This episode explores the relationship between spiritual emergencies and the transformative process of emergence, highlighting the insights of Stanislav and Christina Grof on the role of psychedelics in facilitating personal growth. Emphasizing the importance of support networks, it underscores the necessity of a caring environment for individuals navigating these profound experiences.
Join host Jimmy Nguyen as he delves into the complex and transformative topic of spiritual emergencies, particularly in the context of psychedelic experiences.
As the year draws to a close, Jimmy reflects on personal and professional experiences that often accompany this time, discussing the intersection of psychedelics and spiritual crises. The episode explores the concept of spiritual emergencies, characterized by identity crises and significant shifts in values and beliefs, and how these can be intertwined with psychedelic journeys.
Drawing on the influential work of Stan and Christina Grof, pioneers in the field of spiritual emergencies, Jimmy distinguishes between spiritual emergencies and spiritual emergence, emphasizing the potential for profound transformation.
Throughout the discussion, Jimmy shares personal anecdotes and insights, highlighting the importance of a supportive care network to navigate these experiences. He emphasizes the holistic nature of spiritual emergencies, which often encompass mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, and offers resources like the Spiritual Emergence Network for those seeking support.
This article is inspired by our insightful podcast episode hosted by Psychedelic Passage co-founder, Jimmy Nguyen, which you can listen to on all streaming platforms.
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Key Takeaways
- Psychedelics as Catalysts: Psychedelics can trigger spiritual emergencies, intense periods of identity crisis that can serve as catalysts for profound personal transformation and spiritual emergence when properly supported.
- Integration Practices: Creative expression in a conducive environment such as artwork is an effective way to process and integrate psychedelic experiences. This creative integration helps individuals reconnect with their everyday life while incorporating the insights from their spiritual journeys.
- Building Supportive Environments: Creating a network of support encompassing therapists, spiritual advisors, and community connections is vital for those undergoing spiritual emergencies, helping in the integration and providing the necessary emotional and practical assistance.
- Psychedelic Passage: Your Psychedelic Concierge — The easy, legal way to find trustworthy psilocybin guides, facilitators and psychedelic-assisted therapy near you in the United States.
The modern resurgence of psychedelic experiences as tools for self-discovery and healing has opened up a profound dialogue on their role in spiritual awakening and psychological transformation.
Here we offer an insightful exploration of the intersection between psychedelics and what are termed “spiritual emergencies.”
While the material covered is influenced by the work of Stan and Christina Grof and draws from personal experiences with psychedelics and spiritual emergencies, it should not be viewed as a replacement for professional consultation.
We respect each individual’s right to interpret and define their own experiences, and we aim to offer information that may be helpful and insightful. Psychedelic Passage is committed to being mental health-friendly and supportive.
Who Are Stanislav & Christina Grof?
Stanislav Grof, or “Stan” as he’s referred to, is a psychiatrist who pioneered the study of psychedelics as they relate to mental health. Beginning in the 60’s he has published many books on psychology, psychedelics, and therapeutic modalities.
At this time, many traditional areas of psychology failed to have a comprehensive understanding of consciousness, so in 1967 along with a small group of fellow psychologists, including Abraham Maslow, Grof founded a new area of study: transpersonal psychology.
This was the first Western approach to psychology that applied a “comprehensive and cross-culturally valid psychology” that included areas of study like “mystical states, cosmic consciousness, psychedelic experiences, trance phenomena, creativity, and religious, artistic, and scientific inspiration” (Grof, 2008, p. 47).
In the 1970s at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, Stan and Christina Grof co created “holotropic breathwork”, a method of achieving nonordinary states of consciousness without the ingestion of any substances.
Instead, their method uses a combination of rapid breathing, evocative music, and energy-releasing body work to achieve transformative and therapeutic states of consciousness (Grof, 2019, p. 355).
Stan Grof was introduced to psychedelics early on in his career as a psychologist, which allowed him to dedicate the rest of his life to the research and exploration of consciousness and therapy. He prefaces his book, Psychology of the Future (2000) as follows,
“More than forty years ago, a powerful experience lasting only several hours of clock-time profoundly changed my personal and professional life. As a young psychiatric resident, only a few months after my graduation from medical school, I volunteered for an experiment with LSD…
This session, particularly its culmination period during which I had an overwhelming and indescribable experience of cosmic consciousness, awakened in me an intense lifelong interest in nonordinary states of consciousness.”
