When to See a Therapist vs. When to See an Energy Healer

BY NICOLE LAU

You're struggling. You're in pain. You need help. But should you see a therapist or an energy healer?

This question comes up constantly in spiritual communities, and the answer is often polarized: "Therapy is the only real help" or "Energy healing is all you need."

But the truth is more nuanced. Therapists and energy healers serve different—and complementary—functions. They address different layers of healing. And for many people, the most effective approach is BOTH.

This is your complete guide to understanding when to see a therapist, when to see an energy healer, and how to integrate both for comprehensive healing.

What Therapists Do (And Don't Do)

What Therapists Provide

Licensed mental health professionals (therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists) are trained to:

• Diagnose and treat mental health conditions (depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc.)
• Provide evidence-based treatments (CBT, EMDR, DBT, psychodynamic therapy, etc.)
• Help you process trauma through talk therapy and somatic techniques
• Teach coping skills and emotional regulation
• Provide a safe, confidential, professional container for healing
• Prescribe medication (psychiatrists) when needed
• Navigate crisis situations and safety planning

What Therapists Don't Provide

• Spiritual guidance or meaning-making (unless they're also trained in spiritual counseling)
• Energy work or chakra balancing
• Psychic readings or intuitive insights
• Quick fixes (therapy is a long-term process)
• Friendship (the relationship is professional and boundaried)

The Therapist's Scope

Therapists work with:

• Your mind (thoughts, beliefs, cognitive patterns)
• Your emotions (feelings, emotional regulation)
• Your behavior (actions, habits, coping mechanisms)
• Your relationships (attachment, communication, boundaries)
• Your nervous system (through somatic therapies)

Therapists generally DON'T work with:

• Your energy body (chakras, aura, meridians)
• Your soul or spiritual essence
• Past lives or karmic patterns
• Spiritual entities or guides

What Energy Healers Do (And Don't Do)

What Energy Healers Provide

Energy healers (Reiki practitioners, shamanic healers, intuitive healers, etc.) work with:

• Your energy body (chakras, aura, meridians)
• Energetic blockages and imbalances
• Soul-level healing (soul retrieval, past life work)
• Spiritual guidance and intuitive insights
• Connection to guides, ancestors, or higher self
• Energetic clearing and protection

What Energy Healers Don't Provide

• Diagnosis or treatment of mental health conditions
• Evidence-based psychological interventions
• Crisis intervention or safety planning
• Medication management
• Long-term psychological processing (that's therapy's role)

The Energy Healer's Scope

Energy healers work with:

• Your energy body and subtle anatomy
• Your spiritual essence and soul
• Energetic imprints of trauma (not the psychological processing)
• Your connection to the divine/universe/guides
• Karmic patterns and soul contracts

Energy healers generally DON'T work with:

• Clinical mental health diagnoses
• Cognitive restructuring or behavioral change
• Deep psychological processing of trauma narratives
• Crisis situations requiring professional intervention

When to See a Therapist

You NEED a Therapist If:

• You have suicidal thoughts or self-harm urges (This is a crisis—see a therapist or go to the ER immediately)
• You have a diagnosed mental health condition (Depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar, etc. require professional treatment)
• You're experiencing severe symptoms (Can't function at work, can't get out of bed, panic attacks, dissociation)
• You have trauma that needs processing (Abuse, assault, loss—therapy provides the safe container for this work)
• You need to learn coping skills (Managing anxiety, regulating emotions, setting boundaries)
• You're in a crisis (Divorce, job loss, grief—therapists help you navigate acute stress)

You Should Consider a Therapist If:

• You're struggling with relationships or communication
• You have patterns you can't break (self-sabotage, people-pleasing, etc.)
• You want to understand your childhood and how it affects you now
• You need accountability and structure in your healing
• You want evidence-based treatment with measurable outcomes

When to See an Energy Healer

You Might Benefit from an Energy Healer If:

• You feel energetically blocked or stuck (Even though you're doing therapy and the work)
• You have chronic physical issues with no medical cause (After ruling out medical problems, energy work can help)
• You feel fragmented or not fully present (Soul retrieval can help)
• You're seeking spiritual guidance or meaning (Energy healers can provide this)
• You want to work with past lives or karmic patterns (This is outside therapy's scope)
• You need energetic clearing or protection (Especially if you're empathic or energetically sensitive)
• You're doing well psychologically but want deeper spiritual work

You Should NOT Rely Only on an Energy Healer If:

• You have severe mental health symptoms
• You're in crisis
• You have trauma that needs psychological processing
• You need medication management
• You're avoiding therapy by only doing energy work

The Integrated Approach: Both/And, Not Either/Or

The most effective healing often combines therapy AND energy work.

