Sun, 03 May 2026 16:19:54 +0000

Why This Prayer Held Me Hostage in the Dark: Finding Spiritual Freedom from Inner Turmoil There are moments in life—those silent, lonely hours after midnight—when the weight of fear, doubt, and unresolved pain feels suffocating. For many, it’s in these dark passages that a simple prayer or spiritual mantra can feel less like comfort and more like a chains that hold us captive. This is exactly why this prayer held me hostage in the dark. ### The Weight of Repetition in Darkness At first, the prayer was a refuge. Welsh by upbringing and deeply rooted in my faith, I found solace in its rhythmic words—an anchor amid emotional chaos. But over time, what was meant to steady me began to feel like a cage. Each repetition of the same phrases, instead of offering peace, intensified my anxiety and sense of entrapment. Instead of release, the prayer became a gilded prison—“a spiritual hostage,” trapped by its own familiarity.