Dissociation and grounding
Personal development – especially in the spiritual realm – is often described as something purely beautiful – and it can and should be – but the truth is that the line between it and psychosis is much thinner than we'd like to believe.
A genuine "spiritual awakening", however, is about more than "just" personal development. It stirs up everything – our identity, our values, our life, and how we view the world. It's a tremendous expansion.
But if our body and nervous system cannot bear this intense experience, what was meant to be an opening can instead become a collapse.
When "light" turns into confusion
A spiritual awakening should ultimately make us more present. But if we push too hard, it's easy to lose our grounding. We can then end up in a state where we block ourselves with spiritual assumptions, such as negative thoughts returning to us or manifestations not becoming reality. It can end badly when we don't integrate insights step-by-step in peace and quiet. We can end up in a state where nothing can be understood anymore and where fear can take over with full force.
Moreover, not all experiences in the more subtle dimensions are always as simple, positive, or unambiguous as they may first seem. When we enter deep states of consciousness, for example through meditation, we can sometimes go too far, too soon – into areas whose consequences we cannot yet foresee. This is no longer about becoming "enlightened," but about losing our footing. Without an experienced and well-recommended guide whom you personally trust, there is no point in venturing into this.
Warning signs that the system is overloaded
- Excessive interpretation: You see signs, symbols, and "messages" in absolutely everything, to the point of exhaustion.
- Disconnection: You feel like you're in another dimension and have difficulty "returning" to everyday life.
- Savior complex: You believe you have a sacred mission to save the world, while your own life and relationships are falling apart.
- Isolation: You start withdrawing from the outside world.
- Escapism: You no longer know what is real and what are your own thoughts or visions.
Dissociation is not enlightenment
We often mistake what is actually trauma or a defense mechanism for something spiritual. Floating away "up there" and losing contact with the body is sometimes called "ascension" or rising. In reality, if it happens too often, too early, or both, it can lead to dissociation – a state where we are no longer grounded in ourselves, among other things.
When the soul wants to expand faster than the body can keep up, a gap arises. That gap feels like madness. What we need in that situation is not more meditations, "light codes," or spiritual kicks – we need grounding.
Landing in oneself
True spirituality is not just about leaving this world or one's body. It's about being more present in it, with a deeper understanding of who you are – insights we carry from our meditations into everyday life.
If your spiritual journey causes you to function worse in daily life, become more fearful, or isolate yourself from the outside world – then it's not expansion. Then it's a nervous system screaming for help and stability. → Please read the article "From Chaos to Clarity" as a first-aid kit.
It is important to understand the core
We need to build a bodily vessel strong enough to carry our spirituality, without breaking down along the way. And we need to deeply understand the insights, having incubated them, so that they can be integrated and carry us forward to new steps.