🖤 This one’s for my witchy therapist friends in the mental health and wellness field—the ones who feel everything, read energy like a second language, and secretly (or not-so-secretly) charge their crystals between sessions.
If that’s you, welcome to your sacred scroll.
If you’re more evidence-based than esbat, and prefer grounding in research over rose petals—no shade. You might vibe more with my other energy shielding blog here.
Holding Sacred Space Without Losing Yourself Inside It
You know the feeling.
You’ve just wrapped a session, and while your client is floating out the door lighter, clearer, maybe even hopeful—you’re stuck to your chair like someone just smeared grief, existential dread, and third-hand shame all over your aura. Again.
Because you don’t just listen to your clients. You feel them. In your body. In your bones. In your dreamscape. That moment they walk in and something feels… off? You clock it before they even speak. And sometimes, before they even know.
Welcome to the life of a witchy therapist: somatically intuitive, attuned AF, and possibly powered by espresso, moon cycles, and peppermint oil. Your nervous system is an antenna, not a blunt instrument—which means you catch everything. And while this sensitivity is a sacred gift, let’s be real: it’s also how you end up emotionally hungover from someone else’s heartbreak and wondering why you’re crying over lentils at 9:00 p.m.
Here’s the truth: Traditional burnout prevention strategies (color-coded planners, a walk at lunch, pretending one deep breath will cleanse a trauma spiral) weren’t built for the likes of us.
We need something… different. Something more embodied. More intuitive. More us.
We need rituals that work with our witchy wiring—not against it.
This guide is for you, the therapist who double-blesses your coffee and your client notes. The one who clears your office with both sage and sarcasm. The one who gives a damn—and is maybe starting to fray at the energetic seams.
It’s time to shield up—not to block, but to stay sovereign.
Not to harden, but to stay you.
Let’s begin.
The Black Goo Phenomenon (AKA Therapist Residue)
You know it. You’ve felt it. Maybe you’ve even tried to sage it away, smudge it off your aura, or rinse it down the drain with your overpriced bath salts. But the truth is, it still clings—like glitter made of grief. Welcome to the Black Goo.
Let’s break it down:
In clinical terms, it’s empathic residue. The emotional static that builds up when your mirror neurons have been working overtime. It’s what lingers after a session where your client sobs, rage-whispers, or emotionally evacuates their entire history—and then you have to answer emails like your soul isn’t trying to crawl into a salt lamp.
In symbolic terms? It’s goo. Black, sticky, psychic sludge that oozes in and quietly coats your energy field. You may not see it, but your nervous system knows it’s there: the brain fog, the tension that creeps up your spine, the sudden need to scream into the void or move to a remote cottage with no Wi-Fi and zero emotional responsibilities.
This is what happens when we over-fuse. When we forget that bearing witness isn’t the same as being the container. When “holding space” becomes “absorbing space.” It’s a slow erosion of boundaries, especially for those of us who were raised to be sponges, fixers, feelers, and energetic Swiss Army knives.
And no—having a dream that suspiciously mirrors your client’s grief spiral doesn’t mean you’ve “lost your professional objectivity.” It means your psychic filter is overdue for a good rinse.
So if you’ve been wondering:
- Why you’re crying about a situation that isn’t technically yours,
- Why you’re still thinking about that one session three days later,
- Or why you feel like a ghost in your own body after back-to-back clients—
That’s not you being broken.
That’s the goo.
And luckily, you don’t have to drown in it.
Sometimes what we carry isn’t just mirror neuron overload—it’s energetic countertransference. When your client’s unresolved rage suddenly sparks your own long-forgotten grief… or when you leave a session and feel emotions that don’t quite “belong.” This isn’t bad therapy—it’s powerful information. Just don’t confuse the signal with your self.
You’re Not Just a Therapist—You’re a Conduit, Not a Container
Here’s the trap we all fall into: the idea that being “fully present” means being fully fused.
You know the one. The myth that if you’re not emotionally matching your client’s exact frequency—grief for grief, fear for fear, rage for rage—you must not be doing it right. Like if you don’t cry with them, absorb them, or dream about their narcissistic ex, you’re somehow cold or detached.
Nope. That’s not empathy. That’s enmeshment. And while your inner wounded healer might be used to over-functioning in relationships (hi, childhood conditioning!), your inner witch knows better.
Let’s reframe this with archetypal power:
- The Wounded Healer may feel like she has to fix pain to earn her worth.
- The Steward knows she walks beside her clients—not for them.
- The Mirror reflects emotion, but doesn’t absorb it.
- The Witch channels wisdom without becoming the cauldron.
