What is spiritual bypass?
To answer this question, we will quote Marc Aixalà and his book “Psychedelic Integration” from pages 147 to 150 :
«Another possible outcome of a therapeutic process or a spiritual practice that includes non-ordinary states of consciousness is the widely described spiritual bypass
The term “spiritual bypass” was coined in the 1980s by John Welwood, a Buddhist psychotherapist and practitioner. The term refers to the tendency to use spirituality and spiritual experiences as avoidance mechanisms. We might try to avoid the suffering derived from living in the world through pseudo-spirituality. We may nurture the tendency to minimize our circumstantial suffering by alluding to spiritual ideas such as transcendence, the unreality and impermanence of all things, the existence of a greater plan or a cosmic game of which we are all part, or the supposed disidentification from the ego and what is a clearly inadequate detachment from our experience. Our spiritual practice and experiences can thus turn into an escape route from reality.
Frequently, these people may have had genuine spiritual experiences that led to a childish and unproductive form of spirituality due to poor integration. A spiritual bypass becomes an obstacle to true introspection and the development of a mature spirituality.
Masters (2010) writes that, “Genuine contact with the ultimate reality does not guarantee a genuine spirituality.” Among the possible manifestations of a spiritual bypass, he includes:
An exaggerated detachment, emotional flattening, repression, an exaggerated emphasis on the positive, fear of anger, blind or exaggerated compassion, weak or porous boundaries, an unbalanced development (cognitive intelligence is much more developed than emotional and moral intelligence), poor judgment in relation to one’s negativity or shadow, a devaluation of the personal in relation to the spiritual, and delusions of having achieved a higher way of being.
Masters also differentiates between gross and subtle forms of spiritual bypass, reflected in the degrees of sophistication that these mechanisms may have for different people.
The current context of rapid globalization, the popularization of shamanic practices, and the increased interest in the psychedelic experience, whether as a therapeutic tool or a spiritual practice, all in the context of a global market, do not quite help us deal with this phenomenon. While it is true that spiritual consumerism has always existed, it is perhaps more present today than ever. We find an extreme abundance of retreat centers that offer diverse and novel therapies, sometimes marketed as “miracle treatments” that combine, often in an excessively eclectic way, a range of different substances and multiple methodologies and paradigms. In order to survive in the spiritual market, each of these products must stand out from the others, hence the tendency to promise miraculous healings and express illuminations, guaranteeing immediate and infallible results. These offerings, however, very often promote spiritual bypass. Furthermore, the growing paradigm of positive psychology boosted by an increasing tendency to blame individuals for their own suffering, seeing people as responsible for their own illnesses, coupled with the aforementioned mercantilism, all contribute to the creation of a paradigm defined by its superficiality. Our Western capitalist mentality favors an understanding of spirituality as a linear endeavor with a tangible goal that, once achieved, guarantees us a happy and trouble-free life. We are often sold this idea instead of a real understanding of the subtleties of spiritual maturity, with all the nuances and contradictions that life implies. Jack Kornfield teaches that even after reaching enlightenment, after experiencing ecstasy, we are still confronted with the daily task of translating that freedom into our imperfect lives. We face the fact that we need to do our laundry (Kornfield, 2001).
Heschel, in yet another stroke of visionary inspiration, writes: “God would be beyond our reach if we were to search for Him within the maze in the light of our mental fireworks” (Heschel, 1951). Assigning transcendence or sacredness to the internal fireworks of psychedelia can become an obstacle to true transcendence. Our inner visions can trick us into thinking that we have spiritually matured beyond our actual level of development, fostering both spiritual bypass and ego inflation.
While most of the implications of spiritual bypass hinder the development of a mature spirituality and can impair our ability to cope responsibly with our pending tasks, this phenomenon can also have positive aspects in some situations. People who are going through difficult moments of life, such as painful loss, or people whose lives have been filled with traumatic events and suffering, may experience states of freedom, joy, and happiness or encounter spiritual dimensions through their psychedelic experiences. To an outside observer, the enjoyment of these states may seem like an attempt to avoid confronting painful and unprocessed unconscious material. And the outside observer may very well be correct. However, this period of spiritual bypass can also be understood as a necessary step in the journey towards deeper levels of the psyche. Although these positive experiences and the temporary transcendence of pain may not be quite “real,” they can leave a tremendously valuable imprint that allows the person to become confident in their own worth and internal process, perhaps for the first time. These states of bypass and inflation can be an oxygen tank for someone in a vulnerable state. Therefore, a spiritual bypass should not be immediately confronted without considering the situation of the person as a whole. Suppose someone is immersed in a therapeutic process or on a path of personal development and has the support of a skilled therapist or an understanding teacher. In that case, they will eventually be able to transcend those experiences of immature spirituality, understanding them as important pieces of their subsequent development».