Let’s be frank here.
Most people want love. The craving for approval and affection from others is embedded into our DNA. There’s probably nothing else on earth (other than the survival instinct) that is as strong and primal as the longing for love.
We need to belong. We NEED to feel loved. This is all normal. It’s a wonderfully exciting and ecstatic quest that we all walk sooner or later.
But what happens when our search for love becomes tainted with unconscious motives? What happens when our search for love comes from a place of avoidance and fear?
The answer: we suffer. But we don’t just experience garden-variety-type-suffering, we go through cyclical suffering, meaning that we repeat the same toxic patterns over and over again. In other words, when the love we have obtained doesn’t distract us from ourselves enough, we jump ship. We break up. We divorce. We try to find someone new who will fill that hole inside of us. We get bored or scared. We leave. Then the cycle starts again.
Why We Use the Search For Love to Escape Ourselves
One of the simplest reasons why we use the search for love to escape ourselves is simply because that’s how we were programmed as children.
Growing up, we were conditioned to believe that romantic love was the greatest pursuit of life. From the tender age of two or three, we were read fairy tales that depicted princess and princesses falling in love and eventually getting married. How many times do you remember the sentence, “…and they lived happily ever after”? These beliefs surrounding romantic love were deeply ingrained in our fragile young minds. (Hell, I even have drawings from the age of 5 of kings and queens getting married.)
As we grew up, the idea that the search for love is the Purpose of Life was reinforced by Hollywood films, books, magazines, pop songs, and even self-improvement workshops – and every day it continues to be bolstered by social media, Hollywood, and the people around us.
Can you see why so many of us fall into the trap of using love as a form of escapism? We were virtually brainwashed as children to see it as the only path to happiness and fulfilment.
The second reason why we use love as a drug to numb and avoid our pain is that the high of falling in love is incomparable. It is pure ecstasy – and much better + long lasting than the drug variety. Life suddenly feels magical and awe-inspiring again. Anything feels possible. Tidal waves of joy wash over you. You feel warm, tingly, elevated, and drunk all at once. Optimism replaces your negative outlook on life – you feel like a new person!
Falling in love is an amazingly transcendental adventure. It is a great blessing to experience something so pure and sacred. So how can such an experience become corrupted? The answer is that our motivations sully the experience. And remember that we aren’t always conscious of our motivations.
When finding love is used as a way of escaping ourselves, it becomes more like a drug to numb our pain, rather than a spiritual journey. The experience is cheapened as conditions are placed upon the relationship in order for it to work. The dominant unspoken condition is: “You must make me happy and distract me enough from my pain and emptiness in order for this to work.” When this condition isn’t met consistently, the relationship begins to sour, decompose, and break apart.
We humans are quite resourceful when it comes to escaping our inner sorrow, rage, loneliness, and emptiness. Virtually anything – so long as it keeps us distracted – can be used to bypass facing and overcoming this suffering. Popular examples include food, TV, gossip, drama, sex, partying, workaholism, social entanglements, and of course, drugs and alcohol. But perhaps most dazzling of all is the pursuit of love.
What better way to distract yourself and fill the void inside of you than chasing after your soulmate? It is a quest that promises to give you a “happily ever after” (and therefore solve all of your problems) – not to mention it’s so damn exciting and a million times better than a telenovela. Oh, and there’s no stigma attached to using love as your form of escapism, unlike drugs. So you get the social approval as well. How convenient.
10 Signs You’re Using Love to Escape Yourself
I’m a person who values truth. I hope you do too. The thing about truth is that it can hurt badly. So if you have gotten a stinging reaction to this article, please take the time to reflect on what that reaction truly means on a deep level.
Love is a touchy topic, and many people prefer to live in a fantasy land rather than in reality – which I understand. But love doesn’t need to be used as a form of escapism for it to be intoxicating and profoundly life-changing. In fact, if you are genuinely wanting to experience authentic and mature love, I recommend ruminating on the topic of this article. Ask yourself, “Am I using the search for love to escape myself?” Be proud of yourself for taking this courageous step. Honesty is the best policy when it comes to love (and basically everything in life).
