Research for future writing - shamanism and psychology [the violations of human rights, affecting those who can't defend themselves]

I was walking on the streets and my little inner voice told me : "After all of your experiences and research in the esoteric / occult realms, and your personal experiences with severe crises, you must write a book for the benefit of others".

I am a spiritual person since the age of 10, as far as can remember. I had at that age, an experience of extrasensory perception, where I could see a lightning flashing ball flying through the air making a lot a noise, and nobody else could see this, until a man came to me and told me : "Did you see it? I saw it too, the others didn't. Only some people can see these kinds of things who have that special vision and sensitivity".

At age 17 I went through a severe crisis and there my journey throughout psychology and psychiatry started. I started as a volunteer for the most neglected people in our society and I started to realise very soon the simularities between the experiences of schizophrenics and mystics, shamans and yogi's.

We are living in the age of Kali Yuga, where everything is based on the material in the first place, so it's difficult to bring this in a way that evidence-based science can benefit from it. I am going to move on with my research and try to write something on my experiences. During my crisis, I only became better once I started with shamanic studies, yoga, theosophy and so on.

Dr. David Lukoff writes some important information on his website:

The future shaman sometimes takes the risk of being mistaken for a "madman". . .but his "madness" fulfills a mystic function; it reveals certain aspects of reality to him that are inaccessible to other mortals, and it is only after having experienced and entered into these hidden dimensions of reality that the "madman" becomes a shaman. (Mircea Eliade. Myths, Dreams, and Mysteries. New York: Harper and Row, 1960. Page 80-81)

As the person accepts the calling and becomes a shaman, their illness usually disappears. The "self-cure of a psychosis" is so typical of the shaman that some anthropologists have argued that anyone without this experience should be described only as a healer. The concept of the "wounded healer" addresses the necessity of the shaman-to-be entering into extreme personal crisis in preparation of his/her role in the community as a healer (Halifax, Joan. Shamanic Voices. New York: Dutton, 1979)..

Traditional cultures distinguish between serious mental illness and the initiatory crisis experienced by some shamans-to-be. Anthropological accounts show that babbling confused words, displaying curious eating habits, singing continuously, dancing wildly, and being "tormented by spirits" are common elements in shamanic initiatory crises. In shamanic cultures, such crises are interpreted as an indication of an individual's destiny to become a shaman, rather than a sign of mental illness. If the illness occurs in an appropriate cultural context, the shaman returns from the crisis not only healed, but able to heal others.

For example, the Siberian shaman Kyzalov entered a state of "madness" lasting for seven years which resulted in his initiation as a shaman. He reported that during those years he had been beaten up several times, taken to many strange places including the top of a sacred mountain, chopped into pieces and boiled in a kettle, met the spirits of sickness, and acquired the drum and garment of a dead shaman. In our society today these experiences would be considered evidence of a psychotic disorder and could possibly result in hospitalization. Yet when Kyzalov recuperated, he reported that, "the shamans declared, 'You are the sort of man who may become a shaman; you should become a shaman. You must begin to shamanize.' " (Halifax, Joan. Shamanic Voices. New York: Dutton, 1979)..

Referring to the "wounded healer" concept, Kalweit argues the shamanic crisis is:

A sickness that is understood as a process of purification, as the onset of enhanced psychic sensitivity giving access to the hidden and highest potentials of human existence, is therefore marked by very different characteristics than those ascribed to pathological conditions by modern medicine and psychology, namely that suffering has only negative consequences. According to the modern view, illness disrupts and endangers life, whereas the shaman experiences his sickness as a call to restructure this life within himself so as to hear, see and live it more fully and completely in a higher state of awareness. (Dreamtime and Inner Space: The World of the Shaman by Holger Kalweit, p. 91)

Source : http://www.spiritualcompetency.com/dsm4/lesson3_8.html

The modern shamans I studied and met are all a little bit different, living between two worlds, not really understood in Western society, but serving society for sure. Future shamans will only be able to serve society in the profession of healers, artists, writers, and so on and so forth, in order to help individuals and society grow. If blocked from their destiny, they for sure will become what is known in the West as "mad", "insane", or "schizophrenic".

