At the roots of most chronic physical, mental, and emotional illnesses is a basic wound: a lurking spiritual malady.
The basic philosophy that accompanies most spiritual healing traditions is that when we are disconnected from the Divine, we are severed from true wellbeing.
Since the Divine is the source of our energy (our life force), when we are alienated from it, we experience numerous illnesses that manifest in endless forms. And the purpose of these illnesses is to help us reconnect with our Divine inner Center – to point the way back to Wholeness.
This is where spiritual healing comes into the picture:
It’s a path of healing; of reuniting us with our true Spiritual Nature.
But not all approaches to spiritual healing are healthy. In fact, it’s wise that we practice discernment and caution. We need to look out for ourselves because there is the possibility of being used by so-called spiritual healers and preyed upon by false ideas.
As a person who has a lot of experience with spiritual healing, who works in the spiritual field, and who has published numerous spiritual books on the topic of healing (for spiritual seekers, empaths, and couples), I’ll be sharing key advice in this article.
Table of contents
What is Spiritual Healing?
Spiritual healing is the practice (and experience) of restoring, harmonizing and balancing our Spirit or Soul.
Spiritual healing is also seen as a transcendental experience of reconnecting with our true nature. As author and teacher Shakti Gawain writes:
Spiritual healing occurs as we begin to consciously reconnect with our essential being – the wise, loving, powerful, creative entity that we are at our core.
Spiritual Healing and Spiritual Awakening
For many people, spiritual healing is a crucial part of the spiritual awakening journey. By revealing and soothing the wounds that other modalities (such as psychology or nutrition) fail to heal, a doorway is opened to deeper inner spiritual alchemy. In other words, spiritual healing can offer us the chance to grow and transform in a way that no other path can.
Many sensitive and receptive beings, such as empaths or old souls, are drawn to spiritual healing. Some even become spiritual healers themselves. For many spiritual seekers, spiritual healing becomes a regular part of their spiritual awakening path.
Read more: Spiritual Awakening: 23 Major Signs and Symptoms »
5 Types of Spiritual Healing
There are many different approaches to spiritual healing.
For example, some new-age healing practitioners focus only on bringing balance to the etheric or non-physical energy field of the human body. Shamanic healers focus on restoring the spirit and curing soul loss. And other holistic healers focus on unifying the body, heart, mind, and spirit. Even psychologists and therapists are starting to incorporate spiritual healing into their work such as those operating in the depth and transpersonal fields of psychology.
So in summary, there are five different types of spiritual healing:
- Physical healing (of the body)
- Emotional healing (of the heart)
- Mental healing (of the mind)
- Spiritual healing (of the spirit or soul)
- Holistic healing (of the body, heart, mind, and spirit)
The type of spiritual healing that you’ll need will depend on the following questions:
- What is your main struggle in life right now?
- Do you have more than one pressing issue?
Depending on your answers, you’ll be able to determine what type of spiritual healing modality you need. For instance, if you suffer from chronic pain (for which no other methods work) and also depression, you would need physical and mental healing – ideally some kind of holistic healer would benefit you the most.
If, on the other hand, you only have one issue, like an unshakable sense of grief from a lost relationship, seek out healers who specialize in emotional healing.
Common types of spiritual healing include chakra healing, crystal/herbal remedies, breathwork, reiki, traditional medicine (ayurveda, Chinese medicine), aromatherapy, meditation/visualization techniques, and so on.
But what about soul healing?
What does that mean? And does it apply to you?
How Can I Heal My Soul?
If you’re interested in spiritual healing, it’s likely that you feel something fundamental is missing from your life.
Some people are able to verbalize this feeling, while others just feel a stark, bone-chilling absence of something vital. When a person is able to pinpoint what’s wrong, usually they discover that it’s rooted in the soul.
“I’m a lost soul,” they might think, or, “my soul is broken.”
