What We Resist Persists
Carl Jung observed something peculiar about human psychology: “What you resist not only persists, but will grow in size.” A seemingly paradoxical statement that reveals the mechanics of suffering itself.
Watch what happens when something enters awareness that we label as “negative” or “not good”. There’s an immediate urge to fix the situation. Perhaps even some form of denial or repression.
Yet the more vigorously we resist—the more we fight against the current state—the more stubbornly it remains. Often accompanied by reinforcing thoughts: “This is bad. This shouldn’t be happening.” The unease we attempted to address? It’s morphed into full-blown aversion.
Why does this happen?
Resistance itself is a form of attention. By fighting against an experience, we’re actually feeding it energy. We’ve created a relationship with it—one defined by opposition, yes, but a relationship nonetheless. And that relationship keeps the very thing we’re trying to eliminate alive and thriving.
But there’s something even deeper occurring here. Notice what’s required for resistance: a “me” who must defend itself against this unwanted experience. Resistance reinforces the separate self, the one who has preferences about what should and shouldn’t be.
As A Course in Miracles teaches, “In my defenselessness my safety lies.” What if we stopped resisting entirely? Not by forced acceptance or delusional self-talk, but simply by observing without the compulsion to change or fix.
When we cease fighting what is, something remarkable happens. The experience we resisted loses its power. Not because we’ve conquered it, but because we’ve stopped giving it the energy of opposition.
Join me in Thursday’s class where we’ll explore the liberating practice of non-resistance and discover the resultant peace that emerges when we stop fighting ourselves. I look forward to seeing you then.