I get more than a few questions about spiritual awakening for obvious reasons, but there are a couple that come up repeatedly. Hopefully the following list will have one of your questions. If the question isn’t in this list, however, I’ve probably answered it at some point somewhere on this blog.

If you are interested in connecting with me more, I recommend coming to a class. You can learn more about my online spirituality classes here:

Jim’s Online Spirituality Classes

1. What Is a Spiritual Awakening?

A lot of people are curious about spiritual awakening since it’s become such a popular topic. So, many people are searching to satisfy their curiosity. Others, of course, want to know if they are awakening, and I speak to that question more specifically next on this list.

The shortest answer I give is that a spiritual awakening is a sustained dissolution of ego and a realization of the oneness of all of life. That oneness is an amazing space of spiritual freedom.

You can read my full thoughts on spiritual awakening on the link below:

What Is a Spiritual Awakening?

2. Am I Having a Spiritual Awakening?

Because there are so many definitions out there, there is a lot of confusion about whether someone is awakening or not. There’s probably even greater confusion about how to handle a spiritual awakening and what that means in daily life. It’s very easy for a lot of people to create new and elaborate spiritual egos to try and protect themselves from the pain and healing that awakening often stirs up.

If you think you are having a spiritual awakening, please check out this blog post:

Am I Having a Spiritual Awakening?

3. What Should I Do After Awakening?

If you are having a true spiritual awakening, making space is one of the most important next steps. We need to make space for our ego selves to fall apart. That can be a messy process, and it is not terribly easy because most people are not prepared for dissolving their ego self nor are they cared by others as they go through it largely because most people have no idea what is happening or what to do.

So step one is finding a space where you are taken care of (food, water, shelter, etc.). For some more thoughts on further steps to take after awakening, you can read these other two blog posts:

What Should I Do After Awakening?

5 Practical Spiritual Awakening Strategies

4. How Long Does a Spiritual Awakening Take?

For those who know they’ve awakened, the next question is invariably about the duration of the awakening. This is a very normal question, but unfortunately, it is framed by an ego mind that is most likely trying to get out of pain. The way to deal with pain is to face it. The way to cause more suffering is to avoid it or to attempt to go as fast you can to get done with the difficulty. The more you can allow what is arising to move at its own divine pace, the more easily inner change tends to go.

For more on this question of time, you can read this blog post:

How Long Does a Spiritual Awakening Take?

5. Why do I Feel Physical Pain in my Spiritual Awakening?

Physical pain can be a manifestation of other pains. For instance, if you have been holding a lot of anger in your heart, a spiritual awakening may pressurize that area to open and release that pain. People can have all kinds of issues with their hearts for which Western medicine may find no explanation (But it is always a good idea to get checked out by a doctor). When the issue releases and the heart opens, a rush of energy and emotions often come up, and then the heart and the physical body itself usually feel fine again if not expansive and loving.

Physical pains can crop up in any part of the body, and for more on pain and how to release it, I recommend these blog posts:

Spiritual Awakening and Pain: The Torment of Internal Resistance

How to Find and Release Physical Pain During a Spiritual Awakening

6 and 7. What Happened to the Bliss and how do I get it Back?

So I’m putting two questions together because they are linked . Not everyone feels bliss upon awakening, but many do. Many people also have some kind of loving, calm, or otherwise pleasurable experience upon initially awakening. It is very human to want to continue to feel good, so when that experience inevitably ends, people often think they have done something wrong or need to do something to get it back. It’s okay, though. You haven’t done anything wrong.

This blog post below can help you better appreciate why the experience ended as well as to understand this craving that makes you want to get it back.

Lost in Spiritual Bliss: Reclaiming Your Self From the Trap of Good Feelings

8. Why am I so Tired After Awakening?

Fatigue is another common spiritual awakening experience, although it doesn’t happen to everyone. Once again, seeking sanctioned medical advice is important before deciding that this is a purely spiritual thing. With the body, there tend to be multiple things going on that lead to fatigue. So even if there isn’t a medical ailment, poor diet and sleeping patterns are rampant in Western Society. When someone awakens, they may simply be realizing that they are exhausted because they are not treating their bodies well.

There are other reasons that people feel fatigue after a spiritual awakening, and you can read more here:

Chronic Fatigue and Spiritual Awakening

9. Is Awakened Kundalini Energy Dangerous?

Awakened energy is powerful stuff, and it can feel overpowering. Some traditions referred to this force as awakened Kundalini energy. The Kundalini energy description can be rather specific, which is why I don’t use it. But essentially, awakened Kundalini energy dissolves the ego and transforms the person. If they resist this energy, they’ll create even more kinds of physical and emotional suffering than they may already be having. That can make this energy seem “dangerous.”

But what you resist persists. Surrender is the only sane option here.

With that said, through the years I’ve taught people and talked to people, “Kundalini symptoms” have regularly shown up primarily with trauma survivors. This is deeply suspicious to me. I’m very concerned that a nervous system issue has been given spiritual terminology (aka Kundalini awakening) to create a sense of specialness. This can get in the way of someone seeking legitimate help.

If you have trauma and you feel that you are having a Kundalini awakening, please go to a trained therapist to get help. You will likely need to build a network of healers, friends, and other supports to help your body release the tensions and pain that it is trying to process out.

If you have trauma and think you want to have a spiritual awakening, DON’T. Resolve the trauma first. Awakened energy DOES NOT fix all your problems the way many people say it does. 

Using a Spiritual Teacher as a Therapist

For more thoughts on Kundalini and surrender, you can read these posts:

Is Kundalini Dangerous?

Surrender, Surrender, and Keep Surrendering

Happy to Answer Your Other Spiritual Awakening Questions

Obviously, there are many other spiritual awakening questions, and I have more than 1000 blog posts here as well as dozens of videos on YouTube. If you need help searching this blog, please refer to this blog post:

How to Find Answers on this Spirituality Blog

If you are interested in working with me, I recommend coming to a class. I announce new classes via my newsletter. You can sign up here:

(Updated 9/12/2021)

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I'm a spiritual teacher who helps people find freedom from suffering.

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