Healing trauma should feel like discovering the universe, not like a colonoscopy
How we over-complicated the most obvious thing in the universe
There is a fundamental problem in the world of mental health and spirituality. We have overcomplicated it to the point where it no longer makes sense.
Spiritual awakening is supposed to be exhilarating—like unlocking a mystery novel written by the universe, where every answer leads to even more fascinating questions, every realization makes life richer, and every step forward aligns you with a greater truth you never thought possible.
But instead of being an awe-inspiring revelation, it has been hijacked by a cult of people who have never actually transcended their ego. Their core beliefs include:
Thou must over-intellectualize the mind until everyone loses interest.
Thou shalt act morally superior to those who don’t wake up at 4 AM to detox in a cryogenic chamber.
Thou shalt meditate for exactly 37 minutes a day to avoid feeling things.
Thou shalt smugly drink turmeric tea while gazing into the abyss.
And the result? A self-important scavenger hunt to fill the void by checking out of life rather than immersing yourself in it. Why is this happening? Because modern spirituality has lost touch with divine reason, order, and truth. So, let’s break it down, shall we?
People have over-intellectualized the whole thing
There is no faster way to kill a magical experience than to intellectualize it to death. Imagine watching David Blaine catch a bullet in his teeth. A normal person gasps and shouts, “Holy sh*t! How did he do that?!” But the over-intellectualizer, clutching their fourth book on metaphysics, will insist, “Ah, a commentary on the illusion of impregnability, reinforcing the paradox of permanence and destruction.” And just like that, all the wonder is sucked out of the room.
This is exactly what happens when people turn spirituality into an academic exercise. They take something meant to be experienced and lock it away in a fortress of concepts, ensuring only three monks and a guy named Chad will ever “get it.” The ego loves this. It thrives on dissecting reality into problems to be solved instead of mysteries to be explored, trapping people in a never-ending loop of analysis while completely missing the point.
People mistake ego transcendence for ego death
There is a massive lie being told in spiritual circles:
"To transcend the ego, you must completely destroy your sense of self."
Only if you want to be catatonic. Divine reason wants you to be humble, not self-destructive. The goal is not to kill the ego—it’s to integrate it properly within the natural order. Many people chasing "ego death" are actually chasing numbness because they:want to escape suffering instead of confronting it.
What ego transcendence actually feels like
Real awakening isn’t about becoming an enlightened guru or achieving some mystical state of pure bliss. It’s about aligning with reality as it actually is, not as your ego wants it to be.
Curiosity replaces certainty: What if things aren’t what they seem?
Playfulness replaces rigid beliefs: What if I explore instead of defend?
Humility replaces arrogance: What if I don’t have all the answers?
True strength isn’t found in certainty—it’s found in the courage to let go of it.
Following truth requires an internal locus of control, a mindset where you no longer wait for permission, external validation, or a neatly packaged answer to tell you what’s real. Your inner guidance is already there. It always has been.
It’s inconvenient. It’s untamed. It doesn’t care about what you’ve been taught, what society expects, or what makes you comfortable. If you’re doing it right, it will take you on a wild ride and contradict everything you once believed.
And that’s where character is built—not in clinging to what’s familiar, but in having the guts to adapt, grow, and redefine yourself over and over again.
The strongest people aren’t the ones who claim to have all the answers. They’re the ones who can stand in uncertainty and still move forward. They’re the ones who can let go of the need to be right in favor of what is true. They’re the ones who remain humble enough to be wrong and bold enough to change when they make a mistake.
So stay in awe. Let awakening make life bigger, richer, and more exciting than you ever imagined. Let it dismantle your old illusions and replace them with something far more real.
Because if awakening isn’t making life more fun—if it isn’t making you more curious, more alive, more you—then honestly, what exactly are we doing here?
"I’m not sure I’m ready for this, but I can’t wait to find out."
— The Eleventh Doctor, Doctor Who
This was incredibly validating to read; thank you so much for sharing. Spiritual bypassing is such an easy trap to fall into for the exact reason you said - it makes you feel like you're doing *something* to heal, but it's all just another bandaid. My true spiritual awakening began when I started to dig deeper, and treat the wounds from the inside out. It hurts like hell, but the more I do it, the more naturally I find myself actually following spiritual practices without *forcing* myself to. I meditate when it feels right. I sit out in nature just because I feel like it at the time. Sometimes it seems like the whole world has it all backwards.
Awakening is a shitstorm of every emotional state that requires all the things you’ve said to navigate it. I’m glad you’re keeping it real. Excellent piece that I’m certain will hit a few nerves among the spiritual gurupreneurs.