Support during Psycho-Spiritual Emergencies
In the transpersonal approach, non-ordinary states of consciousness foster self-knowledge and spiritual development, but they can also generate intense experiences and psycho-emotional or psychosomatic alterations that, from a traditional perspective, are often mistaken for psychotic episodes and quickly diagnosed without considering their spiritual dimension. Among psychonauts and people undergoing spiritual awakening, this pathologization is common.
Stanislav Grof demonstrated that, with respectful accompaniment, these crises can be transformative. In works like The Stormy Search for the Self and Spiritual Emergency, he offers maps and tools to distinguish them from a psychotic crisis and provide appropriate support. Here is a quote from his book «The Stormy Search for the Self»:
«Psychiatry found biological explanations for certain mental disorders in the form of infections, tumors, chemical imbalances, and other afflictions of the brain or body. It also discovered powerful ways of controlling symptoms of various conditions for which the causes remained unknown, including the manifestations of spiritual crises. As a result of these successes, psychiatry became firmly established as a medical discipline, and the term mental disease was extended to include many states that, strictly speaking, were natural conditions that could not be linked to biological causes. The process of spiritual emergence in general, along with its more dramatic manifestations, came to be viewed as an illness, and those who demonstrated signs of what had been previously thought of as inner transformation and growth were in most cases now considered to be sick».
We are aware of the suffering experienced by some psychonauts due to spiritual emergencies, energetic infestations, or overwhelming experiences. Having gone through many of these intense yet transformative processes ourselves, we were driven to study and deeply understand these realities from both spiritual and psychological perspectives. Through transpersonal psychology, indigenous and Yoruba shamanic techniques, as well as the teachings of Stan Grof, we aim to offer respectful, serious, and compassionate support to those who find themselves in such states.
If you or someone close is going through a psycho-spiritual emergency or having difficulty integrating a challenging experience, contact us: anything affecting your well-being deserves support, and timely guidance can be key to healing and transformation.