Every Therapist and Healing Practitioner will experience it at least once...
That moment where the lines of professional and personal boundaries are blurred, and your client stirs up very real and emotional feelings within you, which may be challenging to contain and difficult to ‘let go’ once the session is over.
- It could be feelings of empathy for a heartbroken Mother who has experienced miscarriage,
- It could be feelings of heaviness and toxicity working with a depressed client
- It could be unpleasant feelings brought on by a client who morally challenges you
- It could be feelings of anger, fear, sadness, lethargy, responsibility, grief….
It can be difficult not to experience these very real, and very profound emotions when we are working in such an energetically intimate way with another person. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that you have set in place a self-protection strategy for yourself, to prevent serious burn-out or emotional conflict.
Energetic and emotional boundaries can be especially difficult to maintain for Healers and Counsellors who are also empaths (which, let’s face it, is most of us!). Here are a few protection rituals that I have found to be especially effective for providing emotional and spiritual protection before, during and after a healing or counselling session:
BEFORE THE SESSION
INVOKE YOUR GARDIANS
Spend at least 5 minutes prior to the start of your healing day in communication with your spirit guardians. Your spirit guardians could be angels, deceased ancestors, spirit guides, or any other being you have a spiritual relationship with. Ask your guardians to extend their protection to your while working with your clients and provide their guidance and support during the session.
THE CLEANSING RAIN CURTAIN
Before you step into your healing space, visualise that the entrance is protected by a curtain of water (like a shower) that you have to pass through. Visualise the water being your favourite healing colour, and as you pass through the ‘curtain’, imagine it cleansing and preparing you for the healing space. Feel all your own ‘stuff’ (such as stress, tiredness, bad mood etc) being rinsed from your body and aura, releasing and cleansing you. As you enter your healing space, notice how much lighter and cleansed you feel.
PROTECTION SHIELD
Create an energetic protection shield around yourself before your client arrives by taking a large piece of Selenite, Black Tourmaline or Smoky Quartz and sweeping it all through your aura space. Start at the top of your head, and use firm downwards motions to ‘sweep’ any energetic debris from your aura. As you do this, visualise a thick smoky film being created by the crystal, which completely surrounds you. This film will act as a shield during the session and will deflect any negative energy from entering your energy space.
DURING THE SESSION
PROTECTIVE CRYSTALS
It is an excellent idea to place protective crystals between yourself and your client during the session. If you are a Counsellor and sit at a desk, then a large crystal placed in between yourself and your client’s chairs will work. If you are an Energy Healer or massage therapist who is in close physical contact with your clients, then crystals can be discreetly placed inside belt-pouches, on necklaces or inside your clothing. Amethyst and Citrine are excellent choices when working with clients who are energetically quite ‘heavy’ (such as clients with depression, anger or addictions). Selenite, Smoky Quartz or Black Tourmaline are more suited to clients who have negative thought processes, or who are energy ‘vampires’ and leave you feeling quite drained.
ESSENTIAL OILS
Burning or diffusing essential oils throughout the session can help immensely in keeping the air clear and eliminating negative vibrations. Good choices are Frankincense, White Sage, Lavender, Sandalwood, Cedarwood and Peppermint. Always make sure your client is not sensitive to oils prior to using them in the healing space!
AFTER THE SESSION
SMUDGING
Smudging is the act of burning select purifying herbs and sweeping the smoke around your space. You can even use a feather to fan the smoke around with more effectiveness. It is a great practice to not only smudge your client at the conclusion of each session, but once your client has left, smudge your healing room and your own aura too. White Sage, Sweetgrass, Lavender and Palo Santo are all very pleasant-smelling herbs, popular for their healing and cleansing properties. Always make sure your client is not sensitive to oils prior to using them in the healing space!
CUT THE CORD
It is perfectly natural to form threads of energetic attachment that connect your client and you to each other. These threads can be helpful in establishing trust, honesty and compassion and are essential in forming genuine relationships between people. But while these threads may serve you and your client in the healing room, they can cause you to become too emotionally and energetically invested in your client once the session is over. You may even begin to ‘own’ your clients moods and energetic experiences, not realising that what you are feeling is actually a result of the energetic connection that remains between you. It is good practice to ‘cut the cord’ between yourself and your client after every session. This visualisation only takes a couple of minutes and involves using scissors (or your fingers) to ‘cut’ through the space around you (especially over your Heart, Throat and 3rd Eye). As you snip through the air, visualise these thin threads being severed, and the energetic ties being released. You should feel immediately lighter, unburdened and freer.
THE CLEANSING RAIN CURTAIN
Finally, the ‘Cleansing Curtain’ can work in reverse too. Once your work day is over and you are ready to re-enter your own world, you need to pass back through the cleansing curtain. This time visualise passing through a white or golden ‘curtain’ of water at you step through the doorway. Feel it washing away any remining energetic residue that you do not wish to take with you. Stand in the doorway for as long as you need to, until you feel ready to step back into your own space, cleansed, unburdened and energetically intact.
Got your own protection rituals that you’d like to share? Pop them in the comments section below!
By Kate Mantello
About the author:
Kate Mantello is a Master Transpersonal Crystal Therapist with over 10 years’ experience. She is the Founder and Educational Director of the energetic healing academy, Evolve Holistic Healing, and her internationally recognised online crystal healing courses are delivered globally. For a more transformational healing experience, Kate also hosts small group, intensive training retreats in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, Australia.
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