Is destination addiction rerouting your life?
In fact, destination addiction may be the reason why you’re feeling stuck and questioning your purpose.
It may be the reason why you’re lacking peace and wallowing in discontentment.
In this reflective episode of the Liberated Equestrian Podcast, I share a powerful moment I had in understanding the power of destination addiction in my life as I witnessed Warwick Schiller’s demo at the @HorseWorldExpo in March 2025. Schiller referred to this concept of destination addiction while working with a rider and horse who demonstrated anxiety at being in the arena. The visual example of destination addiction of the horse was not lost on me — it is an issue not only in horsemanship and humanship.
As a therapist, I’ve witnessed how destination addiction can be a trauma survival response. To survive, you have a destination point in mind to get through the present moment and to that felt sense of safety.
The problem, however, is when that destination addiction habit overrides the reality of the moment . . . the present moment in which you actually are safe.
Dreams and goals driven by destination addiction will disappoint when they collide with the reality of our circumstances.
Maybe you’ve already recognized this for yourself.
Maybe disappointment has robbed all joy in the present moment.
Maybe your endless striving is to make meaning of all the effort you’ve already put in.
While the destination may not turn out to be what you had dreamed, prayed, and worked for, what you gained in the pursuit may be exactly what you need in this season of life. Yet that doesn’t mean you should keep on striving toward that endpoint only to be rerouted by the reality in front of you.
Maybe you need to release it instead.
Maybe you simply need to refine it.
Regardless, allowing the addiction to the destination to continue will keep you from living free in the present moment. And it is in this moment that you will most likely find the purpose and peace you crave.
Tune into this ​episode​ on ​iTunes​, ​Spotify, or ​YouTube​ to hear a confession of how destination addiction has impacted my life and consider, more personally, how it may be influencing yours.
Helpful Links
Stableminded Coaching for Equestrians
