Facing challenges in life is an inevitable part of being human. And the challenges we face are many: heartbreaks, career failures, financial strain, or moments of deep confusion, to name a few. But what if our most painful experiences also held within them seeds of immense potential, growth, and clarity? What we label as setbacks may be the moments where life is trying to redirect us toward something greater. But when we’re in the thick of it, clarity feels out of reach. All we want is relief. How do we shift our perspective to see the gifts hidden within the chaos?
Eram brings the wisdom from years of personal transformation and guiding others to speak to the heart of today’s topic. It is possible to transform the challenges in life into spiritual expansions. Her insights are rooted in both ancient Sufi teachings and modern-day healing practices. The wisdom in today’s episode is a roadmap for navigating life’s difficult seasons.
This episode is for anyone feeling lost, stuck, or disheartened by their current struggles. For those seeking a deeper meaning, clarity, and a spiritual framework to move forward, you’ll find wisdom that speaks to the soul.
Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:
- Reflect on the cyclical nature of life and how awareness of it can help reduce suffering during difficult times.
- Learn four practical tools that help you navigate the challenges in life with more grace and clarity.
- Understand how the Sufi concept of Qabd (contraction) and Bast (expansion) offers deep insight into personal transformation.
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A Sacred Cycle of Contraction and Expansion
We often see challenges as difficulties to overcome and things to avoid. But we have to reframe how we view these things.
Challenges as an integral part of an ancient rhythm of life. This rhythm has existed since time immemorial, and alternates between contraction and expansion. Drawing upon Islamic scripture and Sufi metaphysics, she explains that contraction, known as Qabd, is not a punishment but a divine mechanism for realignment. Life moves much like an ocean wave, with the peaks symbolizing expansion and the dips representing contraction.
This pattern exists all throughout nature, prophetic teachings, and human experience. Instead of resisting pain, Eram encourages acknowledgment and surrender to these cycles. Embracing them allows us to grow spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. She also explains four powerful steps for navigating through this cycle
Step 1: The Power of Naming
One of the most transformative tools Eram introduces is the practice of naming your experience.
Simply recognizing that you are in a season of contraction helps anchor you in the present moment and prevents panic from taking over. By naming your state, you create a gentle separation between yourself and your pain, which brings both emotional relief and the awareness that this too shall pass.
This act shifts the brain from a reactive state into a reflective, analytical one—reducing suffering and restoring perspective. Ultimately, this mindfulness-based approach removes the sense of randomness from hardship, reframing it as purposeful and divinely guided.
Step 2: Be Kind to Yourself During Contraction
During contraction phases, Eram emphasizes the importance of practicing radical self-kindness. When the body and mind are already under strain, harsh self-criticism or unrealistic expectations only deepen suffering.
Self-compassion becomes a sacred act of honoring the soul’s journey. That might mean allowing yourself to rest, savoring your favorite meal, or connecting with loved ones. By nurturing yourself in small, intentional ways, you reduce internal resistance and create fertile ground for the next phase of inner expansion to emerge naturally.
Step 3: Don’t Make Major Life Decisions in Contraction
Eram cautions against making major life decisions during times of contraction. Facing challenges in life often creates energetic confusion, emotional heaviness, and mental fog. This lack of clarity intensifies when you still view contractions as difficulties to fear.
Whether it’s ending a relationship, making a financial move, or initiating a life-altering change, she explains that decisions made from this space often stem from fear. Remember, the ego desires quick relief. Acting impulsively in moments of contraction tends to create more problems than it resolves. Instead, we should wait until clarity returns. Then, our decisions emerge from a place of peace and alignment rather than turmoil.
Step 4: Asking for Clarity and Connecting with the Divine
A core spiritual practice Eram shares is the art of asking the Divine not merely for resolution but for clarity. While most people pray for their pain to stop, she suggests a more conscious prayer: "I am not clear, please make help me get clear about this situation."
In her view, divine communication often comes subtly through feelings, thoughts, synchronicities, or quiet insight. Clarity itself then becomes the evidence of divine alignment. When that clarity arrives, it signifies that the contraction phase is coming to an end, and it is time to move forward with renewed, purposeful action.
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Finding Expansion Within Contraction
Eram reminds listeners that challenges in life are inevitable. We will face contractions. But with spiritual practice and awareness, the dips can become gentler. We can also learn to sustain the periods of expansion.
Over years of inner work, she has found that even moments of contraction can hold flashes of joy and wisdom. This ability to find expansion within pain represents an advanced spiritual maturity, grounded in trust and surrender. The more one normalizes these cycles, the less fear arises when another contraction comes, fostering a deeper sense of spiritual resilience and peace.
