Helpful Measures in Dealing with Kundalini Emergencies

By George A. Boyd © 2004

I will begin this article by quoting from researchers and meditation

practitioners who have studied the phenomena of kundalini emergency. I
will give some definitions and identify the variety of symptoms that arise
during a kundalini emergency.

I will then suggest some ways to deal with this energy when it is aroused
and bring it back to its normal state of groundedness.

What is a Kundalini Emergency?

Karin Harrington (1), in her article, "Kundalini and the Awakening of

Spirit," defines a spiritual emergency as:

"When spiritual seekers or even those who do not consider

themselves to be on a spiritual path find themselves experiencing
levels of energy and awareness that they are unable to handle and for
which they have no reference, then the result can be a state of
emergency. In this state a person feels highly vulnerable and
oversensitive to incoming stimuli. Typically they feel overwhelmed,
fragmented, fearful, confused and disoriented. With their absorption
in inner processes, they may not be able to look after even basic self
care."

In her article, "Branded by the Spirit," El Collie (2) describes her own
terrifying experience with the Kundalini Shakti:

"In 1991, my life imploded. I was overtaken by strange and

frightening physical symptoms heralding a process, which would
change me in ways I never could have imagined. As my symptoms
grew increasingly bizarre, a series of synchronicities as uncanny as
the illness itself led me to the dumbfounding discovery that I was in
the midst of a Kundalini awakening. I had not been doing any

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 practices designed to arouse the Kundalini, nor had I ever personally
known anyone who had gone through this experience."

The article goes on to describe her many crippling and terrifying

physiological and psychological experiences as kundalini awakened in her.
She warns us of both the blessings and dangers of the awakening of the
kundalini:

"Kundalini is a process of revelation and spiritual renewal which

radically alters our sense of self and our awareness of life. Because
the benefits of Kundalini are widely touted in metaphysical and
spiritual circles, many people are unaware of the difficulties it can
present. Spiritual seekers (and teachers who give methods for
awakening Kundalini) often assume that the only difficulty is in
triggering the release of this transformative energy. Few are aware of
the prolonged and sometimes arduous process that follows Kundalini
arousal." [emphasis added]

El Collie identifies a variety of methods through which the kundalini can

be awakened:

"Long considered the most secret and sacred intent of yoga,

Kundalini can also be awakened by meditation, prayer, bodywork,
psychedelic drugs, a life crisis (such as extreme physical or
emotional trauma, a near-death experience or the death of a loved
one), childbirth, menopause, certain ascetic or esoteric sexual
practices, or it can occur out of the blue. Kundalini is most likely to
rise spontaneously in people who are spiritually inclined, creative,
sensitive, open minded and open hearted—all risk factors I knew
nothing about until after the fact."

What are the Symptoms?

El Collie (3), in her article, "Kundalini signs and symptoms" lists an entire
array of symptoms that occur when the kundalini is aroused. I quote her list
in its entirety below:

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"The following are common manifestations of the risen
Kundalini:

[Physiological and behavioral markers]

• Muscle twitches, cramps or spasms.

• Energy rushes or immense electricity circulating the body
• Itching, vibrating, prickling, tingling, stinging or crawling
sensations
• Intense heat or cold
• Involuntary bodily movements (occur more often during
meditation, rest or sleep): jerking, tremors, shaking; feeling an
inner force pushing one into postures or moving one's body in
unusual ways. (May be misdiagnosed as epilepsy, restless legs
syndrome (RLS), or PLMD.)
• Alterations in eating and sleeping patterns
• Episodes of extreme hyperactivity or, conversely,
overwhelming fatigue (some CFS [Chronic Fatigue Syndrome]
victims are experiencing Kundalini awakening)
• Intensified or diminished sexual desires
• Headaches, pressures within the skull
• Racing heartbeat, pains in the chest
• Digestive system problems
• Numbness or pain in the limbs (particularly the left foot and
leg)
• Pains and blockages anywhere; often in the back and neck
(Many cases of FMS [Fibromyalgia syndrome] are Kundalini-
related.)

