by Sharon Graham
We Are Spiritual Beings Having a Human Experience. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
For most people the emergence of anything spiritual happens slowly, a gradual understanding that there might be something larger than the personal self.
In sharp contrast, someone in a Spiritual Emergency simultaneously calls into question everything. Nothing is concrete anymore. The present, the future, and even the past is uncertain. It seems that the very fabric of oneself is being unwound.
Momentous and earth shattering, a Spiritual Emergency is an important opportunity to heal difficult and traumatic experiences. While often provoked by some form of change or loss in one’s life, it can appear seemingly out of nowhere, be sparked by spiritual practices, a psychedelic experience, a sexual encounter or even in childbirth.
The concept of Spiritual Emergency was introduced by Christina and Stan Grof. The term is used to describe a period in which deep emotional and psychological challenges present. Christina underwent extensive experiences of Spiritual Emergency and wrote about them in two books: Spiritual Emergency: When Personal Transformation Becomes a Crisis (with Stan) (1989); and The Stormy Search for the Self (1992).
A deep struggle to find meaning and purpose in life typically underpins a Spiritual Emergency and a range of discordant symptoms can become part of its unfolding. While the nature of each person’s Spiritual Emergency is different, it generally includes one or more of the following: a roller coaster of emotions; anxiety; nervous system overwhelm; depression; inability to sleep or eat; misperception of the sense of self; mystical experiences encompassing hearing voices and having visions; powerful emotions and painful physical experiences; synchronicities, in which things that would typically seem outright impossible, happen in real everyday life.
The duration of a Spiritual Emergency can vary, lasting from a few days or weeks and sometimes longer. A series of spiritual emergencies can occur throughout one’s life. This time is disconcerting, not only for the individual, but also for friends and family. Introducing the concept of Spiritual Emergency can be an important starting point to a successful resolution. Ideally it will allow for better self-acceptance and increased understanding and support from those ones is close to.
Finding ways of navigating through a Spiritual Emergency is challenging. Mindfulness, making attempts to keep one’s full attention on whatever one is doing can reign in fear and anxiety. Even at the best of times staying in the present moment is an enormous skill. In such challenging moments every attempt, no matter how difficult, is one step closer to living with a little more ease.
Unfortunately, when it comes to Spiritual Emergency there is no one solution that fits all. No matter how much distress you find yourself in, it is important to consider that there is an inner healing wisdom that is working to keep you safe and successfully resolve the situation. For someone who may need practical advice for coping with Spiritual Emergency, the following link may be useful. https://www.spiritualemergencenetwork.org/what-is-spiritual-emergency/practical-advice-for-spiritual-emergency/
Being part of an understanding, supportive and caring community can play a critical role in navigating one’s way through a Spiritual Emergency. In the Holotropic Breathwork Community you are likely to find support from people who can listen and not judge your experiences.
The following are some books and a link that can provide further information:
Stan Grof & Christina Grof: Spiritual Emergency – when Transformation Can Becomes a Crisis. Jeremy P. Tracher/Putnam, 1989
Christina Grof: The Stormy Search for the Self. TarcherPerigee, 1992.
Emma Bragdon: The Call of Spiritual Emergency – From Personal Crisis to Personal Transformation. HarperCollins, 1990.
Catherine G Lucas: In case of Spiritual Emergency – Moving Successfully Through your Awakening. Findhorn Press, 2011.
Bonnie Greenwell: The Kundalini Guide – A Companion to the Inner Journey. Shakti River Press, 2014.