Book excerpt: The eruption of kundalini energy from its secret nest at the base of the spine has been revered by some as bringing ecstasy and enlightenment, and disparaged by others as simply disabling, terrifying and dangerous. Mystics may call it a method of transformation. Skeptics consider it imaginary. All who have experienced it know it as a mystery and a profound life-altering experience. This book, based on 25 years of interviews with over 2000 people who have had this awakening, describes seven categories of phenomena that may occur, tells the eastern perspective of kundalini science, offers guidance on coping with the erratic energies and shifts of consciousness that happen, and reveals the inward path to self-realization that follows the deconstruction initiated by a kundalini arising. If you think you might be in this awakening process, you engage in spiritual or energy practices, or you have activated energies following a near-death experience or trauma, this book is your companion and guide.