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Kundalini
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Kundalini is derived from a
Sanskrit word meaning either "coiled up" or "coiling
like a snake". There are a number of other translations of the term
usually emphasizing a more serpent nature to the word— e.g.
'serpent power'. The caduceus symbol of coiling snakes is
thought to be an ancient symbolic representation of Kundalini
physiology.
The concept of Kundalini comes from Yogic
philosophy in
Hinduism
and refers to the mothering intelligence behind yogic awakening and
spiritual maturation (Sovatsky, 1998). It might be
regarded by yogis as a sort of deity,
hence the occasional capitalization of the term. Within a western frame
of understanding it is often associated with the practice of
contemplative or religious practices that might induce
an altered state of consciousness, either brought about spontaneously,
or through a type of yoga ,
or through psychedelic drugs, or through a near-death experience.
According to Yogic phenomenology
kundalini awakening is associated with the appearance of bio-energetic
phenomena that are said to be experienced somatically by the yogi. This
appearance is also referred to as Pranic Awakening.
Prana is interpreted as the vital, life-sustaining
force in the body. Uplifted, or intensified life-energy is called
pranotthana and is supposed to originate from an apparent reservoir of
subtle bio-energy at the base of the spine. This energy is also
interpreted as a vibrational phenomena that initiates a period, or a
process of vibrational spiritual development (Sovatsky, 1998). According
to the Yogic tradition Kundalini is curled up in the back part of the
root chakra in three and one-half turns around the
sacrum.
Some western translators interpret the
energetic phenomena as a form of psychic or paranormal energy, although
the western parapsychological understanding of psychic energy, separated
from its cultural-hermeneutic matrix, is probably not the same as the
yogic understanding. Yogic philosophy understands this concept as a
maturing energy that expresses the individual's soteriological longings.
Viewed in a mythological context it is also sometimes believed to be an
aspect of Shakti, the goddess and
consort of Shiva.
Two early western interpretations of
Kundalini were supplied by C.W. Leadbeater (1847-1934), of the
Theosophical Society, and the Analytical Psychologist Carl Gustav Jung
(1875–1961). Jung's seminar on Kundalini yoga, presented to the
Psychological Club in Zurich in 1932, has been widely regarded as a
milestone in the psychological understanding of Eastern thought and of
the symbolic transformations of inner peace. Kundalini yoga presented
Jung with a model for the developmental phases of higher consciousness,
and he interpreted its symbols in terms of the process of individuation.
(PsycINFO abstract: C.G Jung - "The psychology of Kundalini yoga".
Princeton University Press, 1999).
Kundalini is a popular concept that is
widely quoted among various disciplines of yoga and New Age beliefs.
However, the recent popularization of the term within new religious
movements has - according to some scholars of religion - not contributed
to promote a mature understanding of the concept (Sovatsky, 1998). As
with many eastern contemplative concepts there exist considerable
difficulties, and possible semantic confusion, connected to the way
these concepts are adapted to a western context. This has led to
somewhat different interpretations and applications of the concept of
Kundalini within the spiritual and contemplative culture in the west. On
the one hand there is the New Age popularizations, and on the other hand
there is the traditional lineage of Kundalini Yoga
understood from its cultural background and interpreted within the
academic fields of Religious Studies, Pastoral Theology and
Transpersonal/Humanistic psychology. With the tools of these academic
traditions it is possible to give different interpretations to the
concept of Kundalini; such as physiological interpretations,
psychological interpretations, diagnostic interpretations, religious
interpretations, mythological interpretations and spiritual
interpretations.
Kundalini Yoga is a meditative
discipline —or a system of meditative techniques and movements—within
the yogic tradition that focuses on psycho-spiritual growth and the
body's potential for maturation. The practice of Kundalini Yoga consists
of a number bodily postures, expressive movements and utterances,
characterological cultivations, breathing patterns, and degrees of
concentration. The movements and the body-work should not - according to
some scholars of religion (Sovatsky, 1998) - be considered mere
stretching exercises. The concept of life-energy - pranotthana - is
central to the practice and understanding of Kundalini Yoga. It also
gives special consideration to the role of the spine and the endocrine
system in the understanding of yogic awakening (Sovatsky, 1998).
Recently, there has been a growing interest within the medical community
to study the physiological effects of
meditation ,
and some of these studies have applied the discipline of Kundalini Yoga
to their clinical settings (Lazar et.al, 2000; Cromie, 2002).
According to Yogic terminology the
force of Kundalini is supposed to be raised through meditative exercises
and activated within the concept of a subtle body, a body of energy and
finer substance. This process has been explained in detail by Motoyama
(1981), who bases the bulk of the Kundalini raising practices listed in
the book on the notable Swami Satyananda Saraswati, as well as on
personal experience in helping people in various stages of Kundalini
awakening. As the Kundalini raises from the root-chakra up through the
spinal channel, called sushumna, it is believed to
activate each chakra it goes through. Each chakra is said to contain
special characteristics, and although the opening of higher chakras are
believed to mark advanced spiritual unfoldment, it is important not to
measure spiritual growth solely by the opening of higher potentials.
