Burnout or Redemption
A successful awakening results in “redemption or mastery,” while more likely
than not “burnout or maladaptation” is more likely to occur, because we are not
socialized in the alchemical tradition and our science is really lagging behind in this
most important area. During kundalini awakenings we are at hormonal lifetime
peak after which our hormonal potency will fall off comparatively. Spiritual
evolution is driven by sex hormones—they propel one into a full-on awakening,
then depending on our knowledge, skill and discipline we either ride the wave or
get crushed by it. When we are peaking hormonally we are also peaking physically,
mentally and creatively. Our muse is Godlike, we are “globally aware” and “globally
sexually active.” That is we are responding sexually/psychically/spiritually to the
entire globe or polar partners in particular, regardless of whether relationship
occurs (see Supra-sex).
Besides nutritional supplementation, our hormonal potency and higher faculties
can be sustained after a peak, by camping out in nature and being around sexually
potent alpha types. Meditation and toning will help some, but hormones are very
much related to human relationship and adventure, so if one is not in relationship
and not engaging life as an adventure then we are hormonally deprived. Stress
reduces progesterone, thyroxine, testosterone and norepinephrine (NE) and this
in turn reduces neuroplasticity. neuroplasticity refers to the changes that occur in
the organization of the brain as a result of experience and in response to changes in
environment. Besides reducing flexibility and ability to learn the stress hormones
(corticosteroids) subject neurons to possible injury. Cortisol causes parasympathetic
nervous system to shut us down leading to ennui and depression. Repetitive stress
leads to a parasympathetic dominant learned helplessness which makes us less
capable of handling further threat or stress.
The nausea, dizziness seem to occur with extended sympathetic nervous system
activation, perhaps through an unbalance of neurotransmitters and the loss of
serotonin effectiveness in the enteric (stomach) brain, brain stem and cerebellum.
The principle function of the neurons of the raphe nuclei of the brainstem is to
release serotonin to the rest of the brain. Serotonin is implicated in the sensory
motor regulation of the cerebellum. Down regulation of the serotonergic system
after acute kundalini flow is probably due to the excessive opiate production and
the desensitization and internalization of serotonin receptors. In experiments
with rats neonatal cocaine exposure affects the serotonergic cerebellar system,
altering the standard development of Purkinje cells and possibly compromising
the motor function. Deficiency in the utilization of serotonin (5-HT) is involved
in many problems, such as anorexia, depression, sleep disorders, panic disorder,
social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sweating, nausea, anxiety and
diarrhea. Hyperactive nerves, coupled with the inability to rest-relax-recover leads
to exhaustion, inefficiency and depression and ultimately to inflammation of the
nerves, hypersensitivity and neurodegeneration.
Intense arousal and freeze events without a following discharge tend to
be accumulative, leading to dissociation, PTSD, hypervigilance, progressive