Discussion Post I submitted for my Atlantic University TP5005 Course – September 4, 2019
As Grof & Grof note in The Stormy Search for the Self, the best healers are those who have been through a crisis themselves (1990, p. 205). They use the example of reformed-alcoholics or drug users, who, as part of their ongoing recovery seek to help others, and the authors note that they can make outstanding healers. If I were recruiting support people for spiritual emergencies, I’d start here. I’d also network with organizations like the Spiritual Emergence Network to see if I could find interested people, and also use any advertising vehicles they may possess. I’d also work with schools like Atlantic University to identify graduates who are interested in being apart of a healing network.
A screening process is essential, and I’d start with an intensive confidential questionnaire to determine a person’s true interest as well as to identify potential red flags. I would also incorporate a multi-day “training” session where I’d bring in spiritual emergency professionals to provide useful information, and I’d also devote a significant portion of the training to realistic role-playing that touches on the extremes of what can occur during a spiritual transformation. If it’s done well enough, it will likely be self-selecting in that a number of people may not continue when they see its intensity.
Allowing an individual to experience their spiritual emergency at home is best as you want to make them feel safe and secure, and not to think they’re “sick.” Alternatively, creating a home-like environment is beneficial, as was done with Karen, the woman discussed in Chapter 10 of The Stormy Search for the Self. (1990, pp. 191-211). Grof & Grof also point out the necessity of having 24/7 coverage of “sitters,” and the need to ensure that the shifts are short enough so as not to burn out those volunteering (1990, p. 200). Other types of support mentioned by the authors include having access to a trained spiritual teacher, peer support group, and the availability of close friends and family (1990, p. 202-204). Their suggestion of having a person trained in body works is also essential as much of what people are experiencing in their spiritual emergencies will manifest itself in various parts of the body (1990, p. 205). Other key support activities include music – whatever the person was most interested and this might change depending on their mood – a journal, dream recording device (pen or something they can use to record), and any creative outlet they enjoy (e.g., video equipment, photography, painting, etc.).
Having interned in a state mental health institution, I can attest, it’s the last place you’d want to have a spiritual emergency. The environment itself is usually dark and dank, and the amount of pharmaceuticals people are given is staggering, all things that run counter to what someone in a spiritual crisis truly needs. In addition, instead of intense one-on-one attention, multiple “patients” are thrown in together with orderlies, doctors, and nurses who are prone to treat them as if they’re children. The whole notion of an institution is that the people are “sick,” something that’s not helpful to a person facing a spiritual emergency where their anxiety is running high already.
As I was doing the reading for this week, I thought about what it would be like to help out with someone facing a spiritual emergency. My mind immediately went back to a situation during the internship at the state institution where a female patient went berserk in front of me. She yelled, threw plants against the wall, and punched out a thick glass divider until two orderlies came in and tackled her to the ground, put her in restraints, and whisked her away. Despite this experience and some lingering fears, I would like to pursue this type of work, and I suspect many pursuing a Master’s in Personal Psychology will consider it as well.
References
Grof C. and Groff S., M.D. (1990), The stormy search for the self, Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc.: Los Angeles, CA.