After such experiences—or even long bliss-filled retreats—end, one of several things usually happens. Perhaps our self-critical voices become louder and harsher than ever when we find ourselves quickly stuck back in familiar destructive patterns. After all, we’ve directly experienced our true nature. So shouldn’t we be beyond these patterns already? Or, we decide that we’re really pretty special for having had such experiences, and harbor a secret belief that we’re on a higher level than others. Or, we disengage from significant aspects of our lives that presented difficulties—jobs or significant relationships— because of the recognition that, in absolute reality, nothing ultimately matters. Or, we use the recognition that nothing matters as a reason to avoid the trouble of making a needed change like having an important confrontation, or getting the education needed to pursue a more satisfying career.

Our minds are enormously intelligent and wily. There are innumerable ways that they use true spiritual experiences and realizations to justify and reinforce unconscious human tendencies—and thereby cause suffering to ourselves and others. Psychotherapist, author and teacher John Welwood and others use the label “spiritual bypassing” to describe this use of the absolute truth to deny or disparage the relative truth of our humanness. Spiritual bypassing often involves avoiding needed emotional work or neglecting our basic human needs, feelings, longings and developmental tasks, such as engaging in a meaningful livelihood, and forming and maintaining a long-term intimate relationship. A coach or therapist can help recognize the parts involved with such bypassing so that these parts can be seen, heard, understood, and liberated from their burdensome roles. 

(See [Embodying Your Realization: Psychological Work in the Service of Spiritual Development] by John Welwood [link: http://www.johnwelwood.com/articles/Embodying.pdf].