The first time I tried meditation, out of book, kundalini rose and
filled my head with light as if I was in the center of the sun. It left
me disoriented for months. I was only expecting some mild relaxation
and not what I got.
On 03/23/2017 02:38 PM, 'My Enlightenment Delusion'
myenlightenmentdelus...@gmail.com [FairfieldLife] wrote:
To me, a kundalini crisis is an overwhelming mind-body experience
caused by spiritual practices.
Many spiritual movements speak of the kundalini energy center and its
role in enlightenment. It is a fairly common conception that a huge
burst of energy from the kundalini center can create an overwhelming
experience akin to mania.
I don’t think I ever heard Maharishi speak of kundalini, but I had
conversations with other TM teachers about kundalini over the years.
Here is a link to a transcript of Maharishi speaking about kundalini
in 1968 http://institutespiritualsciences.org/blog_mmy/mmykundalini.php
Here is an excerpt from my book:
The most scientific description of kundalini crises that I have found
is in the 1992 book, /The Kundalini Experience/ by Lee Sannella, M.D.
Sannella interviewed people who had come through kundalini crises. He
came up with 4 categories of experience: motor, sensory,
non-physiological, and interpretive.
As *motor*phenomena, Sannella listed kriyas and unusual breathing
patterns. Under *sensory*phenomena, he listed tickling sensations,
heat and cold sensations, inner light, inner sounds, and pain in the
eyes, head, spine, or elsewhere. Under *non-physiological* phenomena,
Sannella listed out-of-body experiences and psychic perceptions.
As *interpretive*phenomena, Sannella listed both positive and negative
feelings that could be experienced with much greater intensity than
usual such as ecstasy, love, cosmic harmony, fear and confusion. He
stated that the thinking process could be speeded up or inhibited. The
mental experience could be detachment, hysteria, a state akin to
schizophrenia, or the delusion of having been divinely chosen.
Here are my symptoms which match Sannella’s descriptions:
●When my kundalini crisis began, I had tingling all over my body. It
felt like a continuous, small electric shock sensation which was
pleasant and exciting.
●I had extreme feelings of joy and thankfulness that seemed to be
related to my thoughts that I was enlightened. When I had delusions
about achieving even higher states of consciousness, I would
subsequently be so ecstatic and so thankful that I would start to cry.
●All of my feelings were experienced with greater intensity than
usual. When I spoke, I spoke like a fire-brand preacher. My voice
almost became raspy as if I had been yelling at a sporting event.
●I thought I had earned a special relationship with God and nature.
*From:* Archer Angel archonan...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]
*Sent:* Thursday, March 23, 2017 2:36 PM
*To:* FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
*Subject:* Re: [FairfieldLife] My Enlightenment Delusion - new book
I am rather curious about this. What is a kundalini crisis?
Some people do have trouble with TM's effects, everyone has a
different nervous system, and some have problems, and the movement
does not always handle these things well.
Unlike some systems TM does not have any real qualifications for
starting.
For example to study Vedanta you might be required at the outset to have:
* an open mind
* a reasonable mind
* a discriminating mind
* a dispassionate mind
* a disciplined, observant mind
* a sense of self duty
* forbearance, motivation, and devotion to the goal
* a certain level of critical thinking but not overly critical
* a temperament for overcoming obstacles
* a proper teacher and good fortune to have and find these
TM lets in all kinds of people with few restraints, but as a result a
lot of crazies get by who are not prepared for what can happen. The
path to enlightenment is not all bliss. It can get very very gritty.
I think a lot of people get in who have a lot of strange beliefs and
propensities that then go off the rails when they start having unusual
experiences, or begin to experience heavy unstressing.
TM, while it talks of unstressing, it does not really prepare people
for how intense it can be, and you need to have mental tools to handle
what comes up.
I do not think most people really realize how screwed up they are
before they start to meditate, especially if they get it in their
bonnet that they are now on the fast track to enlightenment, they then
presume too much about their progress.
A lot of meditators are still just close to being qualified by the
criteria above after meditating for half a century.
That TM is easy to practice is deceptive in the sense that it alone
cannot prepare one for some very strange experiences. That ease of
practice does allow a lot of people to be taught, but a lot of
concerns that can come up get swept under the rug, and TM teachers are
not trained to deal with this. TM as a whole package is not customized
enough to do this.
If you are fortunate you get through relatively unscathed, but if not
I guess they end up like you!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* "'My Enlightenment Delusion' myenlightenmentdelus...@gmail.com
[FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com>
*To:* FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com
*Sent:* Thursday, March 23, 2017 2:08 AM
*Subject:* [FairfieldLife] My Enlightenment Delusion - new book
I just finished writing a book entitled, /My Enlightenment Delusion:
experiences and musings of a former Transcendental Meditation teacher.
/It is available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XS55JKC/ for $2.99.
The first 3 chapters can be viewed on Amazon by clicking on “Look
inside”. A large part of the book is about my kundalini crisis and
also contains my conjecture about kundalini crises. I recount some
humorous ups and downs in my life as a TM teacher. I explain why the
similarities between grandiose delusions, psychotic mania, and
kundalini crises are more than a coincidence. --Matt Landing
