Sometimes Kundalini Awakening/Syndrome is also referred to as a “spiritual emergency”. In their 1990 book, “The Story Search for Self,” transpersonal psychologists Grof and Grof coined the term “spiritual emergence” to describe the difficult stages of a “profound psychological transformation involving the whole being.” They describe the awakening of the kundalini as one of the ten varieties of spiritual emergencies. A few years later, near-death author Dr. Yvonne Kason set about creating criteria to differentiate between someone experiencing a spiritual emergency and someone experiencing psychosis. She explains that a spiritual emergency is when a person is simply challenged by an altered state experience, while a psychotic episode is when a person is simply overwhelmed by it.
Kundalini awakening/syndrome consists of sensory, motor, mental, and affective symptoms that are also associated among people who have had a near-death experience (NDE) or an out-of-body experience (OBE). Dr. Kason sometimes refers to kundalini syndrome as an IBE or “out of body experience.”
Sensory and motor symptoms include the sensation of cranial pressures (especially in the upper part of the skull), the perception of internal sounds, experiences of internal lights, sensations of vibration or tingling in the lower back, rapid heart rate, disappearance of heart rate, changes in breathing from the lungs to the lower abdomen, spontaneous jerking movements (especially of the head and neck), alternating sensations of hot or cold moving throughout the body, localized body pain that starts and stops abruptly, vibrations and itching under the skin, and intense, sensual and erotic sexual sensations that can only be characterized as a “full body orgasm”.
Mental and affective symptoms include: prolonged feelings of euphoria and bliss, prolonged feelings of anxiety, fear, intense positive and negative emotions, spontaneous slowing down or speeding up of thoughts, spontaneous trance states, experiencing oneself beyond and not limited to physical body, sensations of a unifying “oneness” with the universe, and experiences of altered states of consciousness.
Often the kundalini syndrome will be more than enough to convince the initiate that they need medical attention. But most doctors aren’t trained to diagnose a “spiritual emergency” and therefore won’t be much help. In almost all cases, medical attention is not required. Just patience and dedication. Consultation with a spiritual advisor, on the other hand, can be helpful, but only with someone who has already experienced a personal kundalini awakening. In this way, the counselor will be able to advise based on her own experience.
The common theme with all kundalini syndromes is involuntary jerking movements and intense tingling at the base of the spine. This can be experienced sporadically, from weeks to months, even years before a full awakening. It may gradually and slowly increase in frequency, but it may not. Sometimes the awakening is sudden, dramatic, and overwhelming. In any case, it is advisable to empower yourself with all the knowledge you can about kundalini awakening/syndrome.
