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| '''Kundalini syndrome''' is a set of ], ], ] and ] experiences described in the literature of ], ] and other sources covering transpersonal, spiritual or medical topics. The phenomenon is sometimes called the "Kundalini-syndrome",<ref name="Ring & Rosing, 1990">Ring & Rosing, 1990:226</ref><ref>Sovatsky,1998, p. 180.</ref><ref>Grof & Grof: 1989:15</ref> the "Physio-Kundalini syndrome",<ref name="Greyson 1993">Greyson, 1993</ref><ref name="Greyson 2000">Greyson, 2000</ref><ref name="Prosnick & Evans, 2003:138">Prosnick & Evans, 2003:138</ref><ref name=" Valanciute & L.A. Thampy, 2011">Valanciute & Thampy, 2011: Title</ref> or simply referred to as a "syndrome".<ref name="ReferenceB">Ring & Rosing, 1990</ref><ref name="Thalbourne, 2001">Thalbourne, 2001</ref> Other researchers, while not using the term "]",{{ref|a|Note a}} have also begun to address this phenomenon as a clinical category,<ref name="Turner et.al 1995">Turner et.al,1995:440</ref><ref name="Lukoff Lu Turner">Lukoff D, Lu FG, Turner R, 1995</ref><ref name="Scotton 1996">Scotton, 1996</ref> or as a recognizable ].<ref name="Kason 2000">Kason, 2000:222</ref> | |||
| Kundalini syndrome has been reported predominantly by people who have had a ],<ref>Greyson, 1993:45,55-56</ref><ref name="Ring & Rosing, 1990:226,237">Ring & Rosing, 1990:226,237</ref><ref name="Kason, 2000">Kason, 2000</ref> or by practitioners of Asian spiritual practices.<ref name="Kason, 2000:259-60">Kason, 2000:259-60</ref><ref name="Scotton 1996: 262,269">Scotton 1996: 262,269</ref><ref name="Sovatsky">Sovatsky, 1998:180</ref><ref>Psychiatric literature notes that: {{quote|Since the influx of eastern spiritual practices and the rising popularity of meditation starting in the 1960s, research has expanded on those who practice them, and has shown that some people experience psychological distress, either while engaged in intensive spiritual practice or spontaneously.|Turner et al., Page 440}}</ref> Other factors that may trigger this symptomatology include a variety of intense personal crises or experiences.<ref>Kason, pg.163; Table 4.</ref><ref name=" Valanciute & Thampy, 2011:840">Valanciute & L.A. Thampy, 2011</ref> | |||
| According to writers in the field of transpersonal psychology the process is not always sudden and dramatic, it can also start slowly and increase gradually in activity over time.<ref name="Kason, pg. 51">Kason, pg. 51</ref> If the accompanying symptoms unfold in an intense manner that destabilizes the person, the process is usually interpreted as a ].<ref name="Turner pg. 440">{{quote|"spiritual emergency" (i.e., an uncontrolled emergence of spiritual phenomena with significant disruption in psychological/social/occupational functioning)|Turner et al, pg. 440}}</ref><ref>Vernon-Johnson, 2004:19</ref> | |||
| == Terminology == | |||
| Commentators use different terms when describing the symptomatology and phenomenology of kundalini. These terms are similar to, but not quite synonymous with, the term "Kundalini syndrome". The terms "Kundalini Syndrome" or "Physio-Kundalini Syndrome", or the references to a "syndrome", are mostly used by writers in the field of Near-Death Studies,<ref name="Prosnick & Evans, 2003:138"/><ref>Greyson, 1993; 2000</ref><ref>Ring & Rosing, 1990: 225,226</ref> but also by writers in the fields of Transpersonal Psychology,<ref name="Sovatsky">Sovatsky, 1998:180</ref> Psychology,<ref name="Thalbourne">Thalbourne, 2001: 341</ref> and Mental Health/Psychiatry.<ref name=" Valanciute & Thampy, 2011:840"/> The terminology of "syndrome" is also associated with two measuring instruments developed by Near-death researchers: The Kundalini Scale<ref name="ReferenceA">Ring & Rosing 1990: 225, 227: Table 5</ref> and the Physio-Kundalini Syndrome Index.<ref name="Greyson, 1993:49; 2000: 124">Greyson, 1993:49; 2000: 124</ref> | |||
| == Academic and clinical discussion == | |||
| The Kundalini-phenomenon, as a topic for clinical and academic discussion, is mentioned in a few mainstream academic journals, including '']'', '']'', ''The ]'' and '']''. There is also a brief mention in The '']''. Other, less mainstream, publications that have published articles on the topic include ''The ]'', ''The Humanistic Psychologist'' and ''The ]''. In addition to this the phenomenon is discussed in several independent books associated with the transpersonal field. | |||
