Energy work in spiritual mentoring can be transformative, but only if you're working with the right people. In this episode, I'll share what to look for when finding healers and guides who are aligned, grounded, and capable of holding safe space for your growth. Welcome to Roots of the Rise with me, Sarah Hope, where spiritual wisdom meets practical tools in short, bite-sized episodes. These are tasters, not deep dives, meant to spark curiosity, help you discover who you truly are, release what holds you back, and rise into your best self. If you are anything like me, you are endlessly fascinated by the world of alternative healing modalities. Quantum touch, Reiki, chakra balancing, shamanic work, healing light, spiritual mentoring. And honestly, that barely scratches the surface. I love them all, have tried many. It is fascinating to see all the different ways people work with the intangible. However, because this field mostly isn't licensed and because work at this level can create profound shifts, it's not something to step into casually. The quality of the practitioner truly matters. Now, that's true for many different modalities, but I really think it's important here. I mean, you can absolutely find someone who's been certified by such and such school, but honestly, that's just one small piece of the puzzle creating a practitioner's level of competency. Because you can graduate from a training, be technically certified in something, and just stop, never growing, never learning, never pursuing more education. There are people out there practicing Reiki, for instance, who learned it in a single weekend class, and that's it. That's all the training they have. As one of my mentors, uh Roger Gilchrist, mentioned this weekend in this polarity therapy training I took, and he got this from one of his mentors, Dr. Ron Murray. The quote is: Every teacher is a combination of brilliance, bias, and bullshit. And I would say the same goes for most doctors, mental health professionals, and energy practitioners alike. It's the good ones who own all three of those things. So, how do you actually know if you're working with someone who can truly support your healing versus a charlatan who charges you an arm and a leg for subpar or even dangerous energy work or mentorship? Plenty of practitioners understand the basics, but lack the depth, discernment, and humility that are absolutely essential when working with the energy field or dealing with subconscious programming. I recently taught a workshop on different alternative health modalities, and afterward, I kept thinking about how easy it is to take a misstep when choosing a healthcare provider of any kind, even in Western medicine, where everything is highly regulated. And that challenge only gets bigger when you're choosing someone to work with things you can't physically see. So today I thought I would share some of my personal guidelines, the ones I use when choosing mentors, teachers, and healers I trust with my own growth and well-being. First of all, are they taking care of their physical health? I'm not saying that they have to be in perfect shape. I mean, I certainly am not, doing my best. But I do want to see that they're tending to their body in some consistent way. You know, some people have deep committed movement practices like Tai Chi or Qigong and don't look like they do. So appearances can be deceiving. And this isn't just about movement either. It's also about what they're eating and drinking, what substances they're regularly putting into their body. This is probably the lowest rung on my list of requirements. If someone checks all the other boxes but doesn't have a strong movement practice, I can let it go. But it is something I pay attention to. And obviously, you're not going to grill a new practitioner about whether they drink every night or how often they partake of certain substances. But you can at least ask about movement that in a simple, you know, non-invasive way can usually be slipped casually into conversation if you don't want to be too direct. And if it still feels really weird to do that, it's okay. This is just something I want you to kind of have in the back of your head as something you might want to look into. Secondly, are they taking care of their mental and emotional health? Again, I am not asking anyone outright who's your therapist, but you can learn a lot just by listening to how they speak and how they hold themselves. Pay attention to what they talk about, the types of questions they ask during an initial consult or on their intake form. And there should be some kind of intake or conversation where they ask about what's going on for you, what brought you in, you know, what you're needing. How they respond to your answers can be extremely telling. You want someone who feels grounded, centered, and steady, someone who is very present with you, who can hold space without getting swept up in whatever you're carrying. Their nervous system should feel regulated, present, and safe to you. Number three, are they taking care of their spiritual hygiene? Do they have a meditation, mindfulness, or prayer practice? And you know, if you're going to an energy practitioner of some sort, this isn't all that weird of a question to ask. I mean, most of them should have some form of connection to this kind of practice. And it shouldn't feel weird to them that you would wonder what it is. You might also want to know how they cleanse or tend to their space on a regular basis, because space holds energy. So if you walk into the room and you look in the corners and it's dirty and dusty, you probably don't want to be there. But if things are clean, if there's an openness, uh kind of clarity to the space, well, that bodes well for things. But I do tend to focus on this spiritual hygiene aspect of whether or not they have some form of meditation, mindfulness, prayer practice, because the consciousness level of your practitioner matters so much when it comes