According to this view chakras might be under- or overdeveloped, and
lower chakras are thought to be just as important as higher. In raising
Kundalini, spiritual powers (siddhis) are also believed
to arise, but many spiritual traditions see these phenomena as obstacles
on the path, and encourages their students not to get hung up with them
(Kason, 2000).
According to much contemporary
spiritual literature, and the field of Transpersonal Psychology, it is
not considered wise to engage in this sort of practice without the
guidance of a credible teacher or without thorough psychological
preparation and education in yoga. Any form of intense contemplative or
spiritual practice without the support of a cultural context, or without
the support of thorough psychological preparation, is usually considered
to be unfortunate, and in some cases even dangerous. These warnings
cannot be underestimated without risk. A growing body of clinical and
psychological literature notes the growing occurrence of
meditation-related problems in Western contemplative life (Lukoff, Lu &
Turner, 1998; Perez-De-Albeniz & Holmes, 2000). Among these we find the
Kundalini Syndrome (which is presented more closely later in this
article).
Spiritual literature also describes
instances when Kundalini can be initiated. Initiation of kundalini
activity is usually considered to take place by a form of 'laying on of
hands', or shaktipat, where physical contact to the body or the forehead
of the subject by the guru or initiator is supposed to
cause an experience of Kundalini that later may persist or grow with
continuing practice, or fade away if practice is neglected. Eye contact
during satsang with the guru is also supposed to cause
this experience. Within the context of spiritual literature inadvertent
kundalini experiences have also been reported to take place when
subjects physically contacted powerful gurus, such as Meher Baba, by
accident.
Kundalini as a spiritual experience is thought to have
parallels in many of the mystical and gnostic
traditions of the world's great religions. Many factors point
to the universality of the phenomenon. The early Christians might have
referred to the concept as 'pneuma', and there are some recent
parallells in contemporary Christian charismatic 'Holy Ghost' phenomena.
Religious studies also note parallels in Quakerism, Shakerism, Judaic
davening (torso-rocking prayer), the swaying zikr and whirling dervish
of Islam, the quiverings of the Eastern Orthodox hesychast, the flowing
movements of tai chi, the ecstatic shamanic dance, the
ntum trance dance of the Bushman,
Tibetan Buddhist
tummo heat as practised by Milarepa, and the Indically-derived
Andalusian flamenco (Sovatsky, 1998).
Theorists within the schools of
Humanistic psychology, Transpersonal psychology and Near-Death Studies
describe a complex pattern of motor, sensory, affective and
cognitive/hermeneutic symptoms called The Kundalini Syndrome. This
psycho-somatic arousal and excitation is believed to occur in connection
with prolonged and intensive spiritual or contemplative
practice (such as meditation or yoga) or as a result of intense life
experiences or a close encounter with death (such as a near-death
experience) (Greyson 1993, 2000; Scotton, 1996; Lukoff, Lu & Turner,
1998; Kason, 2000). According to these fields of study the
Kundalini-syndrome is of a different nature than a single Kundalini
episode, such as a Kundalini-rising. The Kundalini-syndrome is a process
that might unfold over several months, or even years. If the
accompanying symptoms unfold in an intense manner—that de-stabilizes the
person—the process is usually interpreted as a Spiritual Emergency (Grof
& Grof, 1989; Lukoff, Lu & Turner, 1998).
Interdisciplinary dialogue within
these particular schools of psychology (see references below) has now
established some common criteria in order to describe this condition.
Motor symptoms are thought to include tremors, shaking, spontaneous or
involuntary body-movements and changes in respiratory function. Sensory
symptoms are thought to include changes in body-temperature (feelings of
heat or cold), a feeling of energy running along the spine or
progressing upwards in the body, a feeling of electricity in the body,
headache and pressure inside of the head, tingling, vibrations and
gastro-intestinal problems. Cognitive and affective symptoms are thought
to include psychological upheaval, stress, depression, depersonalization
or derealization, intense mood-swings, altered states of consciousness
(trance-like experiences), hallucinations (inner visions or acoustical
phenomena), but also moments of bliss and deep peace (Sannella, 1976;
Greyson, 1993 & 2000; Greenwell, 1995; Scotton, 1996; Kason, 2000). A
roaring noise or other loud auditory hallucination have also been
reported, perhaps related to the phenomenon of 'Exploding head
syndrome'. Within the mentioned academic traditions this symptomatology
is often referred to as the Physio-Kundalini syndrome (Sannella, 1976,
Greyson 1993; 2000) or Kundalini-experience/awakening (Scotton, 1996;
Lukoff, Lu & Turner, 1998). Transpersonal literature emphasizes that
this list of symptoms is not meant to be used as a tool for
self-diagnosis. Any unusual or marked physical or mental symptom needs
to be investigated by a qualified medical doctor (Kason, 2000).
