🔼: [[Protector Strategies 🛡️]] ##### Spiritual Bypassing A way of using [[⭐ Spirituality]], spiritual ideas, and practices like [[🕯️ Mindfulness]] to sidestep, avoid, or find relief from [[💡 Exiles|Exiles]] or challenging [[⭐️ Emotions]]. Some examples of spiritual bypassing behaviors include: - Using [[🕯️ Meditation 🧘]] or other practices to avoid or find relief from our feelings rather than addressing them. - Thinking that we must transcend [[⭐️ Emotions]]. - Feelings of [[Detachment]] - Noticing an [[💡 Exiles|Exile]] but saying saying everything is fine because love is all that matters. - Extremely high, often unattainable, idealism or [[💡 Toxic Positivity|Toxic Positivity]]. - Focusing only on spirituality and ignoring all else. - False [[☀️ Equanimity]] Spiritual Bypassing isn’t necessarily a “bad” thing. There isn’t anything wrong with seeking temporary relief — *everyone* needs [[⭐️ Rest and Restoration|⭐️ rest]], everyone needs a break. It’s as true for parents as it is for anyone just trying to look after themselves. It becomes problematic when leaned on to excess over the long-term, as it prevents us from acknowledging and [[🕯️ Tending to feelings|🦮 tending to our feelings]], and it distances us from both ourselves and others. We behave as if [[💡 Trauma|our wounds]], patterns, and [[💡 Habits|habits]] don’t matter, as if everything is or will be okay and we can ignore what is. It can become a form of [[🛡️ Denying|🛡️ denial]].