Are You Addicted to Spiritual Escapism?

Chasing for more happiness, fulfillment, love, transcendence, is still

chasing. And I must stress, there is nothing wrong with chasing. Running is a natural part of life. But if you are exhausted and sick of running from and to something like me, listen up:

There is deep and immense wisdom in your exhaustion.

Your exhaustion is trying to tell you something.

Your exhaustion is teaching you a lesson that perhaps you cannot grasp right now.

It’s time to slow down and listen.

HOW TO EMBRACE YOUR INNER EMPTINESS AND RESTLESSNESS

We are so used to running that the moment we stop … we are restless, agitated, and irritable.

The deep conditioning within us to pursue, pursue, pursue, scrapes against our minds. An urge within us arises to find something, run towards something, become someone, or even, lapse back into one of our addictions.

What is restlessness?

Restlessness is the feeling that arises when your Heart and Soul has awakened, but your mind and body are still trying to slow down. In this way, restlessness is kind of like jet lag. The mind and body are still trying to acclimatize to the new reality.

Another analogy is drug withdrawal. You are so used to feeling a certain way, that when you are taken off that drug, you crave to get back on it immediately. Or perhaps, think of a treadmill. You’ve been running for so long, that when you power down the treadmill and stop, your body is still full of adrenaline, and you’re still breathing heavily. It takes a while for you to readjust to a slower, more natural way of living.

If you are feeling restless and exhausted, you are almost certainly experiencing what I have just explained. Your Soul has awakened, but your mental body is trying to slow down and acclimatize.

Not only that, but everything you have been running from is starting to emerge again – and this can be an extremely difficult and disturbing experience. Once you realize how easy it will be for you, in this period of your life, to become addicted to the “search for happiness” again, you will see how important meeting this restlessness is.

Restlessness and emptiness, while unnerving and disturbing, are great gifts. Many of the greatest “enlightened” souls have gone through this experience. Take three living teachers today: Gangaji, Unmani, and Adyashanti. For a large period of her life Gangaji had been seeking for awakening, until one day, her teacher told her to simply “STOP.” This single word awoke her. Unmani, on the other hand, was an intense seeker who broke her leg during a fierce catharsis session. Recovering in hospital for weeks, she became extremely depressed and restless, until she had her moment of ultimate awakening. Adyashanti also experienced intense restlessness and defeat after trying to meditate for many years. Once he accepted defeat and the ensuing emptiness, a whole new world opened.

As we can see, restlessness was a catalyst or precursor of deeper awakening. The moment we begin to get tired by the search to become someone special, attain some special state or get more things is the moment a sacred DOOR opens.

If you have the courage to walk through this doorway, or even just the willingness to face this pain, here are some ways to approach it:

1. ASK YOURSELF, “WHAT AM I RUNNING AWAY FROM?”

Beneath your discomfort, what are you running away from? What is triggering your desire to escape? What have you not faced? Spend time sincerely asking this question. Write down your thoughts and observations. Pay attention to your feelings.

2. EXPLORE THE QUESTION, “WHAT AM I RUNNING TOWARDS?”

What is the proposed “solution” to your inner feelings or fears? What form of escapism or addiction do you usually fall into to get away from your emptiness? What feeling, behind the name, object or experience are you pursuing?

3. SPEND TIME ALONE

Solitude and silence are essential for this time of deep soulwork. This is a time of withdrawing from the world and finding out what you are trying to escape from. If you can manage to figure out what you are hiding from and avoiding, you can begin to disassemble it so that the Light can break through again.

4. OPENLY EXPRESS ANY EMOTIONS THAT ARISE

What feelings accompany this restlessness? Do you feel angry, frustrated, grieved, terrified, depressed or sick? Express these emotions and get them out of your body. If you need to cry, cry. If you want to scream, scream, even silently. If you need to punch, kick, laugh or moan, do so in a healthy way in private. If you need to express yourself through art, song or dance, do so.

5. SAY A SOUL PRAYER

Your Soul is the ultimate source of wisdom, love, and guidance. In each moment, your Soul is present and watching carefully. Pray to your Soul for guidance through this tough time. Ask for strength, inner clarity, courage, support, and the willingness to face the truth.

6. PRACTICE UNCONDITIONAL PRESENCE

Yes, this is hard. Harder than I can possibly express through words. But sitting down, and allowing the sensation to envelope you will help you to process what you’re running from. Not only that, but meeting your fears allows them to be honored, seen, heard, and surrendered.

Asking for the strength of your Soul and the Love of your Heart to support you, sit down and close your eyes. Become aware of all sensations coming and going through your body through mindful attention. What and how do you feel? Become curious. Locate the pressure, tingling, itching, heaviness, hollowness, and other sensations emerge in your body. Breathe deeply and gently, allowing these feelings to be felt. Allow these sensations to stay as long as they like. This openness to experience is known as unconditional presence.

7. GO SLOWLY AND GET LOTS OF REST

Become aware of the urge to go quickly. In whatever ways you can, slow down. We are so used to rushing everything: our eating, our sleeping, our walking, our speech, our presence with others, our work. Tune into your body and ask it what it needs, and how quickly it can go. You will feel the response.

You also need a lot of rest at this time. Your body, mind, and heart are all processing this shift in your consciousness.

8. REWARD YOUR WILLPOWER

Once you are committed to stopping and facing whatever you’ve been running from, you’ll realize that willpower plays a big role. It takes a lot of self-restraint, or abstinence, to get past the addiction to running. At times, such abstinence can make life feel dry, heavy, and difficult. Removing the source of empty transient pleasure in place of the eternal ecstasy of the Soul to emerge can sometimes be a long process.

Don’t forget to reward yourself. Take care of yourself and find healthy ways to enjoy life (that won’t feed the addiction to escapism). Learning how to find balanced pleasure again is paramount to rediscovering your wholeness.

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