Spiritual Bypass

I first read the term ‘spiritual bypass’ in Joseph Dispenza’s book, God On Your Own, Finding a Spiritual Path Outside of Religion. He refers to using spiritual bypass to forge a personal spirituality without going through the process of healing the wounded psychological and emotional parts of himself. He says that according to Chogyam Trungpa, we try to treat our out-of-balance thoughts and behaviors by going to the spiritual realm through prayer, meditation or other spiritual practices. We think that God will take care of this depression, this phobia, this guilt complex, this chronic physical ailment, but in reality, if we don’t address these wounds at their own level, if they are left unhealed, the progress of our spiritual development breaks down.

Right now most of my world revolves around my spiritual development. And while I’ve always tried to address emotional and psychological issues head on to heal those areas of my being, I’m wondering if I’m using spiritual bypass with regard to my responsibilities on this earthly plane. You know, the plane that we are all on right here, right now.

I seem to be operating under the (misguided??) perception that if I surrender to God, that if I’m totally in the flow of a spiritual being, that I will be guided in the best ways to take care of my earthly responsibilities. And when it doesn’t happen, I wonder what’s wrong with me, what’s blocking that flow, what lessons am I not learning? And while my spiritual path is amazing and miraculous and awe-inspiring, my earthly existence is falling apart.

So my question is…. Is this a seeker’s spiritual journey or spiritual bypass?