I've known many people who've used spirituality and meditation as a way of avoiding dealing with their issues. Since they feel good when they're pursuing a spiritual path, guru, or new technique, they think that will make all the uncomfortable stuff dissolve and go away. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Spirituality is no more a magic bullet than anything else.

According to Lawrence LeShan, a psychotherapist, meditation teacher and author of "How To Meditate," meditation can help strengthen the structure of our personality, making us better able to deal with our challenges. And it may give us more insight into our issues, but meditation doesn't do away with them. It may reduce overall anxiety, make us feel safe, therefore better able to face ourselves, but we still need to do the internal work needed to bring about change.

Anything that allows us to feel bliss and euphoria, whether it's drugs, lust, romatic love, alcohol, achievement, spirituality or meditation, can become addicting. We become enthralled to the feeling and want to repeat it as often as possible. It makes the bad feelings fade away. Spirituality is a healthier escape than any of the others, but it still can be an escape. We need to ask ourselves, "What am I trying to escape from or avoid?"

There needs to be a balance and a grounding at the same time. Getting carried away with bliss can mean not attending to day to day affairs, such as paying the bills, eating right, and having healthy relationships. I knew a woman like this. She was so wrapped up in her pursuit of peace that when she received a chunk of money in a settlement, she didn't want to be bothered by trying to invest it. Instead, she gave the money to a friend to invest it for her. Unfortunately, the friend put it in a high risk investment, which failed, and she lost all of her money. The euphoria from spirituality and meditation doesn't erase our personal responsiblities.

We seek to recognize our wholeness through spirituality and meditation. Instead of feeling like we have a "hole in our soul," spirituality helps us to understand that we are truly whole and complete as we are. It allows us to be more fully present in our world and expand our awareness of who we are. But as long as it's being used to avoid our feelings and deep issues, we can't move forward. We're either resisting discomfort or moving toward wholeness. We can't do both.

Answer: They say that the eyes are the mirror to the soul. When you're looking into your own eyes in a mirror while you're saying an affirmation, you're looking into your soul and putting a lot more energy into the statement. You don't have to tell God that you're desiring anything, because God knows your desires before you do, and has already given it to you. You are simply affirming what is true on a spiritual level. When you say an affirmation, you're using it to change your mind and accept your desire. It's a way of raising your consciousness to realize that what you desire is already yours and that you deserve it.

Starting January 10, I'm offering a four class teleseminar "Self-Esteem: The Key To Unlock Your True Potential." It approaches self-esteem from a spiritual, as well as a healing, perspective. These classes will help you change the way you think about your life and understand why things have been they way they've been. The more you know and understand, the more resources you have to create lasting change.

In addition to the classes, you'll receive worksheets, handouts, affirmations, and as a free bonus, a guided meditation/self-hypnosis/visualization MP3 download with each class. This is a $40 value. If you're not on high-speed dialup, I'll burn the MP3 onto a CD and send it to you for a small fee.