The Dark Night of the Soul is one of the most painful, isolating, and destabilizing experiences in life. Yet it is also a tremendous blessing in disguise.
As a primordial process of death and rebirth, the Dark Night of the Soul is a period in life where we are stripped of everything that is false. The veils of illusion are torn from our eyes. We suddenly see the fragility of ourselves, other people, and existence. And, out of nowhere, we start asking big questions such as “What is the meaning of life?” “What happens after death?” and “Why was I born?”
The more we start to question our lives, the more deception we come across. We see the lies perpetuated by society. We see the ways we have become wounded and behave dysfunctionally. And we may even notice a sense of emptiness inherent in our lives. Something feels missing. But what?
For many people, the Dark Night of the Soul heralds big life shifts. We may quit our jobs, leave our marriage, and seek out something more meaningful and aligned with who we truly are. For some, the Dark Night is a call to begin the spiritual journey toward enlightenment and reconnecting with the Soul.
Dark Night of the Soul Questions
When people first enter this dark period of life, they often have many questions. It can feel scary to lose interest in what you once valued and have your life turned upside down. Due to its destabilizing effect on our lives, the Dark Night is synonymous with what is known as the spiritual emergency.
Here are some commonly asked questions which might help to relax your mind a bit:
Most people who go through the Dark Night feel a sense of loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and depression. It’s common to crave for solitude and quiet/comforting environments. While some describe the experience as a death and rebirth, others describe it as the feeling of disintegrating or falling through a void.
The Dark Night of the Soul is an experience that is unique to everyone (although it does share many common characteristics). For one person it may last a few months, for others, it may last a year or many years. Most importantly, please understand that this is a temporary experience and many people can relate to what you’re experiencing. You’re not alone, although it might feel that way.
There are many ways to answer this question, but it’s crucial to understand first and foremost that the Dark Night is a natural and organic process. Just as trees go through a period of losing their leaves in Autumn/Winter, so too do we as humans (metaphorically speaking). We all go through cycles of death and rebirth; periods where we are full of life and energy and then periods where we need to slow down and go within. The Dark Night helps us to stop and tune into our inner selves. It is a process that goes hand-in-hand with the spiritual awakening process and finding our true life purpose.
Good question! Think of the Dark Night of the Soul as entering a prolonged Winter period. What comes after Winter? Spring! After the Dark Night we emerge refreshed, renewed, and ready to walk our true life paths. We have gained clarity, wisdom, tenderness, and the ability to tune into ourselves during the Dark Night period. These qualities we then bring into our lives. It’s quite common to start big projects, make powerful life changes, and explore our newly found gifts after the Dark Night of the Soul. It’s a blessing in disguise.
Dark Night of the Soul Test
Are you experiencing loneliness, isolation, depression, and soul loss? Do you seem to be developing new perspectives and views regarding life? If so, you may be experiencing a Dark Night of the Soul. Take our free Dark Night of the Soul Test to confirm (or challenge) your suspicions below:
How do you feel after receiving your results? Feel free to share in the comments.
Also, if you need more in-depth guidance, see our Dark Night of the Soul Journal for more help.
What has your experience during the Dark Night been like so far? I’d love to hear below. Your words might inspire or support someone else on this difficult journey.
I totally resonate with this long dark night, it was brought to my attention this morning. And I’m glad I was told about it. 2018 I believe was the start of this darkness. I lost my everything, my husband my children hated me because I left and was alienated, last year I lost my oldest son, who was my very best friend, and almost to date, I was in a car accident that took my life, but yet here I am. I live with the healing of a broken back, but I also live without my most valued treasures. I’m lost and haven’t any hope and my quality of life has diminished over time.
So thank you for the information you have provided, I may see the light again one day
Thank you so much for this article and helping shed some very helpful light on a really dark time.
To give some context, I lost my mum 4 years ago, which is when I think I unknowingly entered the dark night. I was so lost and disjointed that I split up with my husband of 10years because I couldn’t deal with the attachment. Made a string of bad decisions and have been trying to find my way out of it ever since. I don’t believe in religion so I prayed to the universe to help guide me, the universe listened and had a chance encounter with a yogi who is the one who started to talk to me about my soul and that’s when I started to to y own research on dark nights etc, which is when I found you.
I have tried to seek numerous methods of help, but no one ever quite gets it. It doesn’t feel like depression, just a constant feeling of being lost with no purpose or direction, but every time I explain this, most people think I’m going crazy and so I just gave up trying to seek help…I feel like this site is the only thing that has come close to explaining how I feel, so thank you so much for helping me feel like I’m not alone, it gives me faith that I’ll get through this dark night and find the light I’ve been looking for.
Thanks again
Thank you Mariam. I can relate to that experience of no one understanding that feeling of being lost, aimless, and without direction – it can feel crazy-making sometimes. I’m so glad this article/test has helped to shed more light on what you’re experiencing. ♡
During my recent dark night of the soul experience… it was horrible . Not going to lie about that ;) it was lonely, depressing, confusing and irritating. Literally had no idea what the heck was happening. I didn’t understand why all these ‘bad things’ were happening to me, and I tried to convince myself that it was because I did bad things, so it was being handed back x 10. Maybe that was true, but it did show me that my unhealthy belief that my suffering is eternal so why should I do anything? Is what is keeping me in eternal suffering without doing anything. So in conclusion I am thankful that I had this experience, because it made me realise that you. can. do. anything.