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 itself.
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?”
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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 wanderer’s journey toward self-actualization, spiritual illumination (or 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 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. This is known as the ‘Illumination‘ stage on the spiritual wanderer’s journey. In this period, we have gained clarity, wisdom, tenderness, and the ability to tune into ourselves thanks to 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 symptoms of loneliness, isolation, depression, and soul loss? Does it feel as though you’re cut off or totally disconnected from the Divine?
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:
What result did you get? Feel free to share your results in the comments as well as any reflections.
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 from you below. Your words might inspire or support someone else on this difficult journey.
How will I know when it is finally over?!? I can’t take it any more!
Grief for the loss of my grandparents sparked my deep spiritual work in the middle world. But it was finally when physical illness had taken away my dreams and desires of being a holistic therapist that I began questioning my life purpose and I lost faith in everything spiritual or holistic and I fell through a hole of total despair and darkness my heart was broken. I questioned my existence and kept looking on the Internet to find answers. I have been going through the dark night of the soul on and off for 9 years, during this time I have felt loneliness and searched for comfort in the wrong places, I have met some not very men and been treated with disrespect, I’ve found myself in some dangerous situation mixing with toxic people. But after one particular incident I knew I wasn’t myself nor had I been for a long time and I knew things needed to change, I had been living life irresponsibly and wrecklessly without a thought of what I was doing so i began mindfulness and trying to change the way I viewed my story. I am finding my spirituality again but I don’t have the drive or ambition I did when I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Little by little new changes are being made in my life, new opportunities have been presenting themselves to me again. Though I still feel something is seriously missing, I have been working on my health issues and things have been coming together in my head.
Cancer has relapsed for the second time and now I’m preparing for a stem cell transplant.Yes the kind where they pump you full of toxic chemo drugs and take you to the brink of death to try and save your life.My dark night awaits me and enfolds me. There are no why me’s? Only choices that don’t feel like choices.
Reading all the comments let’s me know I’m not alone and I want to say thank you. I feel as though I’m in a black hole and can’t get out, no matter what I try to do. I am so lonely and have lost all hope that there is no end to this darkness. It’s like nothing matters anymore.
I understand how you feel. I cant understand anything I’m doing or why I just dont care anymore. I need help I need answers idk where to go
Hi Veronica! Thank you for sharing. What you are feeling is completely natural. By allowing yourself to be fully present (simply by setting the intention to be) and continually accepting yourself, others and all of Creation exactly as you all are right now in this moment – no matter what, whilst surrendering to the ‘Void,’ with complete trust and faith in yourself and the entire Cosmos, rather than try to ‘do’ anything, you’ll find it more comfortable. Trying to ‘do’ is your ego resisting it because we are conditioned to do,do, do, rather than just be. From what you wrote, neuroplasticity will help you to release your ego resistance and empower you through your Ascension. There is a plethora of literature available about it for you to choose from. To your Mastery and Ultimate freedom! Happy Global Ascension! Sending you infinite Love & Rainbow Light X
I feel like I enter a door leading down a dark hallway and I look back and the door don’t close behind me and I’m scared what happening to me I’ve been here before I here loud voices talking to me and my head feel like I just got hit by a big hammer and my body feel like its tied in knots and there’s pounding in my head that won’t stop and tingling in my body and I feel like sobbing in my heart and I feel lost and the world is crashing all around me and the people look dark ! When I look at them ! I want to search for some light and I know I’m in a dark place I’m ok when I’m alone in nature! Or near a river ! I’m walking down a lonely road ! It’s got to get better then this !!!!! Robert
Hi Robert…
This is how I am feeling too… The disconnect from what I once perceived as my life is now disintegrating around me.. My job, my relationships… I spend most days feeling like I’m going insane… Just waiting for something to take a final grip and tear me down once and for all… I feel the same when in Nature, with my child or my animals….everything else feels like torture….
I can only find solace in solitude now and long for the day I can feel alive again…
I hope that this day is soon and I pray that all of is on this journey will break through the darkness and breathe in the light, love and Peace that we all deserve…
Please remember you are strong… I know it doesn’t feel like it right now… I also struggle to believe it too but to be able to break you have to be strong to begin with… You will heal…
Love and Light
I feel really empty all of a sudden and I hear some sound frequency when I am alone and I keep asking myself what is my actual purpose in life
I hear it too! The noise I hear, is a high pitched, almost electrical sounding buzz. I have heard it, faintly, all my life, but it has been getting louder, and changing sometimes. I can only describe it like the noise those old, tube, TVs used to make, when you first turned them on. Is this similar to what you are hearing? I hope it is something positive!
Melissa, that’s energetic downloads. You are an infinite and eternal energetic being in a mind-body having a temporary human experience for the purpose of soul growth and evolution. You are being upgraded to your authentic self to fulfill your destiny, so it sure is an awesome thing! Happy Global Ascension! Sending you infinite Love & Rainbow Light X
Eye have taken a couple tests and literally gives confirmation to what eye am feeling. The mind is reflecting back to me every bit of my insides atm
I have without a doubt, emerged from “The Dark Night of the Soul.” I’d recommend enabling this test to determine if a person hasn’t stated, going through or emerged.
Can i stop this from happening? Can i find a way around it? I dont get depressed I’m usually happy and positive. How do i fix this? Thanks
This journey has more to do with how many people who have died in my life, aside from the endless heartaches, the tragic circumstances, the setback and drawbacks, from being pulled or pushed down, being stomped and driven into the ground while being robbed and lied to with smiles on their lips and fire in their eyes burning into mine as I’m hoping, wishing, praying, yearning, begging to either be sucked into the depths of the firing hell or thrown into the vast sky until I can no longer breathe will I maybe, probably, get a glimpse, a twinkle of peace.