Signs that you’re using the search for love to escape yourself include the following:
- You believe that you’re “not complete” without a romantic partner/soulmate/twin flame
- You can’t cope with being alone or spending time by yourself
- You are a Relationship Hopper: you jump from one relationship to another quickly
- Your life centres around the pursuit of finding your One True Love
- All of your personal hopes and dreams are wound up in your search for love
- On some level, you believe that the Perfect relationship will solve all of your problems
- You have had very dramatic and stormy relationships in the past
- You feel a looming/subtle sense of anxiety and endangerment in your relationships
- You want a deep and soulful relationship, but you always somehow end up with shallow/surface partners
- You consider yourself a Romantic or an Idealist (or both)
Why did I choose these signs? If you are using the search for love as an escape you will be driven by romantic idealism and the belief that your One True Love will complete you. This is a fallacy because it makes your self-esteem, self-worth, and happiness dependent on another person, making you feel a sense of constant underlying anxiety and endangerment. A sense of wholeness can and must be found only within yourself, not within another.
Once you do find a partner, you will attract a person who fulfills your unconscious need to escape and numb yourself. But because your relationship is based on this unspoken desire, once it stops fulfilling this function, it quickly begins to disintegrate, leaving you heartbroken. Because you feel empty or alone inside, you can’t stand being by yourself, so you will hop onto another relationship, and another, and another, leaving you exhausted.
Sound like a familiar pattern?
How to Experience Authentic Love – Without the Addiction & Escapism
When your search for love is driven by the unconscious motives of escaping or numbing your inner pain/emptiness, you will always be unhappy. After a while, you might even give up hope of ever having a satisfying relationship. Worst of all, you might become a cynic and declare that romantic love is pointless or not for you.
In order to carefully remove yourself from this sticky web of suffering, you have to, first and foremost, be self-aware. You must clearly and honestly OWN this as your issue that must be worked through. There can be no growth or progression without this first step. A similar rule applies for addicts: in order to heal, you must first get over the denial stage and agree that there is a serious issue.
Love, in a way, can become an addiction. Yes, it is a socially approved addiction, but it is an addiction nonetheless. And we all know what addiction does to your life: it can quickly turn it into a living hell.
If you think you might be struggling with love escapism, here are some steps you can take to experience a deep, authentic, and genuinely magical relationship:
1. Stop chasing love
Understand that chasing love only creates more frustration and hopelessness. Really try to understand this concept and dig your teeth into it. Chasing happiness creates suffering. I wrote more about this topic in this article about surrender.
2. Replace your chasing with a healthier form of escapism
It is very difficult to just stop doing something you’re habitually inclined to do, cold turkey. In order to temporarily prevent yourself from relapsing into old habits, find something else to distract yourself with or pursue. Healthy forms of escapism may include learning a new skill, creating goals, and pursuing new hobbies such art and craft, cooking, reading, blogging, vlogging, dressmaking, tarot, animal rearing, gardening, yoga, tai chi, martial arts, travelling, veganism, horse riding – you name it. Find something you are interested in or passionate about and channel your energy towards learning about and mastering it. To help you set new habits, I strongly recommend reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.
3. Creatively explore what you’re trying to avoid
Spend time thinking about what feeling or state of being you’re trying to avoid. Go as deep as you can. For example, you might think you’re trying to avoid boredom, but if you go even deeper, you might find that what you really afraid of is loneliness. Or you might think that you’re afraid of being lonely, but what you’re really afraid of is emptiness and disconnection from your Soul. Common things people run away from include self-loathing and poor self-esteem, heartbreak, grief, depression, fear, anger, loneliness, and emptiness. Creatively expressing these thoughts and emotions will not only serve as a form of emotional catharsis but also a way to experience more clarity. I recommend journaling and art therapy as a way of diving into your innerscape.
4. Face and embrace your demons
Facing and embracing your demons is what I call Shadow Work – it is about coming in contact with that darker and hidden side of yourself which you would normally prefer to avoid completely. Once you have discovered what your greatest fear is, there are only two paths. The first path is to willfully avoid facing your fear (and continue suffering). The second path is to courageously face your fear (and eventually experience freedom). Mind you, Shadow Work is not for the faint of heart. You must seriously commit to this work, but it’s OK to take breaks. Sol and I have written numerous articles on Shadow Work which will help you out. Here are some you might like to start with:
5. Let love come to you
Instead of chasing love, let it come to you when the time is right. The Universe can’t be forced or manipulated into giving you what you want. Be humble and let go of the need for control. Your soulmate/twin flame will come when the time is right, and not a moment sooner. But although you can’t control when your beloved will appear in your life, you can control how receptive and open you will be to such a meeting. I will explore that next …
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6. Love and respect yourself
Would you like to meet your soulmate/twin flame and have a happy and fulfilling relationship? The best way to be open to this experience is by learning how to love and respect yourself. When your love quest is motivated by unconscious fear or self-loathing, your relationship will inevitably be tainted. But when you already feel confident and secure within yourself, then your relationship is more likely to be rich and rewarding. Why? The answer is that you are not relying on your partner for validation or self-worth: you already possess these qualities. So learn how to be whole and complete by yourself, and your joy will be doubled when you meet your beloved – not out of quiet desperation – but out of the sheer delight of sharing your life with another.
