When Is Your Healing Journey Over?
Lately, I’ve found myself pondering a question that many of us ask at some point: How do you know when your healing journey is over?
I hear people say that eventually, you have to move on with your life. I’ve even said it myself on my podcast—that there comes a time when you're fully present, alive in all your senses, and no longer carrying the weight of the past. And while that's true, I’m continually amazed by how much more there is to heal, to uncover, and to integrate.
The layers of healing seem infinite, like peeling an onion. Just when I think I’ve reached the core, another layer reveals itself—another knot to untangle, another belief to question. I often say it took me about ten years to reach a point where I could genuinely choose love over fear. Ten years to become someone who responds rather than reacts. Ten years to reparent my inner voice from judgment to compassion.
The Long Road to Self-Compassion
Ten years sounds like a long time, and it is. But looking back, I’m grateful I stayed on the path. The journey wasn’t linear—there were detours, moments of doubt, and times I wanted to give up. But the result? I feel lighter and more authentically myself every day. The layers keep coming off, and with each one, I step closer to the essence of who I truly am.
One thing I know for sure is that my inner dialogue has transformed. That soft, loving voice within me doesn’t create new blocks or hold old ones in place. Instead, it’s a voice of compassion and trust. This shift has been especially profound in my relationship with food and my body. I’m in a place where I love who I am and the body I’m in, and I trust that my journey with food will continue to evolve in alignment with this self-love.
Different Kinds of Healing
The reason this question—When is healing over?—has been on my mind lately is because I’ve realized there are different kinds of healing. Some are personal and internal, like my journey with self-love and body acceptance. Others are collective, ancestral, and deeply rooted in the generations that came before us.
Recently, my red thread led me to explore more Family Constellations work. Nina, a Family Constellator, and I, a literacy specialist, engaged in an energy exchange this year. I teach her daughter how to read, and once a month, she guides me through a Family Constellation session. Initially, I approached it from a student-teacher perspective, curious about the modality. But as life would have it, once you start following that red thread, it leads you exactly where you need to be.
Before I knew it, I found myself healing ancestral wounds that had silently influenced my relationship with food, my body, and even money. The depth of this work left me in awe—not just of the process, but of the interconnectedness of it all. The healing wasn’t just mine; it rippled through generations, unraveling knots I didn’t even know existed.
Two Guiding Principles for Lifelong Healing
Through this work, I’ve come to believe in two things that I try to convey in everything I do:
Follow Your Red Thread. Trust its guidance. When you do, it will lead you to the people, places, and experiences meant for you. It will guide you to the knots that need untangling, to the parts of yourself waiting to be seen and healed.
Develop a Self-Healing Practice. Healing isn’t a one-time event; it’s a lifelong practice, much like self-care or moving your body. Cultivating a self-healing routine at home, using a variety of modalities, keeps your energy flowing and your spirit aligned. It’s a commitment to living your best, most authentic life.
Right now, healing feels like magic. One day, perhaps, we’ll fully understand how it all works, and the mystery will fade. But today, I wake up feeling like I live the most magical life—one where healing isn’t just about fixing what’s broken but about embracing the beauty of becoming whole.
So, When Is Healing Over?
Maybe the answer is that it’s never truly over. But that doesn’t mean we’re forever stuck in the past or perpetually broken. Instead, it means we’re continually evolving, shedding layers, and stepping into deeper alignment with who we are meant to be. Healing isn’t about reaching an endpoint; it’s about embracing the journey, trusting the process, and living fully in each moment.
And for me, that’s the most beautiful kind of magic there is.