| Commentators mention the dangers, or psychological difficulties, associated with intense or excessive practice of spiritual disciplines.<ref>Kason,(2000), pg. 259-60; 271.</ref><ref>Turner et al., 1995: 440</ref> According to writers in the field, such practices may, in unfortunate instances, trigger kundalini symptomatology, and lead to states of spiritual emergency. Greyson<ref>Greyson, 1993:46</ref> notes that contemporary western culture is poorly equipped to deal with signs of kundalini activity. Therefore, such activity might lead to major disruptions in the social and psychological functioning of people experiencing kundalini symptoms. According to Greyson, such disruptions are often confused with psychotic disorders. Jerry,<ref>Jerry, 2003:45</ref> writing from the perspective of transpersonal diagnosis, suggests that it is important for the clinical field to distinguish between psychotic episodes and kundalini experiences. According to his view the two categories require different courses of treatment. | |||
| In the book "The Stormy Search for the Self", ], whose wife Christina underwent the dramatic '']'' experience, gave prominence to increased levels of energy, shaking, memories of traumas, extreme emotions, inner sounds, visions, sexual arousal, and difficulty controlling behaviours. They recommended anyone having these experiences have a medical examination by a clinician knowledgeable about kundalini because of the similarity between these symptoms and indications of psychiatric and medical problems.<ref>Grof (1990), p. 80</ref> The biological plausibility of meditative practices and Yoga causing acute psychotic illness has been suggested by a psychiatrist as being related to alterations in neurophysiological parameters, such as ], which may be used to prescribe or proscribe yogic and meditative practices to certain people.<ref name=Bharadwaj_B_2012>Bharadwaj, Balaji. Letter to the editor: Proof-of-concept studies in Yoga and mental health. ''Int J Yoga'' 2012;5:74</ref> | |||
| Both Greyson<ref>Greyson, 1993:57</ref> and Scotton<ref>Scotton, 1996:269</ref> underline the importance of differentiating between Kundalini phenomena on the one hand, and mental illness or psychopathology on the other hand. As a consequence of research findings Greyson finds support for the claim that the phenomenon of kundalini can be understood as a non-pathological force. He also implies that kundalini phenomena are not common in mental illness, and that it should be possible to differentiate this phenomenon from mental illness.<ref>Greyson, 1993:54,57</ref> According to Scotton,<ref>Scotton, 1996: 269.</ref> Kundalini-symptoms may, or may not, be associated with ], but are not reducible to any psychopathology. He thinks that it is important to differentiate between the signs of Kundalini and the symptoms of ], and not subsume the signs of Kundalini under a pathological diagnosis. He also notes<ref>Scotton, 1996: 261</ref> that classical western psychiatric treatment may not be the most appropriate approach towards kundalini symptomatology. He does mention a few circumstances (mainly involving psychotic ideation) where he finds drug treatment to be appropriate, but he prefers to handle Kundalini episodes with as little physiological intervention, and drug intervention, as possible.<ref>{{quote|Western clinicians who have become aware of the kundalini phenomenona have begun to see it clinically. My colleagues and I have treated more than a half dozen cases of difficult kundalini experiences and have found that supportive treatment is best, with the least invasive physiological measures possible.|Scotton, 1996. Page 263-64}}</ref> | |||
| On the other hand, Sovatsky believes that it is important to differentiate between Kundalini as a yogic energy term (and as a marker for Kundalini awakening) and the symptoms of different preliminary ] processes or ] imbalances.<ref>Sovatsky (1998), p. 161, 180</ref> | |||
| In an article from the '']'', authors Grabovac & Ganesan<ref name=Grabovac_Ganesan_2003>Grabovac, Andrea D. & Ganesan, Soma (2003) "Spirituality and Religion in Canadian Psychiatric Residency Training". ''Canadian Journal of Psychiatry'', Vol. 48, No. 3, April, Table 3</ref> proposed a 10-session lecture series on religion and spirituality in Canadian Psychiatric Residency Training. One of the sessions suggested by the authors was Transpersonal psychology, which included a category called "kundalini episodes". | |||
| == Research and Case-studies == | |||
| Research on kundalini-symptomatology has been presented by researchers in the areas of ] and ], but also by researchers associated with other areas of Psychology and Mental health. Among the first studies to comment upon symptoms of kundalini was Ring and Rosing's ''Omega Project'', published in 1990.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> {{ref|g|Note g}} In this study the researchers found that Near-death experiencers reported several psychophysical changes in the wake of their near-death experience, including symptoms that could be interpreted as kundalini-activity. | |||