7. Learn to enjoy being alone
Break free from the societal conditioning which makes you believe that your self-worth, fulfilment, and fundamental wholeness is based on whether you’re in a relationship or not. Learn to love being alone. Enjoy your own company. Explore who you are. Do some soul-searching. You don’t need another person to fulfil you. As a person who has found their twin flame and is in a wonderfully strong relationship, I can tell you that your partner will not fulfil you. Only you can fulfil you. Your Soul is already complete. You just need to break through the obstacles of the ego to realize that. Romantic partners can be our companions, confidants, best friends, lovers, and so much more, but they do not complete us. Such a mentality only creates profound unhappiness and confusion. If you want to experience the reality that you are already complete yourself, I highly recommend that you seek out a shaman and try plant medicine such as san pedro, psilocybin mushrooms, or ayahuasca. Plant medicine is a doorway into the Divine and a portal into the Soul. (But please ensure that you’re mentally stable before consuming it. Plant medicine is not something to be trifled with!)
***
To distil the message of this article: become self-aware. Are you using the search for love to escape yourself? If so, I strongly recommend using the advice in this article to liberate yourself. Deep and soulful relationships need a strong foundation, and the only way you can achieve that is by learning to face your fears, enjoy being alone, and love the person you are.
I hope these words have inspired you to look deeper and cut through the invisible bonds of enslavement to the idea that you must find love to be happy. You can most certainly be happy alone. And relationships are a delightful bonus.
Well, i am from india. I am watching bollywood movies since i was not able to talk properly(childhood). And there i used to watch that eternal love that actors use to experience…and again and again i encounter with that feel, it programmed me to expect that feel…and i started practising escapism from my teens…expecting that love to get me rid of my sufferings, loneliness, emptiness, pain and much more. I felt that this is the only way to get cured. And more i practised more i screwed up till now…buy today i promise it will never happen ever, ever again. And now i have developed hate towards girls…like, why they have to make fun of us….if they dont want to they can reject but after that also they have to peep in your life again and again…testing your patience…i can smash dozens of boys…what to do about girl…i just walk away and it just dont end here…the relation to progress you have to show that you belong to their taste, you need to show that you can pass all their tests… well i agree not to practice escapism…but if you like a guy why dont you come and approach first, why bcoz you are girl…i dont know about others but in my country 90% of times boy has to take stand…then it does not matter like if a guy does one marriage having one child like in kuch kuch hota(bollywood movie starring shah rukh khan) and then his wife dies and he approches his other college friend Kajol who used to love him before his girlfriend did…the point is why everytime a men has to make a stand..why cant you..am i wrong….but from now on no escapism i will find my wholeness within me…i will complete myself…i will move on, i will walk on my paths…Thanks man
today I came across your site and the title made me feel curious to know what this is about. This writing hit me to the core as I feel that I can only heal after meeting someone. your writing shows that we have the power within ourselves to heal. Thank you! Do you recommend any books to read more about this topic?
Ok so if the pursuit of love is just an illusion made up by hollywood etc, then what about twin flame concept? this concept is the number one thing that ruins my perception about life. Mistaken so many guys for my ‘twin flame’. Is that shit even real?
Annie, I personally believe the twin flame concept is legitimate. There’s a reason why you’re mistaking guys as your twin flame and having so many false twin flame experiences. Likely, the reason is that you’re rushing to label and define the relationship, instead of allowing it to flourish organically into what it’s meant to be. Prematurely using the twin flame label and applying it to a relationship can be destructive. I’m actually releasing a book about Twin Flames and Soul Mates in a few weeks that explores the false twin flame issue, you can subscribe here for updates on when it’s released: https://lonerwolf.com/subscribe/
I agree with what you are saying to a point. However, how many people truly find their solemate. In my opinion, not many. More people are divorced or have cheated on partners then haven’t in today’s society. I believe that you can find love and “live happily ever after” with someone but you have to put in effort into meeting/dating people. If you sit in your room/home by yourself for a long period of time, you will get depressed. Well, I am. I spend a lot of time by myself, more then most people. I did discover that I loved gardening but you can only do it so much. I believe having a healthy intimate partner is better then being alone.
