Money & The Spiritual Nervous System: Why Healers Struggle to Receive

Your gifts can change lives, but they still have to pay the rent. If you’re a psychic, healer, intuitive, or empath who feels a knot in your stomach when you quote your price, ask for a raise, or stop a session on time, we’re talking about the real root: discomfort with receiving and the nervous system patterns that keep you stuck.

I walk through why money issues hit spiritual practitioners so hard, especially when your identity is built around helping. We unpack the most common blocks I see in spiritual business and everyday work life: linking money to greed or control, fearing rejection when someone can say no, and slipping into the martyr dynamic where you overgive, undercharge, and call it “being ethical.” I also share how this shows up in real business symptoms like inconsistent income, client retention problems, exhaustion after sessions, and boundaries that keep getting tested.

Then we shift into what actually changes the game: treating money as energy exchange, building clear structure, and expanding your capacity to receive. That means stating your rates without overexplaining, ending sessions with clean boundaries, and letting clients be responsible for their own healing process so your work stays accurate, grounded, and sustainable.

If this resonates, listen now, then share it with a practitioner friend who’s burning out. Subscribe for more Soul Talk and Psychic Advice, and leave a review telling me what part of receiving you’re ready to strengthen next.

Embodied Psychic Portal

Transcript

Welcome And The Money Taboo

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello, it's Dr. Donna and welcome to another episode of my podcast, Soul Talk and Psychic Advice. Today we're going to talk about something that quietly impacts like every psychic, healer, intuitive, and empath, um, especially in business, but also for anybody who's trying to be more spiritual. And it is something that is important that people push away, and that is your relationship with money. I am not a money coach. I do not speak from it from a money coach, but I speak from it from what I've seen in myself, um, practitioners that I've worked with, and even, you know, clients throughout the years. It's a discomfort with money because people think that money is negative and greed, and you know, they talk about all these philosophies of capitalism, the whole thing, right? But here's the truth: you can be gifted, you can be spiritual, you can be accurate, and you can deeply help people and still struggle financially, right? For whether you're starting a business business or not. So you can be struggling to have a sustainable business if you plan to do some type of spiritual work, and you can even hurt yourself if you're not starting a business and you're working for someone, you may not ask for a raise, you may, you know, stay stuck in a position and not grow. You will sabotage yourself if you are uncomfortable with money. And it's not because you're not valuable or the work that you do isn't valuable, but because your nervous system and belief system are not aligned with receiving, and you have turned it into I must give more than I receive, or I will receive very little, so not a taker, because I want to be considered a good person, right? That's where all this stuff comes from. I'm spiritual, I don't need all that money, but we live in a world that requires a lot of money. Haven't you noticed uh you know what it takes to survive? You know, it just gets more and more expensive every year, right? And so let's talk about this. Because your nervous system is not aligned and your belief system is not aligned with receiving, you become conditioned subtly or directly into a kind of a martyr dynamic, right? Where giving is good, but receiving feels complicated. It feels like, no, I don't need much, I'm grateful, just give, you know, and I was this person, and I think I I'm sure some of you who are listening might be this person or have been this person, and so let's talk about it. So today we're going to break down why money issues show up so strongly in this spiritual space, how inability to receive affects your business, where the martyr pattern comes from, and what actually needs to shift. So I am talking mostly to the person who wants to have a spiritual business, but if you are a spiritual person, period, or you're diving into spirituality or even your religion, listen and and see if any of this resonates, because what people don't understand is the more you make, the more you can help others, and you can give and receive at the same time. And haven't you ever just like you know, watched somebody post that they're struggling to make their rent and they may be homeless and they got kids or something, or you know, my community people always need food, so I always buy extra food so that I can put together a package and give them cash for what I don't have. And that feels really good. And if I didn't work on my money stuff, I wouldn't be able to do those things. And I want to elevate that even more, you know, to help myself enjoy life, but also you know, people are becoming homeless. I can say, Hey, here's your rent for the year while you figure things out. Don't you want to expand and have a different perception of money? So let's get into it. Let's talk about the reality. Your