Greetings, Reader!
A few days ago, I was walking in my neighborhood, and I heard, with perfect clarity: "You don't need magic; you just need trust."
I felt it resonate in my bones. There was no doubt in my mind that this was true.
At the time, I thought it was a message from the universe telling me to trust myself, and in a way, it was, but not in the way I had assumed.
Yesterday, I began a holistic healing course I've been looking forward to for a long time, and I dropped out half-way through the first day.
Many strange things happened in the course, including the teacher claiming that he could change people's hair color and height, and cure things like cancer, by hacking into their DNA with his mind.
It was pretty out there.
But what really got me was that he casually mentioned that he performs distance healing treatments on people without their consent or knowledge.
That was a hard pass for me.
I picked up the phone and called the organizing institution. I shared some of the wacky things he said, including his suggestion to heal people with cat toy lasers, but I zeroed in on what mattered most: consent must be freely given and it can never be implied.
There is so much I could say about this.
First, healing happens in relationship, and the necessary foundation of trust cannot exist if that relationship isn't rooted in sovereignty and respect.
True healers are not people who use magic to cure people. True healers help people access the innate healing potential within themselves.
True healers are not wizards or gatekeepers. They don't make people feel like they will never be whole or healed without their help. Instead, they help people remember how to trust their own wisdom.
Second, when people make grand claims about the efficacy of treatments that lack evidence, they can cause real harm.
There is actually clear research that shows that the more failed treatments, diagnostic tests, and conflicting opinions a person receives, the worse their pain often becomes. Pain is a fear-based nervous system response. The nervous system is hard-wired to collect evidence of danger, and the more evidence it collects, the louder the alarm gets.
Healers should be helping people collect evidence of hope, not fear. When people make false claims about miracles, it becomes hard to know who to trust. The worst part of this cycle is that when people are taken advantages of by abusive healers, they often learn not to trust themselves, eroding the most important relationship in the healing journey: the one between you and your mind, body, and spirit.
Third, people don't need to be fixed or saved.
The wellness machine has tried to convince us that we must constantly strive for self-improvement. The implicit assumption underneath this mindset is that we are not enough as we are.
From that perspective, healing becomes another weapon of control.
Healing isn't a destination or a measure of purity and perfection; it's an orientation. It's a relationship we build with ourselves when we choose to listen to our bodies and to treat their needs as gifts.
Healing comes from a place of wholeness, not a place of deficiency.
If you are struggling with symptoms that don't make sense or that won't go away, you don't need a red laser, a magic mantra, or a secret herbal formula.
You need safety and courage.
You need honesty and trust.
Healing is not something that should ever be done to you or without you. It cannot be forced, hacked, or coerced into existence. Healing happens in relationship with your body, your nervous system, and the people you choose to trust, who should treat that trust like a sacred responsibility.
Trust, by definition, is voluntary and earned. That teacher didn't earn my trust, but he gave me more evidence that I can trust myself, and he reinforced my deep belief that healing comes from within.
That’s the truth I heard on my walk:
real healing doesn’t require magic, it requires trust, integrity, and a deep respect for our innate wisdom.
In love and solidarity,
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Rachel
Doctor of Physical Therapy & Integrative Pain Specialist
Build a resilient nervous system to help you flow through the seasons of your life with courage, wisdom, and compassion.
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PS: I'm leading a Full Moon Restorative Yin & Qigong practice on Sunday, February 1st from 7 - 8 pm online. This full moon practice will include floor-based qigong and yin practices to nourish the kidneys and restore depleted energy & vitality. If you feel overwhelmed with the world, these practices can help you transform fear into faith.
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Invitations to Work Together
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