Healing the Shock of Awakening
Art by: Cameron Gray
For those of us who are waking up from the world dream this lifetime, it has not been an easy journey into higher states of consciousness. Some would even say its been sheer brutal. Being surrounded by a world that appears apathetic, if not blind, to the negative forces that mold our reality yet are thoroughly enamored by any diversions of a petty nature has been an experience that has left many of us questioning our own sanity and exhausted by the sharp contrast of our journey. For many others, it’s a struggle to even be out in the open with the knowledge they have for fear of losing connections and the approval of society.
There’s a residual aspect to the awakening of our consciousness that processes the ongoing shocks experienced with each new layer of reality we unveil. Whether we have just entered new territory and are learning about the damaging effects of GMO’s, or have directly experienced the state of Oneness. Whichever realm we currently reside in on the multidimensional spectrum, there are parts of our consciousness that can be left reverberating from the impact of having our worldview expanded.
Seeing through the pretense of this reality doesn’t come with a culturally recognized rite of passage and it’s unlikely we are going to be validated by those around us unless they are also going through their own awakening.
Waking up alters every part of our lives. It affects our entire lifestyle from our most intimate relationships to our career, our diet, how we perceive the world, and our place in the universe. Sometimes just being functional can even be a huge challenge, to the point where we have to relearn how to do so. We can become prone to depression, alienation and paralyzed will power. Existential angst can cripple us, and the confusion that comes with being flooded with new information can overwhelm our nervous system. Our energy field goes into shock when it is faced with more energy, and a larger world view then it can process. So shock is an inevitable part of awakening because it is the physiological sensation of our current beliefs being shattered. Shock is the shattering of the energy holding our world view together before it is reorganized.
Waking up is a popular term that is used to describe many things. The process of waking up is expanding. Waking up and expanding are both different terms to describe the same phenomenon. They are both the process of increasing our awareness by moving it beyond its current level of being. This includes many stages that are best described as dissolving, or unplugging ourselves from all the programs we didn’t realize were operating inside our mental body that are creating a counterfeit version of ourselves. These programs consist of subliminal agreements, beliefs, attitudes, thought processes, patterns, and perceptions. They are installed in us from every aspect of reality: religion, schooling, the state, our family, political parties, society, television and even off planet.
When we begin unprogramming ourselves it can feel like death because our identity as we know it was the sum of layers of conditioning. Shock is the physiological response to life and our sense of self literally falling away. In a sense, we are discovering our true self for the first time.
This can lead us to withdraw from life and be left with the perception that we will never regain a sense of normalcy or feel better; when in fact we are becoming more whole, powerful and capable of joy than before we first started the Hero’s journey. However, telling this to someone who’s moving through the heaviness of their development does little to lighten the load. So here are some ways to help ease us through the shock.
The reason we feel numb or depressed after waking up is because we are in shock. We have not fully integrated the new revelation into our consciousness. And for many of us we are not dealing with one layer of reality at a time, our body/mind/spirit is experiencing severe shock because we are waking up from multiple layers of reality at once. The question becomes: how do we integrate the new layer of reality into our consciousness?
The good news is integration is already happening from the moment we expanded our consciousness. Our innate intelligence begins reorganizing and assimilating the information into our mental, emotional, physical and etheric bodies striving for coherence and harmony. What determines how long this takes and even how well it gets integrated depends on how supported this process is.
Ways to help support integration:
Space — In order to integrate we will need to give ourselves some space to do something soothing, not to deter us, but simply to help us better process the amount of energetic data that’s being incorporated at a cellular level by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is a branch of the autonomic nervous system that regulates involuntary body functions such as:
Digestion, Salivation, Breathing, Heart Rate, Peristalsis, Integration, Regeneration, Blood Pressure Breathing, Motility
It’s counterpart, the sympathetic nervous system, is activated in threat to survival-based reflexes that involve an immediate response; whereas the parasympathetic nervous system is activated in relaxation based reflexes that don’t require an immediate response. The parasympathetic state is the optimal environment for us to be in when we are integrating.
This is an important time to tap into our creativity and discover new ways for it to express itself. A creative medium will help keep our mind elastic as we are integrating our expanded consciousness. Other ways to give ourselves space include: finding new music to listen to, meditation, and reading fiction, all of which are activities that keep us engaged yet relaxed. In the death throes of my most agonizing shock, I even resorted to watching the complete series of Batman cartoons from my childhood. Suffice it to say what I took away from that summer was that not only is Bruce Wayne emotionally unavailable, but he’s also really wounded.
Nutrition — What’s the difference between a total mental breakdown versus ecstasy from the quintessential merging of Self with the eternal essence of the Absolute?
How nutrient sufficient we are.
That may sound odd, but if we are depleted of vitamins, minerals and macronutrients we won’t have adequate levels of resources that the body/mind need in order to embody the awakening that we had. This also includes hydration. The brain has a high demand for water when it’s learning and forming new connections. It also uses water to help grow new dendrites. If we don’t have enough water in our cells our body won’t be able to make energy (ATP) and utilize it.
If we have nutritional deficiencies the shock from awakening our consciousness only adds further stress to the body/mind. If our basic needs are not being met while we are broadening our worldview, our frame of mind gets filtered through the lens of tension and distress.
Sleep — The majority of our integration happens while we are asleep. This is when the brain consolidates newly acquired information into existing neural networks. Sleeping before midnight assists the body in regeneration and gives us enough time to get the benefits of each stage in a sleep cycle. The later we go to bed the harder it becomes for the body to regulate cortisol levels. This can become a vicious cycle where we are tired during the day even if we slept.
Embrace the contrast or be oppressed by it — This one is sage advice that I have benefited from and that I give to all my clients. I’ve been told by some that this has been an absolute life hack. Shift the perception from being an alternative-thinking outsider who feels ostracized by their peers, to an awakened being here on Earth at this juncture to OWN their role as an agent of transformation. Flipping this perspective creates a total paradigm shift that has the power to drastically change our affinity with the world. This can be the difference between quality of life or crippling resentment. If we focus the narrative on the sleeping masses who scoff at those that see beyond their own programming, it will drain our energy reserves and reinforce bitterness. If we embrace the contrast, we will not only be excited to have the opportunity to lead humanity’s evolution, but thrive while doing so.
Movement — The lymphatic system is the body’s drainage system. It does not have a central pump and requires movement in order to transport the lymph fluid throughout the body, collecting and disposing of toxins as well as carrying out several other crucial functions. Stagnation can inhibit the body’s ability to adequately detoxify itself. Low intensity exercise such as walking and yoga are beneficial for both the lymphatic system and the nervous system. Gentle movement breaks up stagnant qi (energy) enhancing waste elimination, attuning us with our willpower and dampening inflammation that can contribute to emotional states such as depression and anxiety.
Breathwork — I cannot speak highly enough of breathwork. Its benefits are numerous, and it’s easily the most direct way to tone the parasympathetic nervous system by strengthening the vagus nerve. It improves the body/mind’s ability to clear trapped emotions. When shock is held in our cells, it distorts the nervous system’s ability to relay signals. Breathwork has a remarkable ability of bringing the trauma held deep within the body up to the surface to be processed and released. This organizes the way energy moves through our body and restores communication on a cellular level.
Healing the shock from awakening is a vital component to mastering the lessons that this dimension offers us. It’s a slow rise from amnesia and that’s where integration comes in. If we continue along the Hero’s Journey, we will find that the resulting self-empowerment and autonomy were not only worth it in the end, but were exactly what we came to this planet to do- to liberate the multidimensional self, and have a little fun along the way.
© 2020 Sarah Elkhaldy
