As technology, the pharmaceutical industry, and our modern obsession with treating the symptoms rather than the roots of illness have continued to evolve over the years, we have increasingly found ourselves living in a world that has separated itself from the natural healing perspective. At one point in human history, we relied directly on the earth for our spiritual sustenance and our inherent understanding of the different types of healing energies that exist within the world. Now, in search of what will make us look or feel better, most of us turn to the “quickest fix” without giving any thought to what the consequences may be.
People who are holistic healers likely feel a pull towards exploring the knowledge of more natural approaches and gaining an understanding of how they can be implemented into our lives. Here are some signs that you might be a natural healer yourself…
Your sensitivity is so high that it sometimes seems problematic. It’s hard for you to be around certain people, eat certain foods, and even watch certain things on TV. You just feel “off” a lot of the time and have to retreat to clear your mind or your energy in order to feel like yourself again. While sensitivity is often thought of as a “weak” quality, it’s actually a measure of incredible strength.
Being capable of immense feeling means that you are highly intuitive; it is ultimately this ability to be deeply in touch with yourself and your environment that is a crucial part of being a holistic healer. Being sensitive also gifts you with wonderful knowledge and emotions that are a privilege to experience— like those moments when you are able to profoundly connect with what another person is feeling without having direct context for that experience or the times when you feel wrapped up in gratitude for the beauty of this world.
Many natural healers have very vivid dreams because the dream state is where we are able to receive great amounts of information. Sometimes that information is just your subconscious having a moment to break through and speak to you without having to dodge all that daily mind chatter. Other times, those dream messages seem to be coming directly from the Source or a Spirit Guide of some sort. If you have vivid dreams where beings or animals come to you and give you information that you remember in your waking life, you’re probably a natural healer.
While most people like nature, holistic healers tend to feel an incredibly tight bond with Mother Earth. This might be a connection with animals, sensing an obligation to heal the planet, or just feeling "off" without the regular recharge that can only come from sitting right on the land and feeling that connection. That recharge can come from the grounding energy of the earth, the energy-boosting rays of the sun, or the healing properties of herbs in their natural state. Inherently, you know that the energy of the earth has more to offer your well-being than anything else does.
Additionally, natural healers tend to be both bonded to the natural world and sensitive to changes that it might be going through. You might be able to feel the different types of energy that run through different towns, which is partly why you can feel so at home in one place and slightly uncomfortable in another.
Many of us find ourselves fulfilling the role of a healer in our personal lives, regardless of what we do for a living. Holistic healers tend to get a lot of calls from family and friends who are seeking support because those people are responding to the loving energy that you’re naturally able to extend to those around you. If you’re already a doctor, therapist, or take part in some other Western healing modality, it’s also possible that you’re actually a natural healer. Sometimes people are drawn to those professions when they’re healers because those are more visible than the natural healing modalities. Many of the programs that SWIHA offers teach the tools needed to open up those natural healing abilities, such as reiki, life coaching, and facilitating mindfulness and guided imagery.
Many of us didn’t grow up with an awareness of what clean eating was. (Or necessarily have access to those whole and natural foods.) Some people continue to be complacent about nutrition and eat what’s easy and available, whether or not it’s actually good for their body. Natural healers tend to make a shift into a more holistic approach to food by eating things that nourish from the inside out. Sometimes this happens gradually, like a lessoning desire to drink alcohol or eat processed sugar. Other times it happens overnight when the body simply starts rejecting foods that it used to enjoy or tolerate. A shift in perspective around food and a desire to honor the physical body might be a sign that you’re a natural healer preparing to take on that role in a new way.
SWIHA is proud to offer many programs which can help train you to step into your natural role as a holistic healer, including our Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner Diploma Program with a Concentrated Track focusing on PTSD recovery, our Holistic Nutrition Wellness Practitioner Diploma, our Intuitive Guide Certificate of Excellence, and much more.