation of symptoms[49]. 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[50][citation needed]. 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[51][citation needed].

Even though the symptoms, at times, may be dramatic and disturbing, theorists such as Sovatsky[52] and Greyson[53] tend to interpret the unfolding symptomatology as largely non-pathological, maturational, and of evolutionary significance for humanity. According to Scotton[54] 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[55], 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.[56] According to this view, many reported Kundalini problems may rather be signs of the precursor energetic state of pranotthana (see note [57] for definition). The difference between pranotthana and Kundalini itself, is also mentioned by other commentators, such as Bynum[58]. 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[59].

Some clinicians, such as Scotton[60], 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[61].

Reference in academic literature

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 syndrome from other disorders, have been suggested[1][2][62][63]. In an article from the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, theorists Turner, Lukoff, Barnhouse & Lu[64] discuss Kundalini-symptomatology in relation to the DSM-IV diagnostic category "Religious or Spiritual Problem"[65].

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"[66]. The concept also appears, very briefly, in an article from the Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine where Le Fanu[67] discusses a small detail regarding Kundalini symptomatology in connection with the interpretation of so-called medical "mystery syndromes".

Cross-cultural observations

Qigong, the Chinese-born practice of improving the qi flow in the body to achieve health benefits, has recorded that occasionally qigong practice may lead to mental disorders and call it 走火入魔(walk into fire and devil). This is according to some commentators essentially describing Kundalini syndrome or qigong psychosis[68].

The Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV) includes the diagnostic category "qi-gong psychotic reaction" in its "Glossary of culture-bound syndromes"[69].

In Dr. Kason's book, she covers a number of factors, including who has spiritual emergencies and why.[70] She 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.[71]

Dr. 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...” [72]

Signs of Healthy Spiritual Transformation

Dr. Kason provides seven indicators of healthy spiritual transformation:

  • 1. You will find yourself developing more noble traits of character, such as compassion, universal love, gratitude, charity, truth, honesty, and humility.
  • 2. 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.
  • 3. You will have an intense inner yearning for the divine.
  • 4. You may experience a spontaneous flow of tears and overwhelming emotion at the mention or thought of the divine.
  • 5. You will find yourself developing a more clear, discerning intellect and deeper psychological insights, along with a deeper moral fibre.
  • 6. You may find yourself developing new gifts of inspired creativity.
  • 7. You will find yourself repeatedly experiencing mystical states of consciousness.[73]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Turner et al. (1995)
  2. ^ a b Scotton (1996)
  3. ^ Kason (2000)
  4. ^ Kason (2000)
  5. ^ Greyson (2000)
  6. ^ "This is why one of the reasons why labeling Spiritually Transformative Experiences can be so useful. Giving an unusual experience a non-pathological name - and learning that it has parallels in many cultural and spiritual traditions - helps us integrate it into our lives." (Kason, p. 56)
  7. ^ Kason, p. 27
  8. ^ Kason 2000
  9. ^ Greyson (2000)
  10. ^ Kason (2000)
  11. ^ Turner et al., Page 440
  12. ^ Scotton, pg. 269
  13. ^ Kason, pg.163; Table 4.
  14. ^ Turner et al., Page 440
  15. ^ Scotton, pg. 269
  16. ^ Kason, pg. 177,253, 259-60, 270
  17. ^ Swami Vivekananda, To Know God, Complete Works, complete works
  18. ^ Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda , page 49
  19. ^ Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, pages 47, 48, 49.
  20. ^ a b c d Kason (2000), p. 223.
  21. ^ Scotton (1996), p. 261.
  22. ^ Kason (2000), p. 222.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h Greyson (2000), p. 125.
  24. ^ Scotton, 1996: 264
  25. ^ Scotton (1996), p. 264.
  26. ^ Scotton, 1996: 264
  27. ^ a b c Greyson (2000), p. 124.
  28. ^ Scotton, 1996: 264
  29. ^ a b Kason, pg. 50
  30. ^ a b c Scotton (1996) p. 264.
  31. ^ Scotton, 1996: 264
  32. ^ Grof, 1990. Complete reference is missing
  33. ^ Sannella, 1976. Complete reference is missing.
  34. ^ Grof, 1986
  35. ^ Goel, unknown publication date
  36. ^ Tweedie, 1995
  37. ^ Turner et al., pg. 440
  38. ^ Scotton (1996) p. 261
  39. ^ Kason, pg. 51
  40. ^ Turner et al., pg. 440: "spiritual emergency" (i.e., an uncontrolled emergence of spiritual phenomena with significant disruption in psychological/social/occupational functioning).
  41. ^ Sovatsky, p. 161
  42. ^ Kason, pg. 178-79
  43. ^ Kason, pg. 178-79
  44. ^ Kason, pg. 178-79: "It is important to remind STE experiencers, their friends, and their families that all unusual or marked physical symptoms need to be investigated by a qualified medical doctor, even when the experiencer feels certain that the symptom is nothing more than the expression of the transformative energy in the body. One can be experiencing kundalini activity and also have physical problems that need medical attention. [...] It could be a serious, even life threatening, mistake to assume, without medical guidance, that any of the symptoms listed on the following pages do not have a medical cause." STE: Short for "Spiritually Transformative Experience" (Editors note).
  45. ^ Kason, 2000
  46. ^ Greyson, 2000:132
  47. ^ Turner et al., pg. 440
  48. ^ Scotton, 1996: 262
  49. ^ Scotton, 1996:265
  50. ^ citation needed.
  51. ^ citation needed.
  52. ^ Sovatsky (1998)
  53. ^ Greyson (2000), p. 132.
  54. ^ Scotton (1996), p. 269.
  55. ^ Kason (2000), pg. 292-95.
  56. ^ Sovatsky (1998), p. 161, 180
  57. ^ Explanations of the term "pranotthana": "Intensified, uplifted life energy" (Sovatsky, 1998), "The perception of energy movement" (Bynum, 1996)
  58. ^ Bynum, 1996. Page 260: In Kundalini Yoga for example, the teacher clarifies the internal, empirical and experiential difference between the perception of energy movement or pranotthana and Kundalini itself.
  59. ^ Sovatsky, p. 161
  60. ^ Scotton, 1996: 261
  61. ^ Scotton, 1996. Page 263-64: Western clinicians who have become aware of the kundalini phenomenona have begun to see it clinically. My colleagues and I have treated more than a half dozen cases of difficult kundalini experiences and have found that supportive treatment is best, with the least invasive physiological measures possible.
  62. ^ Grabovac & Ganesan, 2003; Table 3: Selected elements of a proposed academic lecture series on religion and spirituality in psychiatry.
  63. ^ Herrick, 1996. This reference is not from an academic journal, but from a manuscript presented at an academic conference.
  64. ^ Turner, Lukoff, Barnhouse & Lu (1995)
  65. ^ See American Psychiatric Association (1994) DSM-IV, Code V62.89: Religious or Spiritual Problem
  66. ^ Thalbourne (2001)
  67. ^ Le Fanu, p. 118-119
  68. ^ "Kundalini And Qiqong Psychosis" article, Dr. Tan Kheng Khoo
  69. ^ American Psychiatric Association, 1994
  70. ^ Kason, pp. 258-75
  71. ^ Kason, p. 278
  72. ^ Kason, pp. 280-82
  73. ^ Kason, p. 325

