In short, avoiding our shadows stunts our growth toward our highest potential.

The emotional messiness we experience is often the result of emotional avoidance. The more we push away, the more they pile on top of each other.

Yet I’m aware of the consequences of becoming dependent on AI—just as we’ve become dependent on GPS, smartphones, and Google. We slowly disable our own abilities to memorize, investigate, and problem-solve.

When his words guided us to visualize our bodies laying still, dying, my mind was on high alert, my emotions triggered, and I felt my body resisting his words and the experience. My mind had anticipated this dreaded moment and I was angry at its arrival, out of sheer fear of what I was going to feel next.