In previous blogs I have discussed why Kundalini symptoms and syndrome begin, what the symptoms are, and a bit about what you can do about them. You can find those blogs here and here. As discussed in prior blogs, a true Kundalini Awakening can be devastating to the person undergoing it and frequently leads to severe illness due to the intensity of the process.
One of my favorite ways to work with someone undergoing a Kundalini awakening in-person is with CranioSacral Therapy. CranioSacral Therapy is a modality derived from Osteopathic Medicine by John Upledger and other pioneers. It is a gentle, whole body approach with a focus on the fluid systems, inherent rhythms and tides of the body, energetic systems of the body, the fascia and tissues that wrap around the brain and spinal cord, as well as the bones and ligaments that make up the tailbone, spine, neck, and head.
Since Kundalini is focused in the Sushumna, or central channel (it runs through the brain and spinal cord) of the body, it is well met by CranioSacral Therapy both in focus and with the gentle approach of the therapy.
The biggest issue by far that those undergoing Kundalini awakenings face is blockage in their central channel, associated channels (Ida and Pingala that run along the spine) as well as the chakra system. Kundalini begins in the first chakra and behind the point of the tailbone (if you are experiencing an awakening from the crown down it is a Top-Down awakening and not Kundalini) and starts an ascent up the spine. The first three chakras are about you, your survival instincts, your early childhood, your family, and your ancestry. As you can imagine, this is fertile material for many, and these chakras when blasted open by Kundalini cause every issue that has been locked in the respective chakra or area of the body to come up for processing. All at the same time.
This can obviously have pretty severe effects. Kundalini will ascend as far as it can like a thermometer until it meets blockage. Then it will stop and either go back down or will stay with the blockage, blasting it open like a dormant volcano suddenly erupting. This causes physical symptoms in the area (for example burning, low back pain, UTI's and urogenital issues in the first chakra if it is blocked and cannot ascend any further or nausea, vomiting, inability to take in foods, and rib pain for the third chakra) as well as emotional issues associated with that chakra (fear and survival instincts for first chakra as well as sometimes anger, issues with self-worth, grief, sadness for third chakra). These issues are even more difficult because they are often severe, sometimes life-threatening, and often cannot be explained or treated by Allopathic Medicine (please go see a doctor though to rule anything out though).
So we come back to the idea of blockage. Once Kundalini fire is able to rise up without meeting resistance the huge physical and emotional symptoms settle down. Eventually Kundalini will rise and fall in waves, more gently and sometimes more significantly moving through stored material it did not get the first time (or the first eighty times). The less blockage you have the less intense symptoms (usually, until you get to the bottom of the barrel and the top-down energy and Kundalini energy meet and start cycling, then you will usually go through significant issues again for a while until the whole circuit is cycling. But after that, the heat/burning, pain, and energetic dancing of fingers, hands, and whole body settles down nicely).
CranioSacral Therapy works specifically with blockages in the spine and it can treat many Kundalini blockages through facilitated segment work. A facilitated segment is basically an area of the spine that is having either too much activity or too little. It has separated from functioning with the rest of the spine as a happy, healthy whole spine. These spinal segments innervate tissues, organs, and whole other tracts of the body so having one that is unhappy will create havoc in the whole localized area as well as create issues for the entire body. CranioSacral Practitioners can correct this, and can help to process the material that is coming up in a Kundalini awakening in a safe and gentle manner through gentle work with correcting these facilitated segments, and helping the surrounding organs, fascia, and other structures come to a state of balance, and allowing the whole length of the spine and nervous system begin proper communication.
There are many other reasons that CranioSacral Therapy works well for Kundalini Syndrome. Kundalini causes overwhelm and overload causing the body to be in a constant alert state. One of the greatest benefits of CranioSacral Therapy is that it reboots the system like a computer, allowing your body to go from "fight or flight" on/alert state to an "rest and digest" off state. CranioSacral Therapy also evaluates the meridians, chakras, and other energy systems of the body and works individually with your unique imbalances to bring you to a greater state of balance. It is also gentle enough and comes from a "witness state" meaning that it is not creating any new material or issues for your body to process, it is simply finding avenues for your body to release the intense amount of heat, overwhelm, and emotional/physical issues that are arising for you.
