"A Bolt from the Blue" (lightning suddenly striking from the sky)

"A Whack on the Side of the Head" (the title of a book about insights)

"Pride goeth before a fall." (from the Book of Proverbs).

"The rug being pulled out from under you" (stability is shaken)

Being Disillusioned (i.e. being Enlightened, losing Illusions)

Breaking Free (escape from a limiting situation or fear-based belief)

Breaking Out of Self-created Prisons (made from mistaken beliefs)

Building Castles in the Sand (which crumble when the tide turns)

Painting Yourself Into a Corner (then having to wreck your work to escape)

Getting Kicked Out of Your "Ivory Tower" Into the "Real World"

Getting Knocked Off Your Comfortable Perch (false sense of security)

Crisis Coming to a Head (the situation must now be faced)

Re-Evaluation (re-assessment required by changing circumstances)

Revelation (sudden, sometimes shocking, revealing of real Truth)

Self-Delusions Suddenly Disappearing (when the Truth is seen)

Inner World Turns Upside-Down (a sudden shift in your reality)

Life-changing event (your old way of life suddenly changes)

Reality Check (false assumptions revealed as unworkable)

Paradigm Shift (a major re-vision of a belief system)

"Cruisin' for a bruisin'" (setting yourself up for a fall)

Falling-out (a sudden split, a rift in a relationship)

Giving Up Your Illusions (or being forced to)

Amnesia, total destruction of the mind

Rude Awakening (shattered illusions)

Humiliation

Bankruptcy

Suicide Mission