If you’ve ever felt the emotion before the story, or walked into a room and instinctively braced for impact—you’re not broken. You’re picking up on energetic cues most don’t notice. Your psychic body is processing everything your client doesn’t say out loud. That’s not a flaw. That’s a gift. And it deserves to be honored with just as much care as your clinical brain.
You are not a container for your clients’ emotional wreckage. You’re a conduit—a sacred channel through which insight, transformation, and healing move. That doesn’t mean numb. It means sovereign.
And if your bones flinch at the idea of claiming your intuition at work, you’re not imagining it. The witch wound is real—and it’s why this reclamation is revolutionary.
This is what we call therapeutic sovereignty:
Holding space without collapsing into it.
Feeling deeply without getting lost in the undercurrent.
Honoring your clinical skills and your intuitive gifts, without apology.
Let’s also name the guilt that creeps in like a hex you didn’t cast.
You know the shame spiral:
“Why can’t I just shake this off?”
“If I was a better therapist, I wouldn’t be this tired.”
“If I need shielding, maybe I’m not cut out for this.”
Let me clear that with one line of truth:
You don’t shield because you’re fragile. You shield because you’re a f*cking lightning rod wrapped in velvet, sacred boundaries, and with a heart that feels in frequencies.
You are exquisitely attuned—and you deserve tools that meet you at that frequency.
Let’s talk about how that sovereignty becomes embodied.✨
Nervous System Alchemy Meets Everyday Magick
Let’s be honest—sometimes the word “self-regulation” makes you want to throw a rose quartz across the room. Not because it’s wrong, but because it’s been stripped of its soul and delivered like a corporate wellness mandate:
“Have you tried breathing?”
Yes, Debra. We’ve tried breathing.
But what if we brought the magick back?
What if nervous system regulation wasn’t just clinical hygiene… but spellcraft?
Here’s where the witchy meets the wired. Somatic tools aren’t just science—they’re elemental alchemy.
Let’s take a look:
🌬 Breathwork = Air
Inhale clarity, exhale noise. Try box breathing while visualizing a wind current sweeping away static.
🌊 Salt bath = Water
Cleanse your body and your field. Bonus points if you whisper your client’s name into the water and watch it circle the drain (ethically, of course).
🔥 Candle = Fire
Light a tealight at the end of the day with a single word: release. That’s fire magick, therapist edition.
🪨 Object touch = Earth
Anchor your body by holding a stone, pressing your fingertips to the chair, or touching your favorite talisman. This is sensory grounding meets ritual.
🔮 Affirmation = Spoken Spellwork
Words have power. Try saying aloud:
“I care deeply. I do not carry endlessly.”
That’s a spell. That’s a boundary. That’s nervous system sovereignty in five seconds.
Your nervous system isn’t malfunctioning. It’s your familiar, sniffing out the energy shifts before your mind catches up. Feed it. Listen to it. Shield it.
Sigils are for those moments when you need a boundary you can feel but can’t explain. They’re pocket-sized spells, symbols of sovereignty. Draw them on your wrist before sessions, etch them into the corner of your planner, or whisper one into the steam of your tea. No one else needs to know. The magick is in the intention.
These aren’t just cute rituals—they’re nervous system tuning forks disguised as witchy habits. And when done consistently, they build internal scaffolding: the kind that keeps you upright when the waves come crashing.
Maybe some of this feels a little extra. Maybe you were trained to believe that intuition has no place in clinical work. But for those of us who walk the edge—between science and sacred, diagnosis and dreamtime—there’s nothing frivolous about reclaiming the tools that keep us steady. The candle, the color, the mantra, the talisman—they’re all anchors for a nervous system that feels everything.
So the next time someone tells you to “just do breathwork,” you can smile sweetly and say:
“I do. With intention, flame, and a side of salt.”
The Ritual Lifecycle of a Therapist (Prep → Session → De-Goo → Weekly Reset)
Energy protection isn’t a one-and-done spell—it’s a living, breathing ritual cycle. Just like therapy itself, it has phases. Rhythms. A beginning, middle, end… and the part where you finally remember to cleanse your own damn field.
Let’s break it down like a spell in stages.
🔮 Before Session — Setting the Shield
This is where you ward up, ground in, and become the sovereign version of yourself who can hold space without leaking.
Try:
🪞 Mirror Visualization – Envision a reflective field around your body. Energy can come in, but only what’s aligned. Everything else? Bounced.
🖋 Sigil on Skin – Draw a personal sigil (in lotion, oil, or makeup) over your heart or wrist. Let it hold your intention: protection, discernment, clarity.
🗣 Boundary Mantra – Whisper: “I witness. I do not absorb.” or “I am a threshold, not a sponge.”
🌈 Color-Infused Aura Seal – Picture your aura sealing in with a specific color that reinforces your intention—deep indigo for wisdom, gold for shielding, black for absorption-banishing.
