I think it’s important to explain what causes a Healing Crisis after receiving healing work, and what we can do about it.
Your body is constantly changing, both cellularly and energetically. On a basic level, your body’s goal is to maintain stasis, even if some part or parts of you are currently unhealthy, your body will still try to maintain some sense of equilibrium around the unhealthy parts. The goal of energetic healing work is to remove stagnant and stuck energy that is holding you back and replace it with dynamic cleansed energy. When you do this, there’s going to be a significant shift in the balance that your body has worked hard to create and maintain.
“But I Thought I Was Supposed to Feel Great?”
Healing body work includes all types of massage, Reiki, Angel Energy Healing, Acupuncture, Acupressure, Crystal healing, Pranic healing, Channeling, Aura cleansing, Chakra cleansing, and so much more. I’ve heard from numerous people who report that, against their expectations, they felt absolutely awful after a healing session. Typically their symptoms have mimicked the flu and only lasted one or two days, but there are some who feel exceptionally drained, both physically and emotionally.
This can be incredibly discouraging and confusing if you don’t understand that this is actually exactly what you want! Energy gets stuck for a reason. Often it’s because you can’t or don’t want to face something difficult. Energy can also get stuck from trauma, crises, numbness, or denial. Some part of you, whether it’s your ego, your body wisdom, or your spirit wisdom, is trying to protect you.
Rather than feeling everything in the moment and letting it pass through, thoughts and emotions (energy) gets stuffed down into your energetic corners, so to speak. Enough stuffing and you’ll have physical manifestations like pain and disease. It’s protection, and in the short term, it’s not a bad thing. Only when numbing and stuffing become a habit and your default coping method do you get into trouble. In the long run, this protection doesn’t serve you, but the body holds on to it thinking its helping.
Any type of cleansing or healing that you do will come with a release. This can happen on a physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual level, and often happens on several levels simultaneously.
When toxins and toxic energy are released, your body and mind have to deal with a sudden and powerful shift in balance. It’s impossible to have a release in any of your three bodies (physical, energetic, spiritual) and not have the other two affected. As I said, your body is good at maintaining stasis, so symptoms are usually mild. But symptoms are always unique depending on your sensitivity, your level of illness or disease, and your frame of mind during the session.
This is often referred to as “The Healing Crisis.” You are releasing the old low energy and replacing it with new high energy. Your three bodies have to adjust because you’ve changed the stasis point. While each of your three bodies searches for new balance, you’re likely to experience uncomfortable symptoms.
I suggest the following:
Drink extra water for a few days. This helps your physical body flush toxins and helps to keep everything circulating.
Meditate in the evenings before bed. This will help your spiritual body by creating some extra space and some quiet within your busy mind.
Get extra rest by going to bed a little earlier or letting yourself sleep in a little later. Don’t completely disrupt your routine, but by giving yourself some extra time, you’ll help your energetic body to relax and regenerate.
Slow down and pay attention to what’s happening. So often, we believe that thinking is the best way to process and sort things, but writing it all down is an effective tool to dig down to the deeper layers of our needs and desires.
Put extra emphasis on a good diet and cut back on indulgences for a while.
Most of all stay present and accepting these changes is key.