The Value of Flow and Taking Action During Expansion
In contrast to contraction, the phase of expansion is the ideal time for bold and inspired action. This is the window of flow. Energy is high, ideas come effortlessly, and everything seems to align. We should not squander this state by procrastinating and taking it too easy. Instead, we must channel it into meaningful creation, transformation, and growth.
Expansion is the universe’s invitation to move forward, but Eram reminds us to do so with humility and awareness. This season, too, will shift. The goal is not to escape contraction but to live harmoniously through both phases.
Honoring the Mystery of Timing
We rarely control how long a contraction lasts. Some pass quickly, while others linger for years, especially when deep emotional or spiritual lessons are involved. The four steps described here are designed to help us endure these uncertain periods with greater peace and grace. Timing is part of divine orchestration, and thus we can trust it rather than resist it. Remember that resistance to the divine often brings more pain than the challenge we are facing.
Reverence for the Process
Ultimately, Eram teaches that personal growth is not about maintaining perpetual happiness but about cultivating the capacity to feel everything. All emotions deserve our awareness and compassion, whether joy, sorrow, or uncertainty. Personal growth means more than bliss. Rather, it is about feeling everything and reveling in the sacred cycle.
The challenges we face in life are not obstacles to enlightenment but essential ingredients of it. They reveal our deepest wounds and, through them, our greatest wisdom. When we live with this sacred awareness, we shift from merely surviving life to embodying its higher spiritual purpose.
True growth, she concludes, does not mean avoiding contractions. It means mastering the art of moving through them with grace and reverence.
Eram Saeed’s Journey
Long before the world recognized the transformative power of gratitude, Eram Saeed was living its stark opposite. Burdened by financial struggles, legal battles, and single parenthood, she found herself on the brink of despair. Despite hitting multiple dead ends—from a series of lawsuits to crushing anxiety—Eram kept searching for a lifeline.
Her moment came when she discovered practicing gratitude. With only a phone alarm and a simple journal, Eram began to record and reflect on small blessings throughout her day. Within weeks, she experienced a dramatic shift: stress and worry receded, replaced by a newfound sense of hope. This inner transformation fueled change—from improved health and relationships to the launch of her teachings around the “Four T’s” (Tawheed, the Tashakkur, Taqwa, and Tavakkal).
Today, Eram stands as a testament to the idea that the path to lasting happiness and success begins inside. By teaching others to embrace gratitude and shift from perceived lack to abundance, she’s helped countless individuals break free from limiting beliefs and step into a meaningful life.
Expert Advice & Powerful Quotes
“We don't want to go through challenges. They're painful. Why would anybody want to go through it? But the reality of life is that we are always going to go through life kind of in a wave. There's going to be challenges. That's a dip. And then when we come out of the challenges, that's the upper part of the wave.”
“If you suddenly stub your toe, suddenly all of your experience goes to the toe, because the toe is experiencing pain. The rest of the body is still healthy and working normally, but we're not aware of it. We're only aware of our toe because it's radiating pain. So that's the nature of contraction. It gets contracted. We have tunnel vision. We only look at what is causing us pain.”
“Contraction is a time when we are not thinking clearly. Usually, there is a lot of confusion. We are not really understanding why this is happening to me. So this is not a time to take any kind of action or to take major decisions of life.”
“When you're going through a contraction, be kind to yourself as much as you can, because this is a time when you're already experiencing pain of some kind.”
“Enjoy this time, because this too shall pass. This too will not last. We're going to go through another contraction when this ends. And this is how the journey continues.”
Gracefully Navigating the Challenges in Life
Difficulty may seem to be nothing more than suffering at first glance, but an obstacle also represents opportunity. We must face the cycle of contraction and expansion with grace and the knowledge that this is all part of a divine plan.
- Listen to the Full Episode – Eram Saeed explains steps that we can take to navigate the dips and ride the highs of the waves we experience. Within this sacred cycle is the grandeur of the divine.
- Reflect on Your Own Life – When have we resisted change when it would have benefited us? The struggles we face push us to grow rather than stagnate. But resisting these struggles rather than embracing them leads us to suffer.
- Explore More – Visit Jamali.Love for more episodes blending faith and transformation. Find stories, live sessions, and resources to guide you in your journey of growth and healing.
It is through riding the cycle and wave of contraction and expansion that our souls grow. The challenges in life can be our greatest opportunities if only we learn to ride the wave.