Greyson (1993) developed The
Physio-Kundalini Syndrome Index in order to measure the degree of
Physio-Kundalini symptoms among Near-Death experiencers. Most
researchers within this field believe that the core of the process is
not pathological, but maturational, even though the symptoms at times
may be dramatic and very disturbing (Greyson, 1993; Lukoff, 1998).
According to the field of Transpersonal Psychology the
Kundalini-syndrome is largely unknown to Western psychiatry. Many
writers within this field are consequently working towards a clinical
approach to the problem. Possible improvements in the diagnostic system
that are meant to differentiate the Kundalini-syndrome from other
disorders have been suggested (Hansen, 1995; Herrick, 1996; Scotton,
1996; Lukoff, Lu & Turner, 1998; House, 2001; Maxwell, 2001; Grabovac &
Ganesan, 2003). Turner, Lukoff, Barnhouse & Lu (1995) has suggested that
the Kundalini-symptomatology might be placed under the diagnostic
category "Religious or Spiritual Problem" (American Psychiatric
Association: DSM-IV Code V62.89).
A recent criticism of some of the
approaches to this clinical category, and the current interpretation of
the symptomatology, has been put forward by Sovatsky (1998). He thinks
that it is crucial to differentiate between the symptoms of - what is
thought to be - a Kundalini-awakening, and the symptoms of different
preliminary yogic processes. According to this view many reported
Kundalini-problems might rather be signs of the precursory energetic
state of pranotthana. A confusion of terms within this delicate area of
clinical concern might also - unfortunately - lead to various
undiagnosed neurological problems being misdiagnosed as a
Kundalini-problem.
In an article from Psychological
Reports Thalbourne (2001) discusses whether scores on a 35-item
Kundalini Scale is correlated to the concept of Transliminality (a
hypothesized tendency for psychological material to cross thresholds
into or out of consciousness). The Transliminality Scale, presented by
Lange, Thalbourne, Houran & Storm (2000), defines a probabilistic
hierarchy of items that address magical ideation, mystical experience,
absorption, hyperaesthesia, manic experience, dream interpretation, and
fantasy proneness. In an article from the Journal of The Royal
Society of Medicine Le Fanu (2002) briefly discusses the similarity
between the interpretation of medical "mystery syndromes" and the
Kundalini experience.
Contemporary spiritual literature
often notes that the chakras as described in the esoteric kundalini
documents bear a strong similarity in location and number to the major
endocrine glands, as well as nerve bundles called ganglions. One
speculation is that the traditional practices have formalized a method
for stimulating the endocrine glands to work in a different mode which
has a more direct effect on consciousness, perhaps ultimately by
stimulating the release of DMT by the pineal gland, which may be
analogous to the 'pineal chakra' (Strassman, 2001).
Within the transpersonal field
Sovatsky (1998) has put forward the hypotheses of post-genital
puberties. The possibiliy of viewing pranotthana (yogic terminology for
intensified life-energy) and the larger Kundalini process as a
maturation of body and character beyond conventional psychological
growth. Within the yogic frame of mind this maturation is to be
considered no more spectacular than conventional adolescent puberty, and
it signals that psychological and spiritual development can continue
throughout the life-span. The interpretation of Kundalini as a
developmental, or maturational phenomena, was first suggested to the
west by the Indian Pundit Gopi Krishna, whose
autobiography is entitled Kundalini—The Evolutionary Energy in Man
(Boulder: Shambhala, 1971).
The late Itzhak Bentov studied
Kundalini from an engineering perspective. According to Bentov (1990),
the 7.5Hz oscillation of the heart muscle rhythm-induces mechanical KHz
frequencies in the brain, that in turn create a stimulus equivalent of a
current loop. The nerve ends in that loop correspond to the route
through which the Kundalini "rises". This current polarizes the brain
part through which it flows in a homogenous way, effectively releasing
tremendous amounts of stress from the body. The body then becomes an
effective antenna for the 7.5Hz frequency, which is one of the
ionosphere resonant frequencies. In lay man terms, you then pick up
information from the air. This might account for repeated descriptions
of heightened senses as a result of rising Kundalini, e.g. as described
by Yogananda: "The whole vicinity lay bare before me.
My ordinary frontal vision was now changed to a vast spherical sight,
simultaneously all-perceptive. Through the back of my head I saw men
strolling far down Rai Ghat Lane..."
When practiced in a religious context,
Kundalini is mostly beneficial and benevolent, but its initial
physiological precursors have the potential to diverge into some
peculiar types of pathology, when induced to arise via violence and
outside of a religious context, where it may be part of a PTSD response
to extreme experiences. The PTSD researcher Dr. Jonathan Shay (1994)
describes several cases with kundalini-like symptoms in his book
'Achilles in Vietnam'
According to transpersonal theorists (Greyson,
1993) the phenomenon of kundalini is not necessarily pathological in
itself, but it might produce serious physiological and psychodynamic
symptoms if it is activated outside of a proper socio-cultural context,
or if it conflicts with already existing and underlying psychopathology
or issues connected to overall human development. |
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