Five Things I Am Struggling With in the Conscious Community
I genuinely love the conscious community, and my writings often reflect my positive experiences within it. However, to offer a more authentic depiction, I also want to share my difficulties. Because, even within a community that offers so much, it’s far from perfect.
Wherever humans gather, challenges inevitably arise. Despite our drive for inclusivity and equality, we still experience power dynamics at play. Even as we attempt to grow and understand our own shadows, we often project our fears and fantasies onto each other. And while we critique the consensus thinking of the normal world, we aren’t immune to consensus-building within our own community.
We’re all just human beings doing the best we can with the resources available. Let’s explore some of the things I struggle with in the conscious community:
When Have I Done Enough ‘Healing’ Practices?
Healing in this community is understood more holistically than in the regular world, leading to an abundance of healing practices — from psychedelic ceremonies to therapies focusing on somatics and the energetic body. Initially, my enthusiasm for this variety made me want to ‘do it all.’ There can even be a certain status attached to those who’ve engaged in more extreme practices (“Did you do a silent retreat for 49 DAYS?!”). Yet, I soon realized that there’s no such thing as ‘doing it all’ and no magic pill to solve all my problems. Doing things at my own pace became crucial to avoid feeling perpetually ‘behind.’
Who Can I Trust?
In the regular world, most healing practitioners are certified by old, respected institutions like universities or professional associations. When I visit a doctor, dentist, or therapist in the regular world, I trust their extensive education and supervision. However, in the conscious community, many practitioners are self-taught or have learned from unfamiliar sources or organizations, perhaps even developing their own methodologies. From experience, I know this doesn’t necessarily imply inferiority or superiority compared to practitioners from the regular world. But how can I assess their trustworthiness? How can I determine the ‘power’ of their service? Many retreats and therapies are marketed as ‘life-changing’ and ‘transformative,’ yet such claims obviously come without any guarantees.
How Do I Fit in Aesthetically?
Style and clothing in this community significantly differ from the androgynous, minimalist Scandinavian style I grew up with. I’m inspired by how women here embrace more feminine clothing and prioritize soft, flowy fabrics and comfortable pieces suitable for movement and dance. Yet, at times, it also feels restricting. The style often seems limited to color tones between white and brown, making me feel almost too expressive in blues, reds, or pinks. Wanting to fit in without standing out too much, while also staying true to what feels good to me, can be challenging. So far, I have refused to buy a crystal necklace just to blend in!
When are Positive Words a Mask?
Before joining this community, I would rarely use the word “love” among my friends. The concept seemed too strong and ambiguous for me to grasp its appropriate use. Within the conscious community, big words like love, kindness, healing, and trust overflow. We often greet each other with these kind words (“my love,” “dear,” “family,” “tribe”), even without knowing each other well. I appreciate this ‘default kindness’ towards strangers, a stark contrast to the formal (and sometimes rude) interactions in regular society. Yet, sometimes, this constant positivity can feel like a facade or even a form of spiritual bypassing.
How Do I Stay Open and Curious Without Believing in Conspiracy Theories?
I deeply appreciate the conscious community’s broader concept of truth, embracing complexity and ambiguity beyond the confines of natural science. People here are generally open-minded, curious, and capable of critical thinking. However, navigating a world of grey zones can also be incredibly challenging. Sometimes, critical thinking veers into conspiracy theories. My challenge lies in maintaining openness and curiosity for new perspectives while staying critical and discerning about these novel viewpoints.
While I sometimes feel overwhelmed navigating this new culture and community, I strive to see these challenges not merely as obstacles but as opportunities for deeper understanding and growth. I’m genuinely curious: What challenges have you encountered in the conscious community? Please share your thoughts below!
Are you curious to learn more about the conscious community? I invite you to also read my articles on on the definition, healing, connection and surprising practices in the conscious community. And my article on why I can’t imagine living permanently in a conscious community.
Disclaimer: I use the language of ‘we’, but obviously, these observations are only based on my own experiences. Ask someone else in the community and they probably will both agree and disagree with some of my observations. Ask me in a year — and my own perspective will probably have changed too!
