A Grounded Perspective
There is no shortage of spiritual teachers, healing methods, or training courses available now.
Some are thoughtful and well-held. Some are not.
If you’re looking to learn how to work with yourself – or support others – it’s worth taking a more measured approach to what you’re stepping into.
This isn’t about dismissing spiritual work. It’s about taking it seriously enough to question it.
Not Everything That Feels Powerful Is Useful
Many courses and practitioners focus on creating intense or altered experiences.
These can feel:
- profound
- emotional
- even life-changing in the moment
But that isn’t the same as something being integrated or sustainable.
A simple question I always return to is:
What actually changes in your day-to-day life after the experience?
If the answer is unclear – or if you’re left trying to recreate the experience – then something important is missing.
Disorientation Is Not Always “Processing”
There is a common narrative that if something feels confusing, overwhelming, or destabilising, it must mean something deep is happening.
Sometimes that’s true.
But sometimes it simply means:
- the space wasn’t well held
- the process wasn’t appropriate
- or your system is responding to something that doesn’t feel safe or coherent
Those distinctions matter.
You don’t need to reinterpret discomfort as growth in order to justify an experience.
Scale Matters More Than People Acknowledge
There is a significant difference between:
- working with a small, well-held group and
- participating in large-scale online trainings
Particularly when the work involves deep psychological or spiritual processes.
Not everything translates well to a large group setting.
And not every method should be taught in a way that prioritises scale over individual containment and support.
Clarity Over Performance
Some teachings rely heavily on language, symbolism, or complexity that can sound meaningful but is difficult to apply.
If you find yourself:
- trying to make something make sense
- relying on someone else to interpret your experience
- or feeling that you’re “not quite getting it”
Pause.
Depth does not require confusion.
You Should Become More Self-Trusting – Not Less
Any form of healing or training should move you toward:
- clearer thinking
- stronger boundaries
- and a more reliable connection to your own judgement
If you notice the opposite – more doubt, more reliance, more second-guessing – it’s worth paying attention to that.
Not Everyone Is Looking for the Same Thing
Some people are drawn to:
- heightened states
- emotional intensity
- or spiritual experiences that feel expansive
There’s nothing inherently wrong with that.
But it’s not the same as doing the kind of work that creates lasting, grounded change.
It’s important to know which one you’re actually looking for.
The approach I take is deliberately different.
It is:
- practical
- grounded
- and focused on integration rather than experience
Final Thought
You don’t need to be persuaded into something. You don’t need to override your own response.
If something doesn’t feel:
- clear
- well-held
- or grounded
It’s reasonable to question it.
I wrote this as a response to an experience of attending an intense online training. This has actually given me a lot of clarity on how to hold space for clients, what works, what doesn’t, and what I enjoy.
This post can also apply to workshops/retreats which offer substances to alter the mind and therefore claim to offer a ‘spiritual experience’ (such as ayahuasca or cacao ceremony).