My brother was recently told by doctors that he had a large tumor on his spine which isn’t good. He thought he was going to die and I did too. Luckily, it turned out not to be a tumor and he is doing ok. He is going to live. When he came from the hospital he said, “After being told I was dying, I thought to myself that I didn’t want to die alone nor this young.”
My brother is in his early 40’s. He wasn’t alone in terms of family and friends. He was alone in the sense that he didn’t have a girlfriend/wife nor children. Think about having no children nor partner. Most of us out-live our parents and if you are the only child or none of your siblings had kids, it’s a very scary and depressive thought. You are the last one here. I have thought about it and certainly do not want to be the last one.
Also, I do not recommend taking mind altering substances for the reason to “experience the reality that you already completed yourself”. The substances you mentioned effect people differently. Some people enjoy it while others do not. It can cause people to end up at the hospital because of unrealistic thoughts which are scary to them. Thus, I highly advise people to educate themselves on the effects of the above mentioned drugs prior to taking them.
I am learning to love myself just as I am. Without conditionis. It take alot of courage admitting my flaws and my prison. I am using search for love as an addiction? I do believe so. It feels good. Still I want to change. I still want to be honest about it. A junkie at heart, yet I am more.
In September of last year I moved to my new location. I set my limits with my neighbors in a kindly manner that left me with time alone to “regroup” my life. Until that time my life has been overwhelmed with people and responsibility! (That I unknowingly allowed). Now, I enjoy my time, peace, growth, and locating your website with the most wonderful information that is “spot on ” for me at this time in my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Nancy
I think this article is a breath of fresh air and a big wake up call. In my case, when I realised that all my relationships or stuck on a vicious circle of crashing and burning, despair and suffering made me open up my heart and mind to a Source of Love greater than any human being can offer, and that incredible intense unconditional Love Source has been inside me all along. I just had to surrender my defences and be willing to receive, to be open to It. There was no need for drugs or plant medicine, in my case, just a deep need to be still and let go of crappy self destructive thoughts and feelings.
Great article; great wisdom. Funny, when I skip over articles on this site they seem to follow me around and poke me in the back of the head until I read them. This one I saw the headline for but never clicked on it because I’ve been aware of the love-escapism tendency in me for almost a decade now, so I didn’t see how it could be relevant to me. Been there, done that, right? Not so much. I have done a lot of good work in that regard, it is true, but I’m not done. I still look to my husband to make me happy and surprise, surprise, we’ve been having some issues lately (for this reason among others). Thank you for the wonderful insight you provide on this site, it’s my favorite way to start the day, very realistically positive and applicable in everyday life. (And it sure beats the hell outta Facebook!) :) Thanks Luna.
LIFE. What is it made of? In my opinion relationships. Life is as good as your relationships are. Most of your growth comes through relationships. It’s all about contrast- wanted and unwanted, light and dark, acceptable and unacceptable. Relationships are the gratest source of joy and the gratest source of pain. The intense pain we feel during separation from our Twin Flames is the Universe souting that the change has to made. But instead, we focuse on the problem and that creates suffering. That is my experience about meeting my TF. For four months after our separation I was torturing myself by chasing him. And he ran further. After our brief reconnection and him gosting me again I finally recognized that I wasn’t the reason he ran. I was just a mirror to reflect his insecurities, his unconscious believes, his shadow as much as he reflected them back to me. I stopped chasing letting him work through whatever baggage hi has to go through while concentrationg on my own shit. And it was the best decision I’ve ever made. I used to think about hime 24/7 for 4 months and now he rarely enters my mind.
We all want the relationship that feels good, we want the sense of belonging with another person , that sense of unity. But in order to attract that in our lives we have to dramatically change a relationship with ourselves: commitment to our own happiness, improvement on the idea of selfworth. The goal is to love every aspect of yourself, love everything there is and realize that there is no body who can complete you but you. To create the circumstance where you have no need for them. Fill yourself up to the extend to realize that I really DO LOVE ME and doesn’t matter who I encounter, who I am with and who I am not – I am whole and I don’t lack anything regardless who is risen to my experience.
I have never been in a relationship neither have I ever wanted to be.
