You Can’t Always Savasana Your Stress Away
The dangers of ‘spiritual bypass’ and expecting too much from tarot, astrology, yoga, and crystals
Social media is full of photos of glitter baths and crystal-strewn tarot readings. Therapists are learning astrology to better understand their clients. Maybe it’s due to collective burnout or post-2016 political stress; either way, it’s clear that self-care has exploded in popularity.
While there’s nothing inherently harmful with these practices, experts say problems can arise when anyone dealing with low- or high-level trauma uses self-care or spiritual practices as an attempt to Savasana the pain away. This is what some experts call “spiritual bypassing.” The term was coined in the 1970s by psychotherapist John Welwood, who described spiritual bypass as the use of “spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep personal, emotional ‘unfinished business’ to shore up a shaky sense of self or to belittle basic needs, feelings, and developmental tasks.”
In other words, self-care or spiritual practices can become a distraction from the work people need to put into addressing mental health issues.
“Spirituality is powerful, and it’s a huge coping mechanism for so many people. Faith, prayer, and meditation… all of these things are wonderful…