I believe that the future of psychology lies in embracing the wisdom of these ancients healing arts, in this ancient religion, what together with Druidism became the esoteric roots and foundation of modern-day brotherhoods like theosophy, freemasonry and rosicrucianism, so widely accepted amongst influental man and women, this all goes back throughout history to shamanism, where it all started.

Future psychologists and psychiatrists should take Dr. Stanislav Grof as an example, because he understands the bigger picture with his work.

It's difficult to write on these subjects because of the taboo, but I guess I can see it as a little bit of service to the many who are victims to a system that makes things so much worse, by using force threatments that bring no healing at all. The ideal psychologists / psychiatrists of the future will have to experience shamanic or yogic training by himself in order to be familiar with bot the objective-scientific world of theories and concepts, as well as the inner world where the shaman or the yoga is the master. Modern medications should only be used as short as possible, never against the will of the person, and always accompanied with the training towards understanding or "gnosis" of the person in crisis and his experiences. The ideal mental health institution should provide a librabry with books on the mind (psychology, or Eastern wisdom) in order that persons in crisis can educate themselves as well. I guess that we must step away from a society where people who lost contact with everyday reality are doomed to become lifelong zombies on pharmaceuticals without any hope for a better life. Shamanic training can take years, even decades, but results in a person able to fullfill its mission in life. I had almost no guidance, in my years of crisis I was picked from the streets by theosophists who gave me wonderful tips, I did a workshop where I experienced altered states through shamanic drumming, had some experiences with yoga classes, but the most of all I was forced to study the works that were given to me on my own. Strange experiences made me think that I lost my mind, but in books written by shamans, I could find always an explanation for the paranormal experiences. The work of Helena Blavatsky was also a great help, as well as the basic principles of buddhism, what brought me to the Bodhisattva path.

My crisis at a young age was the result of trauma, and later on I realised that karma played an important role in the entire story - I was smashed on the spiritual path, because that was my destiny. No matter what, I seemed to be destined to write on these things and to have witness the horrible conditions in which so-called mentally ill people had to live in the institutions, where they were often forced against their wills to take huge amounts of pharaceuticals, and if they resisted the treatment, they got locked up.

A different approach in locations where people are allowed to fully experience there altered states without supression or traumatising treatments, results in a good outcome, naturally, as proven by Dr. John Weir Perry http://spiritualrecoveries.blogspot.be/2006/05/dr-john-weir-perry-diabasis.html

"...85% of our clients (all diagnosed as severely schizophrenic) at the Diabasis center not only improved, with no medications, but most went on growing after leaving us."
- John Weir Perry

John Weir Perry wrote an important book on the archetypal content of the (sub)consciousness during such periods of inner travelling through the unseen worlds:

This book examines what the acute "psychotic" experience stirs up in the psyche and how to empathetically respond. Understanding the function of mythic themes is reached through the author's investigation into myth and ritual of antiquity and also the visionary experience undergone by prophets and social reformers in various ages and parts of the world.

John Weir Perry is Former Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. He is the author of The Heart of History: Individuality in Evolution, published by SUNY Press; The Self in Psychotic Process: Its Symbolization in Schizophrenia; Lord of the Four Quarters: Myths of the Royal Father; The Far Side of Madness; and Roots of Renewal in Myth and Madness.

Link : http://www.sunypress.edu/p-2874-trials-of-the-visionary-mind.aspx

As mental health as a profession will become more and more important as we move into the 21st century, the very basis for the evolution of psychology must be welcomed, because so many people in the 21st will experience depressions, anxiety, phobia's, and even the more severe conditons as bipolar depression and schizophrenia.

There are a few things that play an important role in wether or not something is a mental problem for the world. For instance, homosexuality has been seen as a form of mental illness for years, until it became accepted for people to be gay or bisexual. It depends on the Zeitgeist wether or not things are seen as unsane.

