It might sound strange and unbelievable at first, but it is possible that Spirituality can be self sabotaging as well. If we use Spirituality to keep us in denial of all other things that matter, this is sabotaging our development and is harmful for us.
This process is called Spiritual Bypassing and was first called so by John Welwood, a psychologist in the 1980’s. When we hide behind spiritual beliefs and practices, just so that we can avoid facing certain feelings and situations, we are using Spirituality in a negative function and it is bad news overall.
When we avoid our psychological needs or keep unresolved issues buried deep within us, we are causing harm to our spiritual self as well as keeping a barrier between us and our true self. It is said that excess of anything is bad and it holds true even in the pursuit of Spirituality.
There are very subtle differences which we need to be aware of; otherwise we’d soon be using Spirituality too as a sort of defense mechanism. Here is how it can happen. We think of detachment as a positive quality but sometimes we take it a bit too far.
Even when it is very clear that there are some troubling emotions which need to be addressed, we think that we are doing the right thing by completely ignoring them.
Or we can be too focused on always being positive or at peace. So much so, that the pretence of being in control would become more important than addressing what is bothering us.
You are not a failure in Spirituality if you react to situations; it is when you refuse to acknowledge them that you have failed. Another very dangerous form of Spiritual Bypassing, is when you think that you are somehow better than others because you are more at Spiritually aware than others.
This is might cause you to hurt others knowingly or unknowingly and goes against your path of spiritual evolution.
Don’t think that you will never make such a mistake. The fact is all of us are prone to Spiritual Bypassing because it is the habit of our collective consciousness to avoid anything unpleasant at all cost.
We repress all unhappy feelings and unwelcome emotions, refusing to address them completely, even of it comes at the cost of massive repercussions in the future. And using the guise of Spiritual Bypassing is as bad as any other method of denial.
Thinking that everything is alright always is not justified if we turn a deaf ear to relative truths of things that are immediately affecting us. Spirituality is about healing ourselves and overcoming our limitations. But none of it can be achieved if we don’t first face the truth of what is troubling us.
Nothing can be okay, unless we make it so. The sooner we face all that we are afraid of the faster we will be able to move on with our lives. Postponing or ignoring things will only make it even worse for us.
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