Inner Work 281: 5 Habits that BLOCK Your Spiritual Gifts & Growth (How to Recognize Them)

Inner Work 281: 5 Habits that BLOCK Your Spiritual Gifts & Growth (How to Recognize Them)

Author: Josephine Hardman, PhD July 24, 2026 Duration: 45:21

Every one of us carries innate spiritual gifts - intuition, healing abilities, multidimensional awareness, the capacity to sense what lies beyond the veil. But too often, without realizing it, we get in our own way and engage in habits or patterns that block the full expression of these gifts. 

In this episode of INNER WORK, we explore five common (and often unconscious) habits that delay spiritual awakening and keep you from fully activating and living from your gifts... plus how to recognize each one with compassion, not judgment.

This is a deep, honest look at the inner and outer obstacles that we often run into as humans on the spiritual path. There's no toxic shame or self-blaming here, just an open invitation to expand your awareness of these old patterns, release what doesn't serve, and reclaim your full, authentic power. 

In this episode, we cover:

  • Impatience & self-doubt — how fear-based doubt about your gifts (and your healing journey) can quietly sabotage your progress, and why meeting self-doubt with clarity — rather than believing it — is essential
  • Slipping into unconsciousness or ego mind — the old coping mechanisms (overworking, people-pleasing, numbing out) that pull you out of presence, and how ego convinces you that you or your gifts "aren't enough"
  • Spiritual bypassing — using spiritual tools, places, or practices to escape reality rather than integrating it, and why true growth requires grounding your spirituality in everyday human life
  • Outgrowing or mismatching your support systems — how to discern when therapists, healers, or other guides are (or aren't) equipped to support you through a genuine spiritual awakening
  • Energetic discernment — why being selective about who and what you allow into your inner circle and energy field directly impacts your ability to stay aligned and let your gifts flow

Whether you're just beginning to awaken to your gifts or you're deepening your existing spiritual connection, this episode offers grounded, compassionate guidance for recognizing what's been holding you back... and reclaiming your full spiritual expression.

For additional support, here's my "Activate Your Spiritual Gifts" Guided Meditation in the Akashic Records: https://youtu.be/Gdkqguu1kY0

I mentioned author, spiritual teacher, and psychiatrist Stanislav Grof in this episode. If you want to explore his work further, I recommend his books Spiritual Emergency and The Stormy Search for the Self.

Thank you for being here, doing your inner work, and leading the way for others with your light. It makes a difference!

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Get the FREE Akashic Records Mini Course + weekly newsletter: https://josephinehardman.com/akashic-records-intro/

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Connect through my website: https://josephinehardman.com

Contact: me@josephinehardman.com

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Inner Work 2026 All Rights Reserved.


Josephine Hardman brings a unique blend of academic rigor and intuitive wisdom to Inner Work: A Spiritual Growth Podcast. With a background that spans nine years teaching college-level literature and a current practice as a certified intuitive healer and Akashic Records teacher, she guides conversations that are both deeply thoughtful and profoundly practical. This isn't about abstract theories; it's about the tangible, often messy process of personal awakening. Each episode feels like a thoughtful dialogue, whether Josephine is speaking with a guest or sharing her own insights on psychospiritual development. You'll find discussions that weave together themes from spirituality, inner healing, and conscious self-improvement, all aimed at making the esoteric accessible. The podcast serves as a companion for those who suspect there's more to their experience than the daily routine, offering a space to explore what genuine transformation looks and feels like. It’s for anyone ready to move beyond surface-level advice and engage in the real, sometimes challenging work of understanding themselves and their place in the world. Tune in for a consistently illuminating perspective that honors both the heart and the intellect on the path of growth.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Inner Work: A Spiritual Growth Podcast
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