[Emotional and psychological markers]

• Emotional outbursts; rapid mood shifts; seemingly

unprovoked or excessive episodes of grief, fear, rage, depression
• Spontaneous vocalizations (including laughing and
weeping)—are as unintentional and uncontrollable as hiccoughs
• Hearing an inner sound or sounds, classically described as a
flute, drum, waterfall, birds singing, bees buzzing but which may
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 also sound like roaring, whooshing, or thunderous noises or like
ringing in the ears.
• Mental confusion; difficulty concentrating

[Spiritual or mystical markers]

• Altered states of consciousness: heightened awareness;

spontaneous trance states; mystical experiences (if the individual's
prior belief system is too threatened by these, they can lead to
bouts of psychosis or self-grandiosity)
• Heat, strange activity, and/or blissful sensations in the head,
particularly in the crown area
• Ecstasy, bliss and intervals of tremendous joy, love, peace
and compassion
• Psychic experiences: extrasensory perception; out-of-body
experiences; past life memories; astral travel; direct awareness of
auras and chakras; contact with spirit guides through inner voices,
dreams or visions; healing powers
• Increased creativity: new interests in self-expression and
spiritual communication through music, art, poetry, etc.
• Intensified understanding and sensitivity: insight into one's
own essence; deeper understanding of spiritual truths; exquisite
awareness of one's environment (including "vibes" from others)
• Enlightenment experiences: direct Knowing of a more
expansive reality; transcendent awareness"

Some of these experiences are ecstatic, some are dysphoric—and they

certainly interfere with the functioning of your personality if they are
occurring out of your control.

Karin Harrington cites Bonnie Greenwell (1990) in her article. (4)

Greenwell details seven categories of symptoms observed during kundalini
awakening:

(1) Pranic movements or Kriyas - includes a variety of involuntary

muscle movements, and emotional catharsis
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 (2) Yogic phenomena - individuals may perform yoga postures or
hand gestures (mudras), or they may spontaneously chant mantras

(3) Physiological symptoms - Greenwell lists a variety of

psychosomatic symptoms that appear for many individuals
undergoing the awakening of kundalini

(4) Psychological upheaval - kundalini awakening effects an

emotional maelstrom as the ego's dominance is supplanted by
emergence of the individual's authentic spiritual core

(5) Extra Sensory Experiences - various altered perceptions of the

visual, auditory, olfactory and proprioceptive [sense of the body in
space] senses arise as perception expands outside consensus reality

(6) Psychic Phenomena - Greenwell lists precognition, telepathy,

psychokinesis, and the awareness of auras and healing abilities
arising with the awakening of kundalini.

(7) Mystical States of Consciousness - a perception of union with the

cosmos, with a profound sense of peace and wisdom accompanying
this state

How kundalini affects you when it won't go back down

There are three major types of phenomena that occur when the kundalini
won't come back down:

(1) Your personality shuts down. When this occurs, you cannot
function normally. Your will doesn't work. Your sense of self is
distorted, ranging from feeling you are a witness viewing your body
and life from outside (depersonalization) to feeling you are an
omnipotent godlike being (grandiosity). You can't think logically.
You cannot form normal relational bonds with others. Your attention
is locked or fixed in an altered state of consciousness and it is
difficult, if not impossible, to return to the ground state of awareness.
This state is frightening and overwhelming.
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 (2) You experience emergence phenomena. You may experience any
of the physiological and behavioral, emotional and psychological,
and spiritual and mystical markers described by El Collie (see
citation 3). This experience is also frightening and overwhelming.

(3) You may enter samadhic trance. In samadhic trance, you are in a
complete state of catatonia without; you are in ecstasy within. You
cannot function, because your personality is shut down. You cannot
communicate the ineffable beauty and majesty you are beholding.
You may experience union with one of the higher nuclei of identity
or ensouling entities in your Superconscious mind [for more
information on this, see our description of these higher octave
experiences in Reflections on Kundalini Shakti.]

You may find, however, that you cannot terminate this experience
when you wish—you are trapped or locked in an ecstatic state of
consciousness from which you cannot escape or emerge. This
experience is both euphoric and terrifying. It is euphoric when you
are immersed in the vistas of supernal bliss. It is terrifying when you
can't come back.

