Dear Julia:

I'm new to meditation and recently I found a technique that seemed to work for me, but after reading about other people's bad experiences and having a panic attack shortly after, I'm scared to go any further. For the meditation I basically sound out the sounds of each chakra and I imagine energy flowing through it and making it spin. I've done it twice, and the first time I felt very peaceful and relaxed. The second time, I was imagining my sixth chakra when I started to see a blue ball that gradually turned indigo and then purple. It was a good feeling. The next day, I was looking up chakra meditation experiences and learned that some people experience unpleasant things as a result of the meditation. As I was reading about one person's bad experience, I suddenly felt spacey. My eyes felt funny and I looked away from the computer screen and stared at my fan. It seemed to vibrate and my eyes felt sensitive to movement. Then I started to become overwhelmed with fear that I was losing control and that I was going insane. I felt totally detached from my body, and I was scared something horrible was going to happen. I really enjoy doing this meditation but now I'm scared to go any further. Do you think the panic attack and the meditation are related, or was this just my overactive imagination? I read that it's best to have a teacher or guru guide you, though many people also reported that they did have teachers and gurus but they still had terrifying experiences that lasted for years. I would appreciate any advice or suggestions you can give me. Thank you so much!

Nancy

Dear Nancy:

In my experience, meditation can be both perfectly safe and potentially unsettling. The vast majority of people have no problem whatsoever with losing themselves or their minds by engaging in things like meditation. Nevertheless, it's important to realize that when we start to explore metaphysics, all sorts of unexpected things can happen. For example, when I began to meditate decades ago in pursuit of personal and spiritual growth, I was unprepared for all the strange things that developed as a result of my practice, such as spontaneous out of body experiences, mind blowing synchronicities, bursts of psychic activity and more.
It is therefore wise and important to make sure we are grounded in this reality and competent in the mundane world before we go exploring exotic realms.

People who are ready for spiritual practice are generally competent and comfortable with ordinary life. They are capable of going to work, paying the bills, keeping the house clean and taking care of their physical needs. They're basically healthy and happy, and aren't dependent on psychotropic drugs (anti-depressants, anti-anxiety meds, street drugs or alcohol) to make it through the day. They are emotionally stable and generally have fulfilling, harmonious relationships. They are mentally stable and clear-thinking, and are able to question their experiences and employ reason to solve problems. They have also worked to make peace with their own inner demons and shadows. As they move forward, more issues may come up to be healed, but for the most part, they are healthy, strong, brave, peaceful, open-minded and positive.

It does concern me that just reading about other people's experiences had such a profound effect on you, for it indicates that you are highly suggestible. It would be helpful for you to grow stronger in your own truths and more self-referencing before following others' footsteps into psychic territory.

So many people experience so many wonderful blessings as a result of spiritual practice that it makes me sad when writers and teachers warn everyone away from it because a few folks have a rough time. I think the key to aligning with the highest and best is to figure out why some people have a fine experience while others end up troubled.

You mentioned fear and panic attacks, and fear definitely plays a pivotal role when spiritual endeavors go awry. If you are prone to panic attacks, I recommend you work on overcoming your fears and cultivating faith and personal power before delving into esoteric practices.

Some people who begin chakra meditations unleash more kundalini than they are ready for. Many experts believe that all of one's being must be prepared for this higher flow of kundalini or blocks will impede it and produce discomfort. In my experience, fear of some kind is always behind such blocks, whether they are physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. When we are able to relax with trust and faith instead of struggling, everything begins to flow. Of course, relaxing with faith is often easier said than done.

When we do energy healing work, including chakra meditations, we naturally stir things up. If there are old wounds that need to be healed or issues that need to be addressed, it's natural and helpful that they come up to be resolved. When the energy of some unresolved issue or feeling is overwhelming, we may experience what you describe as a panic attack. In those situations, it's wise to slow down and perhaps get some help. A skilled hypnotherapist should be able to guide you in healing and releasing whatever is behind any anxiety you may experience.

I have a free chakra meditation available at my deep trance healing podcast site. It has a high vibration and gentle flow, so you may find it soothing as an alternative to the chakra meditation you were doing. I have received a number of questions like yours over the years, and when I have advised people to relax and try my meditation, it has gone fine for them. The key is to focus on assuming that everything is and will be fine.

If any sensations come up that feel overwhelming to you, you have lots of options. You can stop the meditation and seek help via a hypnotherapist or healer. In therapy, you might focus on the specific fears you mention (of losing control or of going insane) and see what comes up for you. You can also dialogue with your higher self to determine where this fear is coming from and how you can best heal and release it.

If you feel you are ready and able to work this out yourself, you can choose to just relax instead of resisting what is happening and allow whatever wants to be released or expanded to just flow. You can also stop and pray for help and healing from your guides and angels. You might even visualize a gauge on the amount of energy flowing through you, and visualize slowing down the flow while you get used to the sensations of whatever is happening.

I want to reassure you that all is well. I feel that reading about others' experiences brought up some deep-seated fears for you, and you are in the process of working through those fears now. This too is part of your journey. Right now, you're at a wall that is keeping you from going too far, too fast. It's a wall you can climb over in order to move forward, but to do that, you must heal and resolve the fears that led you to panic.

Once you've healed your fears, you can work on cultivating the faith, courage and personal power to get past that wall so you can explore what's on the other side. When you are at peace deep down inside, know you are beyond harm, and no longer even worry about what could go wrong, you should have nothing but positive, pleasant spiritual experiences.

- Julia

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