to energy work. I mean, really to any kind of work. But you want someone who is genuinely aware of their own inner landscape, someone who consistently and intentionally works on themselves, who opens up to higher energies. Practitioners who keep clearing, learning, and refining can hold clean, grounded, and aligned space for you. In contrast, practitioners who think they're done, so to speak, with their own healing work tend to stagnate energetically. And that directly impacts the quality of the space they can hold for others. Spiritual hygiene is about daily tending, staying centered, staying connected, staying responsible for their own energy. I have canceled on clients in the past because I have felt like I was not in a grounded, centered enough space to work with them after the passing of my dad, for instance. And that is about staying in integrity. I think that that is more important. And as a client, I would want that from my practitioner. I don't want them coming in if they've got their head in their clouds or, you know, had a bender last night or are dealing with some sort of deep emotional pain. I want them to be conscientious. Now, spiritual hygiene is personal, but accountability is relational. So the next question is: who helps them stay aligned, clear, and accountable? Every healer needs mirrors, every guide needs guidance. Without it, at some point, the client's growth will outpace the mentors. And while that's not wrong, it's a sign the practitioner isn't tending to their own evolution. Now that's referencing spiritual mentoring work, but the same goes with energy work. You know, energy medicine is miraculous and unpredictable. New experiences arise all the time, and every practitioner needs people they can turn to when something unexpected comes through. So who are their mentors? What continuing education are they pursuing? Do they have someone to go to with questions or at least a circle of peers for support? Just like with spiritual hygiene, this all comes back to the truth that growth is endless. Our potential is limitless. So who is helping the practitioner stretch into their next level? I can say for myself, I have a mentor in every field I practice, and I genuinely value receiving sessions from other intuitives. It's essential for all of us to have structures that keep us aligned and accountable while we're walking this path. I see so many healers who don't hold space for themselves in this way, and it is a huge red flag. The moment someone believes they no longer need support or reflection is the moment they forget that we all have blind spots and we all have further to grow. Now, at a certain point, practitioners do step into an expert or master level. When that happens, the need often shifts from having a single or multiple teachers, mentors, to having peers at a similar depth, other highly skilled practitioners, other master level practitioners who can help one another keep refining their craft. No one should be standing alone on a pedestal. Even the most seasoned healers need community, support, and accountability. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, use your own discernment. Especially if you've been developing your intuition and have a strong connection to your inner guidance. What does your gut say when you interact with this person? Often, as you move further along the path, you reach a point where you don't need to run down a checklist. You simply know, you feel immediately whether you're safe, whether the person can truly help you. I have done plenty of one-off sessions with intuitives. I didn't vet the way I would if I were choosing an ongoing healer or mentor. And those sessions have turned out all sorts of ways. A few years ago, I booked a session with a Reiki master and sound healer. Everyone in the area raved about. Within moments of walking in, I knew she was absolutely not for me. My whole system felt unsafe. I just did not like her energy. At that point in my journey, I didn't yet feel capable of saying, thank you, but this isn't for me, and walking out. But I was able to at least put up some strong energetic boundaries to get through the session safely. If that happened now, I'd simply excuse myself and leave. No guilt, no explanation, just honoring my body's wisdom. More recently, I attended a retreat led by a practitioner I had met in a workshop setting and initially felt good about. But once the retreat began, everything changed. The container was not held. The space didn't feel safe at all. We were doing some very deep shamanic work in ways that felt incredibly unstable and honestly dangerous. Thankfully, I've been on enough retreats to know how to ground and center myself so I could stay safe. But I will never attend anything she leads again. One of the biggest red flags was that there was zero emphasis on being able to approach her with questions or concerns. So, you know, this was talking about kind of that more one-on-one work with mentors or with healers, but take a retreat setting, take a workshop setting. You should always be able to go to them with questions. Now, in this retreat, I went to her anyway because I had a strong reaction to part of the training, and I was met with dismissal and a half-hearted answer. Hard no. You know, sometimes we step into a space thinking we'll be held and we're not, which is exactly why having trusted mentors and practitioners to then return to is essential. After that retreat, I happened to already have a session booked with one of mine, and thank goodness they helped me process what happened, understand it, and integrate the benefits I could salvage. Something the retreat leader couldn't be bothered to do. And then on the other end of the spectrum, I've had one-off sessions that were incredibly supportive. Most recently, I booked a 30-minute oracle card reading with Amanda Parker, whose information I'll link in the show notes. She pulled cards, let her intuition speak through them, and it ended up being such