I often come across Reiki students who are chomping at the bit to learn as much as they can about healing and personal development.
I’ll be teaching them Reiki one day and they mention they’ve just learned reflexology, next minute they’re learning tarot, they’re going for a 4 day retreat, doing a bunch of other healing techniques one after the other to “heal” themselves.
I don’t blame them – when I first got into this world I was soooo excited and like a sponge wanting to learn anything and everything, as I found it all so fascinating. 😍
But that’s until I went into my first healing crisis – because I’d done too much over too short a time.
Think of it like exercise – the amount of stuff I was doing would be like the equivalent of going to the gym twice a day to do weights and cardio plus saunas and ice baths each day, and running a marathon at the weekend then expecting I could just carry on without falling into a heap. 💪🏻🧖🏼♀️🏃
Just like you need recovery time after working out, you also need integration time after any kind of healing.
Especially at the start, and especially if you’re nervous system is frazzled and you’ve got a lot of trauma to release – you’ve got to nudge through it more gently so you don’t fuck yourself over.
A “healing crisis” is basically your body and nervous system realising you want to speed through the releasing of all your past shite and saying “cool, so where do you want me to dump all this toxic energy?” ☠️
The symptoms can feel rough but it can also be a normal part of deep healing work.
Here’s how a healing crisis tends to show up:
EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER 🎢
😭 You may feel random waves of sadness, anger or grief move through you out of nowhere
🥺 More sensitive than usual
🤔 Old memories or triggers popping back up
🤬 Irritable/cranky as hell
😟 Anxiety spikes
😞 Generally feeling unsettled
This is your nervous system processing emotions you stuffed down in the past.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
🥱 Fatigue
🤧 Lethargy
🤕 Headaches or pressure in the head
🤒 Body aches, heaviness, flu-like vibes
😣 Digestive changes (bloating, weird appetite shifts)
💤 Sleep disturbances
This is your body reallocating energy to process and clear out old stuff.
MENTAL/ENERGETIC SYMPTOMS
😶🌫️ Brain fog/can’t think straight
🫥 Feeling disconnected or just “off”
🤔 Questioning everything (is this working? Aren’t I supposed to feel better? Am I losing my mind?)
😳 Heightened awareness of your own patterns (which can be confronting)
BEHAVIOURAL SHIFTS
😔 Wanting to isolate and go inwards
😤 Less tolerance for bullshit and drama (people, situations, your own habits)
🤗 Sudden urge to change things in your life
This is where you’ll either grow, or run back to what feels familiar because change is scary.
**THE IMPORTANT BIT**
Not every uncomfortable feeling is a healing crisis.
If symptoms are severe or getting worse quickly, lasting a long time without easing up or affecting your ability to function day-to-day, get proper medical or professional support. 👩⚕️
But for a true healing crisis, while it can feel like everything is getting worse before it gets better, you’re actually releasing stored emotional and energetic patterns, teaching your nervous system it’s safe to process it all and breaking the cycle of old coping mechanisms that aren’t serving you anymore.
HOW TO RIDE IT OUT
🛌 Slow down and rest – this isn’t one of those times where you should try to push through or soldier on
✋🏼 Give the energy work a rest – stop doing/learning as much and just let yourself integrate for a bit until you feel better
💦 Focus on the simple shit – drink enough water, nourish with good food, get enough rest and move your body
🌲 Get grounded in nature, with movement or with breathwork
📱 Reduce stimulation – get off your phone (put it in do not disturb), less work, less learning
🥰 Be selective with who you spend your time with – good vibes only
And DEFINITELY don’t make big life decisions when you’re mid-emotional purge.
A healing crisis is uncomfortable, yes – but it’s also a sign something big is finally shifting.
Just stick it out, you’ll be fine.
Sending much love and healing vibes,