Now in his nineties, he is still committed to therapeutic research and making an impact in the psychedelic space.
Christina’s book Stormy Search for the Self (1990), tells the personal tale of her own psycho-spiritual emergency and how it resulted in her profound transformation and awakening.
Details within the book from both Stan and Christina’s personal and professional lives challenge the traditional beliefs of health-care professionals, showing that spiritual emergencies are more than mental health manifestations and actually have boundless positive potential.
Together, they developed theories that frame these emergencies as opportunities for spiritual emergence—a rebirth of sorts that follows the turbulence of a spiritual emergency.
Their concept of holotropic breathwork, now known as Grof breathwork, is a technique designed to facilitate these intense experiences in a supportive environment, allowing for integration and personal growth.
Understanding Spiritual Emergency
A spiritual emergency is described as a period of intense identity crisis that can induce significant changes in an individual’s values, beliefs, and sense of purpose.
What can that look like? Some people may find that they’re fraught with disorganization, erraticness or irrational speech. There may be a shift in your priorities, or trouble returning to the normal cadence of your life. You may even notice an altered perception of time.
A spiritual emergency can be brought on in a variety of ways. Psychedelics and holotropic breathwork are two ways it can be induced, but it can also occur spontaneously in everyday life, without known cause (Psychology of the Future, preface, p. x).
Joan of Arc and Her Spiritual Emergency
We can look to the historical figure Joan of Arc, who’s life exemplifies the Hero’s Journey of a spiritual emergency. At the age of 13 Joan began hearing, in her own words, “the voices of angels and saints”.
These voices that were solely audible by her, ended up directing her through life, resulting in the famous and heroic stories that are still told about her today.
With no military background, and only the voices in her head to guide her, Joan of Arc led the French army in a monumental victory over the English in an attempt to capture France.
She was famously burned at the stake a year later after being captured, and showed unimaginable courage until her dying breath that reverberated through her fellow frenchpeople.
Christina Grof’s Spiritual Emergency
In her book, The Stormy Search for the Self, she explains her long history with alcohol use and the strong feeling of disconnection from lacking purpose.
She went through a number of spiritual experiences that lent to her ongoing psycho-spiritual crisis, in which she was able to reframe and ultimately led her to her life’s work of helping others.
Spiritual Emergency in the Context of Psychedelics
Within the realm of psychedelics, such experiences are common, albeit significantly more varied. Psychedelics can act as catalysts, magnifying the personal exploration of the self and sometimes pushing individuals into a state of spiritual emergency.
As with any spiritual emergency, one brought on by a psychedelic experience is often characterized by confusion, disorientation, and a feeling of destabilization as old belief systems are questioned and new perspectives are formed.
This can be attributed to the highly spiritual nature of psychedelics in the exploration of the self, as topics like your connection to the universe and your higher purpose arise.
You don’t have to have a difficult or “bad trip” to feel a level of destabilization. It may be a lack of environmental stability like joblessness or homelessness after a deeply moving psychedelic experience that leads one to feel unsettled as you return to a life where basic needs are not met.
Genetic predisposition or mental health instability could also lead to a spiritual emergency after a psychedelic experience.
It can be something you feel within your heart or your relationship with others that leads you to feeling troubled after an experience. In all probability, it’s a culmination of many things.
How Might One Might Deal With an Emergency?
The easiest thing to do would be to dismiss the problem, right? Tuck it away on a shelf in the corner of your mind and be done with the whole thing.
Well, it might make you forget about it for awhile, but our cofounder Jimmy Nguyen believes otherwise,
“Spiritual emergencies can be harrowing enough in their own right, but I find that they can be even more damaging when the process doesn’t have an opportunity to complete itself. I think the same with concepts of purging or releasing trauma.
If you don’t complete those processes, then there can be what I call a psycho-spiritual residue or this lingering piece of stuck energy.”
