Bipolar Disorder and Spiritual Awakening



Are people who suffer from bipolar disorder really just spiritually awakened? Is enlightenment being diagnosed as a mental illness?

PEOPLE ARE coming to a fascinating conclusion: bipolar mania is actually spiritual enlightenment or awakening. How do I know this?  I suppose if you fish around the internet you’ll find this theory threaded around the various places where seekers are congregating. I haven’t looked, to be honest, because I didn’t find this topic, it found me. Looking at the search statistics for ModernAwakenings.com, I have been surprised to find that search terms are trending high that indicate people are making a connection between bipolar disorder, specifically the manic phase, and enlightenment. Their search leads them to this website.

Sorry, I’m not going to be corroborating that theory for you.  

Not even close.  As someone who has been through and continues to “go through” the enlightenment process, and someone who has also been intimately involved with people who are bipolar, and as a person who witnessed one person diagnosed with bipolar claim to be enlightened during a severe manic phase (that led, incidentally, to profound psychosis and ultimately, death)…I do not see that there is any link between bipolar disorder and enlightenment.

There are a lot of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder who believe they are special. That having this mental signature makes them more creative, more intelligent, and so on.  I’ve known people diagnosed with bipolar disorder who fit that description, and I’ve known others who were quite the opposite.  So “being” bipolar is not an indication of any special talent. And being hypo-manic or fully manic is certainly not an indication of spiritual awakening.

So why are people confusing the two?  

I can see why they might seem superficially similar. There is this sweet spot in the mania spectrum, what might be thought of as the top end of hypo-manic, where people can experience all kinds of intense states of mind, such as euphoria. They also run a lot of energy, become insanely charismatic and sometimes can experience a kind of one-pointedness of mind that they mistake for complete clarity or ultimate revelation. They can even produce phenomena around them that seem paranormal.

This appears very similar on the surface to bliss states of spiritual awakening, the demonstration of siddhi powers, kundalini activation, third eye activation, resting in Clear Light, and so forth. It’s not.

That’s not to say that people with bipolar disorder can’t awaken spiritually.

In fact, there is something about their unique and challenging energy signature that gives them an extra push to revealing their true nature.  To effectively manage their condition, they need to vigilantly watch their thoughts, examine their thoughts, and challenge the reality of their thoughts and the emotions that follow.  It’s imperative. Because the manic phase brings paranoid thoughts, which are not real.  It brings thoughts of promiscuous sex, which is not really what you want.  It brings thoughts of invincibility, of maxing out your credit card on stuff you don’t even need, of gambling, of joining/starting a cult, of all kinds of things that are not real, not you. The depressive phase brings all kinds of thoughts that are also not real.  Thoughts of self harm, worthlessness, unbearable pain.  They are not real, and they are not you.

People who are not diagnosed as bipolar are effectively doing the same thing. They spend their lives in a thought world, a world that is not real, but their thoughts are more middle of the road so they don’t set off the big alarm bells, they don’t cause them to stop and say, “Who am I? Are these thoughts real?  Do they come from me?  Who is thinking the thoughts?” They are still sleepwalking, but it’s okay because their dream is just not that intense.  They can afford to be lazy, but people living with bipolar disorder can’t.  Being lazy means you might miss the small window when you have the ability to stop the momentum.  It’s actually a very short choice point, but those that master this can thrive.  But it’s absolutely a martial art.

So, while being bipolar doesn’t grant you some special status in terms of sudden enlightenment, it absolutely puts your feet to the coals.  

You get a special invitation in neon, with dancing girls and fireworks: You are cordially invited to watch your mind, and in doing so, discover who you really are.  You are not blessed with this disorder, but neither are you cursed.  You are invited.

Source: https://modernawakenings.com/bipolar-disorder-and-spiritual-awakening/

Views: 124

Replies to This Discussion

Interesting article...  I don't think there is anything good that stems from an emotional and mental disorder.  It can become very ugly and scary without much warning while I would like to think of enlightenment as profound thoughts that lead to actions steering away from the normal thought process and leading to something good or at least better than where the person is/was mentally.

