When Dharma becomes a shield for self-defense,

When Dharma becomes a shield against psychological wounds,

An analysis of the relationship between shadows, Trauma and spiritual mechanisms.

Introduction

In an age when people seek spiritual peace and awareness, we often find paradoxical phenomena: those who seem to understand deep dharma or practice strict concentration have difficulty managing basic emotions or have failed relationships.

In the view of psychiatry and deep psychology, this phenomenon is not a coincidence, but is rooted in complex defense mechanisms. This article explores the connection between the "shadows in the mind" caused by past wounds and the misuse of dharma like Spiritual Bypassing and Spiritual Materialism, based on scientific empirical evidence.

1.Point of origin: psychological wounds and the birth of "shadow"

To understand this mechanism, we need to start with a foundation, Trauma.

Clinically, Trauma refers not just to a terrible event, but to a state in which the mind cannot cope with overwhelming emotions. Donald Kalsched, an in-depth analyst, explained in a legendary study like The Inner World of Trauma (1996) that when a child or person faces unbearable pain, the mind uses a mechanism called "disintegration."

Part of the self will continue to live in the outside world.

Another part where pain, anger, or shame are pushed down and hidden in the unconscious.

This hidden part itself is what C.G. Jung calls "Shadow." So shadow is not evil, but a piece of life that has not been healed.

2. Escape: When Dharma is used as a "painkiller"

As the "shadow" is full of pain, the human mind has to create a self-defense mechanism so as not to confront it. And in modern times, "Dharma and Mental Practice" is often used as a tool for this self-defense through 2 main forms:

A. Spiritual Bypassing (Escape Through the Fair)

Defined by John Welwood (1984), it refers to the use of the concept of letting go, nulliness, or transcendence of the commandment, to "skip" an unsolvable emotional problem.

Empirical evidence:

The research of Fox, Cashwell and Picciotto (2017) developed the Spiritual Bypass Scale-13 (SBS-13) measure to study this specifically. The results showed an interesting connection that:

People with high Spiritual Bypassing scores are often associated with "Avoidant Attachment" and difficulty identifying their own emotions (Alexithymia).

This means that for some people, meditation or retail vivec is not an awakening, but a form of dissociation to escape the original wound.

B. Spiritual Materialism (Spiritual Materialism)

Defined by Chögyam Trungpa (1973), it means that the "self" snatches the moral progress as an ornament to make himself feel special or superior to others.

Empirical evidence:

Vonk and Visser's (2020) recent study of Spiritual Superiority found the shocking fact that spiritual training (such as energy training, mental training) sometimes does not diminish the ego, but is associated with narcissism.

This group of practitioners often creates a shield against shame (Shame) that is in the "shadow" by creating a new identity as the "awake" or the "chosen one," a Compensatory Mechanism.

3. Conclusion: Integration is the solution.

From all the evidence, we can deduce the mental equation as follows:

Trauma (wounds)

→

→ Create Shadow (Shadow)

→

→ Encourage Defense (self-defense)

By self-defense, it is expressed through escape (Spiritual Bypassing) or struggle to surpass itself (Spiritual Materialism).

The realization of this mechanism is very important to both the practitioner and the therapist. The true spiritual growth is not to try to rise high to escape the darkness, but to have the courage to go down and experience the darkness, embrace the psychological wounds, and integrate them back into life.

Then Dharma will not only be an anesthetic or an ornament, but a real way to heal.

Reference material (References)

Fox, J., Cashwell, C.S., & Picciotto, G. (2017). The opiate of the masses: Measuring spiritual bypass and its relationships to spirituality, religion, mindfulness, and psychological distress. Counseling and Values, 62 (1), 45-59.

Kalsched, D. (1996). The Inner World of Trauma: Archetypal Defenses of the Personal Spirit. Routledge.

Trungpa, C. (1973). Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. Shambhala Publications.

Vonk, R., & Visser, A. (2020). An exploration of spiritual superiority: The paradox of self-enhancement. European Journal of Social Psychology, 51 (1), 152-165.

Welwood, J. (1984). Principles of inner work: Psychological and spiritual. The Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 16 (1), 63-73.

# Practicing # Hidden identity