| Another study from the early nineties was conducted by NDE-researcher Bruce Greyson.<ref>Greyson, 1993</ref> Co-operating with the inpatient psychiatric unit of the ], Greyson administered the Physio-Kundalini Syndrome Index, a 19-item questionnaire, to patients admitted to the unit. He found that psychiatric patients reported physio-kundalini symptoms, but to a lesser degree than a group of near-death experiencers described in a previous study. | |||
| Greyson followed up his previous interest in the subject with a new study in 2000, published in the ] under the title “Some Neuropsychological Correlates Of The Physio-Kundalini Syndrome”.<ref>Greyson (2000)</ref> In this study a group of 321 volunteers, from the ], responded to the Physio-kundalini syndrome index, as well as standardized tests designed to measure neuropsychological traits. Using statistical regression analysis the author found that kundalini arousal was significantly related to measures of fantasy proneness, dissociation, absorption, and temporal-limbic hyperconnection, but not to right-brain dominance or to demographic variables. | |||
| Thalbourne,<ref>Thalbourne, 2001</ref> using the terminology of "experience", administered a battery of pencil-and-paper tests, including an instrument called The Kundalini Scale {{ref|h|Note h}} to 125 first-year psychology students at ]. He found that scores on the Kundalini scale was correlated with several other scales measuring belief in the paranormal. | |||
| Prosnick & Evans<ref>Prosnick & Evans, 2003</ref> developed the Physio-Kundalini Syndrome Index-7 (PKSI-7). A 7-item short-form drawn from the 19-item Physio-Kundalini Syndrome Index. They found that this instrument showed positive correlation with NDE-6, a shortened version of Greysons 16-item NDE-scale. | |||
| Sanches and Daniels,<ref>Sanches and Daniels, 2008</ref> using the terminology of "awakening", distributed a pilot psychometric instrument called the Kundalini Awakening Scale (KAS) to four different groups: Yoga teachers, Yoga students, people following other spiritual traditions, and people from a general population. They found that kundalini experience was highest, but also most problematic, in the group of people following other spiritual traditions. | |||
| Scotton<ref>Scotton, 1996</ref> presented two case-examples in an article on the phenomenology of Kundalini, published in "Textbook of Transpersonal Psychiatry and Psychology". Valanciute and Thampy<ref>Valanciute and Thampy, 2011</ref> presented one Case-review, in a discussion of Physio Kundalini syndrome and mental health, published in the journal '']''. | |||
| == Bentov's "Physio-kundalini syndrome" == | |||
| ] devoted an appendix of his 1977 book ''Stalking the Wild Pendulum: The Mechanics of Consciousness'' to what he called "Physio-kundalini Syndrome".<ref>{{quote|This model, which we may call the "physio-kundalini" since it deals only with the physiological part of the kundalini, describes the kundalini as a stimulus spreading along the sensory cortex of the two hemispheres, starting at the cleft between the two hemispheres of the brain.|Bentov pp. 212-13}}</ref> Bentov's colleague Lee Sannella subsequently also used the term to describe the incidence of physiological phenomena found to be coexistent with experiences of kundalini.<ref>{{quote|I propose to apply the term ''physio-kundalini'' to those aspects of the kundalini process which can accounted for in purely physiological terms. The physio-kundalini is, then, the slow progression of energy sensation originating in the lower part of the body and rising through it into the head and proceeding down through the throat into the abdomen where this stimulus reaches its culmination point. I will also refer to this complex phenomenon as the ''physio-kundalini process'' or ''cycle'' or ''mechanism''.|Sannella, p. 34}}</ref> Both Bentov and Sannella, concurred with ]'s view that kundalini is a symptom of an evolution toward higher states of consciousness.<ref>Bentov, p.11</ref><ref>Sannella p. 20</ref><ref>Krishna, p. 124</ref> | |||
| These researchers were especially interested in kundalini problems – unusual physiological occurrences that tended to happen in situations where subjects practiced long periods of meditation without proper guidance or supervision. Many of Bentov and Sannella's case studies were mostly practitioners of ] as taught by ].<ref>Bentov cited 13 detailed case studies who were TM practitioners. Bentov, pp. 228-35 On p. 177 he included a quote from the Maharishi. It would appear that he also engaged in the practice.</ref><ref>Sannella gave 17 case histories, 7 of which were TM practitioners, and 2 devotees of ]. Sannella, pp. 57-82</ref> | |||
| == Criticism and skeptical views == | |||
| Skepticism towards the concept of excess universal energy, and spiritual emergencies, has been expressed by the field of psychiatry.<ref name=Gray_2012>Gray, Alison J. "Reviews: In Case of Spiritual Emergency: Moving Successfully Through Your Awakening". ''Psychiatric Bulletin'' (2012) 36: 360</ref> | |||
