Who holds the keys to modern day healing?

I had an interesting conversation with someone the other day that has been on my mind ever since. They passionately said “healing has become so entangled with capitalistic, patriarchal norms that it has a choke hold on all of us.”

I sincerely agreed but also respectfully disagreed. “Healing” depends on the responsibility that we take for our own journey. If we look at our non-physical healing through the same lens as modern medicine where we outsource our innate ability to heal ourselves—always seeking the next guru, healer, session, retreat—it is the same as solely seeking the next prescription without addressing any other contributing factor to the illness. “Healing” is trendy right now with so many people uncovering their traumas and captialism indeed is close behind, ready to sell a quick fix with a heavy dose of spiritual bypassing.

But real healing can’t be bought. It can’t be packaged into a box with an alluring mysterious logo. We have to do the work ourselves. Real healing exists outside that pretty box we purchased and ultimately in our own hands. Healing is an innately biological, emotional, and spiritual process that belongs to life itself. It comes in the form of things that money can rarely buy—nature, community, art, friendship, and mutual care. However, somewhere in these superficial commodified modalities, those can sometimes be found.

Healing has always been a part of human nature. But the world we live in has distanced ourselves from these non-commodified aspects, even made them taboo. As messy and sometimes dangerous as the captialistic healing landscape is, it is often the first exposure people encounter to realize there are other options on their journey in life. An entry point. Curiosity. Accessibility. Maybe its the first realization that they deserve healing and something better. Healing is a journey, not a final destination. And if there is no destination to reach, it cannot truly be sold.

Honest and true healers sell the bundle of keys, it’s in our ability and responsibility to find the right one to help us walk through the next door in our journey. And most often, the key was in our pocket the whole time. We just didn’t know what it looked like without seeing the others.

So yes, it can both. Of course, be aware of anyone selling the be-all and end-all magic pill or the next high priced retreat that miraculously changes your life in one dose. But also, real healing often starts in unexpected places—sometimes even in your shopping cart.