Why Healers Are Hesitant to Be Activists

Some years ago when I was studying before I was ready to begin practicing professionally, I had a lot more time on my hands, which I used to play in bands. There was a young man in one of these who was living in a community household of artists, healers, and activists. Or, one might say, young idealists, my kind of people. Although invited, he lived a little far for me to make the commute in those days. One thing he said really stood out to me "I don't know why the healers don't really get involved in the activism."

While I might prefer a certain type of client, I generally strive to create a space free of judgement. If I find that I'm unable to do that with a client, it's going to affect my ability to hold space for him/her. I need to see everyone as merely a human being in need and put their political/social/religious beliefs aside. If can't work without being triggered by these beliefs, well, then it's probably malpractice if I don't refer out.

If healers hope to get people in their offices and to dare I suggest subscribe to their way of supporting others, they have to appear cool, calm, and collected, especially in social environments where they could potentially network and make connections. Every new person I meet could potentially be a client, so I have to be strategic as to when to share my opinions on sensitive subjects. Anyone who really knows me, knows that this has been a long and challenging road to arrive at as I do have strong opinions.

I've had Trump supporters, transgender men and women, every color of the rainbow, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Liberals, Conservatives, and all kinds of other people on my table. I have strong socio-political beliefs and opinions on the state of the world and what I think should or shouldn't be done to make the world a better place, but that stays in my social circles. And I do attend marches and engage in discussions or debates over these things with friends, family, and occasionally people whom I just met, under the right circumstances. Again, it stays out of my office and off of my table.

A client who's been coming to me for some time really enjoys sharing his opinions about all sorts of things. Sometimes I have to slow him down just to make sure he gets the most out of the session. He once told me "I voted for Trump. You must hate me now." I could only respond "That's not my place in this space. I generally keep politics out of the sessions." Tension diffused and we're back on task.

Another thing to keep in mind is that healers have devoted their lives to doing what they feel makes the world a better place, even if just drop by drop in the ocean. If we allow our opinions and sentiments to overrun the choices we must make, then we only treat clients who think the way we do rather than people whom might turn over a new leaf. Not to mention that we have to make a living and anything that might limit our client numbers affects that.

Being an activist limits how many people might eventually subscribe to our way of thinking and come to our table. And it I might add that I find it arrogant for anyone, no matter how enlightened, woke, or justice oriented they might be, to believe that they're always right and somebody of opposite thinking has nothing to offer in widening their perspective.

It's a crazy world out there and regardless of which side of Trump's wall you might be standing on (literally or figuratively), I think most of us can agree that we're in an unprecedented era of the modern world. Like many of us, I'm just trying to fulfill the role in which I've found myself as effectively and positively as possible.