Spiritual awakening or mental illness?

[powessy]

Hello

Almost a year ago I had gone through my awakening, from that time on I spent 6 months reading through every spirituality site I could find to help me answer the questions that I had regarding the things I was going through. After the first six months the voices started 24/7. Up till a year ago I had thousands of obes and astral projections and my spirituality was only a product of these experiences. I read about all this stuff on spirituality and now with the voices in my mind, schizophrenia and hearing voices sites. I have experienced both negative voices and positive ones and find comfort in the felling that I am able to help them as much as possible. I have been ridiculed for my beliefs in many spirituality sites and find many other problems then voices in the schizophrenia and hearing voices sites. When I compare the two I see the same thing effecting both groups just both have a different explanation or view of what they are experiencing. I do not agree with those that are suggesting people that hear voices all the time are mentally ill it is just something many do not understand. Those that hear voices all the time have souls in their aura and are speaking to the person through frontal thought genesis. I am not yet a strong believer in telepathy but it may be more of a vibrational form of communication one the mind interprets.

Powessy

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by alexa_summer

Hey everyone.
So ever since my "awakening" I have been researching, learning, and building on my beliefs and it has impacted my everyday life as a result. I always thought that being spiritual & interested in everything that is spiritual was a positive, good thing. When I say spiritual, of course I mean any New Age topic. "Spirit Science" in general...you know. I felt my awakening when it happened, I believe it was something so authentic, I feel like we are all souls inhabiting our bodies & using them as vehicles...etc...I am fully aware of my spirit when I perceive things visually, which is something I can't fully explain, but that is the closest that makes sense. I believe that many messages we put out there are channeled from our higher selves..& I am aware when I am doing that. I feel these sensations through out my body that I can't explain, but again with the word "awareness". Sometimes it does feel like a long, dragged out dream we are all living in..We have so many different terminologies for the "unexplainable" the "paranormal". But they vary so much to the point of confusion, distress over what is real anymore.

To get to the point...I'm taking this class in college called "Abnormal Psychology". & we are learning about many different mental disorders.
There's one in particular that according to by definition, me & many other spiritual believers show symptoms of. It's called "Depersonalization Disorder".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depersonalization_disorder
I've also noticed described symptoms of "Psychosis" as well...probably very mild versions of, but it is still there.

Are we all just crazies here or what's really going on? How come the first thing medical practitioners jump to in order to explain this phenomena is mental illness? Who is right & who is wrong when it comes down to it? Does ANYONE really know ANYTHING? It all just seems like theories & made up mumbo-jumbo. Nothing is really certain. There's people out there that really do suffer mental illness, but even if doctors and people think they know the reasons or causes or even the exact illness. It doesn't change the fact that no one really knows WHY it even exists to begin with. Consciousness is consciousness. I'm sure all these people who are extreme sufferers have some kind of message to put across. I don't know how to further explain all of this. But if each one of us were carefully examined by a psychiatrist I am sure they would come up with some kind of mental disorder or explanation as to why we experience and perceive things the way we do. Is there a line? A veil that rises to expose truth? Does truth exist? It's all what we perceive it to be...if it looks like a duck & quacks like a duck...it's definitely a duck. Well I think there's more to it.

I really enjoyed your post. You make perfect sense to me as I have been diagnosed with various disorders. Others think I am a mental case but I am fully aware of my internal changes. I think de-personalisation is a good description and the definition also says it was named derealisation which to me defines 'the perception of reality changes'. I do believe it is all spiritual and all intended to transform the constructed individual to being authentic. However when it comes to 'becoming spiritual' it's anyones defintion. Trying to be something we are not is the cause of our undoing.

have you thought about why any and all symptoms of ascension are considered as mental illness ??

