After-Effects of a Spiritual Awakening

You're plugging along with your life and your view of the world, when suddenly,  something happens that cracks you open. It turns your inside out and upside down. What you thought of this life is no longer what you experience life to be. What you encountered feels more real to you than this reality you have always known. 

It can happen at any age, any time, and it is called a "Spiritually Transformative Experience, or STE."  Some people might call it a spiritual awakening. Near death experiences (NDEs) are one form of this, though STEs can happen in any moment and don't have to involve physical trauma. 

Just like with NDEs, STEs have after-effects, changes that occur within you as a result of the spiritual experiences. These experiences can be beautiful, but they can also bring challenges until integration of the experience happens in a person's identity and life. 

Though this is by no means a comprehensive list, some after-effects of a spiritually transformative experience you might notice are:

After-Effects

1. Reduced or eliminated fear of death

2. A feeling of connectedness and unconditional love toward others, but also sometimes a deep feeling of loneliness because others do not understand this "new you".

3. Living more in the present moment.

4. Enhanced sensitivity to light, sounds, and/or electrical activity.

5. Less identification with everyday stresses.

6. Relationship changes

7. Enhanced connection to the spiritual realm 

8. Spiritual abilities (psychic abilities, mediumship, feeling energy, etc...)

Having a spiritual experience at any age can cause profound change in an individual. Too often though, it can leave people feeling isolated and alone for fear of speaking to others about this.

You might be afraid of getting labeled or not taken seriously, and when people do listen, it is difficult to convey everything felt in words. Others who haven't had similar types of experiences don't understand the significance and impact the changes have on you, and that can create frustration within relationships because you are no longer the same person they once knew. 

Regardless of the types of after-effects you might experience, having support and a community where you can safely share with others who understand is important and available. 

You are not alone! Some places you might find such communities are:

www.iands.org

www.nderf.org