🌬 Box Breathing with Elemental Focus – Inhale for 4 (Air), hold for 4 (Earth), exhale for 4 (Fire), hold for 4 (Water). Let each element infuse your breath with sacred grounding.
🌀 In Session — Staying Present Without Absorbing
You’re in the portal now. But you don’t have to disappear into it.
Try:
🪨 Grounding Object + Sensory Cue – Keep a smooth stone, talisman, or textured object nearby. Touch it when you feel yourself getting pulled too far in.
🔮 Visual Energy Filter – Picture a soft mesh screen between you and the client, allowing connection but not energetic fusion.
💬 Internal Redirect Phrases – Whisper silently to yourself:
“Their urgency isn’t mine to fix.”
“This is theirs to carry, not mine to hold.”
“I can care without collapsing.”
🌿 Aromatherapy Reset – Dab essential oil on your wrist. Let scent become a psychic anchor.
💓 Heart-Tap or Fingertip Press – A subtle gesture that brings you back to your body. Try tapping your heart three times, or pressing fingers into your palm.
🌒 After Session — Clearing the Residue
You’ve held the space. Now it’s time to reclaim yours.
Try:
✂️ Cord Release Visualization – See threads gently detaching from your body. Say: “Thank you. I release you.”
💧 Water Ritual – Wash your hands with intention. Spritz your face with rosewater. Let water become your emotional solvent.
🕺 Shake-Out or One-Song Movement Release – Turn on one song, move intuitively. Let the goo slide off through motion and rhythm.
🕯 Candle Closure – Light a candle. Name what you’re releasing. Blow it out. Let the smoke carry it away.
🧠 Body Scan to Locate Residual Emotion – Where does the goo linger? Notice it. Acknowledge it. Shake, tap, or breathe it out.
🪞 Weekly Reset — Reclaiming the Self
This is the recalibration. The ritual bath. The energy audit. Your return to center.
Try:
🔔 Sound Clearing – Use chimes, claps, singing bowls, or even your voice to shift stagnant energy.
🔥 Paper Fire Ritual – Write what you carried unnecessarily. Burn it safely. Bury the ashes—if you’re feeling spicy.
🎙 Voice Note or Letter to Future Self – Process what came up during the week. Validate your own work. Archive the wisdom.
🛁 Salt Soak – Classic. Simple. Witchy. Add herbs, oils, or crystals. Let it become your cauldron.
🌱 Emotional Compost Box – Create a space (real or symbolic) to place emotions you’re not ready to process. They’ll transform in their own time.
This lifecycle isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence.
It’s not about becoming untouchable—it’s about becoming unshakeable in your own energy.
The Witchy Toolkit
Not everything in your practice has to be clinical or evidence-based to be effective. Some tools work because they tap into something deeper—ritual, symbolism, archetypal memory. So if you’ve ever anointed a tea mug with intention or chosen earrings based on moon phase vibes… congratulations, you’re already using a toolkit.
Let’s build it out with purpose.
✒️ Sigils
Simple, potent, and perfect for therapists who want covert magick on the go.
🕯 Use Them For:
- Emotional neutrality
- Protection and containment
- Inviting clarity or grounding
📍 Where to Draw Them:
- Under your laptop or chair
- On your wrist with lotion or makeup
- Hidden beneath a ring or bracelet
- Inside your planner or behind a framed quote
You don’t have to be a master sigil-maker. Scribble what feels right, charge it with intention, and let it do the subtle shielding work behind the scenes.
🕯 Candle Magick
Because sometimes, a flickering flame says more than a DSM-5 ever could.
🎨 Color Correspondences:
- Black = Absorbs goo + clears psychic clutter
- Blue = Compassion, calm presence
- White = General cleansing + client discharge reset
- Purple = Intuition + boundary clarity
🔊 Ritual Language:
- Light it before sessions: “I call in clarity and containment.”
- Snuff it after: “The session ends. My space is sealed.”
Bonus points if your office candle is infused with herbs or sits atop a protection sigil.
🔮 Divination for Debriefing
You’re not pulling cards for the client. You’re pulling them for you.
Use tarot, oracle, or even a single coin flip to check in post-session.
🧭 Sample Prompts:
- “What part of me showed up strongest in that session?”
- “What did I pick up that wasn’t mine?”
- “Where is my energy asking for replenishment?”
This isn’t about prediction—it’s about pattern recognition. About tuning in after you’ve been tuned to everyone else all day.
🌕 Moon Rhythms & Energy Planning
Your calendar doesn’t just need admin blocks—it needs lunar ones.
🌑 New Moon – Set caseload intentions. What kind of energy are you calling in this month?
🌕 Full Moon – Ritual release of stuck energy. Write a client situation you’re over-carrying on a slip of paper and burn it (safely, therapist).