[skygazer]

Originally Posted by alexa_summer

Hey everyone.
So ever since my "awakening" I have been researching, learning, and building on my beliefs and it has impacted my everyday life as a result. I always thought that being spiritual & interested in everything that is spiritual was a positive, good thing. When I say spiritual, of course I mean any New Age topic. "Spirit Science" in general...you know. I felt my awakening when it happened, I believe it was something so authentic, I feel like we are all souls inhabiting our bodies & using them as vehicles...etc...I am fully aware of my spirit when I perceive things visually, which is something I can't fully explain, but that is the closest that makes sense. I believe that many messages we put out there are channeled from our higher selves..& I am aware when I am doing that. I feel these sensations through out my body that I can't explain, but again with the word "awareness". Sometimes it does feel like a long, dragged out dream we are all living in..We have so many different terminologies for the "unexplainable" the "paranormal". But they vary so much to the point of confusion, distress over what is real anymore.

To get to the point...I'm taking this class in college called "Abnormal Psychology". & we are learning about many different mental disorders.
There's one in particular that according to by definition, me & many other spiritual believers show symptoms of. It's called "Depersonalization Disorder".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depersonalization_disorder
I've also noticed described symptoms of "Psychosis" as well...probably very mild versions of, but it is still there.

Are we all just crazies here or what's really going on? How come the first thing medical practitioners jump to in order to explain this phenomena is mental illness? Who is right & who is wrong when it comes down to it? Does ANYONE really know ANYTHING? It all just seems like theories & made up mumbo-jumbo. Nothing is really certain. There's people out there that really do suffer mental illness, but even if doctors and people think they know the reasons or causes or even the exact illness. It doesn't change the fact that no one really knows WHY it even exists to begin with. Consciousness is consciousness. I'm sure all these people who are extreme sufferers have some kind of message to put across. I don't know how to further explain all of this. But if each one of us were carefully examined by a psychiatrist I am sure they would come up with some kind of mental disorder or explanation as to why we experience and perceive things the way we do. Is there a line? A veil that rises to expose truth? Does truth exist? It's all what we perceive it to be...if it looks like a duck & quacks like a duck...it's definitely a duck. Well I think there's more to it.

as far back as I can remember in childhood I always had the feeling of 'us and them'. Early on, I adapted and felt that 'they' can say anything they want but it doesn't make it so.

If we are functioning and finding some kind of peace in this crazy world, let them call us mental. I recently saw a movie called Mental, it expressed what I am saying pretty well.

The psychiatric profession is not to be taken seriously imo.

Thousands would kiss the Pope's ring and I'm considered crazy when I get 'manic'???!



Puhleazze I'll take the latter...

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by kidkrazy

have you thought about why any and all symptoms of ascension are considered as mental illness ??

I don't know if I would call it ascension but definately a transformation. I think there is a mental health model and if you don't fit in the box, you're mental. There are well over 400 diagnosable mental illnesses so something is wrong here. It's life and a response to your life experiences.

Personally, I think if you are aware of your own behaviour, you are sane.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by TesseLated

Thousands would kiss the Pope's ring and I'm considered crazy when I get 'manic'???!



Puhleazze I'll take the latter...

Exactly.

[Humanb]

Originally Posted by powessy

Hello

Almost a year ago I had gone through my awakening, from that time on I spent 6 months reading through every spirituality site I could find to help me answer the questions that I had regarding the things I was going through. After the first six months the voices started 24/7. Up till a year ago I had thousands of obes and astral projections and my spirituality was only a product of these experiences. I read about all this stuff on spirituality and now with the voices in my mind, schizophrenia and hearing voices sites. I have experienced both negative voices and positive ones and find comfort in the felling that I am able to help them as much as possible. I have been ridiculed for my beliefs in many spirituality sites and find many other problems then voices in the schizophrenia and hearing voices sites. When I compare the two I see the same thing effecting both groups just both have a different explanation or view of what they are experiencing. I do not agree with those that are suggesting people that hear voices all the time are mentally ill it is just something many do not understand. Those that hear voices all the time have souls in their aura and are speaking to the person through frontal thought genesis. I am not yet a strong believer in telepathy but it may be more of a vibrational form of communication one the mind interprets.

Powessy

It doesn't matter if it is spiritual or a mental illness, those are just words assigned to a loose meaning. You are experiencing it so embrace it :) lets say spirituality has a value of 1 and mental illness has a value of 2, if I told you what you are experiencing is definitely number 1 then that's what you would refer to it as from then on. but that value makes absolutely no difference to how these experiences make you feel.

Just follow your intuition, you already know what's happening.

