Kundalini.Tantra.by.Satyananda.Saraswati

A spiritual awakening or madness?
Though the process of spiritual awakening usually occurs without incident or
interruption, it may happen that blockages and impurities in the body create symptoms
which mimic various neurological and psychiatric conditions. These problems necessitate
careful diagnosis to differentiate kundalini arousal and pathology.
It is actually very simple to distinguish between a mental or psychic phenomenon and
a mental sickness, however much the symptoms may overlap: mental illness never
develops in people who are free from conflict. If a person is undergoing a problem in his
personal life, perhaps due to a death, loss of property or emotional breakdown, psychotic
behavior can develop. Fantasies can take form and one's own psychological volition can
manifest in the form of psychic energy. On the other hand, if there are no conflicts,
anxieties or strong crosscurrents in a person's life, he cannot possibly have any mental
disease. Suppose you have no apparent problems, no personal or social difficulties, but
still you are having some strange suprasensual experiences. In a case like this, there
should be no doubt about what is taking place.
A mad person doesn't have a constant and consistent flow of experience and his
awareness is very dissipated. He is both disorganized externally and completely blinded
internally. On the other hand, the awareness of a person who is awakened is constant and
consistent. Whereas a person with an awakened consciousness can make accurate
decisions and judgements, a crazy person cannot. Madness and spiritual awakening may
both be characterized by a certain lack of control, but the spiritually awakened person is
guided by a higher consciousness while the mad person is not.
When some suprasensual experience is taking place, it is important to consult an
experienced person who has knowledge of illumination and also knows about madness. A
guru can make the correct judgement and determine whether the brain has begun a
process of regression or is actually progressing along transcendental lines. If there is
some organic damage in the brain, it can be treated, but if the symptoms are spiritual, the
person is initiated and given something to practise so his behavior is streamlined. He will
not be forced into married life or any other social roles which are unsuitable for him.
Instead, he will be exposed to saintly personalities and teachings.
If this type of guidance and support for the experience is not obtained, it is very easy
to end up in a mental hospital, or even a prison. However, scientists are now broadening
their description of the spectrum of human behavior and they are discovering that
behavior can be psychic or spiritual in origin as well as psychological or physical.
Everybody should understand one very important point. Awakening of kundalini should
never be equated with abnormal psychological behavior because awakening of kundalini
is a process of jumping out of the mind.