There is also SomatoEmotional Release which is enormously helpful for Kundalini Awakenings. Your practitioner can guide you to actually talk to your body, to your Spirit, to your fear and anger, and even to your Kundalini to find out what it wants and the best way that it can individually rise and fall. Through making this individual connection to your Kundalini fire, you can start a positive relationship instead of a relationship of overwhelm, fear, and general dysfunction. SomatoEmotional Release also allows for movement, so often people undergoing Kundalini awakenings will do their kriyas and mudras (automatic hand and body movements) on the table or floor of the treatment room and can create a lot of energetic flow and release by doing so.
The last way that CranioSacral Therapy is ideal for Kundalini Awakenings is because it directly taps into the spirit, the spiritual forces that make up your unique blueprint, and can bring you to an intensely deep, quiet, and spiritual place that will allow you insight into your true self. Since most Kundalini-ites are constantly in a place of overwhelm, they rarely get that quiet meditative focus that they need to both process the enormous energies that are circulating as well as look behind the scenes at why this process began for them and what their unique and individual spiritual path is. This insight into your process which is created by the quiet attention and space that your CranioSacral Therapy practitioner provides you with is a powerful way to gain insight into the workings of your Kundalini Awakening.
Have any Questions? Want to Ask Me about CranioSacral Therapy and Kundalini? If your CranioSacral Therapist does not know about Kundalini, they can feel free to contact me as well at www.lotusbodywork.com
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Erasing the Imprints of Healing Sessions gone wrong
More and more lately I have found myself in the position of "fixing" other practitioners work, so I thought that I would write a blog post on the subject. I realize that this is more of a rant, but a thought-provoking rant I hope. I am an Acupuncturist, CranioSacral Therapist, Energy Worker, and Shamanic/Spiritual Healer. All of these fields have extraordinary practitioners in them. But these fields also have many practitioners that either do nothing or can cause harm to their patients, often without the practitioner realizing the ramifications of what they are doing.
As an Acupuncturist, this can be physically dangerous, as Chiropractors, Naturopaths, Medical Doctors, and even Physical Therapists have begun needling. Improper technique with an acupuncture needle can lead to pneumothorax (essentially what happens when you put something pointy into the Lungs and they deflate like a balloon), bruising, or pain on insertion of the needle. Licensed Acupuncturists can cause these effects as well, but it is much rarer due to the amount of training they have. In fact, mostly if you go to an ineffective Acupuncturist what typically happens is the patient thinks that Acupuncture doesn't work because they got no results and is not willing to spend money or time on it again. It is hard to convince them that Acupuncture with an experienced practitioner might actually get them results at this point, or that Acupuncture can happen without pain, etc.
CranioSacral Therapy is something that can also prove to be ineffective in the wrong hands. It is rarely dangerous physically, although I have worked with several patients who have had improper cranial base techniques done resulting in headaches and other body pain. The issue with CranioSacral Therapy is that often they are weekend classes and after the first course, many practitioners hang a shingle or put on their business card that they are CranioSacral Therapists. It also is not regulated well, so in some states practitioners who do not have any previous health care training become practitioners. This is not an issue for many clients with garden variety type pain, stress, and overwhelm that comes from daily life. In fact, these beginning practitioners can be just what these patients need.
But I have worked with more than a dozen clients who have worked with CranioSacral Therapists who are beginners treating everything from severe trauma and disassociation to cancer. While no physical trauma occurred as a result of these treatments, the results of "nothing happening" to having extreme emotional duress, physical pain, or other issues during or after a session that the practitioner is not experienced enough to handle have occurred. Many people have come to me with improperly released trauma and emotional issues due to practitioners being unskilled or unable to properly help the patient release.
