Spirituality
The Dark Night of the Soul
You aren't going mad, you are just having an Existential Crisis
The “dark night of the soul” is a term that goes back a long time.
The “dark night (of the soul)” in Roman Catholic spirituality describes a spiritual crisis. Aka a spiritual depression or Existential Crisis.
It is often confused as clinical depression — and with good reason as it mimics all the symptoms of depression. But, unlike depression which is in your head, this is in your very soul.
During the dark night, you question your place in life. Nothing makes sense anymore, and it seems as if there’s no purpose to anything. It can be triggered by some uncontrollable, external event, such as a bereavement or disaster.
It can also be triggered by something happening that you can’t explain away. Something that seems to invalidate your beliefs. Or perhaps you feel that everything you achieved or believed in life has suddenly fallen apart, or appears to have been a lie.
What has collapsed is the whole conceptual framework for your life — the meaning you had given it in your mind. Your expectations. Your understanding.