a powerful session. One of the biggest takeaways for me was a reminder to ask for guidance from the divine, not just when I'm with clients, which I do all the time, but for myself. I realized I'd kind of let that practice slip, and it was such a needed nudge as I navigate some big transitions right now. Amanda felt grounded, insightful, and genuinely lovely. Did I vet her the way I'm describing in this episode? No. But a short oracle reading was a perfect way to get a sense of whether working together more deeply down the road would be a good fit, which might be why she offers them. I do the same thing. I do discovery calls that help both people, both me and the potential client, feel into whether the connection is aligned before doing, you know, an actual deep dive in. You know, it's important to have that framework or that opportunity to really figure out if there's a good fit before you begin any long-term work. And just as a fun follow-up, uh later that day after the reading, you know, I spent the afternoon actually asking the divine for guidance about next steps in my work. And I didn't really get anything. Fine. That's you don't always get a response immediately. However, almost exactly 24 hours after that oracle reading, I walked into my office and was told completely out of the blue from my landlord that I need to find a new space, which is something I've been considering for over a year, but hadn't acted on yet because, well, really, just convenience uh and fear and comfort. So I guess the divine decided it was time for me to grow. Not subtle, not subtle at all, but it's all good and onward I go. I've already found the new space and I am so excited to move in. Uh, one other quick note be cautious of anyone who promises either a quick fix or endless support. Neither extreme is healthy. You know, of course, it depends on the modality you're working with and how acute your issues are, but I really believe there's a natural graduation point with deeper work. I see it with every one of my clients. At a certain stage, they just don't need to see me as often. You know, sometimes they take a few months off, sometimes they shift to bi-weekly or monthly sessions, sometimes they step away from one-on-one entirely and lean into retreats or workshops instead. You know, that said, I've had the same spiritual mentor for over a decade. You know why? Because I'm still changing, still growing, still learning from every class, every private session. And he is too. He is too. I'm getting to watch him evolve and grow and shift and deepen his offerings. And the way I work with him has evolved over time. In the beginning, I saw him weekly for about 10 months, then I didn't do one-on-one for over a year. I just attended his classes, and then later I returned to private sessions for a few months, then stepped away again for retreats only. I mean, it's this back and forth, always responding to what's needed in the moment. I keep going back because I continue to feel and see the benefits. If those benefits stopped, that would be a different story. And sometimes there are seasons to different practitioners. Someone might work really well for you for a certain period of time, and then you might outgrow them. They might no longer be a good fit for you, and that's okay. There should never be any expectation or pressure about how your work together is supposed to continue. With my mentor, he's there when I need him and genuinely happy for me when I don't. No guilt tripping, no, where have you been? I haven't seen you in forever. None of that. Just joy when we do reconnect. That's the way it should work. I'm speaking mostly about spiritual mentoring here, but this applies across many modalities. Uh, for example, I love getting craniosacral work, and now that I've found someone locally I really resonate with, I'll probably go back monthly for maintenance. But if I were navigating something intense, I might go more often. And if I felt really grounded, I might stretch it out to every mother month or every three months. It's fluid. The key is the integrity of the practitioner. They shouldn't be telling you that they can completely resolve lifelong anxiety in six weeks. And they shouldn't be telling you that you'll need to work with them for a full year before you start to feel any sort of relief. You know, a trustworthy practitioner meets you where you are, supports your growth, and celebrates your ability to stand on your own, not your dependency on them. Choosing a healer, mentor, or guide isn't just about certifications, appearances, or fancy credentials. It's about alignment, integrity, and presence. Look at how they care for themselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Notice who supports them, who guides them, and how they continually evolve. And above all, trust your own discernment. Your intuition is your most reliable compass. When you combine thoughtful observation with inner guidance, you'll know who can truly hold safe, transformative space for you and who can't. The right practitioner doesn't just work on you, they inspire your growth, they mirror your potential, and they hold the container for you to step into your power by offering the five core ingredients of transformation: awareness, possibility, guidance, accountability, and safety. With all five, growth becomes not only possible, but truly sustainable. Thank you so much for listening. If you have any questions, please email me at Sarah at risingwithsarah.com, and that's Sarah with an H. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. And remember, know who you are, love who you've been, and be willing to do the work to become who you're meant to be. Just a quick reminder this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a licensed therapist, and nothing shared here is meant to replace the guidance of a physician, therapist, or any other qualified provider. That said, I hope it inspires you to grow, heal, and seek the support you need to thrive.