Navigating spiritual spaces with clarity, consent, and discernment.

As spiritual language becomes more visible and accessible, the need for discernment becomes more important; not less.

Energetic work, when practiced ethically, can support healing, regulation, and reconnection. When practiced without boundaries or integrity, it can cause serious harm to your spiritual, mental, emotional and sometimes physical wellbeing. This is not always obvious, and it is not always intentional. But it is real.

Energetic hygiene is not about fear or hyper-vigilance. It is about care. Care for the nervous system, for consent, and for the autonomy of the person seeking support. When you already struggle with boundaries and connection it can be difficult to navigate especially when feeling spiritually vulnerable.

What Energetic Hygiene Really Means

Energetic hygiene is the practice of maintaining clarity, consent, and sovereignty within energetic and emotional exchanges.

It recognizes that spiritual and energetic work impacts the whole system: body, psyche, emotions, and sense of self. Ethical care therefore requires pacing, grounding, and boundaries.

Energetic hygiene applies to everyone involved in healing spaces; practitioners and clients alike. It asks us to move slowly, to listen carefully, and to honour the wisdom of the body over hierarchy or spiritual authority. Sometimes there can be a lot of overlap in the spiritual community so understanding the type of relationships are a great way to practice energetic hygiene not only for them, but for you.

Discernment in an Expanding Spiritual Industry

As the healing industry grows, so does its complexity.

Alongside deeply ethical practitioners, there are also spaces where spiritual language is used without adequate training, accountability, or awareness of impact. This can show up as overreach, blurred roles, or subtle encouragement of dependency rather than empowerment.

Discernment is not skepticism. It is a form of self-respect. If something feels off, it's most likely your intuition acknowledging discernment and protecting you from being overly agreeable to be accepted. 

Healthy spiritual care does not position the practitioner as the source of healing. It supports the client’s capacity to regulate, choose, and trust themselves. Any great practitioner won't be a one stop shop to "fix all" they will assist you in outsourcing depending on your needs/type of care that you need so you are able to gain insight and perspective from multiple practitioners. Nobody can do and be every single thing for everyone.

Boundaries as a Form of Care

Boundaries are not barriers to healing; they are what make healing possible.

Ethical practitioners are clear about:

• What they offer

• What they do not offer

• Where their scope begins and ends

• If the load is too big, they will outsource to help you in that way

They welcome questions, encourage autonomy, and respect pacing. They understand that discomfort alone is not proof of transformation, and that safety is a prerequisite for meaningful change. They will not ask you to sacrifice yourself for their monetary or spiritual gain. 

Care is not measured by intensity. It is measured by integration.

Red Flags That Invite Pause

It is appropriate to pause or step back if a spiritual or energetic space:

• Discourages questions or critical thinking

• Positions one person as the sole source of insight or healing

• Uses fear, urgency, or catastrophic language

• Dismisses nervous system responses as resistance

• Blurs emotional, relational, or financial boundaries

• Feeling pressured into ANY activity such as; decision making, going against your own boundaries or intuition etc. 

Ethical care does not rely on secrecy, pressure, or dependency.

Choosing Ethical Spiritual Support

When seeking spiritual or energetic care, consider whether the practitioner:

• Emphasizes consent and collaboration

• Respects autonomy and self-trust

• Is transparent about their approach and limitations

• Encourages integration and grounding

• Refers out when something is beyond their scope

• Acknowledging that they might not be the practitioner for you - sometimes it's based off the vibe, or their lack of knowledge etc. a good practitioner will acknowledge what's best for you, not what's best for their ego. 

Ethics are often felt in the body before they are articulated in words.

A Shared Responsibility

Energetic hygiene is not only the responsibility of practitioners. It is also a practice of self-relationship.

You are allowed to:

• Take time

• Change your mind

• Ask questions

• Leave spaces that no longer feel supportive - this is such an important one in my opinion. You don't need to give a grandiose goodbye; you can slowly walk away or leave in a way that will protect your peace and without the worry of confrontation. 

Your intuition does not need to be overridden to be valid.

Ethical spiritual care honours sovereignty.
It supports regulation rather than overwhelm.
It strengthens self-trust rather than replacing it.

I believe that healing is not something done to you, but something supported with you; through discernment, care, and respect for your wholeness.