Ascension Symptoms, or “What is Happening to Me?” – Part 2

(continued from Part 1.)

The following list of ascension symptoms and comments comes from Karen Bishop, from a piece excerpted from her book The Ascension Primer.
Karen had graciously offered the full excerpt in PDF form, which at one time could be downloaded from the internet free of charge. However, I’m unable to find that PDF posted anywhere at this time, not even on her new site at Gamma Books.

Nevertheless it’s one of the most informative and complete list of symptoms I’ve found, and it is with appreciation and honor to Karen Bishop for her work that I re-post that information here.

List of Common Ascension Symptoms

Feeling as though you are in a pressure cooker or in intense energy; feeling stress.
This is one of the first ascension feelings that a person usually feels. In the beginning, when the energy shifts arrive, they bring with them a new and higher vibration. Old patterns and behaviors are being pushed to the surface for release.
Feeling all this pressure going on inside of you can feel like great stress or that you are on overload. If you are still in a conventional life with mainstream pressures, this New energy can really add to your pile. You will eventually adjust to this higher vibration and much will be activated for release within you as well. More room inside for more of the higher energy!

Depression.
This symptom is most definitely in the top three and very widely experienced. The ascension process purges so much of the darker and denser energies from us, that we find ourselves in them for quite some time. We may feel like things are simply never going to get better. And to add insult to injury, the outer world is no longer in alignment with the new, higher vibrating you.
It doesn’t feel so good out there and it might feel like there is nowhere to go that does. Therefore everything around us feels just plain ugly and icky. And in addition, when we are vibrating higher and have to wait for the outside to manifest itself in a higher way of being it can seem like it is taking forever. Feeling let down and like things will never change are so very common. This is a long process. An upside-down reality, world, and human are both having to turn right side up.
There is a jewel in the length of the process though, and a necessary and perfectly intended by-product. We cannot create from the ego. We have to get to a place where we are OK no matter what is going on. Feeling disappointment for what seems like forever eventually makes us realize that we will never get anything that we cannot live without.
When we learn to detach and release all attachments, we always get precisely what we want. It is like magic and a very key part of the ascension process to let go of all attachments. When we arrive in this space, we are truly in heaven as nothing can affect us here and we also get whatever we desire, even though we desire nothing. This is a true symptom of “arriving” and one can only feel total peace from this point on.

Anxiety, panic, and feelings of hysteria.
When our egos begin to depart, they literally freak out as they do not want to cease to exist. It may feel as if everything is ending (most of everything is!). Your system is also on overload and you may feel as if you are hyperventilating. Things are happening that you may not understand.
You are also losing behavior patterns of a lower vibration that you developed for survival in 3D. This may make you feel vulnerable and powerless. These patterns and behaviors you are losing are not needed in the higher realms. When we experience death in a 3D world we can panic and have anxiety as we do not know where we are going.

When I went through “the big leap” I knew I was “going.” My non-physical ascension guide told me to trust and relax, as it was really quite peaceful on the other side. None-the-less, with no frame of reference if was difficult. Now, I totally trust and go with all of it and it greatly helps. When you finally “arrive” you will feel much love, safety, and unity. Just wait! And know that others are going where you are going – you are not going alone.

A need to eat often along with what feels like attacks of low blood sugar.
A craving for protein. This is another of the first symptoms that is felt by many. Our bodies are using up an incredible amount of fuel for this process.
As we are literally being turned inside-out, every ounce of energy that we have is being utilized. I have found it best to eat the protein along with being still during this time. These low blood sugar periods come and go for several years, but get much better as our bodies begin adjusting.

Unusual aches and pains throughout different parts of your body.
This is another of the most common symptoms. Manifesting just about anywhere, this is a sign of purifying and releasing blocked energy that is vibrating at a 3D level while other parts of us are vibrating higher. You may feel pain in various parts of your body for several weeks and then it will simply vanish with no explanation.

Continual neck and upper back stiffness and pain.
We are sprouting angel wings and this is where they are emerging. Sounds a bit fairy tale-ish, but this is a reality. Our spines are vibrating differently and also connecting to a higher form of light. This area of our body is where it all happens.

Skin eruptions and diarrhea.
Acne, rashes, and hives, etc. usually arrive when we are in the purging process and adjusting to a higher energy. Rashes are fairly common and diarrhea can last for weeks and even months. If a doctor visit proves you are OK, fiber can really help until this phase ends. And during it all, you still won’t lose weight!

Heart pain and palpitations.
These symptoms are common for many. Our hearts are trying to accommodate a new and higher frequency. At times you can feel as though you are having a heart attack.
When I experienced this phase, I had to literally lie still as any movement added too much stress to my already overstressed heart. An ER visit assured me that all was OK, but it certainly did not feel like it.
In addition, whenever I had a low vibrational thought or fear during this time, my heart would literally grip and stop beating. It was wild, but not a medical condition, and it eventually passed. Our hearts are where we will be coming from and connecting from in the New world, and they must be in alignment as well.

