A spiritual emergency can be defined as a critical and experientially difficult stage of a profound psychological transformation that involves one's entire being. This is a crisis point within the transformational process of spiritual emergence.
It may take the form of non-ordinary states of consciousness and may involve unusual thoughts, intense emotions, visions and other sensory changes, as well as various physical manifestations. These episodes can often revolve around spiritual themes.
The term spiritualityshould be reserved for situations that involve personal experiences of certain dimensions of reality that give one's life, and existence in general, a numinous quality. C.G. Jung used the word numinous to describe an experience that feels sacred, holy, or out of the ordinary (Grof & Grof, 1991).
The terms spiritual emergence and spiritual emergency were coined by Dr Stanislav Grof (psychiatrist) and his wife Christina Grof who have worked for many years as therapists and researchers in the field of non-ordinary awareness and personal transformation. They have written many books about spiritual emergence containing much more information. The term transpersonal crisis is often used synonymously.
Ego-Death/ Dark Night Of The Soul This centers around the dissolution of the self-- our inner and outer worlds -- and a consequent loss of reference points. Symptoms may involve feelings of pressure, claustrophobia, oppression, tightness, restlessness, or struggle, or an unbearable endless repetition of 'dying' experiences. In extreme cases parts of the body may appear to decay or melt away.
Shamanic Crisis This typically involves a quest or journey to the underworld where demons or animal spirits are often encountered, culminating usually in experiences of death, dismemberment, and annihilation.
Episodes of Unitive Consciousness An experience of transcending the ordinary distinction between object and subject and experiencing ecstatic union with humanity, nature, the cosmos and God.
Crisis of Psychic Opening This may involve channelling, telepathy, clairvoyance, out-of-body experiences and meaningful coincidences.
Past Life Experiences People can behave irrationally because they are experiencing something from the past as part of their current life, or else a person can be haunted by physical feelings and emotions that are seemingly unconnected to anything.
Near-Death Experiences These experiences often involve an unusual and profound shift in the experience of reality. This usually includes an out-of-body experience and can involve profound lessons about life and universal laws.
Possession States This is characterized by an uncanny sense that one's body and psyche have been invaded and are being controlled by an alien energy or entity that has personal characteristics. It can be another type of Crisis of Psychic Opening.
Psychological Renewal through the Central Archetype Some distinguishing features are themes of death and rebirth, battles of opposing cosmic forces (eg, good and evil) and a conviction that the outcomes are critical to the future of the world.
"When did I realize I was God? Well, I was praying, and suddenly realized that I was talking to myself."
The rose was not searching for darkness or science: Borderline of flesh and dream, it was searching for something else.
-Federico Garcia Lorca
"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Books
Disclaimer:The presenters of this website can take no responsibility of any kind for any visitor's use or adaptations of any of the suggestions for alternative health options, new technologies, devices, inventions, agricultural or nutritional innovations or modifications of current technologies shown here. Our presenting such materials is not to be taken as our recommendation for any of them.
Sign up for our monthly newsletter and get several free gifts! We'll never sell or share your email.
