Over the years I have come to know and work with many healers – some are truly exceptional, others struggle with the gift that has been given to them.  They struggle  to reconcile it with their every day lives, their jobs, the communities in which they live.  And then there are the would-be healers, those who see healing as an opportunity to exploit.

I remember reading a book once in which the author was trying to identify healers to be avoided if I can put it that way.  The advice was to avoid those who wore flashy watches or drove big cars on the basis that they must be charlatans, in it only for the money.  Sound advice you might say, I expect my healer to be selling the Big Issue to make ends meet and healing for free in his spare time.

But let’s just think that through for a moment.

Let’s return to conventional medicine and consider the following:  You are ill and have a choice of two doctors.  The first is bohemian in appearance, obviously does not spend a huge amount of time on his appearance whilst the other wears an expensive suit and is clearly successful.  Both claim to be at the top of their field. Which doctor would you choose to work with you?  The bohemian or the other?  Now in practice of course you would have done some research beforehand to determine who was best for you.  Wouldn’t you?  Or would you ignore the well turned out doctor on the basis that he clearly was more interested in himself, his money than you as the patient?  The choice is yours.  Obviously to exclude one in favour of another simply based on appearances would seem to be the least effective means of choosing between the two.  Furthermore, to apply a blanket prejudice to all doctors on such a basis, or indeed healers, would seem to me to be inappropriate to say the least.

I would suggest to you that you apply the same process of logic and informed selection to your choice of healer – research the healer, who do you know who has worked with the healer?  But more importantly, I would suggest that you spend some time with the healer before you begin a process of healing so that you begin to understand how the two of you may work together. 

In my own practice I regularly meet with patients prior to any healing session to ascertain whether or not we are able to work together.  And with regard to what you wear, or how you look, well, I have had patients who have been more comfortable with me treating them wearing a suit than wearing jeans – yet I have also had the opposite experience.  Ultimately it does not matter what you wear or what car you drive or what watch you happen to have.  What does matter and what is most important is that you feel able to work with the healer you have chosen, that you feel able to put your trust in their ability to work with you and with Spirit.

So what types of healer are there?  Well in my experience I have come across at least six – the bohemian, the earnest healer, the novice, the tormented healer, the charlatan and of course the true healer.

The bohemian:  this healer will typically have spent the last few years in India or somesuch country working closely with his guru. He, for it will inevitably be a he, will have trekked the Hindu Kush, will have endured life threatening experiences and will have now returned to his home country where he travels around from festival to festival earning a living from helping you to identify your guides, drawing pictures of your guides and offering to help you find the true meaning of your existence.  He may also do parties where he is for hire provided you guarantee a minimum number of interested individuals to whom he may suggest that they try various plants and herbs to alleviate their suffering.  Inevitably he will smell of incense, wear flipflops or sandals, perhaps even a kaftan.  He will regale you with tales of daring do, will be highly personable and charming.

The earnest healer:  this is the healer who has spent a huge amount of time in study of his or her craft.  Typically he or she started out with reiki and progressed on from there.  Healing for this healer is something which must be practised again and again, certificates must be gained which identify for all to see the skillsets which have been learned.  Always aware that they can never fully learn all that they feel they must learn to be an effective healer, they come to healing from a place of humility.  They are the most likely to be invited to give a talk at the Women’s Guild.  They are sincere, honest and will be charging the lowest fees!

The novice:  the novice healer is perhaps the most endearing of all.  It is still possible to pick out and see the sheer wonderment in his or her eyes at the gifts that have been given, this coupled with bewilderment at just how it has been possible.  The novice is most likely to overrun the time spent with a patient, yet is also the most likely to be crystal clear on the boundaries that must be set for a healing session.  The novice will be focussed, will be a little nervous but will be coming to the healing session from a position of purity and truth.  These healers are to be cherished. Spend time with them while you can for they will not remain novices for long.

The tormented healer:  for the tormented healer the gifts are not gifts, they are crosses to be borne.  The tormented healer is constantly questioning.  He questions his right to heal, his right to spend time with his patients when this takes him away from family and friends.  He questions how he can co-exist in the “modern” world whilst working with Spirit, just how can he possibly walk in two worlds?  He questions whether he could have done more for certain patients, whether he was too arrogant with others, too approachable with some.  He questions his gifts, his ability to channel, his interaction with Spirit.  He feels an outsider, unable to share the burden he carries for no-one can truly understand all that he has to endure. Unquestionably the tormented healer will be one of the most professional and competent healers you could ever wish to meet.  He will understand his role as the channel and will constantly seek to improve in his abilities to work with Spirit for he will never be able to recognise his true capabilities without significant self-questioning.  These healers should be the most in demand for they operate from a position of true humility and channel the purest of healing.

The charlatan:  Having spotted an opportunity to make something more for themselves than for others, the charlatan thrives in the healing world.  Something of a showman, he plays to the crowd.  His healing sessions are more often dramatic discourses than true healings.  He will inevitably appear compassionate, will attempt to sign you up for a long course of treatment and proceed to recommend no end of retreats and training courses, for you too have been chosen to receive the benefits of Spirit – oh yes and of course he runs all these events so you’ll be in safe hands!  These are the healers who will be able to point to no end of certificates attesting to their prowess, will have worked with some serious names (“can’t say who, client confidentiality you understand, but if you watch the television tonight, lets just say they’ll be on at 9 o’clock”), will recommend that you think very carefully before stopping any such healing and will accept all kinds of payment, provided that it is cash!

The true healer:  does not exist or at least I have yet to meet him or her for all of us healers struggle and pass through each of the phases that I mention above – yes even the charlatan to greater or lesser extent and if for nothing else than the drama and the showmanship.  I challenge you to find any healer who has not been tempted at least once to perform as a charlatan, who did not start out as the novice, who at times is tormented by his gifts and the use he must make of them and wishes he might return to the life of the bohemian before concluding that the earnest route is the only way to go, if only they could do so! 

Such is the life of the healer.  It has its highs and its lows.  It has its moments of true confidence and mastery, its moments of magical wonder and its moments of deepest self analysis and doubt.  The true healer is the one who recognises that after all he is only human.  He was put here for a reason and his gifts are just those, gifts bestowed by Spirit.  They may be taken away at any moment yet when used well they have the ability to move mountains, to change lives, to impact in ways which are both unimaginable and truly magical...

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