Protecting Your Energy as a Sound Healer: A Sacred Practice - by Tesha Smith

As a sound healer, I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that protecting my energy isn’t just a suggestion - it’s a non-negotiable. This work is beautiful, powerful, and transformative, but let’s be real: holding space for others can also leave you spiritually, mentally, and physically drained if you’re not grounded in your own energetic boundaries.

We don’t always talk about what it means to be in service while still honoring our own wholeness. The truth is, if you’re not actively protecting your energy, you might find yourself absorbing your clients’ pain, anxiety, grief, and even their intrusive thoughts. And that’s not your role. You’re not here to carry it - you’re here to hold space so they can release it.

Let me share why this is so important and how I protect myself so I can show up fully, without pouring from an empty cup.

1. Know What’s Yours and What’s Theirs

First of all, you have to get really clear on your own energetic baseline. Before every session, I check in with myself:

How am I feeling today? What’s been heavy on my spirit?

This helps me notice when something foreign enters my field. It’s easy to confuse a client’s grief or anxiety with your own if you’re not grounded in your emotional landscape.

2. Start With Sacred Preparation

I never go into a session cold. Whether I’m holding space for one person or a room full of people, I prepare myself with a grounding ritual. Here’s my go-to:

• Breathwork or prayer: Even just five minutes of intentional breathing or calling in my ancestors and spirit guides.

• Energetic shielding: I visualize a golden light wrapping around my body like armor. I affirm: “Only love and light may pass through. All else is transmuted or returned to Source.”

• Clearing the space: I cleanse my space with sound (tuning forks or chimes), smoke (copal or rosemary is my favorite), or Florida Water to break up stagnant or intrusive energies.

 

3. Use Tools Intentionally

As sound healers, our instruments hold energy. I cleanse my bowls and tuning forks often - especially after intense sessions. Even more than that, I set intentions before using them. They’re not just pretty sounds. They’re vessels.

4. Don’t Skip the Closing Ritual

Too many times I’ve seen practitioners pour their heart into a session and just… pack up and go. Nah. We need closure too.

After a session, I always:

• Thank the space, my tools, and any spiritual guides who joined

• Cut energetic cords using visualization or with a selenite wand

• Take a moment to shake off (literally) - move your body, stomp your feet, release what doesn’t belong to you

And drink water. Hydration is part of energetic hygiene.

 

5. Create a “Return to Self” Ritual

Once the space is closed and I’m home or alone, I have a return-to-self practice. Maybe it’s a salt bath. Maybe it’s journaling with my favorite R&B on in the background. Sometimes it’s doing absolutely nothing and letting my nervous system decompress.

We carry so much already. Add healing work on top of that, and whew - it’s a lot. You deserve a soft place to land after giving so much of yourself.

 

6. Boundaries Are Love

It’s okay to say no. To cancel. To reschedule. To take a month off and not explain yourself to anybody.

Being a sound healer is sacred work - but you’re a sacred being, too. Your joy, your rest, and your peace are not optional. They’re your birthright.

If no one has told you lately: you’re doing beautiful work. Just don’t forget to keep some of that beauty for yourself. If this message resonates with you—if you’ve felt the weight of holding space without the tools to protect your own energy—I invite you to go deeper. Whether you’re new to sound healing or ready to step into your next level as a facilitator, my Sound Healer Certification Program was created to help you build a strong foundation, honor your spiritual gifts, and learn how to protect your energy while you serve others.