Many people have "spiritual experiences" with bipolar disorder. These experiences include feelings of being special, of people recognising who you are, of "knowing", of being different, of being the descendant of Jesus or other prophet. These spiritual experiences are delusions, regardless of how good and exciting they feel, and regardless of whether they resemble the description of biblical spiritual experiences, the bipolar experience of spirituality is not real. It is a delusion fuelled by adrenaline and noradrenaline that pours out of the sympathetic nervous system during a manic high of bipolar disorder.
True spiritual experiences come from the experience of a deep peace, certainty and calm. This calmness is a parasympathetic nervous system experience, not a race for the finish. False delusions of a manic high and true spiritual experiences are incompatible. It is not possible to experience the deep calm and peace of true spirituality at the same time as the delightful delusions of hypomania.
There are plenty of stories in the bible describing these delusions. The most famous is Jesus' forty days in the wilderness where he was tempted by demons. These demons were not necessarily nasty scary demons, - they were delightful tempting demons. No one is tempted by terror, well no one apart from a few House of Horror freaks. The temptation was in the feelings of power and specialness that these demons offered. "Demons" also "tempt" people with bipolar disorder and make you think you are special. "Those whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad" Hanging onto hypomanic spiritual delusions that you developed when you were high, is true madness.
The key to sanity is in being ordinary. While you harbour the delusions of specialness that come from bipolar highs, you will be insane on the inside, regardless of how sanely you behave towards the outside world. If you are looking for a true spiritual path, the first step is accepting humility and ordinariness, that is accepting that are an ordinary human being. I have a couple of friends who insist of hanging on their "specialness", because they enjoy the feeling of power that comes from secretly believing they are a Messiah. Unfortunately, refusing to acknowledge that they are ordinary people means their belief system is "unstable" and consequently, they are both at risk of getting ill again.
Bipolar spiritual delusions are dangerous and deceiving. Delusions reflect a massive overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system which leaves a person in a high state of arousal which, not unsurprisingly, distorts their ability to think clearly. These beliefs make a person feel special but they are not backed up in the real world, even if they do result in an almost irresistably seductive feeling of power.
Sanity and saintliness are real and deeply connected. Saints are not mad. An adrenaline soaked vision of being "special" is not saintly, nor humble nor realistic. Only calm rationality leads to the true spirituality of people like Mother Theresa, Ghandi, or the Dalai Lama.
True spiritual experiences come from the experience of a deep peace, certainty and calm. This calmness is a parasympathetic nervous system experience, not a race for the finish. False delusions of a manic high and true spiritual experiences are incompatible. It is not possible to experience the deep calm and peace of true spirituality at the same time as the delightful delusions of hypomania.
There are plenty of stories in the bible describing these delusions. The most famous is Jesus' forty days in the wilderness where he was tempted by demons. These demons were not necessarily nasty scary demons, - they were delightful tempting demons. No one is tempted by terror, well no one apart from a few House of Horror freaks. The temptation was in the feelings of power and specialness that these demons offered. "Demons" also "tempt" people with bipolar disorder and make you think you are special. "Those whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad" Hanging onto hypomanic spiritual delusions that you developed when you were high, is true madness.
The key to sanity is in being ordinary. While you harbour the delusions of specialness that come from bipolar highs, you will be insane on the inside, regardless of how sanely you behave towards the outside world. If you are looking for a true spiritual path, the first step is accepting humility and ordinariness, that is accepting that are an ordinary human being. I have a couple of friends who insist of hanging on their "specialness", because they enjoy the feeling of power that comes from secretly believing they are a Messiah. Unfortunately, refusing to acknowledge that they are ordinary people means their belief system is "unstable" and consequently, they are both at risk of getting ill again.
Bipolar spiritual delusions are dangerous and deceiving. Delusions reflect a massive overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system which leaves a person in a high state of arousal which, not unsurprisingly, distorts their ability to think clearly. These beliefs make a person feel special but they are not backed up in the real world, even if they do result in an almost irresistably seductive feeling of power.
Sanity and saintliness are real and deeply connected. Saints are not mad. An adrenaline soaked vision of being "special" is not saintly, nor humble nor realistic. Only calm rationality leads to the true spirituality of people like Mother Theresa, Ghandi, or the Dalai Lama.