In the years that I have been working professionally with clients, I have often wondered what makes a great healer. What makes one person excel and another fall by the wayside? What skills are required? How much can be learned, and how much is based on natural talent? And how can I improve my skills and offer a greater service to my clients?
I discovered that it's much the same as anything in life. If you have the desire to accomplish something and the determination to follow through, you can achieve anything.
What makes one excel is the ability to be authentic, to let go of the ego's need for recognition and superiority, and to always be in a state of curiosity and open-mindedness. When you show up as the real you, it creates an energy that is so attractive that you become an invitation for others to be themselves also.
Your technique, your modality, and your skill level, while important, are secondary. I have seen young children lay their hands on people and facilitate phenomenal change because they have no self-judgements or expectations. They don't worry about getting it wrong or not being intuitive enough. They just show up and contribute in whatever way is fun for them.
Many beginning healers hold back because they think they aren't good enough. My advice is to step forward and get started. Practise with friends and family and even your pets, because this is how you grow your skills and confidence. Nothing can beat the experience of working with others to go deeper into the intricacies of healing. Your desire and determination to be of service and your curiosity for learning will create the fertile soil for becoming a wonderful healer who has something truly valuable to offer the world.
Being a healer is a journey that unfolds daily. The modalities you learn, the books you read, the events you attend, the clients you attract, and the self-work you do all contribute to who you are and what you have to offer others. This, along with your innate abilities, are all part of what you bring to the table as a healer and add to the uniqueness of your work.
You may not feel that you offer anything special, however we all have individual strengths that come so naturally to us that we often don't see their value. We may have latent talents that we suppress or resist using because of fear or lack of understanding. And we all have the expertise, wisdom, and experience gained through our own life journeys. As you start to own and acknowledge these gifts, not only will you see how much you have to offer, you'll gain a clearer picture of where you are heading as a healer.
I used to think I was very judgemental of people. Then I came to realise that I was reading their energy. I would pick up on the beliefs they have about themselves, and I could often see their past lives. One day I was at a friend's house. Her husband was watching football on the TV, and as I glanced at the game, I noticed certain players who had been gladiators in past lives. I assumed that everyone could see this and figured that if I told my friend, she would look at me and say, “Duh, anyone can see that!” Of course this wasn't the case, but it highlighted to me how we have abilities that we don't always recognise or understand.
At first I was annoyed by this so-called ability because it seemed useless to know such things, until one day it occurred to me to ask some questions: What was the point of this information? How could this contribute to my clients? This opened a whole new level of awareness. As I started to look closer, I could perceive a core energy that carried through from a person's past lifetime to his or her current lifetime which highlighted a deep part of who the person is that was being resisted of denied in some way. It was so profound that when I put it into words for someone, it brought tears to that person's eyes because it resonated at such a deep level. We can then use this information to shift anything that is blocking someone from embracing that energy in this lifetime. I finally came to see the gift in this ability.
In the case of the footballers, they were still playing out the energy of being in a large arena, watched and cheered on by many. The original core energy, as a gladiator, was about fighting for their lives as entertainment for others. And while as footballers they didn’t line up with sword and shield, the energy of fighting to overcome a challenge—win each game—was much the same. And each of them would resonate with this energy in a slightly different way.
What abilities do you have? Perhaps you are a natural at reading auras or find that people are comfortable opening up to you. Maybe you inspire others to take action, or you have strong leadership qualities. You may have counselling skills or work well with bodies, scents, sounds, crystals, or colours. This is what makes you unique and will contribute to your healing work in remarkable ways.