Activating kundalini has become somewhat of a fad in the spiritual space. Though Kundalini awakening can be an incredibly life transforming process, it isn’t risk free.
Many inexperienced seekers that awaken their Kundalini end up experiencing something known as Kundalini Syndrome. This is when you experience negative and sometimes traumatizing side effects from awakening your Kundalini. This tends to happen when individuals don’t have proper knowledge and guidance when activating their Kundalini.
What is Kundalini Syndrome?
Kundalini syndrome is what can happen when Kundalini awakening goes wrong. Kundalini syndrome is defined by a specific set of negative physical, mental, & emotional symptoms that occurs during and after Kundalini activation.
In most cases when done properly there should be no issues with the activation of your Kundalini. Problems arise when spiritual seekers attempt to awaken their Kundalini without proper preparation, knowledge, and guidance.
The side effects of mishandled Kundalini can be incredibly uncomfortable, scary, and sometimes even traumatic. People have been sent to the psych ward many times due to an inability to handle a Kundalini awakening.
This is why it’s important to do heavy research and preparation before you ever try this on your own.
7 Negative Side Effects of Kundalini
There are distinct set of physical and mental symptoms that come alongside Kundalini syndrome. These are the side effects you should be on the look out for if you think you’re suffering from a bad Kundalini awakening experience.
1. Overwhelming Energy Sensations
The first and most immediate physical symptom you can experience is energy pulsations and vibrations in the body.
Kundalini is a powerful energy that exists in the body. When it is released it will cause feelings of energy shooting throughout the body.
Some describe this as:
- electrical pulses
- warmth spreading in the body
- waves of energy in the body
To someone that is unfamiliar with Kundalini, this can be extremely jarring and anxiety inducing. However, energy pulses during an awakening are normal and should be expected.
2. Anxiety And Fear
The biggest and initial emotional response you may have to awakened Kundalini is fear and anxiety.
As with an intense and major shift in life there will come fear. This Kundalini energy is completely transformative. The experiences that arise in that can be scary.
Many people may mistake a Kundalini awakening for a panic attack if they are unfamiliar with the phenomenon. Fear, anxiety, adrenaline, and racing heart are shared symptoms of both panic attacks and Kundalini awakenings.
3. Inability To Sleep
The most frustrating negative symptom that I personally experienced from Kundalini awakening was the inability to sleep.
After an abundance of energy is released in the Kundalini process you may struggle to sleep. This is completely normal as your body and mind are amped up from the activated Kundalini energy.
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In most cases, this should only last 1 or 2 nights until your energy levels settle down. Still, not being able to sleep after Kundalini awakening can make you brutally tired and irritable the next day.
Can’t sleep after kundalini awakening? Here’s why.
4. Burning Sensations In The Body
One of the worst physical symptoms experienced during Kundalini awakening is a burning sensation in the body.
Burning sensations have been reported during unexpected awakening experiences. This usually only happens in people that accidentally awaken their Kundalini but haven’t done any spiritual work to open their chakras and align their lives.
This burning sensation occurs as the Kundalini energy rises through the body’s chakras and those energy centers are spiritually “gunked up”.
The burning sensation is the Kundalini literally burning the gunk up in those areas to open them and flow through them. It is the process that occurs when Kundalini energy must force its way through closed chakras.
5. Sensory Overload
After Kundalini is awakened you may find your consciousness is hyper vivid. This heightened awareness can lead to sensory overload.
You may experience things like:
- noises sounding louder than usual
- light appearing brighter
- heightened physical sensations
- overwhelming internal feelings
This is a product of Kundalini energy expanding your awareness. At first the process can be overwhelming, but with time you will come back to a tolerable baseline.
6. Increased Negative Emotions
Kundalini awakening may cause trauma and negative emotions to be brought to the surface. This is done to heal these negative aspects of yourself, however when these arise they can be extremely unpleasant.
Many people report experiencing emotional turmoil during their awakenings like depression, past trauma arising, and fears.
7. Disconnection From Reality
A Kundalini awakening can throw you so much for a loop that you are unsure of what is real and what isn’t. This is one symptom that can lead people to think they’re going crazy.
The experience of your Kundalini awakening can cause disorientation. You may be thrust into a completely new way of existing after Kundalini awakening.
This can leave you questioning everything.
Some report feeling detached and disconnected from their physical bodies after their Kundalini activates.
How To Handle Negative Symptoms
Their are 2 major things you should know about handling a negative Kundalini awakening.
How To Handle An Unexpected Kundalini Awakening
1. You Must Surrender
The first thing you should immediately do if you’re experiencing negative side effects from activated Kundalini energy is surrender.
The only way out of this experience is through. Let your body relax and give up control. This is a divinely orchestrated experience. When you trust in the process and surrender everything will fall perfectly into place.
2. Seek Guidance
Finding someone who can guide you through the experience will be incredibly valuable. Find a spiritual mentor at a local yoga studio, Hindu temple, or spiritual center.
They will understand what is going on and will be able to guide you safely through the experience.
How To Find A Spiritual Mentor
How To Avoid Kundalini Syndrome
If you’re a spiritual seeker and you’re interested in awakening your Kundalini there are some things you should know to avoid Kundalini syndrome.
1. Research And study
You need to be totally prepared for this experience. Make sure you research and study everything you can about Kundalini and other spiritual practices before you try Kundalini yoga.
Being prepared for your awakening will make it an enjoyable and transformative experience.
2. Find A Guide
Find and study under an awakened guru. Do you know anyone or anywhere that could teach you what you need to know?
Having a proper guide will ensure a positive experience. If anything goes awry, they will know what to do.
3. Do The Spiritual Work
Another reason people have negative experience with Kundalini is that they haven’t done the necessary spiritual work before hand. Kundalini yoga is a powerful and advanced thing.
Not doing the work to open your chakras and live in alignment with your highest self first will make your Kundalini awakening a much more turbulent experience.
Do the spiritual work, study what there is to study, and work with a guru. These are the things you should do to ensure you have a positive and easy Kundalini awakening.
Hi, I’m Ryan. I’m a meditation teacher, spiritual seeker, and founder of nurtureyourspirit.org. I’m glad you’re here! I founded Nurture Your Spirit because of my love of meditation, spirituality, and spiritual awakening.
