Ever Considered The Dark Side of Spiritual Healing That No One Talks About
Spiritual healing is generally considered to be a very positive practice.
Is there anything more heartwarming than combining the terms "spiritual" and "healing"? It's akin to witnessing a puppy snuggle with a kitten... or indulging in a triple-chocolate cake covered in warm caramel. It exudes a delightful and magical feeling.
And don’t get me wrong. I love spiritual healing. I think it is essential to our inner journeys. If everyone underwent spiritual healing, humanity and Earth would be transformed forever. I believe that we could finally achieve the ideal of world peace.
But if you have been reading my work for a while, you’ll know I’m not interested in focusing solely on the ‘love and light’ side of spirituality. I am a shadow worker. I love to plunge into the darkness and expose what is hidden. And today, we need to shine that torch on the dark side of spiritual healing.
But firstly …
What is Spiritual Healing?
Spiritual healing is the practice (and experience) of restoring, harmonizing, and balancing our Spirit or Soul. There are many different approaches to spiritual healing. For example, some new-age healing practitioners focus only on bringing balance to the human body's etheric or non-physical energy field. Shamanic healers concentrate on restoring the soul and curing soul loss. And other holistic healers focus on unifying the body, heart, mind, and soul. Even psychologists and therapists are starting to incorporate spiritual healing into their work, such as those operating in psychology's depth and transpersonal fields.
Spiritual healing is also 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.
The Dark Side of Spiritual Healing That No One Talks About
There’s a reason no one talks about the dark side of spiritual healing. Most people aren’t even aware that there’s a dark side. And if they are aware, then number two is that they are uncomfortable facing or confronting it.
Here’s where I come in: your friendly neighborhood shadow worker. I will help to outline precisely how seeking spiritual healing can be self-destructive and why. Sounds paradoxical. 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 as possible, there are two dark twins of spiritual healing:
Spiritualized Resistance
The first dark twin is what I call spiritualized resistance.
What does spiritualized resistance mean? It means that sometimes, we can use spiritual healing as an excuse to “get rid of” certain feelings, memories, and experiences we’ve had.
What’s wrong with trying to banish or eliminate 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.
Everyone in the spiritual community must understand that trying to “heal” is not always about healing. Often, healing is used as an excuse to deny, suppress, disown, or reject what we’re going through.
It is entirely understandable to want to get rid of our suffering—mainly if we are exhausted and deeply wounded. But here’s the thing: desperately trying to heal can exacerbate your unhappiness and deepen your resistance to what’s happening, thereby preventing you from healing!
I will repeat that sentence (read it slowly): desperately trying to heal can intensify your unhappiness and deepen your resistance to what’s happening, thereby preventing you from healing!
We must 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!
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 use it for their self-gain.
I see this 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, 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).
There are different types of spiritual teachers. Some are genuinely empowering and help you tap into your power. However, some sinister spiritual teachers may seem divine and enlightened at first but are controlling and manipulative. A true spiritual teacher will empower you, while a false one will encourage your dependency on them. False spiritual teachers may claim the power to solve all your problems and provide the only path to enlightenment or Oneness. If you believe them, you may become trapped in a dangerous mindset that someone else can save you. (Read more about questionable spiritual teachers.)
What is Authentic Spiritual Healing?
Healing signifies that the damage did happen, but it no longer dictates our lives. – Akshay Dubey
I trust that I have effectively conveyed my message in this article. It is not spiritual healing itself that is at fault, but rather our mental approach to spiritual healing.
When spiritual healing is misused to evade, ignore, repress, and disavow our problems through "spiritualized resistance," we are misusing its power. Moreover, when unethical and unwise spiritual teachers use spiritual healing as a false promise, it is being misused.
What does genuine spiritual healing entail? Authentic spiritual healing involves confronting, recognizing, examining, and incorporating our experiences. It does not include attempting to evade our reality! It's as straightforward as that.
Just think of it this way: if you had a blistering sore oozing blood and puss … would you achieve much by covering your eyes and pretending to ignore it? No. The pain and infection would still be there. Would you 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 escaping your reality – but as a form of self-love. This, to me, is true spiritual healing.
Awareness of these pitfalls and prudent caution are essential for spiritual healing. Developing critical thinking abilities and embracing radical self-truth are crucial today.
After dealing with anxiety for a long time, I often gave in to the urge to try to avoid my suffering by resorting to shallow, optimistic thoughts or instant solutions that promise to get rid of anxiety right away. Yet, this method doesn't work. Covering up a deep wound with a bandage will worsen the issue. Denying your truth, even if disguised as a "spiritual" method, will only heighten your pain. The sole path to progress is to face your problems at their root and tackle their fundamental reasons for genuine healing.
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