Spiritual Emergence/Emergency Support

Mysticism is Becoming Mainstream

Numerous research studies since 2009 reveal that approximately 30 – 50% of Americans have had “mystical experiences.” Spiritual or mystical experiences have some of the following qualities:

• Transient
• Extraordinary
• Ineffability, unity, harmony, awe, reverence, euphoria
• Loosening of ego structure
• Alterations in time and space
• A sense of oneness with the divine and everything in existence
• Feel more real than everyday reality

Silence is Not Golden

If you feel you have had an experience with some of those qualities, you may be in a spiritual emergence process. For many individuals, even mental health professionals, these extraordinary moments are not seen as a part of natural human development. They may be misinterpreted as psychosis and their value as a catalyst for psychological growth and spiritual evolution may go unacknowledged. In our culture, doubts about whether the spiritual dimension even exists tends to keep the door to conversation closed.

The Role Of A Mentor

Your insights, visions, and revelations precipitate changes in perceptual abilities, values, relationships and a re-alignment of core beliefs. Navigating this spiritual awakening on your own can lead to confusion, physical and psychological suffering, isolation, and interpersonal challenges. Relying on the ongoing presence of a trusted mentor who knows the territory is invaluable.

Qualities to consider in a trusted mentor:

• Is open-minded, compassionate and present
• Has lived experience with people having symptoms of psychosis
• Has clinical experience with people having symptoms of a spiritual emergence/emergency
• Has substantial experience working with one’s own mind
• Is grounded and centered in oneself
• Has a commitment to high ethical standards
• Has access to clinical supervision
• Seeks continuing education around spiritual emergence/emergency
• Can teach a positive conceptual framework and offer alternative treatment approaches

Eddie LeShure is certified as a Spiritual Emergence Coach®.  In that role he facilitates support groups for those in the process of spiritual emergence who may also have had a psycho-spiritual emergency.  These groups are about sharing resources and experiences. Spiritual Emergence Coaches® do not encourage the use of illegal substances.  However, they are skilled in being of support to those who have had powerfully transformative experiences as a result of plant medicines and psychedelics. Eddie is not licensed to do psychotherapy. In his role as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC), he is available for one-to-one counseling with those suffering from addiction or substance misuse issues.

Margaret Kirschner is certified as a Mental Health Provider who assists individuals who have encountered a spiritually transformative event. She is certified through ACISTE (American Center for the Integration of Spiritually Transformative Experiences). In that role, she can assist you with its profound after-effects. Margaret is also a Certified Trauma Informed Yoga Therapist, skilled at compassionately supporting your “mindful emergence” out of crisis.

“When you have a transformative experience, you feel transformed; when you integrate a transformative experience, you become a transformed person.” – Suzy Ross, PhD The Map to Wholeness.

Whether your experience was a peak event or a traumatic one, the integration process is about releasing old, outdated aspects of yourself and inviting new, healthier ways of perceiving and functioning in the world. The old aspects hold feelings you have rejected or avoided, such as anger and fear. There is a process that will involve displacement, grief, denial, and disorientation, which leads to surrender, healing, and the birth of a new way of being. The process can be daunting, but if you are committed to personal growth, you will begin to feel an upward curve where your life makes sense. Your values, thoughts, and actions align within yourself and manifest as peace and fulfillment, a feeling of wholeness in who you know yourself to be.

Eager to Emerge?

The inspiration to cooperate with your spiritual awakening and grow stronger through it can evolve with more certainty, ease and clarity in the presence of a compassionate, skilled mentor. If you are ready to mindfully emerge, schedule a free consult…