When we run, we are buying the illusion that we can avoid anything we think is unpleasant.
This chapter brings everything down to where it actually matters: how we move out of suffering and into something more real. The core idea is simple but demanding—if we want to feel more connected, more grounded, even more at peace, we have to stop avoiding the present moment.
Most of us don’t realize how often we’re doing that. We drift into the past, rehearse the future, or subtly distort what’s happening now so we don’t have to feel what’s uncomfortable.
The chapter names three common ways we do this: displacement, projection, and denial. Each one is a workaround—an attempt to sidestep something we don’t want to face. But they all come at a cost. They blur reality, create confusion, and keep us disconnected from what’s actually happening inside us.
What’s surprising is the payoff for doing the opposite. When we face something honestly—even something messy or uncomfortable—there’s a kind of relief that comes with it. Not because the problem is solved, but because we’re finally aligned with what’s true.
The takeaway is steady and practical: the way out isn’t around our experience. It’s through it—right here, in the moment we’re already in.
Jill Loree is the founder of Phoenesse and a longtime student of the Pathwork teachings. She has studied the Pathwork Guide’s material since 1997 and completed four years of training to become a certified Pathwork Helper.
When she first encountered the Pathwork teachings, she described the experience as “walking through the doorway of an AA fourth step and finding the whole library.”
Through Phoenesse, Jill writes and teaches about personal transformation using the spiritual psychology found in the Pathwork lectures.
Her books present these teachings in clear, accessible language to help readers apply them in everyday life. Her work focuses on helping people move from the struggles of duality toward the peace of inner unity.
Raised in northern Wisconsin, Jill began her professional career in technical sales and marketing before discovering that her true calling lay in spiritual teaching and writing.
She lives in New York with her husband, Scott Wisler, who now works with her in sharing these teachings around the world.