Periods of very deep sleeping.
When the energy is not moving and we are done for awhile, we get to rest. While we are integrating and preparing for the next phase of intense moving energy, we become very lethargic. It can become near impossible to keep your eyelids open in the daylight hours and daytime napping can become a regular and necessary habit.
Even if you think you can exercise your way back into some energy, you will usually find yourself dropping dead on the sofa at every effort.

Experiencing emotional ups and downs; weeping.
Our emotions are what carries the energy. When we are falling apart (and we are doing just that), we can get pretty emotional.
When we are releasing, we can cry at the drop of a hat. A sad movie can make us cry, or even a sad commercial. We can cry when we experience kindness. We can cry when we feel relief. We can cry when we see any kind of suffering.
These tears are a great cleanser and releaser. I always know when some New energy has arrived because I can simply cry while I am driving along in the car. This seems to be an on-going symptom that is here to stay for awhile. But at least it is fairly painless!
[KS: I have always been extremely sensitive to different energies, and crying at commercials, films, watching others interact in loving ways, has been common throughout my life. I've taken a fair amount of teasing and occasionally been admonished for this behavior, so I understand it and have compassion for it. It’s a wonderful thing to see so many hearts opening up, feeling love and compassion so deeply that their emotions are engaged to such a degree.

Night sweats and hot flashes.
During certain phases of ascension our bodies suddenly decide that they are going to burn off the lower and denser aspects of ourselves. You may wake up in the night soaking wet or become very hot during the day. It may be 35 degrees outside, but you are just fine and dandy in your short sleeves.

Feeling cold with an inability to get warm.
When we are moving into a much higher dimension after much integrating, detoxing, and other ascension processes, we get very cold. We are in between and preparing to move up.
At these times it can be very difficult to warm up no matter what you do. I usually submerge myself in a tub of hot water and then get under a heavy comforter.

Vivid, wild and sometimes violent dreams.
We are releasing many lifetimes of lower vibrational energy through our dreams. If you are one who receives their higher information through dreams, you will likely do a lot of releasing at night. I consider you to be lucky, as some are doing much of their releasing when they are awake.
These dreams usually do not make sense, but if you are good at dream analysis you can usually figure them out. These acid-trip-like dreams are up and visible because they contain energy that’s on its way out, never to return. Through this process we are releasing all of our past lives.

Dizziness, loss of balance, vertigo, and spinning.
The definition of Merkabah is counter-rotating fields of light surrounding the spirit/body which serve to transport the spirit/body from one dimension to another. And this is precisely what is occurring.
As we connect to our light bodies and begin moving into a higher dimension, we begin spinning and can experience vertigo and dizziness. If you know that this symptom indicates that something wonderful is happening it can be quite fun…like a roller coaster ride.
[KS: Sitting or lying down, along with grounding and circular breathing through such periods is also extremely helpful.

Overall body pain and days of extreme fatigue.
Our bodies are morphing into a crystalline form in order to enable us to reside in the higher realms and to continually be able to receive the higher light. This process is on-going and it cannot happen overnight. If you feel as though you are 100 years old and barely able to walk across the room, this is why.
Continual fatigue is also an on-going symptom for the same reasons. We are losing our density and going through extreme restructuring.

Gritty eyes and blurred vision.
Very simply, our eyes are adjusting to see in a new way, in a higher dimension and a new reality.
[KS: Friends have reported experiencing this symptom, followed a marked improvement in vision. I’ve experienced a moderate but appreciated improvement in my own vision. This symptom continues for me, and I'm looking forward to greater improvements!

Memory loss and difficulty accessing words.
So many are having this symptom that we can only laugh as we try to converse with each other. “I was having a glass of…you know what I mean…that white stuff…uh…what’s it called?” “Did you watch the…er…that event where everyone competes from around the world?”
At times we cannot talk at all because we are simply unable to access much of anything. When this occurs you are going back and forth between dimensions and experiencing disconnect.
Another somewhat related occurrence is trying to type words and having the letters become jumbled in the wrong order. In this case, we are not in alignment with time and our flow is disconnected, as part of our energy is here and another part is further ahead.

Difficulty remembering what you did or who you talked to a day or sometimes just an hour before.
In the higher realms, reality is very much in the moment. If we do not hold something in our consciousness, it simply ceases to exist. We have no attachments. We are creating our own world around us through our beliefs and thoughts and what we do not hold onto does not exist.
Everything is brand new as we are starting completely over, moment to moment. We can tap into whatever we choose to at any moment and create and experience just that. This state comes and goes, but is practice for living in the higher realms. It can feel a bit creepy when it occurs. In addition, at times we are neither here nor there, as we are in between dimensions.

