Like all of us, I ventured into spiritual and alternative practices hoping to find peace and happiness. When I was ready, I started my own business, hoping that others would be able to enjoy the same happiness as me. But for several years now, I have encountered a major problem in the spiritual world.
The model
Energy healers and mediums like myself practise a profession that is recognised as liberal in our society and are in indirect competition with their ‘colleagues’… Not to mention the fact that spirituality is currently a very fashionable phenomenon. Every practitioner must do everything possible to stand out and attract people. We therefore promote our services and ourselves, just as a salesperson must sell products.
This is not surprising: every good salesperson knows that people don’t pay for a product, but for an experience. In our case, it’s a feeling of fulfilment.
It’s logical. It’s human nature.
I am just as much a part of this system. We all need to eat. But the system has taken a very perverse turn: as good salespeople, we have unconsciously and gradually focused on the feeling rather than the result itself.
What has changed?
Over the years, I have observed the following phenomenon: people find themselves in a constant search for feelings, to the point where they live in a bubble and lose all contact with reality. And, curiously enough, I see this feeling of fulfilment gradually giving way to another feeling: I see that people have started to seek a feeling of validation.
Once again, I can only understand. Humans have always sought this, throughout history, on every continent. And we all suffer from it. But our environment exacerbates the problem because it perpetuates our dependence on worry.
On the one hand, I see many people becoming addicted to obsessively solving an existential problem, to the point where I wonder if, at the risk of losing all importance, they are giving up on being well (yes, to that extent!).
On the other hand, I see many people who call themselves “spiritual” and start to look down on others, convinced that they have innate knowledge thanks to their “intuition” or our “enlightened wisdom”. They start to stop listening to others because “their feelings tell them so”, or they infantilise themselves in order to gain maximum recognition.
Because of our attitude, I observe the following phenomenon: more and more people are losing touch with reality and taking refuge in a ‘spiritual bubble’ of comfort, to the point of losing touch with themselves.
This is not a phenomenon unique to our milieu. It is human, societal, certainly in the Western world. And I became interested in spirituality precisely to keep my feet on the ground… Except that this milieu is exacerbating the problem at the moment.
How do I understand my profession?
In my view, the very principle of spirituality is to detach oneself in order to act consciously and responsibly, with all one’s power. To no longer need a medium or messages of comfort to feel alive. So my goal is for people not to attend my sessions regularly, or to stop looking for the practitioner who makes them feel important.
I see myself as nothing more than a breath of fresh air, helping people to live their lives rather than run away from them. A breath of fresh air. Nothing more.
How I understand spirituality
Etymologically, “spirituality” means “relating to the spirit”. This means that, in a way, spiritual practice consists of encountering one’s spirit, and therefore oneself.
In order to encounter one’s spirit, one must be able to take the time to face oneself rather than seek a feeling that fills a void. Being able to be honest with oneself and take responsibility for one’s actions in daily life are the foundations of good spirituality.
La spiritualité est avant tout un travail individuel, lequel demande un engagement profond. Ce n’est pas une activité récréative hebdomadaire.
Being spiritual means learning to become an adult.
Conclusion
The issue is too complex to be summarised in this article.
But what could I do: sound the alarm? Live with the times? Give up my job to avoid making things worse?
In any case, I am taking a stand:
A psychologist friend told me that our job, as helpers, is to enable others to reclaim their power and freedom, but not to do the work for them. We are incapable of doing that. That is why I do this job.
If you want to be in control of your own life, here is my link and my training courses.
But please note: I do not sell dreams, I do not mother you to make you feel important, and I know the legal limits. I am neither a therapist nor a psychologist. I hope to provide an alternative to traditional practices so that anyone who wants to can face their reality, face themselves, and come out better for it.