Why I don’t call myself a “Healer”
I was at an event recently where I met someone who proclaimed themselves as being a healer. “I’m a Healer, I’ve healed over 90,000 people and counting.” I cringed hearing them boast and brag about who they were and it certainly didn’t make me want to relate or connect with them. It wasn’t the first time I’ve heard people speak about themselves this way but this time it certainly had me question why this turned me off so much. It always seems when people throw this term around they are trying to express how important the work they do is, and how dedicated they are to it. And yet it comes off as anything BUT that. It comes off as inflated ego, and elevated sense of self, putting oneself on pedestal, a holier than thou proclamation of purpose. And I can accept ALL of that. toxic ego behavior is rampant in our society and I’m positive that I have moments of this myself.
The MAIN issues I have with calling oneself a healer is that:
1) it implies that YOU are what HEALS people. That if it weren’t for YOU people would not be able to heal. That we need someone else to fix us. It puts the spotlight and responsibility of healing on the “healer”.
2) It ALSO implies that being HEALED is a destination rather than a continuous journey.
Which is the exact OPPOSITE of what I have learned, teach and practice. I actually believe this line of thinking is exactly what keeps people suffering and entrapped in their state of disease.
No one is responsible for YOUR healing. NO ONE knows how to heal you better than YOURSELF. And NO ONE can facilitate the healing process unless you are first and foremost open to it! This goes for Western / Modern medicine and Eastern / Holistic practices. Any professional in healthcare will tell you that the no. 1 determining factor in the success of any medicine or procedure is how the patient / client feels about the treatment. If they don’t BELIEVE they will get better they WON’T. True healing starts with you, NOT the “healer” Whenever clients thank me for “fixing” or “healing” them I respond with “I’m only part of what helped you heal. You were open and vulnerable and worked WITH me to heal yourself. All I did was provide a safe space for you to heal yourself.” People are in awe of us for the knowledge and services we provide. What they fail to realize is that we are actually in awe of THEM, for their courage, resilience, and dedication to feeling and living better. THEY are the heroes in this story NOT the healer.
I also remind them that the clients I see lasting results with are the ones that go home and do more to support the healing process. Process being the operative word. Healing and health isn’t a destination or a landing pad. It is a continual process of self / body awareness. Its implementing lifestyle changes that relieve stress on the body rather than perpetuating it. Its untangling the web of conscious and unconscious choices we made to disrupt homeostasis, creating a new plan, and most importantly following through with it. and ALL a therapist or healthcare professional REALLY does is help up connect the dots by providing a safe, non judgmental place for us to unpack our baggage and confront it.
By calling yourself the “healer” you are not only creating more work for yourself that is impossible to achieve, you are miseducating people on what it takes to heal, but WORST of all you are taking all of the credit away from the individual who actually did and is doing all the work in the first place.
