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Spiritual bypassing describes a tendency to use spiritual explanations to avoid complex psychological issues.
Rather than working through hard emotions or confronting unresolved issues, people would simply dismiss them with spiritual explanations.
Instead, it merely glosses over a problem, leaving it to fester without any true resolution.
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Signs of Spiritual Bypassing
Spiritual bypassing is a way of hiding behind spirituality or spiritual practices.
It prevents people from acknowledging what they are feeling and distances them from both themselves and others.
Examples
Spiritual bypassing can sometimes be difficult to spot because it is often very subtle.
It suggests that people can rely on individual positive thinking to overcome complex social issues.
Causes
Spiritual bypassing acts as a form of defense mechanism.
The problem with this is that negative emotions are normal and often a sign that something needs to change.
Ignoring these signs can lead to worse problems down the road.
Impact
Spiritual bypassing isn’t always a bad thing.
In times of severe distress, it can be a way to temporarily relieve frustration or anxiety.
However, researchers suggest that it can be damaging when used as a long-term strategy to suppress problems.
Spiritual bypassing can have a number of negative effects.
It can affect individual well-being as well as relationships with others.
Some of the potential negative consequences include:
Spiritual narcissisminvolves using spiritual practices as a way to increase self-importance.
Rather than deal with the negative feelingsand any resulting reactions to those feelingsspiritual bypassing becomes a tool for avoidance.
Dismissing Other Peoples Emotions
Spiritual bypassing can be a tool to dismiss what others are feeling.
Avoiding Responsibility
Spiritual bypassing also reduces the discomfort that people may feel as a result ofcognitive dissonance.
Judging Others
Judging other people for expressing justifiable anger is a form of spiritual bypassing.
Anger is a normal emotion and a perfectly reasonable reaction to many events and situations.
Authentic spirituality doesn’t suppress valid emotions just because they’re uncomfortable.
Its okay to feel difficult emotions like anger, jealousy, and disappointment.
The key is to deal with those emotionsin healthy ways.
Justifying Suffering
Another example of spiritual bypassing is using supposedly spiritual actions to justify not taking action.
It can stifle emotional development and even stand in the way of fully realized spirituality.
Instead of talking about a conflict, you’ll meditate.
Instead of participating in your community, you’ll visit a temple.
Instead of confronting your discomfort, you’ll recite a prayer.
The problem does not lie in engaging in these spiritual practices.
Visiting meaningful places can help give you a connection to your community.
Praying can give you a sense of peace or comfort when confronting an uncomfortable truth.
The difference lies in the intentions behind those actions.
Are they a way of making yourself feel spiritually superior to others?
Then they are likely functioning largely as a spiritual bypass preventing true growth.
We cannot pick and choose which emotions we experience.
Life cannot be good thoughts, feelings, and emotions alone.
for experience the highs, we must also endure the lows.
Research suggests that spirituality can often have a number of physical and mental health benefits.
A Word From Verywell
Don’t be too hard on yourself for mistakes.
Spirituality can be a positive force in your life and many spiritual practices can be excellentstress managementtools.
2018;20(4):333-354. doi:10.1080/19349637.2017.1417756
Tricycle.Human nature, Buddha nature.
An interview with John Welwood.
2018;13(1):22-31.
2013;52(4):1356-68. doi:10.1007/s10943-012-9649-y
