What would you do if you knew your most insidious enemy lived inside you? This enemy is the resistance that keeps you stuck, preventing you from achieving what you want.
The resistance that keeps you stuck is the internal conflict of your subconscious.
The bad news is that you will go around in circles without getting where you really want as long as you cannot identify and release your resistance.
Therefore, you must learn to recognize this internal enemy to empower yourself against it.
You may be surprised at what you discover about yourself once you find out your resistances and start working on them.
To begin with, you must be willing to do intense work of introspection and self-discovery.
However, this can be one of the most challenging tasks you have to do in life.
What is Resistance in Manifestation
Did you ever feel a call from your heart telling you that you are meant for more, asking you to discover your life’s true purpose?
You want to follow that call, but “something” within you resists and prevents you from doing what you should.
Two energies within us oppose each other that fight to separate. These opposing energies are known as resistance in the world of manifestation.
When resistance arises, you can deny it, hide it or push it away. You can get distracted by doing something else and keep procrastinating.
It may also be that you force yourself to take action not from your heart but from a space of obligation or disempowerment.
When you fight with the resistance that keeps you stuck, it can feel very uncomfortable.
And this discomfort occurs because circumstances require a commitment you are unwilling to assume.
The truth is that most of us want to stay cozy in our comfort zone; we prefer what is safe, what is familiar, what we already know, and what cannot hurt us.
However, whether we choose to take action or not, whether we resolve our resistance or not, we are ALWAYS creating our reality.
Do you want to know how you have created the external reality that surrounds you now?
Look deep within yourself. You must do the work of looking your resistance in the face.
But why is it so overwhelming and challenging to do this?
Most of the time, resistance is unconscious, hidden behind forgetfulness, lack of time, and the need to attend to other more “urgent” issues.
Resistance can often be difficult to identify, no matter how hard the mind tries to discover it.
“Often the mind is choosing not to step forward and explore the resistance because it sees its very existence tied to the presence of the resistance itself.”
Schnitta, Deb. “Recognizing resistance: Learning to embrace the process of creation.” Vanati. http://www.vanati.com/articles/dissolvingresistance Accessed 11 January 2023.
However, we have no choice if we want to achieve a life with purpose and meaning.
To move forward, we must recognize and let go of the resistance that keeps us stuck in our human experience.
Where does the resistance come from?
Internal resistance or friction occurs when your heart and mind are not aligned with what you want or think you want.
For instance, a young man wants to be very successful professionally but, on the other hand, is afraid of the weight of responsibilities, the loss of privacy, and the lack of free time that success will bring.
Another typical case is a woman who cannot lose weight no matter how hard she tries. She discovers a fear of losing weight when she delves into her limiting beliefs. This woman does not want to be attractive to men since, in the past, she was a victim of sexual abuse by the opposite sex.
Regardless of the type of resistance, we are referring to, its origin is fear in most cases.
“We fear our highest possibilities. We are generally afraid to become that which we can glimpse in our most perfect moments under conditions of great courage”. (Abraham Maslow)
In other words, fear lowers your vibration and takes you out of alignment with what you desire.
It is important to note that when motivated by fear, we create blockages that inhibit positive things from flowing in our lives.
Why is it crucial to release your resistance?
In his book The Promise of Energy Psychology, David Feinstein says that to change our lives, we first need to be receptive to this change. I completely agree.
Although most people have dreams they want to achieve (for example, succeed professionally, lose weight, find true love, etc.), their unconscious internal conflicts block their desired progress.
Our receptivity to change is not always as strong as we might like to believe.
However, opening up to this change is worth it since all resistance contains a gift of self-discovery.
Exploring your resistance may reveal a lot about your history, beliefs, and way of seeing the world.
Likewise, once you can discover and transform your resistance, the growth potential is exponential; you begin to move forward, and your life flows more harmoniously and efficiently.
Another determining reason to release the resistance that keeps you stuck is your spirituality.
We are spiritual beings who come to experience evolution from our human experience.
But the Soul cannot evolve in the presence of resistance.
I know very well that surrendering to the divine purpose of your existence can be overwhelming.
However, as long as you do not heed your Higher Self’s call, resistance’s discomfort will grow stronger until it becomes unbearable.
Resistance stands right in the middle of a mediocre and a high life; in fact, it opposes any movement that leads us from a lower state of being to a higher one.
There is no doubt that the path of resistance leads to denial, failure, and bitterness.
Therefore, you must learn to release your resistance or recognize it and keep moving forward despite it.
How to recognize and release resistance
Resistance can manifest itself in various areas of your life, often in a hidden and innocent way. Hence its dangerousness.
Furthermore, identifying the resistance that keeps you stuck can take time, patience, and self-compassion.
Why?
Simply because you must dare to unravel and challenge deeply rooted beliefs in your subconscious that have become irrefutable truths over time.
However, there are some common indicators of unconscious internal resistance.
Here are some of those signs you should pay attention to:
- Procrastination
- Excuses
- Rationalizations
- Fears
- Anxiety
- Impostor syndrome
- Believing that you are not enough
- Addictions
- Overthinking
- Perfectionism
- Doubts
- Believing you can’t
- Self-sabotage
- Doubts
- Fear of what others will say
Some authors claim that resistance cannot be overcome simply with willpower.
This concept caught my attention, especially since I’ve heard ad nauseam that all you need to exercise your will’s power.
And here, I want to place verbatim this quote attributed to Charles E. Henderson, Ph.D.
“The concept of “willpower” pits the conscious mind against the subconscious mind. In any conflict the subconscious will always triumph, therefore, the concept of willpower is largely meaningless. Any notion of overcoming subconscious resistance with conscious will be a myth.”
Starting from this notion, the most powerful thing you can do to recognize and release your resistance is to increase your level of consciousness!
And this is so because you cannot fight against what you do not know.
Therefore, as simple as it may seem, the key is to make the unconscious conscious.
Resistance is a belief or thought pattern operating in the background.
As your level of consciousness increases, your resistances become visible or more easily recognizable.
And to start moving in the right direction, the following activities are highly recommended:
- Mindfulness
- Journaling
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Connecting with nature
- Grounding
Remember to be kind and compassionate to yourself. Resistance is often rooted in unconscious fears and hurts.
I want to point out that sometimes we need extra help.
When more profound emotional difficulties stem from unresolved trauma, it is always a good idea to consult a mental health professional.
Summarizing
Steven Pressfield (The War of Art) warned that our internal opposition or resistance is the greatest enemy we will ever face.
Even the most successful can be a victim of resistance in some areas of their life.
Likewise, it may be impossible to eradicate the resistance that keeps you stuck, but you must learn to move forward despite it.
Challenge your old resistances and change your story. Write your own version, visualize it every day and believe it with all your heart.
You are already on your way to achieving your dreams.