Spiritual Emergency

Mindfulness meditation has been proven efficient in treating many physical and psychological disorders. Mindfulness meditation techniques are also subjected to specific indications and contraindications. Scanning of gross body, thoughts, emotions, and memories are the essential components of any form of meditation. During those scannings, some unwanted memories and some unusual experiences are very much apparent. There are many energy points in the gross human body, which are correspondent to the endocrine system of the human body, known as Kundalini or Chakra. During meditation, those chakras are stimulated, and hidden energy is exploded; increased psychomotor activities manifest in the behaviors of the person. This behavioral manifestation is called a spiritual emergency. Professionals often confused this behavioral manifestation with psychotic illness. A spiritual emergency requires specific therapeutic management. Against this backdrop, this chapter attempts a review of research articles on spiritual emergencies and therapeutic guidelines to handle them in clinical settings.

Psychosis or spiritual emergency? A Foucauldian discourse analysis of case reports of extreme mental states in the context of meditation

Meditation is becoming increasingly popular in the West and research on its effects is growing. While studies point to various benefits of meditation on mental and physical health, reports of extreme mental states in the context of meditation have also been published. This study employed Foucauldian discourse analysis to examine how the experience of extreme mental states has been constructed in case reports and what kind of practices were employed to address them. The study analyses how extreme mental states associated with meditation are framed within the scientific literature and how such differential framings may affect the meaning making and help-seeking of persons experiencing these states. A systematic scientific literature search identified 22 case studies of extreme mental states experienced by practitioners of various types of meditation. The analysis suggests a discursive divide between two dominant framings: a biomedical discourse which constructs such experiences as psychiatric symptoms and an alternative discursive, which understands them as spiritual emergencies. Both approaches offered distinct therapeutic avenues. This divide maps onto the disciplinary divides within the mental health field more generally, which may obscure a better understanding of these experiences. However, the two discourses are not necessarily mutually exclusive and authors of three articles chose to blend them for their case reports. A supportive environment could help those experiencing extreme state integrate them into their lives. Our findings encourage collaboration between clinicians, therapists and spiritual teachers in order to make a range of approaches available.

Spirituality and Extreme States

This article is a reflection on my journey to become a clinical psychologist following a psychotic episode in which I believed I was a reincarnation of Buddha and Christ with a mission to write a new “Holy Book.” But this 2-month episode also served as my spiritual awakening. It transformed me from being a secularist, totally unconcerned with issues pertaining to religion and spirituality, to becoming a spiritual seeker. In my career I have focused on spiritual emergencies and worked to get this concept into the mainstream through a DSM category.