The pain we feel about the world must be included in our wellness efforts. It must be felt, witnessed, and talked about. It is easy, and common, to talk about healing as though it exists in a vacuum—as though self-care, energy work, and mindfulness are enough to make everything feel whole. But the truth is, wellness doesn’t exist separately from the world we live in, and the world we live in is deeply traumatic. Imagine if you woke up tomorrow to read the news: "All global leaders collectively agree to end war, restore ecological health and mitigate CO2 emissions, address inequalities, and focus on the regenerative practices that will heal our communities and natural spaces." The amount of healing that would INSTANTLY accomplish for us as individuals cannot be overstated. Yet the wellness industry often focuses on the individual, rather than the individual+world relationship.
We are living through intensely challenging times. Climate collapse, systemic injustice, war, oppression, mass displacement, and economic instability are shaping our nervous systems, our emotional landscapes, and our ability to access safety and peace.
There is a German word - Zeitgeist - that means the spirit of the time. It's like the atmosphere, the temperature of the room, the vibe. The 1970's had a phenomenal zeitgeist (I've been told) and it seems like the 1920's were great too. 2025 is not a good vibe.
No matter how much therapy you do personally, a part of your soul is still grieving, knowing the way of the world. Healing is not an act of disassociating and retreating into a bubble, as tempting (and sometimes necessary) as that is—instead, it’s about acknowledging the suffering, understanding its impact, and choosing how to respond to our personal and collective wellness without bypassing reality. The pain we feel about the world must be felt, witnessed, and talked about.
The World We’re Navigating
Meditating does not solve the problems that define this era on earth (now, if we all did, maybe it would). The challenges we’re facing are not just personal—they are systemic:
Climate Anxiety & Ecological Grief – The reality of environmental destruction, mass extinctions, and extreme weather events isn’t just depressing—it’s a deep spiritual wound, reminding us that we are part of something much larger and that loss extends beyond our human world.
Systemic Injustice & Inequality – Racism, wealth disparity, ableism, and other forms of oppression create barriers to safety and wellness. Healing cannot be separated from justice. Access to rest, care, and support should not be privileges, yet for many, they are.
Economic Instability & Survival Mode – Rising costs of living, job insecurity, and financial precariousness make it harder to focus on personal healing. Many people are simply trying to survive, and “wellness” can feel inaccessible or even irrelevant when basic needs aren’t met.
War, Violence, & Collective Trauma – Whether experienced firsthand or through media exposure, the violence in the world affects us all. Nervous systems stay activated in prolonged states of distress, even when we are physically safe.
Information Overload & Digital Exhaustion – Constant exposure to distressing news, social media comparisons, and overstimulation leaves little room for deep, restorative healing. We are always plugged in, yet often feel more disconnected than ever.
It's time to admit that this atmosphere is crushing, devastating, heavy, agonizing, confusing, disappointing, frustrating, and frightening on the deepest possible level. And that all forms the communal emotional frame around our personal lived experience. The thing is, they are so overwhelming, so foundational, so huge, so out of our control, that, we tend not to invite them in to our healing space. We may have conversations about the news and the issues with our friends and family, but it is not straightforward to engage with these topics on a a spiritual level.
What Does Energy Healing Look Like in This Context?
It might be scary, but if we acknowledge that healing cannot be separate from the realities of the world, then we are closer to creating agency in our relationship with these issues. The moment we stop resisting and ignoring the problems that feel overwhelming, we move something deeply significant within ourselves.
1. Healing as Participation and Resistance
Prioritizing rest, nervous system regulation, and self-care in a system that values overwork and exhaustion is an act of defiance and sovereignty.
Creating space for joy, creativity, and deep connection is defiant. It says,
"Yes, I see what is happening around me. And I still have a right to the greatest parts of being alive."
Taking care of yourself and embodying joy in the capacity you are able is not about escaping reality; it’s about ensuring you have the energy to engage with it. However, the self-care is only so effective if we keep it to ourselves. By bringing our healing into relationship with our communities and world, we take it a step further.
2. Collective Healing Over Individual Healing
Wellness is often marketed as an individual pursuit, but healing is deeply communal.
Healing in community—through shared experiences, mutual support, and collective action—helps us rebuild what the world has fractured.
Recognizing that personal healing and collective justice are linked allows us to move beyond self-care into something much deeper: care for each other.
How does the self-care and healing work you do benefit someone else? If you can't think of at least one other person it benefits, whether the cashier, your partner, coworker, then you're not actualizing the highest potential of your healing.
3. Learning to Sit with Discomfort
True healing does not mean feeling good all the time. It means building the capacity to be with discomfort without shutting down or bypassing reality.
Grief, anger, and fear are natural responses to an unjust world—they are not things to “fix” but to move through with awareness and intention.
Wellness spaces must make room for hard conversations and real emotions, not just love and light.
4. Bridging Inner and Outer Work
Energy healing, meditation, and somatic work are powerful tools—but they must be paired with action.
Feeling grounded allows us to show up more fully in the world. Healing work isn’t separate from activism, advocacy, or supporting those in need—it fuels it.
Asking, “How can I take what I cultivate in healing spaces and bring it into my community?” shifts wellness from a personal practice to a collective one.
Holding Both: Healing in an Unwell World
We cannot pretend that Reiki, breathwork, or any healing practice will erase the weight of the world. When I emerge from session, we are still in climate collapse, and that is deeply impactful to my heart, soul, life, and vision of the future. Only the knowledge that society is deciding to do everything it can to save the beings and world I love could truly make that part of me feel well. But what these practices can do is help us ground, so we can navigate the world without collapsing under its weight. So we can participate it in sane, regenerative ways. So we can access the greatest parts of being alive, even if just for a moment at a time.
For the sake of all other beings who are as vulnerable as us, we care for ourselves and for the world. We rest, and take action. We don't delude ourselves or build a fortress to prevent the pain of the world. We step up and say, "I see what's happening. I reject it. My life is an act of defiance against the senseless choices that cause mass suffering."
So let us remember that to heal is not an escape, but a way to engage with more resilience, clarity, and presence. Healing is not separate from the world. It is what helps us create a world that doesn’t hurt so much to live in.
Reiki Energy Healing at Somatique in Boulder & Denver area
At Somatique, which has Reiki Energy Healing spaces in Boulder and Superior (vicinity of Denver) I am not here to usher you into a personal wellness bubble that ignores the deep pain you truly feel about our world. I am here to hold space for what is really there, no matter how devastating or helpless it seems to be. As someone who is deeply saddened by the world, part of my gift is my ability to understand the depth of your grief, the significance of your Zeitgeist, and to be present with you in this deeply consequential moment on Earth. To say, yes, I know, I know.