Dharma Roadside Dialogue. Spiritual Bypassing as a Defense Mechanism

Hello my Friends

I invite you to continue our discussion from last month on the third chapter of the seven-point mind training.

I suggest we discuss the subject of spiritual bypassing.

Let’s meet on Saturday, December 28, 2024

at 1:30 p.m. EST

That is: 19:30 European time CET

online on Zoom HERE

Spiritual Bypassing as a Defense Mechanism

Spiritual bypassing describes a tendency to use spiritual explanations to avoid complex psychological problems.

The term was first coined in the early 1980s by a transpersonal psychotherapist named John Welwood in his book Toward a Psychology of Awakening (ISBN 9781570628238). According to Welwood, spiritual bypassing can be defined as a “tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to circumvent or avoid dealing with unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, and unfinished developmental tasks.”

As a Buddhist therapist and teacher, Welwood began to notice that people (including himself) often used spirituality as a shield or a kind of defense mechanism. Rather than working through difficult emotions or confronting unresolved issues, people would simply dismiss them with spiritual explanations.

While it may be a way to protect oneself or promote harmony among people, it does not actually solve the problem. Rather, it simply obscures the problem, allowing it to fester without truly being resolved.

While spirituality can be a force that helps improve a person’s well-being, bypassing it to avoid complicated feelings or issues can ultimately stifle growth.