References

  • American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association
  • Bynum, Edward Bruce. "Research Methods in Clinical Psychospirituality". The Humanistic Psychologist 1996, Vol. 24, No. 2, 257-61
  • Grabovac, Andrea & Ganesan, Soma. Spirituality and Religion in Canadian Psychiatric Residency Training. Canadian Journal Of Psychiatry, Vol 48, No 3, April 2003
  • Greyson, Bruce (2000) Some Neuropsychological Correlates Of The Physio-Kundalini Syndrome. The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, Vol.32, No. 2
  • Grof, Stanislav, (1986) Beyond the Brain: Birth Death and Transcendence in Psychotherapy, State University of New York Press
  • Goel, B.S., Third Eye and Kundalini: an Experimental Account of Journey From Dust to Divinity, Vol II, Eye Foundation of India
  • Gurmukh, Bountiful, Blissful, Beautiful: Exploring the Natural Power of Pregnancy and Birth with Kundalini Yoga and Meditation, New York, St. Martins Griffin, 2003
  • Gurmukh with Cathryn Michon, The Eight Human Talents: The Yogic Way to Restore the Balance and Serenity Within You, New York, Cliff Street/HarperCollins, 2000
  • Herrick, Karen, Finding Our Own Substance: New DSM-IV Code 62.89, Religious or Spiritual Problem. Poster Presentation Abstract. Manuscript presented at "Toward a Science of Consciousness" 1996, sponsored by the University of Arizona 8 April–13, 1996, Tucson Convention Center.
  • Kason, Yvonne (1994, 2000) Farther Shores: Exploring How Near-Death, Kundalini and Mystical Experiences Can Transform Ordinary Lives. Toronto: Harper Collins Publishers, Revised edition, ISBN 0-00-638624-5
  • Le Fanu, James (2002) A clutch of new syndromes? Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine; Vol. 95:118-125, March 2002
  • Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, The hidden power in humans, Ibera Verlag. ISBN 3-85052-197-4
  • Scotton, Bruce (1996) The phenomenology and treatment of kundalini, in Scotton, Chinen, and Battista (Editors) (1996) Textbook of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology. (pp. 261–270). New York: Basic Books, Inc
  • Seibel, Machelle M., and Hari Kaur Khalsa, A Woman's Book of Yoga, New York, Avery/Penguin Putnam, 2002
  • Shannahoff-Khalsa, David, Kundalini Yoga Meditation: Techniques Specific for Psychiatric Disorders, Couples therapy, and Personal Growth, New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 2006
  • Shannahoff-Khalsa, David, Kundalini Yoga Meditation for Complex Psychiatic Disorders: Techniques Specific for Treating the Psychoses, Personality, and Pervasive Developmental Disorders, New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 2010
  • Sovatsky, Stuart (1998). Words from the Soul: Time, East/West Spirituality, and Psychotherapeutic Narrative. New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-3950-X. Suny Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology
  • Thalbourne, Michael A. (2001) Measures of the Sheep-Goat variable, Transliminality, and Their Correlates. Psychological Reports, 88: 339-50
  • Turner, Robert P.; Lukoff, David; Barnhouse, Ruth Tiffany & Lu Francis G. (1995) Religious or Spiritual Problem. A Culturally Sensitive Diagnostic Category in the DSM-IV. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease,Vol.183, No. 7 435-444
  • Tweedie, I., Daughter of Fire: A Diary of a Spiritual Training with a Sufi Master, 1995, The Golden Sufi Center, ISBN 0-9634574-5-4

Further reading

  • Thomas, Kate. The Kundalini Phenomenon - the need for insight and spiritual authenticity (New Media Books, 2000).
  • 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
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