Politically we know that the C.I.A. worked with governments in order to brainwash unknowing targets with mind-control techniques [Dr. Colin Ross & Corrina Rachel admitting the insane reality of brainwashing the vulnerable in past, present and future] whereby politically and sociologically unwanted members of the community become labeled as "insane". There is for sure a political aspect in the evolution what is accepted and thus normal, and what is unaccepted and thus seen as an mental illness, ready for mind-control programs.

• More info on the unethical use of brainwashing and
  mind-control studies in psychiatry : Project Bluebird
• Another project involved was Project Artichoke
• This all together leading to MK-ULTRA programs
  
  Unfortunately, we know throught stories of the past that the most vulnerable, people from mental institutions or prisoners, are the ones who were the victims of secret mind-control and brainwashing experiments. I've seen in my own life strange phenomea that brought me on the path of researching this and as far as I am concerned, these activities are still going on. I don't want to go deeper into this, because I'm sick of the death treaths and it's none of my business in the end, but I can't stand that the weakest among us are used as objects in order to test and sell pharmaceuticals, wether or not by acceptance of the client, and this must stop because I've seen many beautiful souls in these dark holes of society. I see it as a part of my bodhisattva-path as acting as a protector of these people.

Dr. Colin Ross speaks out, and realise this is still going on to this present day, with these or other techniques involved. [Dutch article on the subject MK-ULTRA hersenspoeling]

Religiously, in the West the Catholic religion is dominant, and gnosticism is not so welcomed by the Vatican. Shamanism and other ancient pagan religions are not so "normal" in most Christian countries where the norm is the Bible and the religious authority is the Catholic priest or the Pope. Thomas Szasz wrote a book on the comparitive study on the mental health movement and the (modern) Inquisition of so-called witches during the dark ages (http://www.amazon.com/The-Manufacture-Madness-Comparative-Inquisition/dp/0815604610). I recommend both Catholics and Shamanic people to have a open mind and hearts towards other religious practices and believes, with respect from both sides.

Evolutionary, psychology is evolving, but this evolution goes somehow slowly because of the lobbywork of the pharmaceutical companies - a billion dollar industry - who opposes every alternative practice in the field, that makes people less dependant on the pharmaceuticals. Psychiatrist Stanislav Grof wrote a visionary book on the future of psychology, where he includes (throughout his work) lessons from modern consciousness research and the experiences of the shamans, yogis and mystics : http://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Future-Consciousness-Transpersonal-Humanistic/dp/0791446220 . This could bring insights for all of us, in a world dominated by only the Catholic religion, with gnosticism on its "black list". Evolutionary, this would give people involved in this who have the bad luck to end up in an institution during a kundalini awakening, a mystical experience, or a shamanic initiation as seen as benefitial on the long run for society, instead of being seen as part of an inferior being that needs to be extinguished through eugenics [in psychiatry]. Eugenics is still very popular in the world, and I have my strongest antipathy against it because of it being totally unethical.

During my years of study, I experienced lots of diseases, both mental crises and physical illness, but I always recovered by practicing the wisdom again through study, and serving others through the internet. Once forced in another life where I could not function as a researcher and helper, I soon felt alienated and reacted with psychotic behavior. I believe that the so-called psychotics and schizophrenics must be guided in a more shamanic way in order to become masters of the mind. Afterwards they can choose a task for the benefit of society, and find themselves healed.

Shamans agree that what Westerns see as mental illness is in fact the birth of the healer within, it is a spiritual emergency that prepared the neophyte through crisis for his future career as a helper (through music, writing, chakra healing, etcetera). Stanislav and Christina Grof wrote a wonderful book on this subject of spiritual emergency : http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Emergency-Personal-Transformation-Consciousness/dp/0874775388 (with parts written by Roberto Assagioli).

Psychology and psychiatry will evolve in the following decades and psychiatrists and psyhologists themselves will have to understand the field of transpersonal psychology, in order to become shamans themselves. I believe this is the future of psychology, far away from a dumbed-down zombie population that only costs society money in order to live meaningsless lives as societies "deranged" people. The opposite is possible, through the wisdom offered by transpersonal psychology. People who go through psychosis (spiritual emergency) are often very sensitive and will have to shield themselves against the stress of the mundane world, possible by adopting the lifestyles of writers or artists; where they gain the freedom to live with less stress and more creativity whilst having the possibility to communicate to the world the visionary solutions for all kinds of worlds problems that they see.

