Spiritual Enlightenment and Bipolar Disorder
Spiritual Enlightenment
1% of 2% of 1%- Very Rare!
Have you ever met someone who thought they were God? Usually, this question is asked figuratively, or metaphorically, but I mean literally.
Usually, someone who “thinks they are God” have a big ego, and are considered to be arrogant by others.
During most of my manic episodes, I thought I was Jesus Christ. During my last manic episode, I thought I was both God and Jesus. Literally. One thing I find interesting about this is that I wasn’t arrogant, and had a very small ego, if any.
While thinking I was God and Jesus, I still always knew that I was Don Walin. My psychiatrist told me this was very important.
When I told one person that I thought I was God when I was manic, his reply was “ that must have been a trip”. But, it wasn’t like that. I didn’t have any rush, or high. No ecstasy. I just felt like my normal self, along with the usual manic confidence. I didn’t make a big deal about being God either. I didn’t go around telling everyone I was God, and didn’t try to convince people to believe me. The same thing applies to thinking I was Jesus. People just called me Don, and I was totally fine with that.
Because of my God and Jesus episodes, and many more experiences with the spirit world (while in states of mania, and “normal” mood states), I have become extremely interested in “spirituality”. Over the last 20 years, I have read at least 25 books about spirituality. I have also read many books about the brain, mind, consciousness, spirit/soul, and bipolar disorder itself. The more I learn, the more sense my spiritual experiences make to me.
I’ve always thought my spiritual experiences were real, but now I’m more convinced than ever.
According to my psychiatrist, 1% of the population has bipolar disorder. 2% of these people have thought they were Jesus Christ when in a state of mania, and only 1% have thought they were God.
Because of this, I believe I experienced a very rare state of spiritual enlightenment when I thought I was myself (Don Walin), God, and Jesus at the same time. It’s not a mystery, or a miracle. I simply became a part of one with God and Jesus, who are a part of me to begin with. My elevated state of consciousness was a key factor.
Mostly, I’m just a normal person. And, I think it’s possible for any “normal” person to experience what I have. Having said that, I think that being bipolar might help a bit. There is definitely a strong link between mania and spirit.
Regarding my spiritual experiences, many psychiatrists have diagnosed me as being “delusional”, and in a state of “psychosis”. Afterwards, I came up with my own “mania spirit theory”, which I explain in my book. When I discussed this with my psychiatrist of 20 years, he said to me “I don’t think you are delusional”. It was great to hear him say those words to me !