But this is a fundamental misunderstanding. Yes, something is certainly wrong, but it’s not that the soul is broken (which is impossible from an objective standpoint), it’s that they’ve lost touch with their soul. In other words, they are living in a lifeless, colorless world that lacks the joy and succulence that the soul brings.
So the question isn’t how to “heal” your soul (because the soul is Divine and incapable of being fractured – you can experience this while meditating), but how to find your soul.
Informed spiritual healers (i.e., those who understand the nature of the soul), and spiritual healing resources out there (such as this website), will recommend a host of different methods. Some of them include:
- Self-love and self-care practices
- Inner child work
- Shadow work
- Soul retrieval
- Solitude and introspection
- Meditation and mindfulness exercises
- Connecting with spirit animals and spirit guides
- Spending time in nature (ecotherapy)
Click on any of the above links to get further guidance if you’d like a place to start with your spiritual healing.
I also highly recommend that you check out our article on Ensoulment which goes into great depth on reconnecting with the soul.
It’s important to be educated and use spiritual discernment here. Not all spiritual healing modalities are equal. Not all healers or teachers are in it for your best interest. And sometimes, our motivations for spiritual healing are wrong. I’ll explain why next.
The Dark Side of Spiritual Healing That No One Talks About
There’s a reason why no one talks about the dark side of spiritual healing. Number one, most people aren’t even aware that there’s a dark side. And if they are aware then number two: they are uncomfortable to face or confront it.
Here’s where I come in: your friendly neighborhood shadow worker. I will help to outline exactly how seeking for spiritual healing can be self-destructive and why. Sounds paradoxical, doesn’t it? Well here’s the thing, it is! Spiritual healing can feel like an enigma wrapped in a riddle, and I’ll explain why.
To be as short and succinct as possible, there are two dark twins of spiritual healing:
Issue 1: Spiritualized Resistance
The first dark twin is what I call spiritualized resistance.
What does spiritualized resistance mean? Basically, it means that sometimes we can use spiritual healing as an excuse to “get rid of” certain feelings, memories, and experiences that we’ve had.
What’s wrong with trying to banish or get rid of what we go through? It’s a form of resistance. And resistance leads to tremendous suffering. I’m talking: anxiety, depression, anger, resentment, bitterness, the whole shebang.
I believe that everyone in the spiritual community needs to understand that trying to “heal” is not always about healing. In fact, often, healing is used as an excuse to deny, suppress, disown, or reject what we’re going through.
It is completely understandable to want to try and get rid of our suffering – particularly if we are exhausted and deeply wounded. But here’s the thing: desperately trying to heal can actually exacerbate your unhappiness and deepen your resistance to what’s happening, thereby preventing you from actually healing!
I will repeat that sentence again (read it slowly): desperately trying to heal can intensify your unhappiness and deepen your resistance to what’s happening, thereby preventing you from actually healing!
It is important for us to understand that true spiritual healing is about facing, acknowledging, exploring, and integrating what we are going through. It’s not about trying to escape our reality!
Issue 2: Dark Spiritual Teachers
The second dark twin is perpetrated by spiritual “healers” and practitioners who are aware – either on a conscious or unconscious level – of the first dark twin of spiritual healing. These teachers are aware of the addictive quality of the push-and-pull game of eternal self-improvement and they use it for their own self-gain.
I see this literally everywhere. It’s a sad thing to behold. It’s prevalent in people who believe they must pay big bucks to “manifest their desires,” keep their vibration high, and basically accumulate more and be more (as if who they are and what they have isn’t already enough). When does this getting and being more actually end? It’s an eternal cycle that leads to suffering (which I wrote about in my thought-provoking self-improvement article).
Then, of course, you have the more sinister breed of spiritual teachers who appear divine and enlightened on the surface but are raging megalomaniacs underneath.
