Narrative possession
The trauma of too much talking about trauma
The articles from Sacred Life Design are solely for educational and entertainment purposes to explain ideas related to Ayurveda and not to be considered medical advice. If you have issues that are of concern, please contact a relevant medical professional.
Dearest Culture Creators
You meet a lot of people in Ubud because it’s an ex-patriot paradise mixed with the deep rooted Balinese culture. As hectic and stinky as the traffic is, there are no large malls or big chains (at least not in the centre). Instead it’s a lego structure of small business enterprises, and because of this human-centric culture, people are out meeting others and you get to hear a lot of stories.
I recently met a storyline that would knock your socks off.
Remember my underwear article that went from dream state to the next-day womb workshop? Well this time I was reviewing an education seminar with Dr Robert Svoboda whose own guru, Vimalanda, was an adept in the left-hand Tantric rituals or vamachara. Dr Svoboda never advocates that others follow this path nor gives advice on rituals in this regard. He is, however, open about his personal experiences and will offer his perspective, via his sangha group, on the ghoulish and creepy questions that come his way.
One questioner gave detailed descriptions of being possessed by an alien energy that she believed, having done much training in kundalini awakening and shamanic work, was being handed down through her ancestors. She believed this aggressive and controlling alien energy had health issues in her grandmother, was the cause of cancer in her mother and that when she died it would transfer to her. Dr Svoboda agreed with her assessment.
Then the next day I met a person that had had experiences in their family line of possessions, black magic, satanic rituals, and other kinds of things that would fit neatly into a Venn diagram. I believed this person because of the look in their eyes of constant sheer panic and confusion.
It reminded me of being in Powell’s bookshop in Portland, OR. (If you have never been to Portland, go just for this - it’s what heaven looks like if we had book lanes instead of streets). I was in the metaphysical section with a friend who had skills in the spooky realm and a man suddenly appeared from nowhere looking like a ghost and just stared at her. He spoke of the same kind of possessions that he was afraid would affect his kids and somehow thought that my friend could help. He had the same stricken and pale panicked look. I believed him too. (To finish the story, even my friend was spooked and gently guided him to someone more skilled than her, respecting her own boundaries).
I spent the day with this new friend and heard more details as time went on. I could feel the weight of the storyline starting to drag the atmosphere down, and my energy along with it, but much as I tried to lighten the narrative, the well rehearsed storyline found its way back in. I saw hope rise their spirits, then an abrupt need to “heal the trauma”, on repeat.
I know this feeling personally in a less Poltergeist-y kind of way. The fallout from the Pandemic and its confusion gripped me like a possession, especially living the nightmare in Victoria, Australia - the longest lockdown lunacy in the world. It wasn’t the event, per se, that caused the long-standing shock but the realisation that “we’re not in Kansas anymore”, and we weren’t going back. So now what?
I went to a wellness practitioner in the early days for a somatic healing and she noticed how clenched my fists were; a form of permanent self protection that ended up stressing out my jaw, my throat, the back of my neck and my temples. After years of casually sauntering up Maslow’s hierarchy, heading for the spires, I was suddenly thrust back down at ground zero - protective, mistrusting, and with a possessed craving to “heal the problem”.
“The alien being wants you to remain confused and to confuse family loyalty with being possessed”, Dr Svoboda explained in response to the question. “It is important to get rid of the confusion and create a positive self definition and hold onto it. If you don’t have a guru, just select one. (Jesus, Buddha, and the many other well known self realised beings) and ask the Ishta deity (your personal deity) to reside within you.”
“Also take care of your physical body, remain calm and keep relentlessly moving forward until the alien has no more identification.” Ayurveda says disease is a separation from spirit, so Dr Svoboda’s recommendation was in alignment with balanced health.
When we do things like kundalini awakening, the Ahamkara (colloquially known as the ego) weakens. The process is a breaking down of your identity and reconfiguring with Shakti (underlying creative principle of the Hindu philosophy). I can personally attest to feeling extremely porous during this process. I do not recommend going in this direction without a very stable base both physically and emotionally. It is no joke and why, traditionally, it is done with the assistance of a guru (which means heavy in Sanskrit), to give you grounding whilst you break apart. If you ever encounter a “guru” that intentionally scolds your “ego” to replace themselves as your Ishta Devata, be cautious and ensure that you have a solid daily care routine, such as Ayurveda, to help create a robust immune system so your Inner Authority is picking up quality guru vibes or to resist the parasites trying to get in.
Dr Svoboda (via Vimalanda) has, in the past, also spoken of the fire energy of speech and how speaking about stories can help to break them down via catharsis, not unlike the Catholic confessional. However, and this feeds into the alien-confusion connection, if you continue to repeat the storyline past its catharsis, you will begin to create an identification with the story.
And the alien has taken grip.
I am going to boldly state that I do not feel the constant use of the word trauma is helpful. Trauma, of itself, is dead matter. Every time we speak to it, it comes back to life and triggers the confusion surrounding it. Balance is purposively benign. It has a clear objective which can be measured, at least via Ayurveda, of reducing the offending doshas (imbalances) impacting the mind of Tamas (excess inertia) or Rajas (excess activity). In this way the identity of the forces affecting the mind is de-personalised and re-balanced through lifestyle, diet and herbal management.
We separate the disease from the wholeness of the person, providing compassion for the tethering that must be unravelled, but reminding the host that they can begin to identify with their original spirit nature and tell stories that create a healed version of themselves, even if they feel the concurrent sharp knives of the alien clinging on for dear life. Over time an alien hanging over the cliff edge will eventually tire.
As a last piece of advice from Dr Svoboda, ad libbed, the next time you get the alien gripping at you say this “Dear alien being - I know you would like to stay alive and feed on my good energy but how about we make a deal? How about you pop yourself into this dear plant and if you behave yourself, I promise to water the plant and look after it so you feel like you have prana to feed off.” And in the meantime, you will be building your immune defense through a good Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle.
You = 1 Alien thing = 0
Until next time,
Sandra
Epilogue:
After trying all sorts of healing during my Pandemic breakdown, including Ayurvedic Pancha Karma, acupuncture, energy work, yoga, breathwork, bowen therapy, the alien grip unravelled in two random social media clips that shifted my perspective -
ACCEPTANCE came via Fr. Thomas Keating (Centre for Action and Contemplation). In his own dark night of the soul he realised that at a certain point you stop seeking “this doctor and that doctor and just allow yourself to be sick”. An instant relief washed over me and I just let it all go and stopped “trying to heal”.
From this open state….
SHAKTI (CREATION) came via some random bloke talking about how to get over a breakup. His solution? Just find another partner to replace the previous one! This wasn’t about denial, I realised that I was clinging onto the old ways secretly hoping we would return “back to normal”. When I placed my attention on where we were going instead, including my own insights and visions on the new world forthcoming, life brightened and solutions revealed themselves.
I needed to recalibrate the bigger picture and from there, the daily healing found its rhythm again.
A Morning Prayer:
A prayer from my Ayurvedic teacher, Dr Vasant Lad, that I do every morning. You may find it helpful if you don’t have one:
(place hand on the ground (earth) whilst you repeat)
Dear God (use a personal Ishta deity here if you like)
You are inside of me, within my very breath, within each bird, each mighty mountain. Your sweet touch reaches everything and I am well protected.
Thank you God for this beautiful day before me. May joy, love, peace and compassion be part of my life and all those around me on this day.
I am healing and I am healed (place hand on forehead).