The Huffington Post also posted an interesting article on the Shamanic Path : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kelley-harrell/shaman-initiation_b_916400.html

As far as I am concerned, am not a huge traveller of the spiritual world through altered states. I had my peak experiences, made a few shifts in consciousness, but am not the experienced shaman as the shaman's in Siberia so to speak. Most of my experience in insight came trough meditation and study, but I found my goal of helping others through writing - whilst mainstream society still thinks of me as a "severe schizophrenic".

The shamanic initiation looks a little bit like the visionary experience and the kundalini experiece:

• The visionary experience
• The kundalini experience / awakening

Last but not least, the website of professor David Lukoff also discribes mystical experiences. Ken Wilber once said that during the sixties, people could be legally locked up when they had an experience of Cosmic Consciousness. I experienced forced institualisation by my own family because they had no knowledge of these kinds of altered states of consciousness.

• Mystical experiences

I'm glad that transpersonal psychiology already started the quest of bringing these things together for scientific research, otherwise I would feel quite alone in this journey of trying to help others passing knowledge. The system as far as I can see is far too much based on behaviorism and conditioning people as much as possible in order to make people fit for society, without touching the soul of people's soul, and putting them on the path of their destiny. Tests like the Myer-Briggs Jungian Topology, and others, can help as well to give people insight in there personality and help the right person towards the right job.

Now people like me, with a lifelong experience as a volunteer within psychology and psychiatry, and as a student of many spiritual traditions, am still waiting for the moment that mainstream psychology adopts this wisdom for the benefit of all. As far as I know, the mainstream psychologist looks at you if you mention kundalini or something mystical as if you come straight from another planet. Pioneers in the field don't give up the hope .... Recommended documentary below [Evolving Minds]. Dr Richard Bucke, who wrote the book Cosmic Consciousness, sees the emergence of these experiences in an integrated way, together with its expansion of consciousness, as the next step for humanities collective evolution. We hope now for a future within the mental health community, where science starts to really heal clients and help them towards wholeness, individuation and happiness in life, instead of being a kind of scientific inquisition of those experiencing altered states of consciousness, just as experienced shamans do, only in a more controlled manner..

Being a critic of the tortures happening in mainstream psychiatry as an institution is a revolutionary act, but the time has come to do so. Alan Watts speaks out on the fact how great the stigma is for those experiencing altered states of consciousness, like all shamans do in other cultures. Recommended for further study.



Transpersonal psychology comes with a totally new psychological worldview, and sees similarities and value in non-ordinary states of consciousness (like psychosis) and refers to the experiences of all the great mystics, shamans, yogi's and the neophytes during training in the sacred ancient mysteries.


Pioneering visionary psychiatrist Stanislav Grof sees value in non-ordinary states of conciousness and made the study of these states his lifelong work and study. The connection with ancient wisdom also appears often in his work. Grof finds these states important because they hold the capacity for healing within them. So instead of supressing them, what happens most in the West if they appear all of a sudden sponteaniously as a reaction to trauma for instance, we should encourage the experience to unfold in order to let the healing process do its work under the skilled, learned and wise somehow "shamanic" doctors of the future.

So far, I have forgiven everyone in my life. The goal must now be : building a sustainable and great future. I'm driven by hope, not hate. I even have people in my network who are connected to the C.I.A. I can't condemn them for what they've done in the past, or even in the present. We can only hope for better living conditions for the most vulnerable of all. We can only hope that governments in the future only use this dangerous knowledge only in order to protect themselves when needed, thus in wartime or so, and let's hope in the first place that those who are the most neglected won't be the targets of medical experiments. I have great hope for the future and if necessary I am willing - as I did before - to help therapists, healers, psychiatrists and psychologists to share ideas on how to build a better system for those in need. In my heart is no hatred. We are all in this together. Forgive me that I protect the innocent and weak.