Peak Experiences of the Spiritual Kind: Grounding and Integrating

There is nothing as thrilling as a peak spiritual experience. New understandings of all levels of reality cause a cascade of joy, relief and understanding. Insecurities and grudges all become funny things of the past as we burst into the sort of laughter that only comes with a profound shift in awareness. We feel connected to all and resilient in the face of formerly daunting challenges. Whether these breakthroughs come during meditation, heartbreak or some kind of chemically induced experience, it is amazing how our reality can seem to shift in an instant of illumination.

And then the brain goes into action.

Theories are developed. Stories in the mind begin to replace the energy shift that was experienced. Certainty replaces doubt. Plans are hatched. We are on a high and we are determined to keep it going. All of our insights are now going to be put into action by the conscious mind even though the peak is fading quickly and we have oftentimes lost the point of the breakthrough we have just experienced. And then we inevitably come down from the high, left with only the mind’s version of the event in the form of a story. That is a huge missed opportunity.

So, how do we best handle a peak spiritual experience?

First off I would recommend feeling how this event is experienced in the body. Rather than just focusing on the cascade of insights and ideas, feel how this experience has shifted your physical sense of self. You will notice that there are sensations surrounding this experience that are either completely new, reminiscent of the kind of vitality you may not have experienced since childhood or even uncomfortable to some degree. No matter. Just get the ‘sense memory’ aspect.

Next, feel the emotional side of the experience. This feeling will be physical as well but the emotional part of it will be a more subtle level of the experience than the physical. Feel the elation and relief and whatever else is felt. Your emotions are one of the biggest components of your overall sense of self but we are trained to neglect them and keep our identity locked up in the mind. Notice how your emotions may change in the aftermath of the experience and allow them to move rather than trying to control and constrict them.

Finally, keep going. You’ve gotten a glimpse of infinity, not infinity itself. Try not to glorify the experience too much. Try not to be too sure what it means. Instead of running through the same old mental narrative, go back to feeling the emotional and physical aspects of the event. That will start anchoring you in the ‘higher frequency’ of your experience and it will help you reach the next step more quickly and solidly.