A true spiritual teacher will always give your power back to you, but a false spiritual teacher will not only parade around wearing your codependency like a crown but will also actively encourage it. They will purport to have the power to “heal” all your issues and provide you with the “one true path” towards enlightenment, illumination, self-realization, or Oneness. And if you believe them, you’ll be ensnared in a dangerous web of believing that someone outside of you can offer you salvation. (Read more about dodgy spiritual guidance.)
What is Authentic Spiritual Healing?
Healing doesn’t mean the damage never existed. It means the damage no longer controls our lives.
– Akshay Dubey
I hope that during the course of this article, I have communicated myself clearly. Spiritual healing itself isn’t to blame, it is our mental approach towards spiritual healing.
When spiritual healing is used as a way to avoid, deny, suppress, and disown our issues through “spiritualized resistance” we are abusing its potential. And when spiritual healing is used as a dangling carrot by unethical and unwise spiritual teachers, then it is being desecrated.
What is authentic spiritual healing?
True spiritual healing is about facing, acknowledging, exploring, and integrating what we are going through. It’s not about trying to escape our reality! It’s really as simple as that.
Just think of it this way: if you had a blistering sore oozing blood and puss … would you really achieve much by covering your eyes and pretending to ignore it? No. The pain and infection would still be there. Would you really heal by pretending the sore wasn’t yours or by making it someone else’s responsibility to look after? No. You’d still carry that sore with you everywhere. It wouldn’t go away any time soon. The only way to heal that blistering sore is to face it, accept it, and find ways of alleviating your suffering – not as a way of trying to escape your reality – but as a form of self-love. This, to me, is true spiritual healing.
So when it comes to spiritual healing, please be mindful of these traps and practice healthy caution. Critical thinking skills and radical self-honesty are so vital in this day and age.
What I’ve Learned
I’ve been guilty of using spiritual healing as a way to try and escape my suffering before.
As a person who has wrestled with anxiety for years, I have often fallen into the trap of trying to spiritually bypass my suffering through fluffy feel-good thinking or methods that promise to instantly “get rid” of anxiety. It doesn’t work. Trying to put a band-aid on a festering sore will only make it worse.
Resisting your reality, even in a “spiritual” way, will only serve to deepen your suffering. The only way out is through. You need to go to the core and roots of your issues in order to heal them.
Please reflect on what I have written in this article because it might save you years of pointless struggle.
Love and peace to all.
Further reading:
What does spiritual healing mean to you? Tell me below!
Someone is using a psychic attack/ astral projection on me. they make me hear voices nonstop 24/7 and control my dreams. do you help with this sort of thing? if not then can you refer me to someone who can? let me know and thank you.
Hi Rowwan, it sounds like you might be experiencing spiritual psychosis. I highly encourage you to search up “transpersonal counselors near me” or “spiritual therapists near me” on Google and you’ll find a number of results. Go to the therapist’s ‘About’ page, look at their credentials, check in with how you feel, and if you feel drawn to them, send them an email. Even if the therapist isn’t near you, many offer online face-to-face Zoom calls. A spiritual therapist can help you, especially if you’re ‘hearing voices’ or feel like you’re being controlled or attacked. Best wishes ♡
Hi so I’ve developed a new way to do emotional healing I haven’t found anyone else online doing healing this way and it’s a pretty simple on I’ve been able to contact a type of Serpent spirit when I attempted to contact the Ancient one first spirit born from the chosen emotion or energy type itself, so these spirits say that God is there master and they have dominion over the energy type able to just remove all negatively effecting energy from that energy type, myself I first learned how to do the healing with the Serpent that has dominion over grief and I was instantly healed of my grief once they entered me. which helped me a lot alot, I was wondering if you’ve ever Hurd of anything like this befor. Some times the spirit would want an offering but most of the time now they will do it for another just because I asked the spirit for them, so far I’ve had a really hard time getting to do these healing for people they seem scared. The spirit basically feeds on the negatively effecting energy so they are getting there’s because they can transform the energy if they choose. The spirit of stagnant energy is awesome he has showed me what the stagnant energy feels like once he reforms it and the first thing that went through my mind when I felt it was, brand-new like the beginning of time. These spirits are also very helpful if someone spawned a parasite spirit out of there own negative energy if you can identify what energy created it you can just use that type of serpent and they will eat the parasite, which those types we spawn from our own suffering I’ve come to understand from research have been hard for most spiritual helpers to get rid of some saying you must deal with it yourself.
