Dear Julia:
I have experienced some strange electrical phenomena. I have also been hit by lightning and have no known side effects. I have recently been experiencing panic attacks. Could these be related? How would you go about healing someone with panic attacks?
- Beth
Dear Beth:
I feel all of this is related - but then, isn't everything ultimately?
I recommend you research the terms "kundalini awakening" or "kundalini experience." Many people who have had near death experiences or been otherwise "shocked" in some way (by lightning, electrical shocks, etc.) experience strange phenomena with electrical appliances. For more information on this subject, please see my advice column from the March 15, 2004 edition of Kajama.
When we experience a tremendous shock such as being struck by lightning or having some other type of mystical experience, there is usually a huge surge in our life force energy, or kundalini. This can affect us in many different ways. It will most likely cause a huge leap in our frequency/vibration, which opens up our psychic abilities and also boosts the life force energy flowing through our entire beings.
When kundalini is awakened suddenly or "accidentally," (as opposed to gradually as a result of purposeful spiritual development via meditation and other spiritual practices), we are generally unprepared for that surge, and lack healthy outlets for it. It can then burst out at unexpected moments or in disturbing ways, such as via mood swings, panic attacks, etc.
When you experience a panic attack, you are obviously experiencing a rush of psychic energy. Because you are not consciously channeling that energy into something constructive, and because you are probably freaked out because you don't understand what is happening, you undergo a pattern of experience that doctors have labeled "panic attack." (They don't understand what causes them because they aren't approaching them from the perspective of source/energy. They only see the results of this surge on the body and mind of the patient.)
It's important to note that people who have "kundalini experiences" describe the same sensations as those who have "panic attacks." These may include feeling overwhelmed by intense energy, feeling waves or sparks of energy bursting from within, feeling out of control, shaking or trembling, feeling like one's heart is racing, spontaneously leaving the body (commonly known as "dissociation" by mental health professionals), perceiving things others can't, feeling overwhelmed by fear or anxiety, and heightened physical senses (extreme sensitivity to sounds, lights, etc.). They both also tend to report increased psychic activity.
The first step toward relief is to relax and remember that what you're experiencing is not pathological, but rather is a natural part of a spiritual awakening process. It means you're rushing forward in your spiritual growth. If you succumb to fear and panic, you will resist this energy, which will only create more pressure. By relaxing, you allow the energy to flow through you, which of course leads to greater calm and balance.
Meditation can help you to relax, and it can also help you to mentally "come up to speed" with this new level of life force energy. Panic attacks suggest that you have been carrying some intense fears, and they are rising to the surface to be released and healed. Sometimes we have brought this fear energy with us from other lives, and as we begin to awaken spiritually, we start to become conscious of parts of ourselves (including other life experiences) that have been buried below conscious awareness. By meditating, we can consciously release this energy, or allow it to help us integrate new growth and understanding.
Meditation can also help us to focus all this energy in a positive direction. This is powerful stuff! Instead of worrying about everything you fear (and sending all that intense energy to the creation of what you don't want), it's very wise to meditate and visualize what you desire.
Obviously, it would be prudent to start meditating when you're not in the middle of a panic attack. If you're feeling anxious and can't settle down to meditate, try burning off some of that energy first by doing something really physical, like going for a long run or cleaning your house. You should feel much calmer after releasing some of that energy. Then you might immerse yourself in positive vibes by reading empowering books or spiritual articles, watching an uplifting movie, or perhaps trying a guided meditation tape.
To manifest healing, start paying attention to the patterns that precede your panic attacks. If you have given in to weaknesses or addictions, you would be wise to work on those issues now. If you find yourself full of thoughts of resentment, bitterness, self-pity, blame or revenge, you will experience more and more discomfort until you change. The more energy flowing through you, the clearer you need to be on the inside.
What you send out will come back to you, so if you're imagining harm coming to someone else, that energy is flowing right back to you. Sensing this could certainly cause general anxiety. If you are avoiding "right action" in some way, that will haunt you until you face the truth and do what you need to do. Look for ways you may tend to procrastinate on what you know you should do, or justify doing things you know you shouldn't. As you clean up your inner act, you'll enjoy more and more inner peace.
While panic attacks can start from within, they can also be sparked by outside influences. As we awaken, we become more sensitive to subtle energies, so it's important to clean up your outer world. Until you learn how to consciously radiate your own vibration, you'll have to be very discerning. If you go into a place with a lot of negative energy, or are around a negative person, you may suddenly feel overwhelmed. If you don't understand where this feeling is coming from, you may experience a sense of panic. When this happens, stop and ask yourself what is going on. Come back to your own center by placing your hand flat on your solar plexus. Remember who you are and what you are about. Try to breathe deeply, and visualize your own inner light radiating out, illuminating the space all around you.
The word "panic" comes from "Pan," the Greek god that represented all of nature. Pan's energy was uncontrollable, raw, undirected, unrestrained. As we awaken to higher spiritual truths, to dimensions where everything is indeed possible and there really are no "rules," we have to let go of all the beliefs and laws we have clung to for a sense of "safety." As we open to the limitless freedom of the spiritual Universe, we may at first feel overwhelmed. This fear of the unknown keeps all who are not yet ready from exploring deeper realities. When we are ready, we'll find a way to face that fear and move through it to explore new wisdom, powers and freedoms.
A panic attack is an illusionary fantasy of danger. Though disturbing, no one has ever been killed by one. Similarly, our spiritual journeys are often unsettling, but only when we are taken in by illusions. At any time, we can choose to reach through fear and land in the light of truth, where peace and well-being abound.
- Julia