Spiritual Psychology: Be Kind to Yourself — But Be Honest

Self-growth does not begin with self-condemnation, and it definitely does not begin with excusing everything we do. There is a middle path of honest self-observation combined with compassion.

We don't need to constantly tell ourselves: “I am a bad person.”
But neither should we say: “I have suffered, so everything I do is justified.”

Both extremes can keep us from genuine psychological and spiritual growth. The beauty of spiritual psychology is that it asks us to be vulnerable and sincere with ourselves — to look honestly at our actions, reactions, thoughts and feelings, while still holding ourselves with empathy and compassion.

We can acknowledge: “I am not where I want to be yet.”
Without turning it into: “I am such a terrible person.”

According to Pulkit Sharma, when empathy, honesty and sincerity come together, something deeper begins to shift within us. Our deeper psychic being gradually begins to recognize what needs to be accepted, what needs to be rejected, and what needs to transform.

This is an excerpt from a 2017 talk on Integral Yoga by Pulkit Sharma, Clinical Psychologist, Psychoanalytic Therapist, Spiritual Counselor & Author, based in Pondicherry, India.

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