What you can do

There seem to be several helpful measures that we have noticed may assist
you with grounding the kundalini energy. If you are at the stage Gopi
Krishna describes where you are completely swept away, there may not be
much that can be done; you just have to ride with it until the energy
stabilizes at a deeper level.

You may wish to try these methods to help bring Kundalini back from a
highly aroused state:

(1) Do a visualization: see the kundalini energy is drawn down to the

base of your spine and is drawn down into the center of the earth.

(2) Bring the attention down to waking awareness and keep it there
[at the medulla center where attention rests in the waking state of
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 consciousness]. Stop meditating or altering your awareness until the
kundalini is fully grounded again.

(3) Do some physical activity such as exercise, dance, or do heavy

lifting to get yourself fully grounded in the body.

(4) Look at pictures of people that you love on the physical Plane (no
Gurus or saints, please—the objective is to help you connect your
emotional seed atom with your human relationships).

(5) Do some analytical work that engages your reason. Solve a

puzzle. Read a technical book. Take apart a watch or fix something
that is broken.

(6) Focus on just being a human being in your present body in your
unique human life. Reflect upon what you have experienced in your
life, and how blessed it is to have this human form. Appreciate your
body, your ability to feel, your ability to move your body, to think.
You need to draw the energy back down from the state of higher
consciousness into your egoic state.

Once you have grounded the kundalini

o stop doing striking of the chakras or squeezing them

(bandhas)
o stop doing any hyperventilative breathing (breath of fire,
holodynamic breathing, rebirthing, Bastrika, etc.)
o stop doing any mantras on the breath; avoid watching the
breath as a technique until the kundalini fire subsides—this can be
several weeks to months
o stop doing any mantras that awaken the chakras (chakra
bijas)
o stop doing kundalini yoga (3HO) if you are practicing it

Recovery

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 Take it slow. Basic hatha yoga is probably OK. Concentration
exercises (Raja Yoga), contemplation of the inner Guru (Guru
Dhyan), focusing on the spiritual heart with methods like bhakti yoga
and Nada Yoga, sound current techniques, or surat shabd yoga, and
prayer should not rekindle these fires.

Your deep intuition will let you know when you are healed from this
ordeal. How do you know? Your sense of harmony will be restored.
You will begin to feel peace. The terror will finally release. You will
walk on the earth and feel grateful for every step, grateful for every
breath, grateful just to be alive. You will appreciate the beauty
around you, the miracle taking place within you.

Final advice

Kundalini is entirely optional. You do not have to awaken the

kundalini to get siddhis. They will come to you even if you don't
want them. Let the Soul awaken the kundalini when it is time for you
to cleanse the vehicles. You don't have to do this—and if it creates
problems for you, please don't do it!

Can the Mudrashram® lineage help me with my kundalini

emergency?

We do work with individuals having kundalini issues using kundalini

syndrome readings. Try the suggestions above first. If they don't work, we
can check you out and see what may be causing the problems. If we can
help you, we'll tell you so. If we can't, we'll also tell you so.

You can e-mail us at George@mudrashram.com to request this kundalini

reading, which includes an optional free attunement.

References

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[1] Harrington, Karin. (1996) Kundalini and the awakening of spirit. On-
line. This wonderful article was at
[ http://www.geocities.com/jomahali.geo/kundalini.htm, but it has been
taken down. Does anyone know where it is published, either on-line or in a
book? Please email us if you can track it down… our readers and I would
appreciate it.

[2] El Collie. (2000) Branded by the spirit. On-line.

http://www.elcollie.com/st/branded.html.

[3] El Collie. (1995) Kundalini signs and symptoms. On-line.

http://www.elcollie.com/st/symptoms.html.

[4] Cited in Harrington (see [1] above). Greenwell, Bonnie. (1990)

Energies of Transformation: a guide to the kundalini process. Valencia,
California: Delta Lithograph.

Resources

We've checked our links for these resources listed and removed the ones
that are no longer working as of 10/18/09. We also have added some new
ones. We suggest that you use the links for the ones that remain and the
new ones we've posted to explore the kundalini resources that are on the
internet and in your community.