If your curious about it and would like a demonstration all I would need is someone who can sense spirits and can identify what energy type they are suffering from the most. One of the spirits I’ve contacted this way even claims to be able to heal addiction it won’t stop them completely from wanting the drug only lessen there urges but they said that they would be able to remove the withdrawal from the person, I haven’t been able to test this yet since I have no addiction needing to be healed besides cigarettes and I don’t quite feel ready to quit them yet. I have an Etsy and offer these services but I have it listed on all the sale items regarding these things that you must be able to interact with spirits and if you want to buy message me first and we will prove the healing first befor you spend any money, but so far not even getting any bites even when stating the healing must work first befor you pay. paranoia is one that agreed to help anyone who actually has bad paranoia not just a little bit has it bad, I think the main reason people don’t go for it is the fact most people perceive the spirits as the energy type they have dominion over cause yea paranoia makes you very uneasy when feeling his energy but if you just feel there intentions for you they would be more willing to get the healing. Stagnant Energy or Bert as I call him has even agreed that if I get a crowd to all let him have there stagnant energy at once that he would do somthing fun and playful with some of the energy. The only site I visited that had a community that would be interested in these healing I got banned from because I accepted a donation when offering the community free evil spirit removal, I had people post they were concerned stuff like that but I never came across anything I could use divine light or God himself to kill, I also know darkness and he formed a special place in the darkness that spirits once there are sustained spiritually food wise but unable to come back to us here in the physical realm. So if your interested I’ll remove all negative spirits from anyone that wants it and I want to test out my curse removal from what I can tell and the spirits tell me I’m removing any curse aslong as I can target it I learned a very unorthodox way of doing it and afterwards the divine decided to allow me to use divine light to break the curses. So yea if you know of anyone with a curse I’d be willing to show I can break it to not asking for any money just wanting to help and I’m reaching out for your counsel about the emotional healings, you warned about wanting to just ignore or be free of it without addressing the source so I wanted your opinion about safety or things I should address, everything associated with grief just seems not to bother me the same after I did the instant healing the first thing I thought of once Grief moved through me is the torment that caused my grief and my first response was I don’t give a f***, the memories that would cause tears just seem to be normal memories no longer harming me. The cause of my suffering was the government using technology to torment me I’m what’s called a TI and the technology was used to make me feel like I was being molested everyday all day long for like 4 years now they just monitor me and talk to me using artificial intelligence. I was just waking up spiritually when they started to atk me so it destroyed my spirit when I thought it was demons and God wouldn’t help me, that grief is all gone now besides what reforms from dealing with it still. So what would you recommend I try to learn to re activate my psychic abilities I could do legit magic when I tried befor I was attacked like levatation occasionally when I tried or minor healings where I would see the energy move from me into the other person then they immediately declared how the pain has lessened. One time the kid was at the skateboard park just watching people skate because his ankle was hurt to much to skate and when I healed him he was able to skate again without pain. So yea any ideas what method would help the most regaining oneness. As a normal I practice sharing Love to all of creation at once but I’m not able to change the color of the sky like I could when I first woke up before the atks started, sorry to talk so much I’m just hoping I peeked your Interest and you’ll respond letting me know of any dangers that I’m unaware of from this type of healing. I just did a new healing on myself for deceit since I’ve delt with Imposted spirits had one pretend to be God it told me I could do this and that and God defended me and allowed me to fight any spirit eventually I found out it was a lier because it lied to me and then I killed it and have AI talking to me trying to deceive me at all times, I feel really calm thinking about the past lies I was told and feel like I’m