business runs on exchange. When you go to work, it runs on exchange. You expect a paycheck, you run a business, you need money. So let's start with something very direct. A business is built on exchange, you offer insight, healing, clarity, emotional or spiritual support. And I'm gonna remind everybody the spiritual healing business, whether it's Reiki, psychic, whatever, it's a$376 billion business. So people believe in it. They could say that they don't, they could call it hogwash, but how is it a$376 billion a year business? Okay, so it is something that people believe in and will pay for, and in return, you receive money, right? Because you're offering this insight, this emotional or spiritual support, the clarity, the healing, and people want it. I feel good after an energy healing session, I feel calmer, I feel grounded. So that exchange is what sustains the work. You can't live on spirituality. And so I may sound kind of rude or crude in this podcast here or there, but think about it. You can't tell your landlord, well, I have a spiritual business, so I can't pay rent. You're gonna be on the streets. So if the receiving side is blocked, the business cannot stabilize. So what happens for many psychics and healers is that they overgive, right? They extend sessions way past the time. And so they're not taking in enough clients or making enough money. Undercharge, I think we all kind of start there. I definitely undercharge. I remember I started at 99 cents a minute when I was doing readings, and then I was nervous about 149 and oh my god, I'm gonna be 199 a minute. And remember, I I was started on a platform, so they got a lot of this money. So when I was charging 99 a minute, I wasn't seeing the whole thing, you know. So yeah, we start, you know, very low. So yeah, I started at 99 cents. Um people will do a reading for ten dollars. Yeah, you know, you're better off not doing readings unless you're practicing at that rate. Okay, so you avoid raising prices, and we don't want to price people out. Like I price according to what I am willing to pay someone. That's how I do my pricing. How much am I willing to pay? And I realize that sometimes I pay a little bit more for other people's services when they've raised their rates versus what I would charge. So I'm a middle person. Um, you know, you give extra labor, you know, you bend over backwards, you struggle to ask for payment clearly. But you I noticed this when I worked on Etsy, we were always giving extra gifts. Like I love to put some cute little extra stuff in when people bought stuff. I noticed that it became a thing and very expected from customers that we give something free, and if you didn't, they were like, Well, where's my free thing? So we have conditioned people to expect it. And I enjoyed it on SE because I had little inexpensive stuff that I can add, but a lot of times people do that because it's like saying, Hey, please come back to me. Look at all the bonuses I give, right? And over time this creates burnout, resentment, and financial instability, and you start wondering how are you gonna do your calling? Not because you don't care, right? But because you are not allowing for full exchange. You have to. And this goes for someone who is scared to ask for a raise in their business in their job if you're working for someone or someone who is scared to go after a promotion. There's many ways that we block ourselves too, although directly, you know, directing most of this towards people who are running a spiritual business, this can apply to anyone. Look at how you struggle with receiving. So there are a few consistent patterns here. Associating money with harm or control. That's the biggest mistake. Many people subconsciously associate money with greed, power imbalance, and exploitation. So charging begins to feel wrong. Yeah, and this is what happens. This is number one. A lot of people go, Well, I'm not greedy, you know, only greedy people need money. They're hoarding money. But I would love to hoard some money so I can help more people because I know what it's like to struggle. So you know, think about what you can do. You can take care of yourself and you can help others who are trying to get to a better situation. Think about money differently. It is power, it's powerful, it's not a power and balance, it's a very powerful tool. Think about identity built around helping. If your sense of self is I'm someone who helps people, yeah, then introducing money can feel like I'm taking from people. This is what happens instead of recognizing I am participating in exchange. Money is an energy exchange that can't be avoided. Try living without money and see how far you go. You're not gonna go far, right? And so number three, fear of being rejected. Charging clearly creates the possibility that someone may say no. So instead of holding your value, you may lower your price, overexplain, or avoid the conversation. Been there and see, you know, even with okay, you work for someone and you're like, okay, they think I'm worth it, they hired me. So you feel a little bit okay. But if you're self-employed, you're like, I have to know I'm worth it. So you see the work that has to be done when you have a money issue. So let's talk about number four. Nervous system discomfort with receiving. Yes, receiving attention, money, or recognition can feel overwhelming, exposing, or unsafe. So