| == Notes == | |||
| :a.{{note|a}} See section below, called "Terminology". | |||
| :b.{{note|b}} According to the author (Greyson, 1993b:282) documentation of the validity and reliability of the physio-kundalini syndrome questionnaire was not available at the time of publication in 1993. | |||
| :c.{{note|c}} STE: Short for "Spiritually Transformative Experience". | |||
| :d.{{note|d}} Definition of the term "pranotthana": "Intensified, uplifted life energy" (Sovatsky, 1998:153), "The perception of energy movement" (Bynum, 1996: 260). | |||
| :e.{{note|e}} Spiritual Emergence: a gradual unfolding of spiritual potential with no disruption in psychological/social/occupational functioning (Turner, Lukoff ,Barnhouse & Lu, 1995). | |||
| :f.{{note|f}} Also mentioned below, under the heading "Research and Case-studies". | |||
| :g.{{note|g}} For a critical view on the instrument section of "The Omega Project", see "Letters to The Editor", Journal of Near-Death Studies Summer 1991, Volume 9, Issue 4, pp 259-264 | |||
| :h.{{note|h}} A separate instrument, not to be confused with Ring & Rosing's Kundalini Scale (1990) mentioned earlier. | |||
| == References == | |||
| {{reflist|30em}} | |||
| == Bibliography == | |||
| * Greyson, Bruce. "The Physio-Kundalini Syndrome and Mental Disease". ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology'', Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 43–58, 1993 | |||
| * Greyson, Bruce. "Near-Death Experiences and the Physio-Kundalini Syndrome". ''Journal of Religion and Health'', Vol. 32, No. 4, Winter 1993(b) | |||
| * Greyson, Bruce. "Some Neuropsychological Correlates Of The Physio-Kundalini Syndrome". ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology'', 2000, Vol.32, No. 2 | |||
| * Grof, Stanislav & Grof, Christina (1989). Spiritual Emergency. When Personal Transformation Becomes a Crisis. Los Angeles; Jermey P. Tarcher/Perigee | |||
| * Jerry, Paul A. "Challenges in Transpersonal Diagnosis". ''Journal of Transpersonal Psychology'', 2003, Vol. 35, No. 1 | |||
| * Kason, Yvonne (2000). "Farther Shores. Exploring how Near-Death, Kundalini and Mystical Experiences can transform ordinary lives". Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers. | |||
| * Lukoff D, Lu FG, Turner R. "Cultural considerations in the assessment and treatment of religious and spiritual problems". ''Psychiatric Clinics of North America,'' 1995 Sep;18(3):467-85 | |||
| * Prosnick, Kevin & Evans, William J. (2003) "Validity and Reliability of the Near-Death Experience Scale 6 (NDE-6)". ''Journal of Near-Death Studies'', 22(2), Winter | |||
| * Ring, Kenneth & Rosing, Christopher (1990) "The Omega Project: An Empirical Study of the NDE-prone personality". ''Journal Of Near-Death Studies'', (8) 4, Summer | |||
| * Scotton, Bruce. ''The phenomenology and treatment of kundalini'', in Scotton, Chinen, and Battista, editors, Textbook of transpersonal psychiatry and psychology. (pp. 261–270). New York: Basic Books, 1996. | |||
| * Thalbourne, Michael A. ''Measures of the Sheep-Goat variable, Transliminality, and Their Correlates''. ''Psychological Reports'', 2001, 88: 339-50 | |||
| * Turner, Robert P.; Lukoff, David; Barnhouse, Ruth Tiffany & Lu, Francis G. (1995) "Religious or Spiritual Problem. A Culturally Sensitive Diagnostic Category in the DSM-IV". ''Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease'', Vol.183, No.7, 435-444 | |||
| * Sovatsky, Stuart, . New York: State University of New York Press, 1998 ISBN 0-7914-3950-X. (SUNY Series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology). | |||
| * Valanciute, A.; Thampy, L.A. "Physio Kundalini syndrome and mental health". ''Mental Health, Religion & Culture'', Vol 14(8), Oct 2011, 839-842 | |||
| == Further reading == | |||
| * ''Kundalini Rising: Exploring the Energy of Awakening'', Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, Andrew Newberg, Sivananda Radha, Ken Wilber, John White, Stuart Sovatsky, Gopi Krishna, Barbara Harris Whitfield, Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, ''et al.'', Boulder, Colorado, Sounds True, Inc., 2009 ISBN 978-1-59179-728-9 | |||
| * Whitfield, Barbara Harris (1995) ''Spiritual Awakenings: Insights of the near-death experience and other doorways to our soul'' (Health Communications, 1995). | |||
| * Yogi Bhajan with Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, The Mind: Its Projections and Multiple Facets, Santa Cruz, NM, Kundalini Research Institute, 1998 ISBN 0-9639991-6-8 | |||
| * Rabyor, Mary E., ''Our Light Body: A Kundalini Awakening Testimonial'', April 2012, 494 pages, ISBN 978-0985466305 | |||
| == External links == | |||
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Kundalini Syndrome}} | |||
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