Hi Luna&Sol how’s u guys hugs & kisses wow you guys must have God Jesus telling you whats harming me and my thoughts as 99.9 of your articles has some or most points that relates to me about the love romance relationship thing yes that was true in my younger days but alot of it was to do with tje love i didnt get as a child teen well only got love i was looking for from my grandparents but they unfortunately died went to heaven but i sometimes think i know it sounds stupid but i think maybe God Jesus Holy Spirit has made my grandparents and one or two other loved ones who have passed into angels who are now watching over me as for the romantic love meh bah humbug pfft even there’s no such thing but i do really wanna find out with God Jesus Holy Spirit help more about them and any other spirit family i may have that arent in this world known as the material realm ive always been kinda obsessed with God Jesus Holy Spirit but i know because im not perfect and have failed at getting things perfect like relationships i know they’re probably ticked off at me and that hurts me breaks crushes shatters my already fragile heart soul spirit life mind more than any other material earth worldly relationship could why you ask does it hurt more because its spiritual and spiritual relationships mean more to me than any stupid crummy earth relationship ever could im sorry i just cant explain what i mean by that but spiritual has always been more important to me than any earthly relationships have i dunno how else to describe this feeling Miss Luna xXxX❤
Thank you Bella ❤
This article really resonated with me. I took some time from a hectic work day to read it and I am so happy I did! I found it really calmed me (not sure what the connection is). Thank you :)
Perhaps something lurking in your unconscious was calmed? I’m so happy to hear that PRM!
Awesome as always…loving you so much
<3
I think your writings are excellent Aletheia but find it quite sad that you would recommend psychoactive plants as a way to face reality and find yourself. Its simply another escape. Your whole standpoint on just about everything is completely undermined by your recommendation. Why not just get drunk or high and catch a vision of yourself?
Altering the mind in any way with psychoactive anything is a very dangerous recommendation.
You have lost all credibility with me.
Societies throughout history and prehistory have used psychoactive plants as progressive tools for expanding consciousness and finding deeper meaning to existence. If used responsibly and with understanding they can help the human condition in many ways. They are subject to abuse (as are so many things) but can be of massive benefit to comprehending our consciousness. There have been, for instance, numerous clinical trials in the UK, US and Switzerland, carried out over the last 2 years with Psilocybin, that have shown great improvements in the mental health of people with depression, addiction and those with terminal illnesses. Psychoactive plants CAN be used to improve the human condition.
Yes! Thank you for that Neil. There’s tons of research and evidence out there, not to mention thousands upon thousands of personal accounts. I can also confirm the greatness of these Teachers.
It is sad that you feel that way Brandon, but understandable. Plant Teachers can indeed be misused and abused, but when approached with the right mindset that values the experience as sacred, it can be immensely revealing. Please don’t close your mind towards something that could potentially change your life. Try it for yourself and see. It’s not just about getting “high” — this is the misinformed and prejudiced stereotype presented by society. When you educate yourself better, you’re able step out of the black/white mindset and approach such an experience with an open and objective heart/mind.
Great article. The BEST from you so far Aletheia. Thanks for your clarity on this subject.
Thank you for those words of affirmation John. It’s a pleasure to share what I have learned through the grace of Spirit.
Your post about ”Why We Use the Search For Love to Escape Ourselves” reminds me of when I was not yet enlighten or educated and the thought keep coming to mind that love was a distraction, and I didn’t understand why my desire for a another being in my life was, until I figured out I was designed or programmed to desire toxic love which would forever make me content with myself and this contentment would lead me to much pain and suffering because I would never work on myself to change my self, I didn’t know that cancer was cause by not eating a raw food diet, I didn’t know that the love I was looking for was so bad. The lower self was distracting me from being my higher self.
I think the foundation of any relationship is having a shared focus or goal. The problem is that many of us are focused on the wrong things whether we even realise this or not.
If you are consumed by the fear of being alone etc then the likely course of action is to seek a relationship. This is of course almost never the solution for such a problem. In this scenario you will likely find someone whom also shares this focus, but not necessarily the same deeper issue that led them to this point.
It is a shame that everyone buys into this ‘other half’ nonsense. You need to become whole by yourself, for yourself. To do this you must know yourself and what you want. Then you will at least have the chance to encounter another in this position who shares the same (spiritual) goals as you.
I truly believe that I’ve met my twin flame. But we just split up because of misunderstandings , dishonesty and cheating. How could he do that if he really was twin flame.
“It is a shame that everyone buys into this ‘other half’ nonsense. You need to become whole by yourself, for yourself.” — very well said, and I agree!
What an awesome article. This is exactly what I’ve been doing for years. I’m in heartache again because the focus outward only lasts so long and then you are back to where you started—with yourself and the emptiness. Thank you for the leads to other articles to get to the root of this distraction and grow something NEW out of all of this knowledge!
My pleasure Plang. Happy reading. :<)
The timing couldn’t be more perfect. I was having thoughts about this earlier today. Insightful article <3
I’m so glad to hear that Sumedha! <3