What Is Kundalini Syndrome? (And Can It Happen To You?)

You’ve probably heard all kinds of buzz about those who’ve experienced a Kundalini awakening. Kundalini (also referred to as Kundalini Shakti) is all about moving energy. This energy, or prana, lies dormant at the base of the spine in the root chakra, coiled up like a snake, just waiting for awakening.

Generally, this beautiful life force is awakened through physical yoga postures, meditation techniques, kriya, and pranayama breathing exercises.

When Kundalini awakens, many people experience a dancing feeling from this dormant energy up the spine, like when Shakti awoke Shiva from his state of meditation after thousands of years.

It’s not actual dancing, but like an awakening of subtle energy that is deep within. It’s quite beautiful, to be honest.

Like you’re coming alive for the very first time and seeing the world with crystal clear clarity.

But, and there’s always a but, understanding the effects of an awakening is important before we start throwing our bodies around and chanting mantras.

For those with a Kundalini practice, awakening can be an extremely spiritual experience, but sometimes symptoms of a Kundalini awakening can happen when we’re least expecting it and we are totally unprepared.

This can lead to a traumatic Kundalini awakening experience, or what many many refer to as Kundalini syndrome or Kundalini psychosis.

While this sounds pretty scary, don’t let those fear-mongering headlines freak you out. Instead, take a minute to understand what Kundalini Syndrome is all about and then help yourself prepare for it.

That’s what I’m here to help you with in this post 🙂

What is Kundalini Syndrome?

Awakening Kundalini energy is a one-of-a-kind experience that can be profound, enlightening, and incredibly healing.

But it can also be one that’s a trigger for your mental health.

This is what Kundalini syndrome is all about.

Before we dive into Kundalini syndrome, it’s worth reviewing the actual process of Kundalini awakening.

While there’s not actually a serpent at the base of your spine (that’d be freaky), that is what the energy is like within you.

It lies dormant in a coiled pile at the base of your spine until you do something to awaken it, to pull it out of its slumber and up along the Sushumna Nadi (aka energy channel that runs along your spine).

It’s not like it’d happen totally on accident, though. Your Kundalini energy is awakened through certain practices, like mantras (like the Adi Mantra), yoga postures, meditation, and pranayama breathing.

Different practices can help open up your chakras, which work a little bit like gates along that energy channel.

And if you’re not careful, this shift in energy movement can be intense, bringing on a whole host of issues that are summed up as ‘Kundalini syndrome’.

These symptoms come on when the raw life force that is Kundalini (or serpent energy) rises in the human body at a rate that the body simply cannot handle.

Many people can experience negative side effects and symptoms similar to mental illness or even physical pain after a Kundalini awakening.

You might also like: What is Kundalini Yoga and How is Kundalini Yoga Different From Hatha/Vinyasa? [+VIDEO]

Symptoms of Kundalini Syndrome

Lots of people want to know what the symptoms of Kundalini syndrome are as if it’s the same as an allergic reaction or a head cold.

The problem?

Kundalini works on an energetic body and doesn’t directly affect your physical body. Plus, everyone is different and will respond differently.

It’s more likely to affect your mind, which can turn into a psycho-somatic experience that results in physical symptoms. Some commonly reported symptoms are:

• Muscle cramps or spasm
• A feeling of energy rushing through the body, almost like an electric impulse
• Itchy, prickly, or tingling sensations on the skin
• Headaches or pressure in the head
• Increased heart rate
• Digestive issues, like loose bowels or constipation

Again, it’s super important to note that these physical symptoms are not like a hard and fast rule about Kundalini syndrome. Rather, enough people have reported experiencing these symptoms during their Kundalini experiences that they’re worth mentioning here.

What Causes Kundalini Psychosis?

Kundalini syndrome can happen for many reasons, but the most common is a spontaneous and unprepared movement or awakening of Kundalini energy.

This can happen when you come face to face with stressful life situations like a near-death experience, loss of a job, break up, tragic accident, or unexpected news.

It’s so shocking and sudden that it shifts something in your energetic field and dislodges the coil, causing a sudden rise or movement.

Negative side effects and symptoms can include:

• Negative emotions
• Depression depersonalization
• Spontaneous twitching and tremours
• A sensation of vibration
• Deregulation of body temperature
• Hallucinations
• Mood swings
• And an over-all feeling of an unpleasant nature

In severe cases, Kundalini syndrome can cause you to part from reality, making hard to know the difference between what’s real and what is not.

Even for those with contemplative practice and grounded demeanor, the Kundalini process can be tricky for the mind and body when it comes to healing.

How To Treat Kundalini Syndrome

Because Kundalini experiences are so unique compared to other spiritual practices, many people have a hard time coping with and understanding symptoms related to Kundalini syndrome.

In turn, they often rely on substances like drugs and alcohol out of fear. But that’s the exact opposite direction we wanna go on our spiritual journey!

In reality, the best way to deal with symptoms of Kundalini rising is awareness paired with balancing out your chakra system and grounding yourself.

This means healing your body, mind, and spirit through lifestyle changes like:

• Recharging the body through plenty of sleep
• Fueling with whole foods, primarily plants
• Spending time within nature, do a little gardening, walk barefoot, or hug a tree
• Take a break from your spiritual practice, especially those that involve chakra balancing, and stick to gentle stretching exercises if needed

Awareness of these syndrome symptoms is the first step towards healing, but if they intensify or become gradually worse seek out help from a seasoned practitioner or spiritual healer for both mental and physical stability.

You might also like: What Are The Chakras and Kundalini Energy Flow? Here Is My Complete Breakdown.

So, Is Kundalini Dangerous?

All in all, the answer is no.

Kundalini is all about the way energy moves throughout your chakra system and how we bring awareness to it.

By understanding the physical and mental effects this spiritual practice can have on our bodies, from the Ajna chakra to the Muladhara chakra, we can properly prepare ourselves for divine awakening and healing.