The perceived separation from your spirit deep within. You can't be separate from it cause it's a part of you. But you can believe you are separate from it. You can feel separate from it. You think that you are separate from it. You act like you are separate from it. And that's what causes the fear. The feeling of being separate from your spirit is what causes the fear and that's what causes the addiction. That's what causes the need for the painkillers. And that's what causes us to be the people we don't like being. And that's what causes us to need punishment.
On the other side of that pain is peace. On the other side of the sadness is peace. On the other side of the fear is peace. And you come to experience Joy which comes from deep within.