A karmic relationship can be a painful experience for one or both of you. The idea of a karmic relationship is that we need to be taught a lesson before we are ready to find our true soulmate.

Karma has been compared to a wheel where what comes around goes around. Our past actions are partly the cause of our present state. If you hurt someone else, the same will be done to you in time.

In the karmic belief, our souls do not die but are reborn to learn more lessons each lifetime. As you learn, you ascend to higher levels as a soul until you no longer need to be reborn but have become a pure being of love.

The karmic relationship in question doesn’t necessarily have to be a romantic one either. It could be with a coworker, friend, or neighbor. The important thing to remember is that you are supposed to learn something important about yourself from this painful experience.

Is karma trying to teach you a lesson via your relationship? Here are seven signs that you’re in a karmic relationship as well as what you can learn from it

7 Signs You’re In A Karmic Relationship

karmic relationship

1. Repeating a pattern

If you find yourself and your partner repeating the same arguments over and over again, you might be in a karmic relationship. You may have broken up with your ex only to get back together again.

These repeated patterns mean that you have not learned from the karmic lesson that is being shown to you. The opportunity for personal growth is to break the pattern and learn from what caused you to go back and repeat the lesson over again.

2. Selfishness

When you or your partner are unable to focus on the needs of the other person then you are in a karmic relationship. Learning to be generous and giving is what you can take away from this experience.

Can you change your behavior if you have been selfish or express your feelings to your partner about how it feels to be with a selfish person? Can you give selflessly to your partner? These are the lessons that you can take away from this karmic relationship.

3. Jealousy

Jealousy is fear, fear of loss. Being unable to control what may or may not happen to you in a relationship can be scary. Your partner could leave you for someone else. They might not need you anymore.

These feelings of fear restrict your ability to fully love and support the person that you are with. Release the need to control your partner and let them be the free soul that they are. Your fear either has a rational basis or it does not. By letting go of jealousy, you will learn which it is.

4. Anger

The emotion of anger can be frightening in a karmic relationship because it can involve raised voices, accusations, threats and violence. Anger is usually in response to a perceived hurt. It can be expressed easily by saying just that; “I feel hurt when you…”

5. Substance abuse

Dependency on something that you believe makes you feel better but is actually harmful to your health is a painful karmic lesson to learn. Withdrawal from an addiction often requires the intervention of a counseling or substance abuse program. Whether it is you or your partner who needs the help, find it quickly so that you can move out of addiction and into recovery.

6. Physical abuse

This is one karmic relationship that you should get out of immediately. If violence has happened once, it will happen again. Get immediate help if there have been threats of abuse or actual abuse. Domestic violence is a serious problem that is best left to professionals to handle.

Find a safe place where you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) and report the violence or threats. The police can handle the abuser better than you can. The only lesson to be learned in this type of relationship is to always protect yourself from harm.

mentally abusive

7. Sexual abuse

Again, do not stay in a relationship where your partner uses threats, causes you harm, or has sex with you without your consent. It is your partner who needs to learn a karmic lesson if they are abusing you this way. Keep yourself safe and contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233).

Learning forgiveness over the hurt that was caused you by the karmic relationship is an excellent lesson to walk away with. In a study on forgiveness, participants were guided through a 6-week program, mental health and existential well-being were higher than before the program. Those who were able to forgive the wrongs committed against them were able to maintain these emotional and spiritual benefits when the researchers checked with them 6 weeks after the program had ended.

Do you plan to try to work out your differences and stay in the relationship? Read up on how to create good karma in our related article 6 Ways to Create Good Karma. Not all relationships will work but if you can become a better person as a result of the breakup, you’ll be moving yourself higher up on the karmic spiral.