The Smiling Trance

The Smiling Trance

It can be so strenuous to smile all of the time or to pretend to be happy, can’t it? However, you are not alone with this. 

Much of the general populace are anxiously pushing to pump up their mood. No wonder, in a society where we are daily assaulted with messages from advertisements, from happy TV-shows and new age gurus, who shame us into believing that we are “less than” if we are not constantly overflowing with ecstatic enthusiasm.

Please do not read this as an article against joy. We will come to REAL happiness at the end. It is a blessing to have our natural share of laughter and feeling happy. But we also believe that it is also a blessing to resist the unnatural demands of our society that we become fountains of joy as it is projected on us, as it “should” be.

The pressure to be always up can be an enormous shame trigger. We also see in our working with people the increasing number of friends and clients who are struggling with self-contempt for not being happy enough.

Once again, we are not talking against joy, but when it is inauthentic, it is sad and alienating. In worst case scenarios a narcissist can pull us in to join them in falsely emoting joy. Or it is just as painful when codependent personalities force themselves to laugh to cover up fear or shame.

The good news is that as we are healing with either self-help techniques or with a coach and therapist, or “just” by actually awakening more and more to the truth of ourselves by some practice or satsang our expectations of joy become more reasonable. This allows us to let go of permanent happiness as the unrealistic goal in our everyday life.

And when you see through the smiling trance in others and in you, you will naturally want to become more real. How to become more real? The best way is to find out who you really are.  Who you really are is happiness itself, bliss itself but it is conscious of itself and it has nothing to do with you being happy or unhappy in your daily life. From this discovery comes a huge sense of belonging and safety that you might not have received as a child, but now it is here.

From this place of safety, from your own self-realization then you will be more authentic and you will not be that much influenced by the expectations of society.

If you want to dive deeper you may book a private session with us or with one of us. If you cannot afford the price of the session please feel free to write to us here.

You can also check if it is for you by booking a FREE 15 MINUTE CONSULTATION.

We also invite you to check out our upcoming events and free guided meditations here.

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May all beings be happy!

Love,

Adrienn & Harald