Kundalini-awakening support

Domain VII · Transpersonal, psychedelic & altered states · Lee Sannella, Bonnie Greenwell, Stanislav Grof · 1987

What it is

Kundalini-awakening support is not a single manualised therapy. It is a clinical framework and set of supportive practices for people who report intense, often involuntary somatic "energy" sensations (classically rising along the spine), heat, tremors or spontaneous movements, altered breathing,…

Format

• The sources describe no formal stages, session counts or phase criteria. The intensity, duration and type of crisis and the person's support network decide the intervention, which ranges from short-term support to long-term psychotherapy. The phase structure below is a that organises the sourced…
• Phase 1: Differential assessment (1-3 sessions, coordinated with GP or physician and, if indicated, psychiatrist).

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• reduced need for sleep together with high energy, which points to mania.
• isolation turning into withdrawal. Keep at least one or two supportive contacts.
• family conflict over religion, and family who either pathologise or over-spiritualise.
• groups that push intensification, discourage medical care or encourage dependence on a teacher.
• expression that discharges and settles the client. If it escalates into intense, uncontrolled states, scale back.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.