He goes on further to explain a spiritual emergency of his own that took nearly two years to work through. Nguyen gives much credit to The Stormy Search for the Self, for if he had not read it he doesn’t know how he would’ve gotten through it.
By listening to the stories of triumph from others, we gain the strength and confidence to face our own challenges.
He describes extreme difficulty in functioning at work as he questioned all of his personal and professional relationships. At one point he questioned if it was his new normal, “destroying everything around me for the sake of trauma processing”.
Only after he gave himself permission to say, “I am going through a spiritual crisis,” did he see the light at the end of the tunnel to turn a spiritual emergency into spiritual emergence.
Transitioning from Emergency to Emergence
Transforming a spiritual emergency into a spiritual emergence is a delicate process that involves integration and support.
Nguyen highlights the importance of considering spiritual emergencies not only from a mental health perspective but also as holistic, multi-dimensional experiences that encompass the mind, heart, and spirit.
This necessitates a network of care that supports individuals through their transformation journey, recognizing the spiritual dimensions of their experiences.
Key to this transition is the concept of “death and rebirth,” common in psychedelic journeys, which play a vital role in personal transformation. Such experiences can shift perceptions, open new pathways of thinking, and ultimately lead to a more cohesive sense of self.
Grofs’ Tangible Integration Technique: Artwork
In their psychiatric research, Stan and Christina Grof had a structured yet fluid process which was similar to psychotherapy, but with the addition of psychedelics or holotropic breathwork.
This addition led to a much deeper exploration of their clients’ psyches, which can be attributed to the “inner radar” that these processes percolate, drawing out from our unconscious our deepest troubles.
After the session, which often included intense stories of death and rebirth from their clients, they hosted an artwork session where clients were encouraged to illustrate their experience.
Time and time again, these images often show harrowing journeys, reliving their most troubled experiences and yet transcending those experiences to feel freedom, joy and exuberance.
Figure 1
“Painting reflecting an experience from a holotropic breathwork session, which involved breaking out of the state of encapsulation and isolation, transcending the veils that separate us from our divine nature, and connecting with the cosmos.” (Grof, 2000, p. 281)
Figure 2
“Experience of transcendence of death in an ayahuasca session. Vision of a skull and ribcage exploding into the light of the Spirit and breaking the bondage of the mind and of human form. This experience brought a sense of great freedom and joy (Kathleen Silver).” (Grof, 2000, p. 53)
Note. Figures 1 & 2 are two pieces of artwork that were done by Grof’s clients after therapeutic sessions with either psychedelics or holotropic breathwork, accompanied by their original descriptions as part of the collection in his book, Psychology of the future: lessons from modern consciousness research, 2000, p. 281, p. 53)
Activities like drawing or painting your experience, and in turn sharing it with others is one example of integrating the experience back into your everyday life.
Creating a Supportive Environment
The environment of care is crucial for individuals undergoing spiritual emergencies. Nguyen emphasizes the need for supportive networks—be it mental health professionals, spiritual guides, or the wider community.
These networks can help individuals process their experiences, providing the emotional and practical support necessary for integration and growth.
When he went through his own spiritual emergency, Nguyen discovered that the people he thought he could rely on most let him down, and he ended up finding care and support from places he never expected.
If you’re going through a spiritual emergency right now, remember you are not alone. It may feel that way in the individualistic society of the United States, but there are people who care, people who have felt what you’re feeling, and you do have the capacity to get through it.
You are good enough, and you deserve the support you need to redefine your spiritual emergency and transcend what stops you from being your true self.
Oftentimes how your experience is framed lends heavily to its effect on you. How does your family view it, how do you yourself view it? Do you feel judged or unsupported? Or do you feel safe enough to discuss the deepest throes of your soul?
Cultivating a supportive environment is helpful for a number of reasons. One, it’s very unlikely that someone could afford to take two months off and dedicate all of their time to spiritual matters. It’s more likely that you will find yourself doing therapeutic work on a part-time basis.
Our fast-paced society of productivity, capitalism and consumerism leaves little room for spiritual emergence. We recognize the need for balance, finding your own way to cultivate your true self while simultaneously filling your role in such a society.
Spanning a spiritual emergence over a longer timeline might relieve some pressure, allowing you to redirect your focus to the “next step”, asking yourself, “What do I need in this moment to get to the next stage of my emergence?”
