John Welwood coined the phrase "spiritual bypassing." In his words, it means "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." I sheepishly admit I have done my fair share of spiritual bypassing in my day. It was always with good intentions, I promise. I wanted to focus on all the positive qualities within myself and shut out the rest. I thought it would lead me to be a better version of myself. However, just as the saying goes, "The road to hell is paved on good intentions."

It got to a point where I was living so high vibe that I found myself triggered by all that was opposite of that state. However, the time came when I had to sit with the dissonance growing in my heart. I had to face my shadow. The shadow is the repressed parts of ourselves that tend to show up in other people in present circumstances. However, if someone triggers you, it is not necessarily always your shadow. Regardless of what it is, the key is to explore the possibility that it might be your shadow. To better understand the trigger and what is happening within, inner reflection is required. The other intriguing thing about the shadow is that just like in real life, we don't see our own shadow well, but others around us can often clearly see it.