18.
Holy Ghost or Seizure?I had a eureka moment. When Swartz first hypnotized, drugged me, and sexually assaulted me, I went into my natural fight/flight response. Because I was immobilized, by hypnosis, then by drugs, my fight/flight response had been interrupted. I couldn’t fight off my attacker or run away. What made it worse is that I had awareness, and my body was immobilized. After the attack I dissociated to avoid the pain. The abuse was perpetuated many times. In my brain, I got locked into the trauma response.
My movement disorders, the Dystonia and trembling, were mild at first because my conscious mind blocked the trauma. I was terrified of facing what had happened to me, and I developed a dissociative disorder after being in the cult.
The powerful seizures that erupted in me decades later, was my whole system breaking out of the frozen, trauma response loop. When I was able to acknowledge the abuse in therapy, by body was able shake off and release the trauma I had held inside for so long. Somatic movement work served me for many years. With these methods, I learned to relax with breath, and slow down my sympathetic fight/flight trauma response loop. I Learned how to facilitate healing waves in my system. By relaxing my resistance to the trauma, I could allow it to flow out and dissipate. That’s what Dr. Peter Levine does in his work with Somatic Experiencing.
See also how war veterans release trauma with Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE):
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www.youtube.com]
For decades after I left the cult, I continued to be trapped in the cult mindset. Swartz’s undue influence, hypnosis, drugging, and sexual assaults rendered my brain damaged. My nervous system was in disrepair. Whenever I encountered stress in my life, I returned to the cult mindset to find answers to my problems. This was not something I had control over. I remained under the control of Swartz because I didn’t receive proper care and deprogramming after I left. Even as I was fighting for my life, the imprint of his abuse caused me to dissociate and refer to his teaching and influence. Cognitive Dissonance.
When I had seizures, even though it was painful and brought back terrifying memories, I thought it was “spiritual energy”. Cognitive Dissonance.
Sometimes it’s hard to know if someone is having a spiritual experience, or a traumatic event in the mind and body.
Holy Ghost or Seizure?
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www.youtube.com]
James Swartz, guru Rama, tells the story going to India and how he “fell in with a yogi” who taught him a great kundalini technique—Shaktipat. Swartz observed authentic teachers including Swami Chinmayananda. He studied how these men taught. He watched Chinmayananda use the Bhagavad Gita and engage in spiritual discourse with students. He went back to the United States and tried an experiment. He set up an ashram and became a guru. He mirrored and mimicked great sages he saw in India. He used the Shaktipat tricks that the “false yogi” taught him. He used black magic (that’s what he called it) he learned on his travels. Swartz learned he could control people easily with his deceits and hypnosis.
When his first ashram cult-group fell apart, he went into other businesses. He opened an antique shop and started an import business. He manipulated his wife Marlena to do strip teasing. He manipulated Marlena and Joseph to do live sex shows in San Francisco. He started another cult group. He influenced Jessica and me to join the group. When we joined the group, we didn’t know about the sex entertainment work, we only knew about the spiritual activities of the group. He used his Shaktipat and black magic tricks, he used drugs, and sexual assault. He used undue influence.
So what is Shaktipat? Is it only a parlor trick performed by a sociopathic narcissistic rapist? Is the concept of the energy system in the body, nadis, meridians, chakras, and energy centers, real or not real?
I googled Shaktipat:
“…refers in Hinduism to the transmission (or conferring) of spiritual energy upon one person by another. Shaktipat can be transmitted with a sacred word or mantra, or by a look, thought or touch…”
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en.wikipedia.org]
The concept and practice of Shaktipat is rooted in ancient religious tradition. I searched to find an authentic explanation of the value of Shaktipat. What’s it good for anyway?
I found this guy, Swami Shivom Tirth. I haven’t researched enough to know if he is an authentic teacher, but I read his story about Shaktipat, and thought it was interesting.
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realization.org]
He describes his experience of receiving Shaktipat from his guru. In receiving grace, his energy system went through a purification process. How was the Shaktipat energy a part of his spiritual journey and practice? Why was it important? Swami Shivom Tirth describes how a qualified guru touches the aspirant in order to awaken spiritual energy, and then guides the student to direct the energy inwards, away from the outside world. When this is done, the aspirant focusses on essential spiritual truth and practices, builds good character, and acts in accordance with his dharma. He states that “I had been hearing that the awakening of the Shakti is very rare.” And he remembers a warning that spiritual adherents, the sadhaks of the world, are false. The only true sadhak is God alone.
“…Then I recalled an article by Swami Ramtirth, where he had written that all the sadhaks of the world are false. The only true sadhak is God alone. At the time, I couldn't understand the essence of that article, but now it seemed as if the mist before my eyes were thinning out. A human has pride, and with this pride he does his sadhana [spiritual practices involving conscious effort], but because it is done with pride, the effort is rendered useless. What is the need of pride in spiritual practices?
God is the only one who can make his Shakti [power] turn inward and, through the medium of the mind and the body of the spiritual aspirant, perform spiritual practices for the benefit of the aspirant. God, nevertheless, does not feel proud, does not impose obligations, does not expect praise and does not demand a reward.”
So…this is how I read it…
I think that “all the sadhaks of the world are false” because a majority of gurus are false. A sadhak can only be true, or be at the level of Godhead, if an authentic guru provides the teachings. In India, false gurus, tricksters, and con artists are widespread. Shaktipat has been used like a cheap parlor trick. (And in my case, unfortunately, a method for Swartz to sexually assault me.) The street trickster performs miracles, the hypnotist manipulates unsuspecting victims and robs them. The black magician performs “Shaktipat” (a “great technique”) to gain control over his victim.
In the sixties and seventies, eastern religion and spiritual gurus inundated the west. The shared knowledge was useful and interesting. Unfortunately, criminals like Swartz used spiritual concepts and ancient traditions like Vedanta to influence and control others. And the influence was harming.
Without rigorous investigation, it’s not too easy to see or know the difference between false Shaktipat and authentic Shaktipat. How can we tell?
“Disciple given Shaktipat through breath”:
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www.youtube.com]
“Live recording of INTENSE SHAKTIPAT”:
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This video is worth watching all the way through, from beginning to ending.
“Shakitpat; Kundalini Shaktipat; Shakti”:
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www.youtube.com]
This video is worth watching all the way through, from beginning to ending.
“Shaktipat with Shankaracharya and Anandamayi”:
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www.youtube.com]
(...more to come)