Christina Grof, through her years of research, knew the importance of the level of care you receive in order to reach your goals. Her vision of a Spiritual Emergence Network led to it’s creation, an ideal support system where individuals can safely navigate their transformative experiences.
The most important thing to remember is that there are people who know what you’re going through, have dedicated decades of research to bringing people out of spiritual emergency and into emergence.
At Psychedelic Passage it’s no different, we hear hundreds of stories a month of spiritual emergence and rebirth, and we would love to hear what helped you through your journey.
Our email is always open for those who want to share their stories at support@psychedelicpassage.com.
Supporting Yourself By Getting The Support You Need
If you find yourself going through a spiritual emergency, don’t fret. Change doesn’t happen overnight, or in an echo chamber, and we are here to help you through it.
- The First Step When You’re Scared to Take The First Step: Does the unpredictability of quieting your mind give you the heebie jeebies? Explore 8 ways to ease into spirituality and the psychedelic state of mind without drugs.
- Supporting Loved Ones: Find out how to support someone undergoing psychedelic therapy and learn how to seek psychedelic support for a loved one without overstepping.
- The Forms of Integration: Discover the power of openness and hard work as you read about the different ways you can integrate your psychedelic experience into everyday life.
- Embracing Vulnerability: Discover the power of openness when sharing your psychedelic experiences, to foster a sense of belonging and acceptance.
- Finding Community: Explore the importance of community in psychedelic healing and how you can find your own psychedelic community to share with and gain insight from.
- Factors To Consider Beyond The Mushroom: Explore how your beliefs can affect a psychedelic experience and how to set yourself up for success.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a spiritual emergency, and how can it manifest in individuals?
A spiritual emergency is a period of intense identity crisis that can cause significant shifts in an individual’s values, beliefs, and sense of purpose.
It may manifest as disorganization, erratic behavior, irrational speech, or difficulty returning to everyday life. Individuals may also experience an altered perception of time or face challenges in their relationships and priorities.
2. How do psychedelics contribute to spiritual emergencies?
Psychedelics can act as catalysts for spiritual emergencies by magnifying personal explorations of the self.
During these experiences, individuals may confront deep-seated beliefs and emotions, leading to confusion and destabilization as they process new insights about their identity, connection to the universe, and higher purpose.
Spiritual emergencies can arise even without a difficult or “bad trip”, as external factors—like lack of stability—play a significant role.
3. What role do Stan and Christina Grof play in understanding spiritual emergencies?
Stanislav and Christina Grof are pioneers in the study of psychedelics and spiritual emergencies, dedicating their entire professional careers to exploring this topic and helping others through it.
They developed theories framing these emergencies as opportunities for spiritual emergence, which represents a rebirth following the turbulence of a crisis.
Their work includes the creation of holotropic breathwork, a technique designed to facilitate intense experiences in a supportive environment, allowing for integration and personal growth.
4. Why is a supportive network crucial during a spiritual emergency?
A supportive network, including mental health professionals, spiritual guides, and community connections, is essential for individuals undergoing a spiritual emergency.
These networks provide emotional and practical support, helping individuals process their experiences, integrate insights from their journeys, and navigate the challenges that arise during such transformative periods.
5. What steps can someone take if they are currently experiencing a spiritual emergency?
If you are experiencing a spiritual emergency, it’s important to acknowledge what you are going through and seek support.
Consider reaching out to mental health professionals, spiritual guides, or supportive peers who understand your situation.
Creating a safe space for discussion and reflection can help you process your experiences and facilitate healing.
Many people from many walks of life have written about their spiritual journeys. Reading or listening to others stories tend to give some credence to our own.
Remember, you are not alone, and there are many people who care and are willing to support you on your journey.
References
Grof, S. (2000). Psychology of the future: Lessons from modern consciousness research. SUNY Press.
Grof, S. (2008). Brief history of transpersonal psychology. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 27(1), 46–54.. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 27 (1). http://dx.doi.org/10.24972/ijts.2008.27.1.46
Grof, S. (2019). The Way of the Psychonaut: Encyclopedia for Inner Journeys Volume One. Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).
