What can we do to ensure we minimise spiritual bypassing?

The goal of spirituality is for us all to find inner meaning and connection with our deeper self. The benefits of living from our authentic selves, expressing our emotions,  is when we do so, others are not afraid to do the same. It becomes a rippling effect, with more and more people realising, it’s ok to have moments of frustration, anger, sadness and to experience pain. This is part of being human and when we acknowledge these emotions, we begin to love ourselves unconditionally which is the core essence of living a spiritual life.

We can do certain activities to work towards living our most authentic spiritual life. 

 Self acceptance work. When we understand our shadow is not our enemy and our emotions are not shortcomings, we are able to work with these emotions to move forward

 Accept our emotions and work at processing : 

• Express 
• Observe
• Accept
• Reflect 

 Journaling lets us express our emotions in written form

 Practicing Self compassion and non judgmental awareness of yourself 

  Connect to things that are meaningful to you, Meditate, pray or read scripture to ask for guidance

 Seek counselling or therapy

• It's always good to talk to someone and express the emotions we may not wish to share with others
• Therapists can explore core beliefs which contribute to the way in which we process and express our emotions, using therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)  and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

What we can do for others:

 Provide a safe space for people to share their emotions genuinely, by showing patience, kindness and understanding

 Practice our own self love and acceptance so we are able to accept others pains and sufferings without judgement

 Encourage regular counselling or therapy, so people are able to voice emotions and feelings

Honouring and Serving,
Simran K. Rattan MD
Content support Maria Peach