It’s been a rough couple of weeks professionally. Here’s what I’ve witnessed:
Situation 1 – a friend of a friend described her energy healing training to me. Here’s one major teaching she’s learned and practices:
When walking down the street, shopping, hanging out in a park or bowling alley – scan and fix other people’s energy. Without their permission. Awareness. Silently. Just fix them.
Me?
I’d like to walk into her teacher’s house, clean out his drawers, take his clothes to Goodwill and rearrange his furniture. Without his permission. Awareness. Silently. Just do it.
But he’d might call the police and have me arrested for trespassing. And I’d deserve the jail time!
WTF? ‘Fix’ other people as you wander around in your day?
Situation 2 – at a recent social gathering a fellow ‘healer’ chose to make the occasion into a healing session for one of the host’s children – who had not asked for:
- help
- input
- energy clearing in her body, field or room
When the child went out to play, the ‘healer’ moved into high gear – chanting, toning, ringing bells, closing portals, shooing away ‘the dark side.’ She was so enchanted with her work that she ‘forgot’ to set her own energy and wound up outside hugging trees to ground and clear.
Me? I thought it was a social gathering!
Double WTF!
Situation 3 – a talented healer who works with patient’s with complex medical issues is burning out. He’s on the wrong side of the line – he’s taking responsibility for the patient’s well-being…at the expense of his own. Out of balance.
And out of relation to his need to be needed so that he can feel whole and well and valuable.
A difficult thing to witness – a hard wired recipe for burnout.
Me? I’m writing this to offer alternative ideas.
I lump all of these disturbing stories into Healer Hubris – an excessive OR FOOLISH amount of pride or confidence. Source: Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary
Think about it:
- What gives ANYONE the right to ‘heal’ someone else without consent and benefit of a boundaried healing space?
- Why is it acceptable to take a social situation and turn it into a healing session? Especially one that is dramatic, ego-laden and replete with references to saving someone from ‘the dark side’?
- Why is it healthy and life-affirming to ‘heal’ someone else at the healer’s own expense, driven by an unmet shadow, i.e., I don’t see my goodness, so I’ll heal people to death (mine) so I feel good?
Healers! Please get this sh*t straightened out. Think about what you’re doing, feeding. Your intention. What’s healthy, ethical, grounded, self-responsible.
Attract patients into your practice. Facilitate healing there.
This is part of the Be Your Own Healer series. This BYOH message is addressed to the healer population – but if you’re a consumer of healing services – give some thought to who supports your healing process. Are they represented in this article?
And if you’d like to learn about energy hygiene and self-care, check out EHI’s webinars. They might be useful to you – whether or not you have a practice.
Keep Your Vital Energy Flowing!
I’m not practicing as a healer but as an individual, the stories you share make me uncomfortable and wiggle around in my chair. I don’t want someone healing me or my child without permission. Permission and partnership is essential. Anyone that thinks that they know what’s best for me, and certainly better than I do is not focusing on helping me at all but more focused on being right. Thanks for sharing, Jill!
Yes. Plus I’ve always had trouble with the language that you “fix” someone like they are broken.
Oh Michael, yes indeed! Even when people are seriously ill they’re not broken. It’s all creation and experience at the most esoteric of levels. And at the individual, in-the-moment level, people feel vulnerable, needing support. But not broken. Thanks for your comment!
Thank you for speaking out about the hubris in the healing community. It is a place where excessive pride, confidence, invasiveness and arrogance are masked by “goodwill” and “compassion”. The stories you shared make it easy for us to see the nakedness of the emperor on the throne.
Hi Blair, Ewwww…the naked emperor image is a TMI for this clairvoyant! But seriously, pride, confidence, arrogance, invasiveness – all true. As well as insecurity, needing to be seen, loved – all issues that the healer needs to meet within him or herself, rather than reflect out into a healing practice.
Yes Yes. Thank you Jill for writing about this boundary transgression! EGO, EGO, the unexamined self! Part of our work here is to understand, love and tame our egos as we serve the healing energy which is much greater and profound than any one of us.
Hi Phoebe! So great to hear from you. We haven’t connected in a long time. Yes, the Ego piece is a big issue in all of our lives. We can’t kill off the ego, and it’s not necessary to do so. It’s simply vital to do the work within as we do our work in the world. And it’s not that we won’t make a mistake or screw something up from time to time. We’re human, too. Thank goodness! Thanks for sharing your comment – and keep up your good work in the world!
Wow! What amazing stories! I’m so glad I know how to steer clear of this sort of thing because of my studies with you Jill!
Hi Barbara, I’m glad the work and concepts you’ve internalized from your studies at EHI have been meaningful and helpful. And yes, steering clear is a grand and glorious thing!