Josh Beil

Josh Beil

Peer Support

He/His...

I have had two spiritual emergencies in my life, the first at age 19 the second at 42. Both experiences were spontaneous kundalini awakenings. The first one ended poorly with involuntary hospitalization and forced medication, which frankly was justified considering how out of touch with reality I had gotten. This journey was featured in Chapter 1 of Russell Shorto’s book, “Saints and Madmen.” I weaned myself off of medication and proceeded to live a “normal” life for the next 23 years.

The second Spiritual Emergency was a result of the painful decision to get divorced and declare that part of my life had been a failure. This time, however, I was able to navigate through these levels of consciousness without being hospitalized or medicated. While I certainly was “floating away” (and exhibiting signs of delusional thinking), I had one foot firmly planted on the ground because of my daughter and our bond. I managed to ground myself through a combination of vigorous exercise, diet, meditation, and art therapy. Shortly thereafter, I took the courses from IMHU and pursued my certification so I could help others.

I have a BA in Psychology but I’m not a professional therapist. I have read most of Grof’s books and participated in Holotropic breathwork sessions. I have co-facilitated a peer group with another Spiritual Emergence Coach. I’m an excellent resource because I’ve been through the gauntlet twice and can relate to issues around hospitalization, medication, and alternative treatment approaches. I’m particularly qualified to speak about Kundalini awakenings, and I’ve also seen first hand how archetypes manifest themselves into our reality and become part of our story. I should also add that leading up to both of my Spiritual Emergencies, I was consuming a lot of cannabis, so I do relate to this medicine plant although I barely touch the stuff now.

Finally, I do work in this area to give back. I don’t charge anything. I created this Facebook page to help share my story: www.facebook.com/ade.das.319 (Ade Das is a name that came to me during my second journey. My daughter’s name is Adelaide, and I am her devotee)