Are you experiencing a spiritual crisis? How do you know? What characteristics, emotions, thoughts, behaviors, sensations, or even dreams paint the picture for you?
Are you unclear if what you’re experiencing is genuine? Do you question it? Are you questioning…everything?
(Do you secretly fear you’re…(drum roll)…going crazy?)
In my experience, chances are, you’re not crazy in the slightest. You just don’t have a framework for understanding what you are experiencing, especially if it’s a true spiritual crisis.
Both personally and professionally, what constitutes a personal spiritual crisis (which can be and mean many different things) is a matter of idiosyncratic/subjective experience, belief, perspective, one’s bio-psycho-social environment, spiritual or religious affiliation of lack thereof, and of course, culture, as such crisis are always culture-bound. Meaning, what in one culture would be considered a bona fide spiritual crisis might, in a another, be looked at (and probably labeled) a moral failing, such as having “imperfect faith.”
At the time of this writing, the world itself, arguably, is in global spiritual crisis. COVID-19, shutdowns, quarantines, racial violence and tensions at a max, never more divisive politics, protests, riots, etc. All the makings of the classic, archetypal process of birth/destruction/rebirth in full swing destruction mode! So, if on the personal level we find ourselves in the proverbial wilderness, experiencing an unusual (for us) darkness, how do we determine if this is a “from without” or “from within” generated crisis? And how much does that even matter? (And it’s probably both anyway!) These are some of the questions I encounter daily as I walk with folks struggling to make meaning of what’s happening, with themselves and the world at large.
I do not claim to have the answers, and it’s precisely these types of hard to pin down, “Both/And”experiences that ultimately defy neat and tidy categorization, let alone neat and tidy solutions. But even before and part from Coronavirus and all its ramifications became our new reality, I’ve been working with people on mental health challemnges that very often could be re-framed as fundamental spiritual crisis. Folks dealing with depression and anxiety in particular—again, inseparable from the social environment and cultural factors—are often in fact really people steeped in spiritual crisis—feeling existentially confused, lost, alone, forsaken, unable to access their intuition and recognize the nature of the spiritual guidance always available to us all.
You might find it surprising that the characteristics of a spiritual crisis are nearly identical to that of clinical depression. The hallmark difference is that a spiritual crisis [showing up as symptoms of depression] is a crisis of the soul. It’s a deeper. far more meaning-laden suffering. It takes a keen eye and broader lens to account for all possible factors that influence and exacerbate suffering not directly attributable to any obvious situational factors. Even though such factors— a divorce, sudden death of a loved one, or many other traumatic experiences can themselves be triggers for Dark Nights of the Soul or spiritual crisis states in general.
And this is to say nothing of the more acute catalysts for spiritual crisis that come in various forms of what we call potentially Spiritually Transformative Experiences (pSTEs).
Things like:
Shamanic crisis/illness: a form of identity crisis where the individual experiences drastic changes to their meaning system (their unique purpose, goals, values, attitudes, beliefs, identity, and focus).
Kundalini awakening: according to Tantra traditions, kundalini energy rests like a coiled serpent at the base of the spine. When this dormant energy flows freely upwards through the seven chakras (energy centers) it leads to an expanded state of consciousness. Such acvtivationscan be latent and slow, or sudden and acute, often leading to crisis states.
Past-life experiences: in past life regression, people experience detailed memories of other lives, often taking place in historic or indeterminate points in time.
Near-death experience: an unusual experience taking place on the brink of death, and recounted by a person on recovery. Typically an out-of-body experience or a vision of a tunnel of light.
Episodes of unitive consciousness: a unitive, mystical experience is usually characterized by a state of ‘oneness’ that transcends sensory or cognitive apprehension. There is often an ineffable certainty that ultimate truth has been perceived and can be applied to one’s life.
Psychic opening: the experience of having extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses (clairvoyance, claricognizance, clairaudience, or even telepathy for example).
Possession states and experiences with the paranormal: the experience of being controlled or dominated by perceived malevolent spirits or encounters with energies or entities existing “beyond the veil.”
Psychological renewal through return to center: the experience of dramatic, synchronistic sequences that involve enormous energies and occur on a scale that makes one feel as they are at the center of events that have global or cosmic relevance.
UFO encounters and abductions: subjectively real experiences of being kidnapped by non-human entities.
Channeling or communication with spirit guides, Angels, Ascended Masters etc: the experience of serving as a medium between perceived spirit and material worlds.
Drug addiction and alcoholism: both considered complex biopsychosocial diseases affecting the mind, body and soul/spirit.
These and other similar experiences can upend ones life and relationships is dramatic and permanent ways. Proper evaluation, exploration, and integration work is key in understanding and making meaning of these types of events and experiences for which our “consensus reality” does not provide a framework. But just as often, spiritual crisis are less dramatic. Quieter, More insidious, and ever prone to being misunderstood, mislabeled, misdiagnosed, judged, and medicalized, even by well-meaning mental health and psychiatric professionals who lack the worldview, interest, sensitivity, and/or experience to know what to look for and how to discern and differentiate mental health conditions from genuine spiritual crisis. And so often, there’s overlap. These are not often distinct, disparate experiences.
I for one, am hopeful for us all and for what’s going on in the world. If we are truly in the classic destruction stage as a species, then rebirth is on its way, and the preponderance of spirituals crisis, both within and without, is an indicator if this.
We are, on the whole I believe, awakening.
Perhaps, as a result, we will move into more communitarian, simplified, spiritual and soul-based living practices—ways of being and interacting with one another that foster greater mind-body-spiritual health, personal and cultural integration.
As a psychospiritually-inclined therapist and emerging multidimensional channel, I am prepared as I know how to be on the front lines of the New Earth!
If you suspect you might be experiencing a spiritual crisis, or aren’t sure and could use a compassionate forum in which to take a good look, my Spiritual Healing specialty might be helpful. And if you think you have had or are currently going through any type of potentially Spiritually Transformative Experience (STE) such as described above, my Support for Extraordinary Experience (SEE) sub-specialty might be just what you need.
All services are available at my home office in Franklin, TN (case by case in the midst of COVID-19) or via Secure Video/Telehealth practically the world over.
Please visit my at Therapy Outside the Box or call me directly to set up a FREE 20 Minute Consult: 615.430.2778. Or, email me at chris@therapyoutsidehtebox.com
Remember, “There’s an Outside the Box Solution to Every Problem.”
Godspeed.
Peace to you and yours,
Chris Hancock, LCSW, ACMHP
Nashville, TN