Excellent article. There is this weird attitude I've seen among people convinced they have met their twin, that seems to be glorifying abusive behaviour and denigrating healthy love.

There is this belief that:

- Twin Flames are better, more spiritual and the highest evolved kind of love there is, more so than soulmates

- The difference between a soulmate and a Twin is that the soulmate won't rip your heart to shreds, won't "run", won't "challenge" you (code: won't abuse you and break you down)

- That the #1 sign of a Twin is the "chaser/runner" dynamic which looks awfully similar to the anxious/avoidant dynamic, or even the behaviour of a covert narcissist and a codependent

- That feeling like you're going to die and that you can't handle separation is a sign it's true love

- That this is all worth it ultimately because Twin Flames will always lead to spiritual evolution whether or not you get together in the end

Personally I think that we are all "twins" and "soulmates" because we all are manifestations of Source/I Am/Supreme Be-Ing/God/Atman.

Whatever we name as our "soulmate" is really a person who is as aware of this connection as we are. It doesn't have to be romantic but often is. I have a romantic soulmate, and a platonic soulmate. I call my platonic soulmate my "sensate" after the TV show Sense8.

In my life I've experienced a love with my romantic soulmate that has made me grow IMMENSELY in all aspects of my life. And yet it wasn't abusive. I didn't experience the runner/chaser dynamic. There wasn't toxicity between us. We have a healthy, albeit very passionate and spiritual, relationship.

I laugh at any one who would want to claim this kind of love is "less evolved" than their so-called Twin Flame love.

I know a couple who would likely call themselves Twin Flames and who actually manifest those dynamics in their life. The woman is being severely emotionally abused by her partner. I also briefly had a polyamorous relationship with her - and I felt intense limerence for her, and extreme pain at feeling her "running" and ghosting me. But that's not a sign we were twins, it's a sign of limerence, which is the brain's reaction to withdrawal from the heady drug-like hormones caused by early love/lust.