Ravens and Doves is a source of information and support for those who have undergone a sudden, transformative spiritual experience while taking the 12 Steps or other recovery path. This is a progressive, open community. All are welcome.

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Discussion Group Professional Contacts DSM-IV Background

Spontaneous Spiritual Emergence in Recovery	For some of us, the gradual awakening was not what our Higher (or inner) Power had in store. Perhaps we had gone too far off the edge. Perhaps time was not on our side. But one day the light would come... for each at our own pace... for each, on our own path.   The intensity of a profound spiritual experience cannot be understated. A person can feel propelled out of body and out of (the old) mind. The event can trigger the release of Kundalini energy, cause confounding visions and entirely change a person's view of the universe.   For those in recovery, this is a life saving moment. But, in the days following, a person can experience what is called a "spiritual emergency." You finally learned how to fly... a Higher Power filled your wings with the winds of eternity, but a young, awe-struck eagle must learn to land.
Specific Issues	Anyone who has had a near death experience, for example, will tell you that there is no text book for the journey home. A person might find that the old "home" of a once sacred religious doctrine may no longer exist as previously interpreted. This can cause great misunderstandings within a family, recovery community or other peer group.   Unlike an NDE, during a spontaneous spritual experience a person is fully conscious and is engaging in this reality as best they can while being profoundly aware of another. Through the ages, the great spiritual teachers have pointed us in this direction and may have spent most of their lives in extraordinary states of consciousness. However, being the stuff of mere mortals, we falter when a greater reality engages the template of our ordinary minds.   To others, during a sudden awaking a person may appear delusional or even schizophrenic. Outwardly, it would seem like they've taken a hallucinagenic drug. There may be fine lines, but in the end there are tremendous differences between pathological psychosis and a true spiritual transformation.   Exploring the links or a Google search for "spiritual emergency" will reveal extensive resorces to help understand this process.                              *                        *                        *
	There are several issues specific to people in recovery who have spontaneous awakenings that will be discussed as this new web site grows. There is great potential in integrating the research of transpersonal psychology with the realizations of time-tested spiritual paradigms and the hands-on experience of the of the recovery movements. Let's give it our best.   May peace and rationality always be with you in this world of changes.

ravensdawn@earthlink.net