Not remembering the meaning of anything.
When I was in an intense period of the transitional process and we were in the throes of a substantial energy thrust into the higher realms, I remember looking at a trash can and not knowing what it was for. I had to access my memory of the “old” and reach far.
What was happening was that I was vibrating at a point where everything possesses only the meaning and identity that we give it. In the higher realms, energy is just energy with no label or meaning. All is fresh and new. Sort of a Course in Miracles undoing process, without the trying.
[KS: When this happened to me, I had just sat down at my computer and I couldn't remember how to use the keyboard. I sat there looking at like it was an alien thing. Eventually I remembered that it was supposed to somehow get information from my brain into the computer, but I didn't know how to go about it.
At some point I recall thinking "This is ridiculous, I know that I know how to use this thing!" so I put my hands over the keys and tried to make them move. My fingers felt like big sausages, heavy and stiff. All my mental efforts to make them do something was to no avail. Fortunately I knew enough not to panic, and the feeling passed after a few (long!) minutes, but it was profoundly strange while it was happening.

A feeling of disorientation; not knowing where you are; a loss of a sense of place.
“Where in the world am I? I do not fit anywhere and nothing seems to fit or feel remotely right! And I do not know where I belong or where I am going or what I am supposed to be doing either!” Ever had this conversation with the Universe!?
You have been knocked out of your old grooves by an energy shift and are in between realities. You have successfully left much behind and are in a very new space but have not integrated yet.
You won’t have much time to integrate though, because as soon as you get comfortable you will be moving on into the next higher vibrating space. And in addition, the outside world does not remotely match the way you are now highly vibrating.

A loss of identity.
You look in the mirror and have a strange feeling of disconnect as you no longer recognize that once familiar image. You almost feel out of body. Once this phenomenon occurs it never ends. You have released so much of your ego self, that you are no longer the same person, and do not have that attachment or connection to your physical vessel.
As you begin to access much more of your soul or higher self, you are not in your body much. You may still use your voice to communicate and other bodily aspects, but you are slowly beginning the process of disappearing and releasing the human form. In addition, you have cleared much of your old patterns and are embodying much more light and a simpler, more purified divine you. All is in order…you are OK.

Feeling ‘out of body’.
The same explanation as above. The physical body is the last to catch up. Much of us is now in a higher dimension and residing outside of our bodies, as our bodies are not there yet. They are much denser.
[KS: Again, grounding and circular breathing through such periods is extremely helpful. This ascension process is about being IN the physical body and assisting the body in its journey into higher vibrational frequencies. So continuing to stay grounded in the body and grounded to the Earth cannot be stressed enough.

‘Seeing’ and ‘hearing’ things.
As we can now access different dimensions fairly easily, it is common for many to see things out of the corner of their eyes or hear things when nothing is there. Many also experience ringing in the ears, which is common when we are going through “the tunnel” and accessing a higher dimension.
Depending upon how sensitive you are and how you are wired, this can be a common experience. Many are seeing orbs and vibrating blobs of color as well.
[KS: Many of our multidimensional capabilities are coming back online - clairaudience, clairvoyance, clairsentience, etc. - so these are some of the more energizing and exciting changes to experience!

Feeling you are going insane, or must be developing a mental illness of some sort.
We are rapidly experiencing several dimensions and greatly opening. Much is available to us now. You are just not used to it. Your awareness has been heightened and your barriers are gone.
This will pass and you will eventually feel very at Home like you have never felt before, as Home is now here.

Feeling as though you are looking down a long tunnel in order to connect to lower vibrations; feeling as though you are acting or pretending.
When we are residing in the higher realms, anything not there with us may feel far away. If you are still in a lifestyle where you are regularly interacting with the outside or old world, you may feel like an actor in a play or that you are pretending your way through the day. Basically, you are no longer residing in that world, even though you are still involved in it.
[KS: People bumping into you is another clue. Sometimes when you’re out and about you’ll notice that there are people who are not even seeing you. There’s a slight shifting of dimensions wherein you can see them but you’re slightly out of vibrational alignment with them and they don’t see you.]
An intolerance for lower vibrational things (of the 3D), reflected in conversations, attitudes, societal structures, healing modalities, etc. They literally make you feel ‘sick’ inside.
When we begin arriving in the higher realms and in a higher vibration, our energies are no longer in alignment with the old, outside 3D world. Through a severe intolerance to the old, we are being “pushed” to move forward…to and create the New.
In addition, you may feel like staying home or just being alone, as much of everything “out there” no longer matches the higher vibration of YOU. This is simply a very common experience of evolution. We are moving forward before the outside manifestations are. Being in the old can feel downright awful.
It is similar to having to “go back” after you have had a near death experience. As the ascension process continues, going back to the lower dimensions will not feel good nor will it be possible for long, as it is difficult to drop our vibration down in order to reside there.
This is a simple experience of navigating the dimensional hierarchies. We will eventually become experts with our dimensional navigational skills.