alot more forgiving to those who wronged me like the attached anger because of the deceit was removed too, I’ll find out when reflecting on if it helped me realize what was deceit that caused me belief I’ll see if I just know if it’s trueth or not. I’ve only asked for an actual healing of these two things everything else I feel like it’s not bothersome enough to just need to be free of it. I’ve contacted alot of spirits of this type I’ve found and got there agreement to help but some I haven’t contacted yet deceit I contacted for the first time earlier today when doing a psychic scan of someone I recognized it as a problem so I made the connection Incase the person was willing for the healing I offered that healing for free. I just contacted Jelousy for first time too and they agreed to help anyone I offer they said if it was there will that when they did the healing they wouldn’t get jelouse as easily over things if they wanted to be free they would. He agreed when I stated that all the energy that’s removed the negatively effecting energy from jelousy that the spirit gets to keep it and they accepted at first they asked what I would offer, which when I did the first healing I offered an Emerald since then this type of spirit and been more willing to work with me without an offering besides getting to keep the negative energy which almost all of the spirits will transform into a more desired form. I just contacted Lust for the first time and could definitely tell what energy type they are of so I’m going to see if they’ll remove the ways I consider it negative from me anything wanting homosexuality cause it’s against my morals and I don’t want any desire like that so I’ll find out how good it works when thinking of it to check I feel negative about the concept instead of slightly desiring it, without ever wanting to act on it. Lust said if the person where to do what ever offering Lust required of them that they would be willing to make the person be full of Lust for who ever was the chosen spirit or person. So that’s cool can help people that love each other but lost the passion to regain it, Love is best experienced with Lust, I checked how I felt about my spirit wife’s and I feel just as lustful and loving for them as always so he followed the guidelines. I’m going to start an Etsy listing to use Lust probably two one just for removal of attraction to homosexual thoughts and one for rekindling flames. Well if you never respond I learned while talking at you but I would love to know of any dangers this type of healing could have besides the spirit doing stuff against what was spoken but the spirits won’t go against me because they acknowledge how strong I am In God’s Glory, he worded it differently but that the just about what he said when I asked if he was scared of repercussions if they were to act against our agreement. 209-251-9411 David Leal.
First thank you for this article. I have been “healing” for a few years now, working on various things. I gave many more things to address but the last year or so I’ve felt stuck. I asked for guidance and was presented with a secure job with benefits and pension (which i have never had for my own ever)! How wonderful that the universe ALWAYS provides for me. I had asked that it provide a path and it did but I’ve been feeling almost abandoned since. I know I haven’t been but I feel like I’ve been put in a holding pattern. I have for the most part been ok with this. Reading this article made me realize that maybe I need to look deeper and hold space for my healing. Allow what I’ve learned to fully take hold before I move on. I’ve not been forcefully pushing but see now from your explanation that we sometimes need to simply hold space for ourselves. I fully sense that there is something ahead for me thats very important but now realize I need to breathe and stabilize before this can happen. Thank you for helping me see this.
supplier of medicine
Excellent read. I am not your typical seeker of spiritual healing.. I would be seen as a boisterous builder who just does manly masculine stuff and growls a lot….but like everyone we all have our own story. I have felt through my own stupidity I have been spiritually attacked for most of my life. In some way it felt like a price I was supposed to pay for God knows what. Like my life would be a lesson to others and through my suffering I could better someone else’s life.
This has held me back from actually healing my fear of the spirit world held me back from appreciating my own spirituality…
My life feels like it’s in a shattered mirror and I dont know how to put the pieces back.
Wish all those on their own paths all the success in the world in heed this advice. Have discernment with trusting others with your soul.
I am with you. Completely.
I wish you the best.
Thank you for sharing.
