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Spiritual emergence is a process of development
where a person moves beyond ordinary human
experiences, feelings, desires and "ego-states" into
experiencing the transpersonal realms of
consciousness. The process of spiritual emergence
generally takes a long time as the transpersonal
dimensions are integrated into one's daily life.
While a person on a journey of spiritual emergence
sometimes experiences confusion or disorientation
during this inner time of transition, the person is
generally able to function in a way that is
congruent with one's "previous life".
However, sometimes this transformational process of
spiritual development becomes a crisis. Spiritual
emergency is described by Christina Grof as a
spiritual crisis in which the changes are so rapid
and the inner states so demanding that, temporarily,
people may find it difficult to operate in daily
life. Basically, it is an intense healing crisis
which can be brought on by various situations such
as physical disease, childbirth, or painful
emotional losses. Spiritual emergency can also be
brought on by events that bring a person into
contact with non-ordinary states of consciousness,
for example overwhelming experiences of sexual union
or the use of mind-altering drugs
It is very important for those in spiritual
emergency to be able to receive support from someone
who is very skilled in working with non-ordinary
states of consciousness. Ideally, a person will be
able to work with a practitioner who not only has a
lot of professional experience with these states but
who has also personally experienced the intensity of
spiritual emergency. A practitioner who has
personally navigated the difficulties of spiritual
emergency can serve as a guide and a witness. The
faith and knowingness that comes when one has
successfully emerged from a spiritual emergency
allows the practitioner to hold a deep trust in the
inner healing process. Having a guide who can hold
space in this way can be very helpful to the
journeyer who may find that it is extremely
difficult to have trust in the inner process when it
is experienced as frightening and overwhelming.
See the
Spiritual Emergence Network home page for more
information about Spiritual Emergency.
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