An American Awakening: A True Story of Spiritual Emergency and Cultural Reckoning

What happens when a spiritual awakening doesn’t look like peace and enlightenment—but chaos, confusion, and crisis?

An American Awakening offers a rare, courageous look into the misunderstood phenomenon of Spiritual Emergency—a term first coined by Stanislav and Christina Grof in the 1970s to describe a transformational crisis with profound psychological and spiritual implications. Though recognized in some therapeutic and indigenous circles, this experience remains widely overlooked—and often mishandled—in modern American culture.

Told through the lens of one woman’s riveting, real-life journey, this memoir explores the collision between ancient wisdom and contemporary skepticism. This book is more than a personal story—it’s a cultural mirror, reflecting the lives of countless others navigating the same uncharted terrain. Honest, bold, and ultimately redemptive, An American Awakening is a call to reexamine how we view mental health, consciousness, and the transformative power of lived experience.

Emily Thiel

Voice