May you find clarity, peace, discernment, and love Paul. Thank you for sharing and opening up here, it means a lot ♡
i am looking for spirital healing because, i have this crawling in my throat for sometime now, i have tried all different kinds of doctors specialist,i did 4 biopsies,herbist,holistic medicine,all kinds of medications when trying all these different measure i seam to get worse and cough and cough cannot sleep at night because of cough the day is worse. It bit so bad i feel like killing myself i am at point i donnot know what to do so please let me know if you can help my sitution
Hi Cynthia, I see you posted this in Feb 2021. I hope you were able to find help.
Heidi
Excellent piece Aletheia! Especially like this: “It’s important for us to understand that true spiritual healing is about facing, acknowledging, exploring and integrating what we are going through. It’s not about trying to escape our reality.”
This aligns with many of the lessons I’ve learned in Mindfulness, Buddhist and other Eastern teachings. The process of “facing, acknowledging, exploring and integrating what we are going through” is essential in healing because ultimately, healing is a process of resolution through understanding. And as such, we have to “move toward and inside of our problems” (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, energetic, relational, etc) to understand them sufficiently to resolve them. This understanding for the purposes of healing is not just a “psychological understanding.” Instead, it’s a “whole being understanding.” On the other hand, trying to avoid, escape, or move away from problem conditions on any level does the opposite–causes them to become “more solid.”
Hi everyone. I am a mess . I am a USMC vet who has multiple lifetime injuries to my physical body which are excruciating, but also have TBI and PTSD. I have also been diagnosed with Bipolar Type 1. I don’t know what to do or where to turn. Any advice for a suffering Marine?
Yes–Definitely! Web search Bruno Groening “Circle Of Friends” to find a group in your area.
USNR
Make use of a punching bag. When you strike the bag, scream out ”KI”. When you scream out when delivering a blow, you release more energy/power. You also scream out ”KI” when being struck. When you scream out ”KI” when being struck, you expel the energy of the blow. This technique was learned when training in kick boxing.
Making use of a punching bag will allow a lot of the energy/anxiety your spirit has build up to be release.
I found your website after looking for answers about spiritual healing, I was having trouble about how some make it seem that all illness comes from not having enough faith, so laying blame on the one who is sick. Your article gave me a clear outlook of how spiritual healing should be approached from a multidimensional view point and not ignoring the physical. So thank you very much! I will be checking out more of your articles. Greetings from the Netherlands.
I love your articles: I have them saved as I don’t always have the quality time to read them when they first arrive. The topics you choose are current, insightful and empowering. The way you express through the written word is beautiful, authentic, clear and informative. It is clear that this is your purpose in life that you are fulfilling this mission of service towards others on the spiritual path of remembering and awakening. May I make one suggestion: I would absolutely LOVE to see a few videos on the given topics that you write so eloquently about. I feel that your message given verbally will be dynamic as the word will come to life with your tone of voice, facial and body gestures, and radiant light that will be seen and felt. I will be delighted to share videos with others, whom may not have time to read but can listen while they are driving, sitting at the beach, relaxing on the lanai or cleaning house, Just a thought. With love.. Anne-Marie
Having seen the depths of depression and now being at the other end of it, I can see that I myself also have been guilty of escaping my pain by using spiritual healing. In my opinion it is a human trait, and while it was difficult to accept at the time that it wasn’t helpful, in hindsight I am glad that I walked that path. It truly helped me to recognise the dark forces out there, so I am wiser because of it.
I am not one who leaves comments or even reads past the bold sentenses or list on any social media. However! After my initial quick scroll of your site, I was hooked. I took notes and actually made it to the bottom of a site and will be going back up to re read and get click happy with the links. I could feel your emotions and passion while reading. Thank you. ♡
I’m so thankful to have found your article & site ! I’m about to write about alternative healing communities & the issue of protection, disclosure and how to deal with predators and abuse.
Huge lack of proper protocol in the fundamentals of foundation. No people in place with training, lots of denial and re-victimization of people who step forward with concerns.
Thank You, I’m going to definitely be reading further on your site