Funny you should say that. I didn't come to a consensus for myself until I hit my 30s. I suffered for 10 years until I understood what I was hearing in my head were my guides n guardian. I have no regrets, but I can only imagine if I knew what I do know now. I'm comfortable now with my mental illness. 

Funny as in good or bad?!  I have no real idea what enlightenment might mean and I imagine it manifests for everyone differently.  I have been dealing with debilitating depression since my late 20's and I am 45 now.  The doctors can't even be sure what all is wrong and now in the past 5 years I am getting a bipolar diagnosis.  All I know is I am depressed and it is a part of me I cannot change but will continue to work with accepting it and even embracing it if I have to.  If you are comfortable with your illness I am so glad - genuinely.

As in good. That's why I love topics like this. It's refreshing to know that I'm not alone with my depression. Everything takes time.

You never really truly get used to it but you do discover patterns and triggers and this helps you understand and cope.  If one day is a nightmare you have to force yourself to believe that tomorrow will be better (and it usually is).

I hope I'm not impeding on the convo but I wanna explain something.

The Red Kingú (Seraphim):

Just beneath the Kingú-Babbar in the social order. Specialists in war; soldiers. Reddish skin. Have tail, horn, and wings. When the Kingú-Babbar left Ušu, the Red Kingú remained to govern in their place.

Since that time, certain Gina'abul, such as the red Kingú, have had difficulty in sojourning more than 5 full Ud (days) in the KI of Uraš. The Babbar and Imdugud seem, on the other hand, to tolerate this frequency well.

Sometimes when I'm manic, I have to sit and meditate in the shower for hours. My energy does not function well. I have to be in a clear state of mind to do anything.

I just found it interesting to know my Seraphim heritage is a gift and a curse all at the same time.

agreed! Took me 30 years but I got around to it.

RSS

Have questions?

Need help? Visit our Support Group for help from our friendly Admins and members!

Have you?

Become a Member
Invited Your Friends
Made new Friends
Read/ Written a Blog
Joined/ Created a Group
Read/ Posted a Discussion
Checked out the Chat
Looked at/Posted Videos
Made a donation this month
Followed us on Twitter
Followed us on Facebook

Donations & Sponsorship

~~~~~~~~~~~
Please consider a donation to help with our continued growth and site costs

Connect

Visit The Temple
on Facebook:

....

Blog Posts

coat of arms of McIntyre clan.

Posted by Ghillie Dhu on March 2, 2024 at 5:06am 4 Comments

Are Ouija Boards Evil?

Posted by Bill Walker on February 1, 2024 at 8:15pm 1 Comment

TO RISE AND FIGHT AGAIN

Posted by Kitt on December 14, 2023 at 8:55pm 2 Comments

Osiris the Warlock: The Cursed

Posted by saii3ot on October 13, 2023 at 8:30am 0 Comments

Osiris the Warlock: Horus Lives!

Posted by saii3ot on October 13, 2023 at 7:00am 0 Comments

Osiris the Warlock: Nanna-Sin

Posted by saii3ot on October 12, 2023 at 3:30pm 0 Comments

Osiris the Warlock: Daemon

Posted by saii3ot on October 12, 2023 at 6:00am 0 Comments

Osiris the Warlock

Posted by saii3ot on October 12, 2023 at 5:30am 0 Comments

The (3l)ack & Red Dragon

Posted by saii3ot on October 11, 2023 at 1:00pm 0 Comments

The Sin (3l)ood Omen (II)

Posted by saii3ot on October 11, 2023 at 8:30am 0 Comments

The Sin (3l)ood Omen

Posted by saii3ot on October 9, 2023 at 7:30am 0 Comments

The 3nki (Doc)trine: Ptah-Øsiris

Posted by saii3ot on October 5, 2023 at 1:00pm 0 Comments

The 3nki (Doc)trine: Betelgeuse

Posted by saii3ot on October 5, 2023 at 10:00am 0 Comments

The 3nki (Doc)trine: Babylon

Posted by saii3ot on October 4, 2023 at 3:00pm 0 Comments

Joke Corner

Posted by William J. Coblentz on October 4, 2023 at 12:12pm 9 Comments

NOVEMBER AWARENESS

© 2024   Created by Bryan   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service