Have you heard the words "spiritual bypassing" before? Do you know what they mean? Do you know anyone in your life who does this? Or could you unknowingly be guilty of spiritual by passing yourself? In this article we explore what this all means.
Psychotherapist John Welwood coined the term "spiritual bypassing" in the 1980s. To put it simple, spiritual bypassing, is when abstract concepts like God, or the Universal Consciousness are used to avoid dealing with real world issues, or uncomfortable truths. It is choosing to stay ignorant to the dirt that needs to be cleaned. It's a very easy trap to fall into but we can avoid it if we know what it looks like.
Spirituality is a great way to cope with life's problems. There is nothing wrong with going to God or a force higher than your own for help with moving through the journey of life. In fact, it's extremely beneficial. To heal your past with the help of a higher power is amazing beyond words! However, how are you dealing with new situations as they arise? You may not let the past control you any more, but what about the present and the future? If you believe life is amazing and you are at the best you will ever be, why? Are you reacting to new situations differently? Or are you reacting with just as much emotion and conviction as you have to previous experiences? If your answer is the latter, but you feel you have reached your healing destination... you're probably actively participating in spiritual bypassing. This is not humble. This is not admirable. This serves no one. There is no growth in this. Every single person on this planet has more work to do. Yes, we should take time to rest and recoup. But, we cannot ever say we are done working on ourselves, then hope to help others work on themselves. We must always be actively working. Keeping ourselves aware. Otherwise, we can fall into another one of life on earth's traps. Caught back up in a new loop of karma.
Spiritual bypassing is known to be a form of self defense, and it shields us from the truth. Without the truth, we cannot grow. We must keep the balance between light and dark steady. Too much of either can never be a good thing.
Signs Of Spiritual Bypassing
Blaming others instead of taking responsibility for the role they've played in their own suffering
Looking to a guru or a teacher for all of the answers
Pretending to be happy and avoiding feelings of anger, or sadness. These issues cannot be resolved if they are not felt and dealt with realistically.
Deflecting conversation that makes you uncomfortable or because it doesn't fit your own spiritual ideas.
Avoiding dark night of the soul by clinging to the light. You cannot truly touch the light without truly experiencing the dark
Projecting your own negative feelings onto others. I've seen readers project themselves onto their querents because they have not dealt with their own stuff to realize it is actually THEIR junk they are tuning into!
Telling others to not be negative while they are venting or mourning
How to avoid Spiritual bypassing
Try not to label feelings as good or bad - they just are what they are
Remember feelings like sadness and anger are just signs showing us what needs to change in our lives to get us on track and aligned to where we want to be
Becoming aware of your emotion helps you to move through the emotion
Avoiding the feeling will only allow it to fester it will not just disappear until you have acknowledged it (no not even energy healing can make it magically disappear, these modalities are tools to assist us in healing ourselves)
Remember each experience has a purpose - we can only learn by examining and accepting, then changing.
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