🌘 Waning Moon – Take a week off. Say no. Practice invisibility spells (aka: turn off email alerts).
🌒 Waxing Moon – Choose a training, a supervision topic, or new skill to nourish your therapist self.
Why push through linear productivity when you could spiral through cyclical wisdom?
🧿 Warding Accessories & Threshold Rituals
Witchy therapy style tip: your outfit can be armor.
💍 Try:
- Jewelry enchanted for shielding
- Lipstick charged for confidence
- Scarves that act like energetic cloaks
- Shoes you only wear to “step into” your therapist self
🚪 Threshold Rituals:
- Light incense at the door
- Say a quiet phrase when entering/exiting your space
- Clap or ring a bell between clients to reset the room
Your office is your temple. Treat it like sacred ground—even if it’s your laundry room with a folding chair.
And remember: you don’t need all the tools.
Just the ones that whisper back, “This feels like me.”
You’re Not Weak for Needing Protection. You’re Wise for Using It.
Somewhere along the path of clinical training, we picked up this idea that “strong” therapists don’t get impacted. That if we’re truly competent, we won’t carry our clients home in our bones. That energy shielding is somehow “woo” nonsense that can’t coexist with evidence-based practice.
Let’s exorcise that myth right now.
Here’s the truth:
🖤 Shielding isn’t fragility—it’s sacred discernment.
🖤 You shield because you’re finely attuned.
🖤 You don’t set boundaries because you care less.
🖤 You set them because you care sustainably.
Reclaiming your energy is not an indulgence. It’s an act of sacred service. To your nervous system. To your clinical integrity. To the clients who need you whole. Especially for those of us who are neurospicy, recently reemerging from burnout, or riding the tide of transition—shielding isn’t optional. It’s survival with style.
You’re not “too sensitive.”
You’re not “too witchy.”
You’re not “too much.”
You’re enough—with edges.
You’re powerful—with boundaries.
You’re sacred—with rituals.
So light the candle. Draw the sigil. Tap your heart. Seal your space.
And say it with me now (in your whisper voice, obviously):
“I wasn’t made to absorb it all. I was made to witness, transmute, and stay whole.” 🖤
🛠️ Want to Go Deeper? Your Energy Shielding Toolkit Awaits.
You made it, beloved therapist of shadow and salt. If you’re still here, I know one thing for sure: you’re not just in this field—you feel it in your bones. You hold sacred space like a second skin. And you deserve a toolkit that honors that.
✨ Download the Witchy Therapist Energy Shielding Toolkit
Think of it as your portable grounding spellbook—packed with rituals, resets, and shielding practices that actually work in the middle of your workday. No bat wings or broomsticks required (unless you’re into that).
Inside, you’ll find:
– Mini rituals for before, during, and after sessions
– Grounding practices that pair with your clinical skills
– Nervous system support that doesn’t gaslight your overwhelm
– Reflections that get you out of your head and back into your body
✨ Stick Around for More Tools + Truth-Telling
Blog posts like this are brewed regularly—infused with trauma wisdom, archetypes, nervous system magick, and a healthy dose of therapist sarcasm. You can bookmark this blog or follow along on socials to be the first to know when new offerings drop.
✨ Gather With Us IRL: The Nerdie Matters Collective
Our next Fireside Gathering happens October 6th, 2025 in Temecula, California —under the full moon glow. There, we’ll be unveiling the Thread & Tether Deck, a sacred tool for seekers, therapists, and those dancing on the edge of transformation.
Expect connection, reflection, and a community that blends science with sacred—no corporate wellness vibes here.
DM me for details or visit us @the_nerdie_matters_collective on Instagram to snag your seat around the fire. 🖤
🖤 Blessed be your boundaries.
🖤 May your flame stay lit.
🖤 And may the black goo slide off your shield like water off obsidian.
You’re not alone in this cauldron. And you’re definitely not the only one talking to ghosts and insurance companies.
I am a vessel of clarity, not confusion. I am a witness, not a wound. I am the flame—and I choose what fuels me.
And if no one’s told you this today:
You are allowed to be powerful and porous.
You are allowed to wield both clinical skill and candlelight.
You are not here to burn out—you are here to burn bright.
Blessed be your shield. Blessed be your flame. 🕯️
Written by Jen Hyatt, a licensed psychotherapist at Storm Haven Counseling & Wellness in Temecula, California.
Disclaimer
This blog post is intended for informational and educational purposes only and reflects the author’s perspectives and experiences as a mental health professional. It is not a substitute for formal training, supervision, or individualized clinical guidance. Therapists are encouraged to consult their own professional resources, supervisors, or peers when applying concepts to their practice.
The Nerdie Therapist 
Leave a comment