I have my google alerts set to deliver news about what is happening in psychedelic science. It is inspiring to track the constant flow of research and initiatives in this area. Hopefully, this means that people who haven't received help through traditional mental health therapy will have easier access to a more effective treatment. I am excited about this potential for people who need and want that help. At a recent Microdose conference I spoke at, I had the opportunity to hear the founder of GoDaddy share how he healed from military post-traumatic stress disorder thanks to psychedelics.
The psychedelic renaissance holds a lot of promise for people needing mental health treatment. That is positive. However, what is lacking in the general discussion about psychedelics, is the spiritual impact they can have on people's lives. I'm talking about the supernatural after-effects of tripping – the radical shift in worldview that can happen and the spiritual awakening that occurs along with it.
After a psychedelic trip, some people experience symptoms associated with kundalini awakening. You may start inadvertently tapping into the emotions of others or begin noticing psychic abilities. Some kundalini awakening symptoms may feel welcoming, while others may be frightening - such as visions and unfamiliar sensations, including shaking and vibrating. You may be more emotionally and physically sensitive than ever before. These experiences can seem disconcerting and worrisome if you don't know they are common kundalini awakening symptoms.
Most helping professionals are ill-equipped to identify these signs of kundalini/spiritual awakening. A medical specialist may misdiagnose this as a psychotic break. Medical doctors lack education about such phenomenon. If you visit a psychiatrist and describe typical symptoms of kundalini rising, they will likely give you a prescription. The mantra of allopathic medicine is "a pill for every ill."
However, at the turn of the century, you would have fared better and probably found an informed medical professional who could help normalize your experience.
Natural healing and energy medicine were considered legitimate healthcare during that time. There was a holistic view that incorporated treating mind-body-spirit as one interconnected system.
So what changed? How did Western medicine lose a holistic view of healthcare?
It all changed when capitalism took over medicine. John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937) influenced Western medicine as we know it today. Having made his fortune in the oil industry, he set his sights on building his next financial monopoly in the medical sector by using petrochemicals, a derivative of oil, to manufacture pharmaceuticals. (Today, almost all pharmaceuticals are made from petrochemicals.)
The only problem with Rockefeller's plan was that most people in America trusted natural medicine. At the turn of the century, more than half of doctors in the US were practicing holistic healing. Rockefeller knew he had to change public opinion to make his pharmaceutical venture successful. So he devised a plan to hire a consultant to produce a report for Congress aimed at reforming medical education in America. The Flexner Report was published in 1910, and in subsequent years 75% of medical schools in the US closed.
Modern allopathic medicine became standardized, and natural medicine was demonized.
Today medical doctors and psychiatrists (also allopathic physicians) are not trained in holistic health. Allopathy is a medical philosophy that emphasizes the treatment of illnesses. It does not incorporate the view of the whole person nor the role of spirituality. In today's Western medicine, a patient describing kundalini awakening symptoms may be diagnosed as mentally ill.
However, this study demonstrates that kundalini awakening is not a psychiatric illness. It is also not a product of the imagination. The work of the late Bonnie Greenwell, PhD has helped normalize this experience for many people who have sought guidance to understand their spiritual awakening symptoms.
And this is where spiritual traditions become vital, for the common message of the world's mystical teachers is the awakening of the true self. Often Eastern traditions come to mind in this regard. Lesser known are the profound mystical teachings in early Christianity. For example, the esoteric view of the death and resurrection of Christ mirrors the ego death and rebirth experience that may occur with psychedelic use. But that's another topic for another day and another post…