BYPASSING

Robert Augustus Masters (2010). 

              Spiritual Bypassing: 

When Spirituality Disconnects Us From What Really Matters

 

Master's has a PhD in Psychology and practiced integral psychotherapy for 40+ years

the phrase "spiritual bypassing" was coined by John Welwood in 1984 as the use of spirituality to avoid dealing with painful feelings, wounds, and needs. 

for every spiritual bypassing problem, Masters provides a solution, and the final chapter attempts to integrate mind, body, and spirit...the writing style is direct, punchy, tell it like it is, yang...the last sentence of each chapter is particularly potent and worthy of reflection.

some examples of spiritual bypassing and their solutions:

avoid the negative, always be positive---turn toward the negative, let it touch you, learn from it

put up with whatever anyone says/does--say stop or no, and hold others accountable for their behavior

ascend, transcend--ground in the body, descend before ascending

use shortcuts to awaken--pick a spiritual practice and do the work!

no boundaries, open to all--as humans, we need boundaries to function

don't get angry--anger is a valuable emmotion that tells us when our boundaries have been crossed, then we can choose how to negotiate the boundary

 

for practices:

listen to the whispers of the body, stay attentive, lovingly care for the body

cultivate the witness state in meditation, a relaxed awareness to see more clearly and live more wisely

learn to identify, ride, and guide whatever emotions are arising

 


 

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