The most difficult clients that I have to deal with are those who have been to a Shamanic Healer and/or Energy Worker who has caused them serious harm. These are not easy fixes. I believe (and many others do as well) that there are certain people who are called to being a Shaman or an Energy Worker. They have natural talent, and this combined with physical teachings, non-physical teachings, and a considerable spiritual practice can create an extremely effective practitioner. But like a session I had today (which was the catalyst for this rant/blog post) this field especially attracts people who take a workshop, or read books, and start working on patients with complex spiritual and energetic issues. This can create harm to the patient, to the family/friends of the patient, and to the practitioner who is working in areas they shouldn't be. In rare cases, this has caused the death of a practitioner who found themselves in a situation that they were not able to handle.
Take my session today with a client. She had been to two other "Shamans" who had done soul retrieval work for her. After the sessions, she completely disassociated, spent time in a psychiatric hospital after attempting suicide, and was basically non-functional for a period of two years. Before this time, she had struggled with some minor depression and early childhood trauma. Going over the tracks of the other practitioners, I saw that one of them had brought back energy that was not hers, and this energy was very dark, heavy, and filled with despair. By doing so, there was no longer any room for what was actually "her" so she energetically left her body. She had spent the last two years going to psychiatrists, taking medication, and basically being non-functional before something finally clicked in her that this began with soul retrieval work she had received. In the session with her, I not only had to undo the other practitioners work and imprint, release the energy that was not hers, but then coax and calm her fractured, disassociated self back into her body, as well as do healing work surrounding her experiences over the last few years.
This story is not a unique one. Every week I receive emails and phone calls from people all over the world who have been to spiritual healers that have done more harm than good. What is lucky about the situation is that most work is reversible. Many practitioners who call themselves Energy Workers and Spiritual/Shamanic Healers simply fall into the category of the Acupuncturist Medical Doctor hobbyist and do not do much harm or good. But some have learned techniques and skills that can cause harm. And often these practitioners do not understand the serious nature of the forces that they are dealing with and take patients with serious issues before they are ready to.
So what is the point of this blog? Is it for me to applaud myself on how I can fix rather complex situations, or how I am an effective practitioner, or about my session today? Is it to judge these other practitioners? No, not really. My point here is simple. These healing modalities are extremely profound with the right practitioner. Life changing in fact. With the "wrong" practitioner, the results are either nothing or worse- emotional, physical, or spiritual trauma that can be difficult to fix. If you go to a practitioner, ask what sort of training they have, how long they have been in business, and if they have worked with someone like you. Realize that if you go to a spiritual practitioner that effects can be profound and this is uniquely dangerous because it is rare that someone is able to link the work they had done to their life, mental/emotional/physical health, or destiny completely going off track. It is also difficult to to find a practitioner who can work with repairing the work of other practitioners.
So be careful... realize that spiritual matters, emotional issues, and physical issues can be healed or worsened in profound ways by any of these modalities. Realize that reactions to these healing modalities can affect your entire life in ways you wouldn't necessarily expect. Ask questions, trust your gut instincts about a practitioner, and most of all, realize that finding a practitioner that is experienced, naturally talented/skilled, honest, and is a good match for your personality can be a life-changing thing.
As an Acupuncturist, this can be physically dangerous, as Chiropractors, Naturopaths, Medical Doctors, and even Physical Therapists have begun needling. Improper technique with an acupuncture needle can lead to pneumothorax (essentially what happens when you put something pointy into the Lungs and they deflate like a balloon), bruising, or pain on insertion of the needle. Licensed Acupuncturists can cause these effects as well, but it is much rarer due to the amount of training they have. In fact, mostly if you go to an ineffective Acupuncturist what typically happens is the patient thinks that Acupuncture doesn't work because they got no results and is not willing to spend money or time on it again. It is hard to convince them that Acupuncture with an experienced practitioner might actually get them results at this point, or that Acupuncture can happen without pain, etc.
