People often get stuck after a spiritual awakening and in general on any spiritual path. There are many reasons why this happens, but one of the biggest ones is fear. People are afraid to let go of who they think they are and embrace being nobody. In that space of nobody-ness, they are infinite, but the ego does not understand this. It thinks you have to be a somebody and that your somebody-ness is critical to survival.
Because of this and many other fears and misunderstandings, many people remain trapped, or they backslide to old patterns right when they need to lean into the unknown.
BTW, these thoughts are from my August 2016 newsletter. If you’d like to sign up for my free newsletter, you can do so on this link:
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How to Get Spiritually Unstuck
People get stuck in all kinds of ways. They get stuck in the mind. They get stuck in their emotions. They get spiritually stuck in their bodies. The following paragraphs are some thoughts about why this is and how to get unstuck from that level.
Mentally Stuck
Since Westerns spend so much time thinking, they often think themselves into a corner. As I said, fear is often the main culprit. The ego is often afraid of losing something, getting hurt, or not getting something. It is constantly in defense and/or accumulation mode. If you can identify what you think you want or how you think you may be hurt, you can start to unravel the many tricks and lies the ego is telling you about yourself.
In general, your ego is concerned with:
- Keeping what it wants
- Getting rid of what it doesn’t want
- Avoiding what it doesn’t want
- Getting what it does want
If you pay attention, a lot of your thoughts will revolve around one or several of these basic themes. These types of thinking keep people very trapped. Learning to observe the thoughts and see them for what they are is one way to get out of this stuckness.
Emotionally Stuck
Some people get lost wallowing in emotions. Because they stay identified with emotions, their feelings go round and round and round. This can be the sad pity party, the angry-I-hate-the-world-for-doing-stuff-to-me shit-show, or the panic-stricken fear kerfuffle. There are all sorts of ways that we identify with emotions and recycle them endlessly. Learning to witness them and be neutral to emotional discomfort is one way to get unstuck.
On the other side, some people won’t allow themselves to feel anything at all. In their numbness, they are too stuck to go anywhere.
Numbing Yourself to Life and Over-stimulation
Physically Stuck
The body tends to follow the mind and heart’s lead, but sometimes, it is the other way around. For example, imbalances in our biochemistry can make us feel a lot more fear than we should. We can feel fear without any kind of trigger. Relaxing into this biochemistry through witnessing and mindful breathing helps us to get unstuck and consciously act.
Hatha yoga, nature walks, and other gentle physical activity can also be extremely useful to get things flowing. However, you may feel pretty awful for awhile as you flush out the yucky biochemistry and re-balance your body.
More Posts About Getting Unstuck
Even if you get stuck for a little while, it’s okay. You’re human. With diligence and patience, you’ll find your way through.
Here are a few more blog posts on this topic to help you out. Enjoy!
Getting Stuck and Incomplete Spiritual Awakening Integrations