How They Complement Each Other

Therapy provides:

• The psychological container and processing
• Cognitive and behavioral tools
• Nervous system regulation
• Professional accountability and structure

Energy work provides:

• The energetic clearing and rebalancing
• Soul-level healing and integration
• Spiritual meaning-making
• Connection to something greater

Together, they address:

• Mind (therapy)
• Body (somatic therapy + energy work)
• Emotions (therapy)
• Energy (energy work)
• Soul (energy work)
• Spirit (energy work + spiritual counseling)

Example: Healing Sexual Trauma

With a therapist:

• Process the trauma narrative safely
• Work through shame and self-blame
• Learn to set boundaries
• Regulate the nervous system (somatic therapy)
• Address relationship impacts

With an energy healer:

• Clear energetic imprints from the sacral chakra
• Retrieve soul fragments that left during the trauma
• Restore energetic boundaries
• Reconnect to your body and sexuality as sacred
• Release energetic cords to the perpetrator

Together: Comprehensive healing of mind, body, emotions, energy, and soul.

How to Choose the Right Therapist

Look For

• Proper credentials: Licensed therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist
• Trauma training: Especially if you have PTSD (look for EMDR, somatic experiencing, or trauma-focused CBT training)
• Good fit: You feel safe, heard, and understood
• Evidence-based approaches: They use proven methods, not just talk
• Cultural competence: They understand your background and identity

Red Flags

• Not licensed or credentialed
• Promises quick fixes or guarantees
• Crosses boundaries (personal relationship, financial exploitation)
• Dismisses your spirituality or pathologizes it
• Doesn't respect your autonomy or pushes their agenda

How to Choose the Right Energy Healer

Look For

• Training and experience: Certified in their modality (Reiki, shamanic healing, etc.)
• Ethical practice: Clear boundaries, informed consent, doesn't make medical claims
• Good fit: You feel safe and their approach resonates
• Referrals: They refer to therapists when appropriate
• Grounded approach: They don't engage in spiritual bypassing

Red Flags

• Claims to cure mental illness or replace therapy
• Makes you dependent on them ("You need to see me weekly forever")
• Crosses boundaries (romantic/sexual, financial exploitation)
• Engages in fear-mongering ("You have a curse," "You're under attack")
• Charges exorbitant fees or pressures you to buy products/services
• Discourages you from seeing a therapist

Telling Your Therapist About Energy Work (And Vice Versa)

Should You Tell Your Therapist You See an Energy Healer?

Yes, if:

• Your therapist is open-minded and won't pathologize it
• It's relevant to your treatment
• You want integrated care

Be cautious if:

• Your therapist is dismissive of spirituality
• You fear judgment or being labeled "delusional"

How to bring it up: "I also work with an energy healer for spiritual support. I wanted you to know because it's part of my healing process."

Should You Tell Your Energy Healer You're in Therapy?

Absolutely yes. A good energy healer will be glad you're getting professional support and will work in complement to your therapy.

When Energy Work Is NOT Appropriate

• Active psychosis: Needs psychiatric intervention first
• Suicidal crisis: Needs immediate professional help
• Severe dissociation: Needs trauma therapy to stabilize first
• Acute mental health crisis: Energy work is not crisis intervention

In these cases, see a therapist or psychiatrist FIRST. Energy work can come later, once you're stabilized.

The Cost Factor

Therapy:

• Often covered by insurance (in the US and some other countries)
• Sliding scale options available
• Community mental health centers offer low-cost services

Energy Healing:

• Rarely covered by insurance
• Can be expensive ($75-$300+ per session)
• Some practitioners offer sliding scale

If cost is a barrier: Prioritize therapy (especially if you have trauma or mental health issues). Add energy work when you can afford it.

The Deeper Truth

You don't have to choose between therapy and energy work. You can have both. You SHOULD have both if you're dealing with trauma or deep wounds.

Therapists heal the mind and emotions. Energy healers heal the energy body and soul. Both are necessary for whole-person healing.

Don't let anyone tell you that one is "enough" or that the other is "woo-woo" or "not real." Your healing is multidimensional. Your support should be too.

Get the help you need—all of it.

Next: Grounding Techniques for Trauma Survivors—safety in the body.