CranioSacral Therapy is something that can also prove to be ineffective in the wrong hands. It is rarely dangerous physically, although I have worked with several patients who have had improper cranial base techniques done resulting in headaches and other body pain. The issue with CranioSacral Therapy is that often they are weekend classes and after the first course, many practitioners hang a shingle or put on their business card that they are CranioSacral Therapists. It also is not regulated well, so in some states practitioners who do not have any previous health care training become practitioners. This is not an issue for many clients with garden variety type pain, stress, and overwhelm that comes from daily life. In fact, these beginning practitioners can be just what these patients need.
But I have worked with more than a dozen clients who have worked with CranioSacral Therapists who are beginners treating everything from severe trauma and disassociation to cancer. While no physical trauma occurred as a result of these treatments, the results of "nothing happening" to having extreme emotional duress, physical pain, or other issues during or after a session that the practitioner is not experienced enough to handle have occurred. Many people have come to me with improperly released trauma and emotional issues due to practitioners being unskilled or unable to properly help the patient release.
The most difficult clients that I have to deal with are those who have been to a Shamanic Healer and/or Energy Worker who has caused them serious harm. These are not easy fixes. I believe (and many others do as well) that there are certain people who are called to being a Shaman or an Energy Worker. They have natural talent, and this combined with physical teachings, non-physical teachings, and a considerable spiritual practice can create an extremely effective practitioner. But like a session I had today (which was the catalyst for this rant/blog post) this field especially attracts people who take a workshop, or read books, and start working on patients with complex spiritual and energetic issues. This can create harm to the patient, to the family/friends of the patient, and to the practitioner who is working in areas they shouldn't be. In rare cases, this has caused the death of a practitioner who found themselves in a situation that they were not able to handle.
Take my session today with a client. She had been to two other "Shamans" who had done soul retrieval work for her. After the sessions, she completely disassociated, spent time in a psychiatric hospital after attempting suicide, and was basically non-functional for a period of two years. Before this time, she had struggled with some minor depression and early childhood trauma. Going over the tracks of the other practitioners, I saw that one of them had brought back energy that was not hers, and this energy was very dark, heavy, and filled with despair. By doing so, there was no longer any room for what was actually "her" so she energetically left her body. She had spent the last two years going to psychiatrists, taking medication, and basically being non-functional before something finally clicked in her that this began with soul retrieval work she had received. In the session with her, I not only had to undo the other practitioners work and imprint, release the energy that was not hers, but then coax and calm her fractured, disassociated self back into her body, as well as do healing work surrounding her experiences over the last few years.
This story is not a unique one. Every week I receive emails and phone calls from people all over the world who have been to spiritual healers that have done more harm than good. What is lucky about the situation is that most work is reversible. Many practitioners who call themselves Energy Workers and Spiritual/Shamanic Healers simply fall into the category of the Acupuncturist Medical Doctor hobbyist and do not do much harm or good. But some have learned techniques and skills that can cause harm. And often these practitioners do not understand the serious nature of the forces that they are dealing with and take patients with serious issues before they are ready to.
So what is the point of this blog? Is it for me to applaud myself on how I can fix rather complex situations, or how I am an effective practitioner, or about my session today? Is it to judge these other practitioners? No, not really. My point here is simple. These healing modalities are extremely profound with the right practitioner. Life changing in fact. With the "wrong" practitioner, the results are either nothing or worse- emotional, physical, or spiritual trauma that can be difficult to fix. If you go to a practitioner, ask what sort of training they have, how long they have been in business, and if they have worked with someone like you. Realize that if you go to a spiritual practitioner that effects can be profound and this is uniquely dangerous because it is rare that someone is able to link the work they had done to their life, mental/emotional/physical health, or destiny completely going off track. It is also difficult to to find a practitioner who can work with repairing the work of other practitioners.
So be careful... realize that spiritual matters, emotional issues, and physical issues can be healed or worsened in profound ways by any of these modalities. Realize that reactions to these healing modalities can affect your entire life in ways you wouldn't necessarily expect. Ask questions, trust your gut instincts about a practitioner, and most of all, realize that finding a practitioner that is experienced, naturally talented/skilled, honest, and is a good match for your personality can be a life-changing thing.
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