Altered states of mind

Some practices can enable a person to release years of unresolved grief.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
There is no doubt that life on the planet has become challenging for many people in recent years. Some blame it on the economy, politics, terrorists or the weather and global warming. Others may feel that religious prophesies are about to occur.
Many people, however, are turning to spiritual, metaphysical or mystical teachings to gain a deeper understanding of the state of the world around us. Books, magazines and videos on spiritual self-help, psychic development, Eastern philosophy and mind/body/spirit healing are popular sellers, filling shelf after shelf in general bookstores.
While Eastern civilizations and tribal people often have a strong background in connecting the spiritual world with the physical, we in the West are comparative novices. Often when we do experience a nonphysical phenomenon, it can be frightening, or we may think we are imagining it.
Awakening
One Indian spiritual practice is known as the "awakening of the Kundalini." Anodea Judith, Ph.D., in her book "Wheels of Life," describes it as a coiled serpent goddess, "Kundalini-Shakti," sleeping at the base of the spine. Its awakening sends the energy up through the spine to the crown, chakra, at the top of the head.
"Kundalini is generally a unique and powerful experience that results in a profound consciousness change," Judith writes. "This change may be experienced as increased alertness, sudden insight, visions, voices, a feeling of weightlessness, a sense of purity within the body, or transcendent bliss."
To be experienced in a healthful way, a yogi master will guide a student to this awakening. It may also happen gradually through meditative practice. However, sudden trauma, such as a blow to the head, a near-death experience, or an intensely emotional trauma, may trigger a sudden release of this energy, which can range from uncomfortable to life-threatening.
Youngstown massotherapist Debbie Cogan feels she has been through this awakening. In her case, it was triggered by the stress of a divorce and custody battle in 1994. And while the process, in her case, did become life-threatening, it has also allowed her to release years of unresolved grief, and brought her to a place where she is able to heal others through her work with Tai Yoga Massage.
Cogan has been steeped in multilevel healing from age 5.
Quotable
"All my life, I have had an interest in healing at all levels: physical, emotional and spiritual," says Cogan. "When I was 5, my mother became involved with the American Natural Hygiene Society, now called the National Health Association. From that point on, we never went to a conventional doctor. It was one of the first organizations that advocated a vegetarian lifestyle, and also water fasting for chronic illness."
At age 14 she learned Transcendental Meditation, then in 1990, she learned Tai Chi.
"When I was served with the court papers, I went into a very deep state of prayer," said Cogan. "It became like a mantra, and I was praying to be released from some karmic debt that I didn't understand at the time." After the divorce, Cogan was emotionally drained. It was then that the process of the awakening fully began, she believes.
"I felt tremendous grief begin to surface," she said. "I also experienced memories of past lives, altered states of consciousness and out-of body sensations." In 1994, a friend encouraged her to enroll in a class in Cleveland called "The Loving Course," to help her deal with the emotional pain that was being pushed to the surface.
"This course was the most phenomenal experience I've ever had in terms of emotional healing," said Cogan. "It literally changed the direction of my life. It taught me how to remove the barriers I had put up, to learn to give and receive freely. I learned to trust people and was able to begin the process of grieving my losses and expressing anger in a healthy, supported way."
Cogan also says she is extremely grateful to her teacher, Dr. Chris Bache of YSU, who teaches Eastern religion and has written several books on altered states of mind. She feels that through his classes, she was able to understand the process she had entered.
Cogan said that the process is ongoing, and she still feels hypersensitive to many things, but the most difficult and dangerous period has passed, and that some very deep healing was done at all levels.
A theory
And she also feels that the planet herself is going through a purging and cleansing process. "I have a theory that the earth is going through its own Kundalini awakening," she said. "When I went through mine, I felt that all the outer circumstances of my life were pressing upon me, feeling constricted at every turn. My life had become unbearable at the physical level, so I chose to make a psychic leap in order to transform."
She now regularly sees clients for Tai Yoga Massage, and is open to speak to groups about her spiritual experience, but does not feel ready to counsel people who may be going through an intense Kundalini awakening. She is a regular assistant at The Loving Course classes given in Cleveland four times a year.
For speaking engagements or Tai Yoga Massage appointments, Cogan may be reached at (330) 233-0599 or debcogan@mindspring.com.
XLaughing Crow is a practitioner of holistic healing. She may be reached at laughingcrow@neo.rr.com