In this episode I am once again joined by Damo Mitchell author, teacher, and student of the internal arts of Asia including Tai Chi and Daoist Inner Alchemy.

Damo draws on his background in the qi arts, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Western psychology to reveal the causes and symptoms of various types of qi and meditation related problems, including dragon sickness, nihilism and depression, scorched nervous system, entity possession, and more.

Damo explains the two most common triggers for qi illnesses, expresses warnings about working with spirits and reservations about tantric practices of deity and guru yoga, and differentiates true meditation from mere mental cultivation.

Damo shares his own spiritual encounters, considers whether or not it is wise to explain mystical experiences to students, and offers recommendations for those facing energetic or existential upset.

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:03 - Damo comments on Dr Willoughby Britton’s work

03:04 - Is meditation dangerous?

04:31 - Mediation vs qigong illnesses

06:15 - The illness threshold

07:06 - Why qigong illnesses are common

07:38 - Hunting sensation and hyper-stimulation of the nervous system

11:12 - Releasing the nerves

11:45 - Teachers who disclose vs those who withhold

1534 - Making progress or losing ground?

19:19 - Combining Eastern and Western psychological methods

23:00 - Meditation vs mere mental work

26:27 - Fascination with one’s own psychology

27:12 - Damo’s definition of mental illness

28:07 - Is mental work a preliminary to or distraction from meditation?

30:39 - Chinese terms for meditation vs mental work

32:23 - Comparisons with Patanjali’s 8 limbs of yoga

34:10 - Identity attachment

34:55 - Why teaching hurts your training

35:55 - Freedom vs negligence as a teacher

38:01 - Psychiatry vs traditional medical and religious models

41:03 - Two common triggers for qi deviations

42:34 - The dangers of going inside

43:32 - Qi side effects

44:14 - Advice for qigong teachers

45:19 - Scorching the nervous system

46:37 - Dragon sickness

47:43 - A case of dragon sickness that ended in suicide

50:04 - 5 types of qigong illness

51:38 - Entering into fire to encourage demons

52:39 - Nihilism from meditation

53:05 - Poison fire infecting the heart

54:19 - Criticism of sexual practice

58:06 - Contamination of the heart mind

01:00:25 - Love in the spiritual arts

01:01:49 - Demon possession or psychological disorder?

01:03:51 - How entity possession happens

01:06:27 - Lighting up the body

01:07:22 - A story about possession

01:08:58 - Seeking contact with entities through Falun Gong and tantra

01:11:56 - Don’t trust spirits

01:15:07 - Evolution away from shamanism

01:17:15 - Tulkus, dead gurus, and terma

01:20:05 - The cult of Avalokiteśvara and the Dalai Lama

01:21:07 - Risks associated with contacting ascended masters

01:23:42 - Reflections on deity yoga

01:25:15 - Quan Yin worship and personification of deities

01:27:52 - Premature ejaculation and sexual imbalances

01:31:36 - Damo’s mystical experience in a Bhutanese temple

01:35:19 - Questioning one’s own position

01:36:39 - Kundalini syndrome vs qi sickness

01:38:40 - What is kundalini syndrome?

01:39:55 - Commenting on Gopi Krishna’s kundalini account

01:41:26 - Karmic illnesses

01:43:39 - Pilgrimage and confession

01:44:30 - How to fix qi deviations

01:46:28 - Complicated cases and overpowering the incorrect patterns

01:47:22 - How extreme cases develop

01:48:43 - Scaremongering and the value of lineage

01:52:02 - Combining psychedelics with qigong practices

01:55:24 - Potency and risk

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Previous episode with Damo Mitchell:

- https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep174-daoist-inner-alchemy-damo-mitchell

To find out more about Damo Mitchell, visit:

- https://damomitchell.com/

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James