Originally Posted by alexa_summer

Hey everyone.
So ever since my "awakening" I have been researching, learning, and building on my beliefs and it has impacted my everyday life as a result. I always thought that being spiritual & interested in everything that is spiritual was a positive, good thing. When I say spiritual, of course I mean any New Age topic. "Spirit Science" in general...you know. I felt my awakening when it happened, I believe it was something so authentic, I feel like we are all souls inhabiting our bodies & using them as vehicles...etc...I am fully aware of my spirit when I perceive things visually, which is something I can't fully explain, but that is the closest that makes sense. I believe that many messages we put out there are channeled from our higher selves..& I am aware when I am doing that. I feel these sensations through out my body that I can't explain, but again with the word "awareness". Sometimes it does feel like a long, dragged out dream we are all living in..We have so many different terminologies for the "unexplainable" the "paranormal". But they vary so much to the point of confusion, distress over what is real anymore.

To get to the point...I'm taking this class in college called "Abnormal Psychology". & we are learning about many different mental disorders.
There's one in particular that according to by definition, me & many other spiritual believers show symptoms of. It's called "Depersonalization Disorder".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depersonalization_disorder
I've also noticed described symptoms of "Psychosis" as well...probably very mild versions of, but it is still there.

Are we all just crazies here or what's really going on? How come the first thing medical practitioners jump to in order to explain this phenomena is mental illness? Who is right & who is wrong when it comes down to it? Does ANYONE really know ANYTHING? It all just seems like theories & made up mumbo-jumbo. Nothing is really certain. There's people out there that really do suffer mental illness, but even if doctors and people think they know the reasons or causes or even the exact illness. It doesn't change the fact that no one really knows WHY it even exists to begin with. Consciousness is consciousness. I'm sure all these people who are extreme sufferers have some kind of message to put across. I don't know how to further explain all of this. But if each one of us were carefully examined by a psychiatrist I am sure they would come up with some kind of mental disorder or explanation as to why we experience and perceive things the way we do. Is there a line? A veil that rises to expose truth? Does truth exist? It's all what we perceive it to be...if it looks like a duck & quacks like a duck...it's definitely a duck. Well I think there's more to it.

Why can't it be both? Two of my wisest teachers taught me that going through and dealing with illness and adversity of ANY variety, so long as they do it SPIRITUALLY (whatever that means ) and MINDFULLY can lead people to an awakening. One of the teachers achieved his pivotal spiritual awakening (not in a casual sense as we use it on this board, but access to peace and wisdom beyond the average person) as an illness brought him near to death. Another achieved it while working through his mental illness with a psychologist (if you have any inkling that you have a mental illness, by the way, please see one) and at the same time, using the mental struggle to bring about his own spiritual awakening.

This is why it is said in Zen scripture that "enlightenment is not separate from craving, desire, aversion and sickness, rather, it is right in the midst of these things..." or that "When the mind is pure, even the sounds of the birds singing is the Buddha giving a sermon". Whether physical or mental illness, one should seek medical help to alleviate problems of the mind and body... but one should also try to use these as a spiritual crucible, or a transformative moment.

-TaoSandwich

Originally Posted by TaoSandwich

Why can't it be both? Two of my wisest teachers taught me that going through and dealing with illness and adversity of ANY variety, so long as they do it SPIRITUALLY (whatever that means ) and MINDFULLY can lead people to an awakening. One of the teachers achieved his pivotal spiritual awakening (not in a casual sense as we use it on this board, but access to peace and wisdom beyond the average person) as an illness brought him near to death. Another achieved it while working through his mental illness with a psychologist (if you have any inkling that you have a mental illness, by the way, please see one) and at the same time, using the mental struggle to bring about his own spiritual awakening.

This is why it is said in Zen scripture that "enlightenment is not separate from craving, desire, aversion and sickness, rather, it is right in the midst of these things..." or that "When the mind is pure, even the sounds of the birds singing is the Buddha giving a sermon". Whether physical or mental illness, one should seek medical help to alleviate problems of the mind and body... but one should also try to use these as a spiritual crucible, or a transformative moment.

-TaoSandwich

Wise words tao-sandwich, and needed on a thread about mental illness - in my view.