What a blog to return to!
Maybe it’s all the Aries energy lately, or hormones in pregnancy, but something has really gotten under my skin, and what better way to share my opinion than to revive my blog!
I want to delve into what I consider the unfortunate downside of holistic and spiritual therapies, and that is the curse of the course- I’ll go into wider context first, and then explore how this relates specifically to crystals and why, in this particular instance, a certificate really means nothing more than the shiny paper it’s written on.
First and foremost, of course I support regulation across the holistic industry, especially in modalities where we are actually touching other people. I don’t fancy seeing a massage therapist whose only done an online course with no case studies or actual tuition, or a reflexologist whose only read a book, any more than I want to receive reiki from someone who has only practised their reiki on a teddy bear (and yes folks, I know for a fact that there are courses out there in the world that promote such a thing for learning- because a teddy bear can give feedback, right?).
I do, however, understand why there is so much hesitation and resistance to regulating the holistic industry. Because the question then becomes where is the line? How do we determine what a clairvoyant can see? Or what a reiki practitioner can feel? How do we decide what people experience energetically is “within regulations”? Of course, we can’t. It’s the very thing that makes this industry so beautiful and unique that actually makes it incredibly difficult to regulate because once you start, you can’t really stop. The slope is a slippery one and I can understand why there are not wider regulations around that.
And yes, there is insurance. Insurance for all of the modalities offered in the space exist in one form or another, but how does that actually translate? Well, my personal experience is that I was asked to describe, in detail, what I offer. I then had to check a box that said something to the effect of “I certify that I am trained appropriately to offer the above therapies.”and then my payment processed. Nobody actually checked any of my training, and I think that really says everything- that the training part is, in some ways, irrelevant. As a practitioner who does care about her standing in the industry, I have indeed done the training required for said practises. This is also where discernment and morality comes into play. For example, the course I did for past life regression did touch on other hypnotherapies, such as weight loss, stopping smoking etc- I had to do a hypnotherapy course first before I specialised in the past-life regression, so of course these things came up in case studies etc. Now, just because I’ve done the certificate does not mean in any way I want to be performing clinical hypnosis, and I am self-aware enough to know that would be an irresponsible thing to do. But, legally, as it stands, I could technically be insured. It’d be stupid and unsafe, but I could. And that scares me.
“Why does it scare you Teri?” I hear you ask. Because this space is a space where we help sometimes vulnerable people. I think of myself at the beginning of my journey into holistics and spirituality, and I was such a confused soul. If someone looked reputable, I’d have taken their word for it. I am so blessed that I feel into the right hands of some incredible human beings who I still adore and admire today. For many others, this is not the experience. It’s why I’m so passionate about not just doing things, but doing them right. It’s why I’ve spend endless hours researching and reading around my offerings- I don’t just do “woo woo”, as fun as it is, I am also insanely interested in the scientific nature of energy and how that translates to things like reiki, like crystals, like hypnosis, like essential oils. Can it always be explained? No, of course not, and we love that little bit of magic. But if there is science to support, you best believe I want to know it.
I recently had an incident at work that explained to me why some of these ad hoc, online classes can be very detrimental to our industry. I had someone come into the crystal shop I work in, who asked to see a specific mineral. The mineral she asked for is one that comes in a few varieties, all of which the shop carries. When she looked at the shelf and had a nosy she informed that the type she wanted isn’t here. Now, colour me confused, because in the mineral world there are only some varieties this crystal comes in and, as I said, they were all on the shelf. I curiously asked her what she meant, if maybe she meant another mineral because there is one very similar that does do that colour, but when I showed her she was adamant that wasn’t it and we didn’t have it. I asked her where she had heard of it, and she told me she had done a crystal course in-person recently in our local area and the lady doing the course had one on the table. She connected with it deeply, and she showed me a photo. Instantly I knew that photo was of a dyed/irradiated crystal, it was not natural and although the picture wasn’t brilliant, I am not even sure it’s the mineral she said it was. I tried to gently explain perhaps the lady doing the course had misspoke, but this woman doubled down. No, it was absolutely that mineral and it was absolutely that colour and it was definitely natural. Defeated, I shrugged my shoulders and just said then I guess I couldn’t help her.
Now, I was pretty irritated once she left. Not at her, not at the woman giving the course, but at the holistic space. These online courses, particularly in crystals, hardly touch the geology of anything. It’s all the spiritual stuff sure, but they aren’t intensive enough to help anyone know better. What has likely happened is a seller, who obviously didn’t know what they were selling either, has sold said crystal to the woman doing the in-person course, and told her what it was. Remember, there’s nothing stopping anyone from suddenly selling crystals, but that doesn’t mean they know what they’re doing either. This woman offering her in-person session has completed an online crystal healing course, and thinks she’s now an expert in crystals, and has gone on to spread this misinformation to however many people attended said session. And, before you say, “Teri, you’re assuming she did an online course.” I am not assuming anything, I know who the woman is, I have spoken to her previously in the shop and am well aware of what “training” she was doing only mere weeks ago. And therein lies the problem with online certificates and insurance- anyone can do them, and go on to get insured and offer courses and there goes the spread of misinformation. Or, even worse, these people who have received the misinformation don’t get anything out of the crystals and feel immensely let down and think they don’t work, and that totally breaks my heart.
What matters in crystal healing is that you understand the difference in crystals, identifying them and know their traits, how they resonate with energy, how they interact with each other and compound in energy, etc. That can be learnt from books, and I always advocate reading around a subject, but it is also heavily from experience. Crystals react with different people differently, there are often many different crystals to recommend for one certain thing and as a practitioner, you need to really know your tools and the only real way to know is to actually work with them. This takes time, this takes experience, this takes research. You can’t just read about it online and real world apply it first go. You will know if you ever hear me talk about crystals, I always use personal experience. “For me, this feels like…” or “When I use it, it’s usually when…” If somebody can’t do that, whether they are selling or offering healing or workshops, it’s fair to question their experience. I certainly don’t know everything there is to know and I am constantly learning and evolving on my journey with all of my modalities, but what matters in all practitioners is that we are committed to continuing to doing so, even if the course we took is long over.
I suppose from all of this, what I want the take away to be is that in the holistic and spiritual space, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Discernment matters, now more than ever, with people turning in droves to ‘new age’ and different ways of thinking. We are so lucky to be at the forefront of a real change in energy, direction, a chance to really help people. And for the record, the more the merrier; I encourage people to get into this space, I am constantly offering to help others who are starting up. I believe there is enough room for everyone. Conversely, I also think the space needs the right people with the right intentions, and who have done the work to apply discernment and self-awareness to what they offer and when… and to recognise that one course does not a healer make.
If what I’ve said about myself and my approach resonates at all, I am offering two options in July for a crystal healing course. No, it is not regulated, so you cannot obtain insurance after doing it… but as I’ve stated, there’s very inexpensive online courses that can help solve that problem. If you truly want to get to know your crystals, the science, understand their energy and explore their healing benefits, you can check the in-person sessions here or the online sessions here. If you want to sign up to both, use discount crystalcrazy at checkout- you get £20 off both together, which is an incredibly impressive savings.
I really appreciate the time and energy you took to read this blog, and I’d love to know what you think! As for me, the jury is divided. I do agree with regulations in some parts of the industry, and I also see the larger problem with how on earth we regulate everything. I’m not even sure there is an answer, but what I want to caution people is just because somebody has a certificate hanging on the wall doesn’t mean they’re experienced, and some of the people with the most experience don’t necessarily have certificates. I know who I’d rather have a session with. Discernment matters.
