Why do People Withdraw during the Dark Night of the Soul?

In this episode, I explain why avoiding people can be a natural and necessary phase of spiritual awakening—and why the Dark Night of the Soul is not the same as mental illness, depression, or unhealthy isolation.As consciousness shifts from the material world to spiritual awareness—and later beyond emotional spirituality—interests change radically. You may feel misunderstood, lose relationships, or feel the need to retreat from society. This episode explores the deeper reasons behind that withdrawal.Topics include:- Dark Night of the Soul explained- Spiritual awakening vs mental illness- Loss of interest, loneliness, and misunderstanding- The Second Dark Night (John of the Cross)- Avoiding people during spiritual awakening- Emotional detachment, duality, and enlightenment- Sensitivity, misophonia, noise, smell, and overwhelm- Conscious retreat, solitude, and disentanglement from societyThis episode focuses on the WHY behind avoidance and withdrawal during the Dark Night of the Soul.A future episode will cover guilt, shame, and how to balance retreat with social life.🎧 A podcast for those experiencing spiritual awakening, existential crisis, ego death, and the deeper stages of enlightenment.🔗 Some related thoughts can also be found in an article on the blog: https://the-dark-night-of-the-soul.blogspot.com/2025/08/loneliness-solitude-alone.htmlKeywords:#modernmysticism #JohnOfTheCross #ChristianMysticism #DarkNightOfSoul #spiritualmelancholy#SpiritualDarkness#DarkNightOfTheSoulPodcast#SpiritualCrisis#spiritualstruggle#mysticalself#DivineDiscontentExplained#SpiritualDespair