Can Intuitive Readings Be Trauma Informed?
Have you ever had an intuitive or psychic tell you something off, and felt totally betrayed/taking advantage of/confused/gaslit?
Just this past summer, I had two intuitive, somatic practitioners imply that I had undergone a severe kind of trauma as a child. They both brought down similar information … before I was ready for it. It’s not that I think they were wrong, necessarily. We were working together in the realm of my childhood wounding, and we were edging toward what felt like a devastating reveal. I could feel something bad had happened, and some details made themselves known; others were agonizingly unclear.
These sessions weren’t tarot readings or psychic sessions. They were coaching sessions that included and welcomed shamanic and intuitive hits from the guides.
The faux-pas, for me, was that they didn’t slow down the somatic session, and wait for my system to recognize and bring forth the information. Instead, they brought it forward themselves.
One of the women did check in with me, which is perfectly ethical. But unfortunately, being in the vulnerable state I was, I went into one of my trauma strategies: people-pleasing. “It must be true,” I laughed (which is one of my major tells when I’m people-pleasing: laughing at inappropriate times to release energy). So we continued the session, though inside I was freaking out.
This is tricky territory. Harm was done, but did my practitioners do anything wrong?
There was no lasting damage, because I recognized what happened afterward and was able to deal with it (through email and subsequent sessions). With one of the practitioners, I realized our waters were too muddy, and the sessions were no longer working for me, due to her style and my trauma responses. Yet, not every client would be at the point in their journeys, where they could not take on the practitioner’s intuitive hits as their own experience.
On top of this: this is what I do for a living. I’m a somatic, intuitive coach for women, and during sessions, I receive downloads. I’m not psychic like THAT: in the way that I can sense or see what happened to a person. My intuition is more around trapped emotions, and support and guidance that wants to arise for a person (such as an ancestral guide, an element, or a spirit helper). Visuals like cards open up my clairvoyance and my ability to download messages and advice.
Here are some ways I strive to make sure that my coaching sessions and tarot readings are trauma-informed.
When I give tarot readings, I make sure to include in my invocations and prayers: please only give me information that my client is ready to hear, and ready to integrate. This does not mean my readings won’t kick your butt, because sometimes, they do! Guides are often direct, and don’t sugarcoat their wisdom. Truth can be hard to hear. And yet, I trust my guides, and I trust that the guidelines I bring forward will be respected.
🡢 I make it clear what kind of session we are having (is it tarot? is it more of a coaching session where we are mainly interested in your body’s wisdom?). If it is a coaching session, the overall vibe will be different. It’s a collaboration that's focused on you and your needs.
🡢 I ask consent during coaching sessions, to bring more intense intuitive hits forward. I ask about both timing (“can I share this now, or are you still processing?”) and content (“something just came through for me that may or may not be true for you. Can I share?”)
🡢 I actually can’t imagine a scenario where I would tell a person, who hadn’t brought the info forward themselves: I think you were abused in this way as a child. I could imagine saying in a reading: something more is going on with your childhood, something you’re not aware of. Or, I urge you to go back to this time in your childhood and journal, see if there’s any pain you haven’t processed. Honestly, I am never given information like this. I can’t say I never will be, so I’m sure this will remain a living inquiry.
🡢 If I’m working with someone who lists people-pleasing or other trauma responses as go-to’s, I keep this in mind during sessions, and guide our work toward their empowerment.
🡢 I am never the authority on you. My guides are never the authority on you. You are your authority. I bring this attitude toward every session, whether it’s oracle/tarot readings, sexuality and womanhood mentorship, or somatic and energetic coaching. I might know some things about some stuff *dusts shoulder* but I will never know you, as you do.
🡢 And, I’ll never be perfect. I’m open to tough feedback, in the service of your healing and growth (and mine!) Offenses happen. Things are said the wrong way. Coaching is a relationship, and in relationship, hurt happens. Repair matters, and I’m always open to difficult conversations. They help all around.
I’m not going to go as far as to brand my tarot and channeled readings as “Trauma-Informed Readings.” Yes, this is a big part of my background and will always be part of who I am. The nature of a psychic reading is just a bit different than coaching, in ways I’ll keep mulling over. There is some handing over of power, and it needs to be handled with care. I do think there’s a responsibility, for those who are working with intuition, to be humble, to serve our clients by placing their experiences first, and to attune to each client, over and over again.
Have you ever experienced a confusing psychic reading or coaching session that left you questioning your own experience? How did you handle it? Let me know in the comments.
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