Is your healing practice more like an art or science?
Healing is like a science when we map on the signs and symptoms that we’re experiencing in ourself or our client's, to the systems and theories that we've learned in our training, and try to fit that together so that we can gain an intellectual understanding of what might be going on, and then we apply the method or technique that we learn on those trainings in order to generate the same results that we learn are expected if we apply those methods.
Healing is like an art when we open ourselves up to the creative energy within and allow it to move and express itself in the way that feels right and fitting in this moment without an expectation of what that might result in, but with trust in the process.
When we approach healing as a science, there can be some efficacy in applying the method if it's a good one, but on those occasions where our client doesn't fit the mold or a learning didn't cover a particular topic, we’re going to find ourselves at a loss to help. We’re going to feel frustrated sometimes, that we are not able to have the impact we want to be able to when we approach our healing practice with the scientific mind, because we are limited to the capacity that our cognitive mind has to retain information, recall information, and apply information to the situation. If you’re smart, this could be pretty extensive, but is never going to be perfect. It also means our efficacy will depend on the state of our mind that day, which fluctuates hugely depending on how rested we are, what we’ve eaten, whether we’re fighting off any infections or viruses, where we are on our hormonal cycle, and a host of other chemical balances and influences.
When we approach healing practice as an art, we tap into the wisdom of far more than our mind. We access the wisdom held in our body, our unconscious, to intuitive guidance, and tap into the akashic records where we access all truths across all of time. When we learn to trust our art, we don't need to understand where it came from, or test it, in order to follow it, and when we allow ourselves the freedom to follow this guidance we will generally find the results exceed our expectations. There is divine perfection - which is not ‘perfection’ of the kind where everything is according to plan, symmetrical, or without flaws.
When our culture is predominantly cognitive and mind-centric, it can be a little risky to lean into the artistry of healership in much the same way it can be difficult for some to lean into the messiness of arts and crafts. I'm thinking of people who don't wanna get paint on their clothes, or can't stand to get their hands stuck into the clay. Many people have technical proficiency and no flair because they're scared of what might result if they take a risk and do things wrong. I think underlying this is so often a sense of shame.
Why are we in our minds to begin with? Because we think we should be? Sometimes these “should’s” are external, and come from being told (or modelled) what's okay and what's not. As children we copy and obey the grownups who mostly operate from their minds. Some of the “should’s” are internal. When our unpredictable behaviour, our genius, our creative light, and our native intuition is shamed as children, we learn to shut it down to keep ourselves safe, by internalising an inner-voice that tells us we shouldn’t. This inner-voice actually shames us internally to prevent the shaming from others, and so our shame just compounds. When we are carrying shame, our safe place can easily become our minds where there are right answers, and we can be sure of things. When we feel shame, we are afraid to do things wrong, or badly, or make mistakes, because of how crushing it will feel when that shame rears its head and doubles down with fresh fodder. So we can refrain from taking risks, refrain from following our instincts, and play it safe. Keeping things neat and tidy, but unimaginative and miles from our genius.
Really, I'm not advocating that we become reckless, of course, those tools are there for a reason. In music and art, learning the framework and the tools correctly is an important precursor. True genius involves knowing the tools and then how to transcend the tools, to stretch those tools in innovative and creative ways to expand what we can do with them beyond the original conception of them. So I'm not suggesting that we are reckless with our self healing or our clients, but I am suggesting that once we have mastered the tools of the trade, and have grasped the science of it, that we need to move beyond this into the art of it. We can become free, unfettered and unconstrained from the limitations that prevent us from accessing a deeper genius.
Great artists, great musicians, great craftsmen, all master the science of their discipline, and then they make it their own. The creative force moves through them and makes use of the skills they have acquired. The skills are not the art. The creative force utilises them, but transcends them. As the creative force moves through each individual, it will be imbued with the unique signature of that individual, and the same inspiration would translate into a different manifestation depending on what the individual can do to bring it to life. The artist can make use of many tools - a genius musician may be expert at piano, but would be able to make a nice sound on a variety of instruments because he can flex his transferable skills to an unfamiliar medium - just like an artist adept with oil pain can still make a pretty darn good thing with acrylic. Your healing art is no different. Even if you have learned a dozen tools - if you have mastered reiki, reflexology, hypnotherapy, or any other modality as a science, what remains is for you to make it into your art. What is your signature? What is your style? And can you trust it? Surrender to the creative flow of your healing ability?
This isn’t to say we should all be individualists and make it all about us - our healing expressing our personal ego. It is to acknowledge that we are unique, and carry a unique frequency which includes the codes and blueprints for all of the healing we have done already, the energy of all the wounds we still carry, and the signature of the essence of our soul. When we look for a healing practitioner to work with, we rarely pick based solely on the modality they offer. I have worked in a modality I’d never considered because it happens to be what the person I want to work with uses. We might have a preference for a particular modality, yet even then, we will select the person we want to work with based on how they understand our specific issues, which will usually be because of the experience they have with it, and what they have healed within themselves with a similar resonance.
My offering, as I reach the end of this post, is that to access your healing genius and unleash the artistry of your healership, you will need to focus on clearing your own blocks, especially shame, from your own energy system. Use whichever modalities you like, but ensure that you have a framework for the healing process that transcends them, so that you can see how the healing tools are to be used for the overall project, which the tools simply help you with. A carpenter understands the principles of furniture making, and which tools are good for which part of the task. Likewise, a good healer understands the healing process, and which healing modalities are good for different parts of the process. There is no better way to learn this than to dive into your own healing journey. Learn to release the constraints to your healership artistry genius by bringing your consciousness deep into the heart of the wounding that limited it in the first place. You are your own masterpiece, to be curated throughout your life. If you are looking for support with this journey, join me for the Be Beloved: Self Love Initiation which will be the first of three deeply magical courses aimed to support HSPs and empaths working in the helping and healing professions to overcome these constraints, as well as nervous system overload, people pleasing, and burnout so they can develop self trust, a healthy ‘yes’ and ‘no’, and serve the people they help sustainably, and with more depth and impact, from the overflow of their own cup. On this journey you’d be empowered with self healing tools that allow you to have energetic awareness and mastery and self love, and awaken the healing genius within so you can make art of your healership.