At TNTW, we don’t do bypassing. We do real. We do rooted. We do sacred and messy, light and shadow, breathwork and brave work. Because real spiritual growth? It doesn’t skip steps. It includes every layer of your becoming.

 Spiritual bypassing is the unconscious use of spiritual language, tools, or practices to avoid difficult truths—within ourselves or the world. While it can wear a robe of positivity, it often masks unprocessed pain, unspoken fears, and unresolved trauma.

What Is Spiritual Bypassing?

Coined by psychologist John Welwood, spiritual bypassing is when we use spiritual ideas or practices to sidestep necessary emotional work, accountability, or shadow integration. It looks like light—but avoids the depth required for true transformation.

How Bypassing Shows Up

• Using affirmations to cover up deep grief or shame

• Calling trauma or systemic injustice “low vibration”

• Avoiding conflict under the guise of “love and light”

• Shaming others (or yourself) for being “too emotional”

• Choosing detachment over healthy emotional processing

Why It Matters

Bypassing keeps us stuck in a shallow version of healing. It can:

• Stagnate growth and block emotional integration

• Damage relationships with inauthenticity or spiritual superiority

• Reinforce systemic harm by denying social realities

• Disconnect us from our own truth and the collective truth

Moving from Avoidance to Integration

1. Practice Emotional Honesty  - Name what’s real. Honor your sadness, your rage, your grief. They are sacred too.

2. Cultivate Mindful Awareness - Ask: Am I using this practice to connect—or to avoid? Stay curious.

3. Choose Healing Tools that Go Deep - Therapy, journaling, trauma-informed movement, and shadow work support true transformation.

4. Normalize Vulnerability - Spiritual strength is soft-spoken truth, not perfect masks. Find or build communities that welcome all of you.

Practices for Authentic Spiritual Growth

• Shadow Work - Explore the hidden, denied, or disowned parts of yourself. They’re not bad—they’re just waiting to be loved.

• Grounded Spirituality - We’re not floating away. We’re planting roots and reaching for the divine.

• Compassionate Self-Inquiry - Ask deeper questions: What am I avoiding? What part of me is asking to be seen? 

Bypassing & Social Justice: The Love & Light Trap

Spiritual bypassing isn’t just personal—it can also dismiss collective realities.

Examples include:

• Avoiding conversations about racism, oppression, or privilege by calling them “too negative”

• Using spiritual tone-policing to silence truth-tellers

• Insisting “we’re all one” while ignoring systemic harm

Real spiritual growth includes real-world awareness. It’s not just love and light—it’s truth, justice, and liberation.

What Spiritual Integrity Looks Like:

• You feel more connected to yourself and more connected to others

• You tell the truth—even when it’s uncomfortable

• You engage with the world rather than escape it

• You allow space for pain, anger, grief, and joy—without labeling any of them “wrong”

TNTW Journal Prompts:

• What emotions or truths have I been avoiding in the name of spirituality?

• How can I bring more honesty and integration into my practices?

• Where might I be bypassing hard conversations—in myself or in the world?

TNTW Affirmation

“I honor all that is true within me. I meet discomfort with courage, shadow with love, and my spiritual path with radical honesty.” 

Final Reflection

You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be pure. You just have to be real. This is the path of wholeness. Of holy truth. Of deep and lasting liberation.

✨ For guided support during spiritual transitions, explore the full TNTW Spiritual Bypassing Awareness Guide in the Ritual Toolkit Vault.