even if you want more income, your system may subtly resist it. And the reason why I'm talking about this is because when I decided to work on myself, and as you guys know, if you know my story, I've been bankrupt before. I've been through bankruptcy, I've been through some tough things. And I even when I started to make more money because I didn't I had things going on, I lost my son, you know, and plus I just didn't know how to handle more, I was sabotaging, and so when I sought out a lot of these money coaching things, they were good, they worked for a lot of people. They were good products. I I can't judge the product, but I wasn't catching on as quickly because I needed deeper work. I needed to really work on something deeper, so it's okay to say, hey, I gotta work on what my nervous system receives, right? And so that's important. So let's talk about the next part of this podcast, the martyr pattern. You know a lot of y'all are martyrs, okay. I've been a martyr. I've been a martyr. This is where things become more precise, right? Many healers operate inside a martyr dynamic. Yes, we do. And this is what the pattern looks like of a martyr. I should help even if it cost me. Their needs matter more than mine. If I charge too much, I'm not being spiritual. Yep, that and and people will accuse you of that too. I've been told by people who don't understand spirituality that I should never be mad about nothing, upset about anything, and I shouldn't want money. And I tell them I say, So how do I cover bills? How do I cover health insurance, car, you know, food, a roof over my head? I can't just surf on people's couches. Do you know people who's gonna let you just live on their couch for free because you're doing spiritual work? Um, but let's be clear, this is not service. This is self-neglect framed as virtue, right? This is self-neglect framed as virtue. The martyr pattern create imbalance, depletion, and unsustainable work. You want to be able to sustain your work and have longevity. And again, if this is a three hundred and seventy-six billion dollar business, don't you realize that people are willing to pay? It's just about you working on yourself and you finding the clients that attract to you. That's what it's about. And over time, this distorts your relationship with your own gifts because instead of valuing your work right, you're not valuing it right now. You begin to sacrifice yourself to maintain it. I think a lot of us have done that. You are not meant to be the cost of your business. Right? You hear me? So let's talk about how this affects your business. When you cannot fully receive, your business reflects it. You can't be successful no matter how great you are, how loving, how kind you are, unless you're able to receive. Okay? Because even if people say you're great, they're gonna give you referrals, those referrals will fall off. They won't come through or they won't come back if you're not ready to receive. And you'll be thinking, Oh, I wasn't a good enough practitioner. That isn't what it is. So when you cannot fully receive your business reflexes, so you may experience inconsistent income. Yes, you will, difficulty retaining clients, yes, exhaustion after sessions. You know, yeah, you will. Now I have all this energy after sessions, it it's great. Lack of growth despite effort, right? You do all the marketing, you can be online. You know, when I started there wasn't social media, you could be doing all the things and you won't grow unless you work on this. Why? Because your system is signaling giving is safe, receiving is not safe. So you unconsciously maintain in balance. This can also show up as attracting clients who overtake your energy, yes, clients who give you a hard time, right? Feeling responsible for their outcomes. That's the overgiving people pleasing that I've spoken about in other podcasts. And difficulty ending sessions are setting limits. You know, when I first started, I used to think, oh, spiritual people just always go over. We wouldn't say, oh, your time is up. But there's many ways to end a session. That's something that I teach in the Embody Psychic Portal. Is there's many ways to end it if you're on cartel saying we're at our time, but it's important to have that boundary. And some people will try to test that boundary, they just will. See, this is important to remember because boundaries and receiving are connected. If you cannot hold the boundary of exchange, you cannot stabilize the container of your work. So let's talk about what it means to actually receive, because this is what people struggle with, right? Receiving is not just about money. We make everything so black and white, you know. It is bigger than that. It's about receiving love, you know, it's about receiving healthy friendships, everything, and it is also about allowing value to come back to you, support to reach you, compensation to match your output, but we receive in many different ways. Like people who are looking for a partner, they're not finding it because they're not open to really receiving it. They're just saying, I want, I want, but they gotta do the work, right, to attract the partner. Receiving requires nervous system regulation, self-permission, and clear structure. It looks like stating your price without overexplaining, this is my price. If it doesn't work for you, I understand. But it doesn't mean I'm gonna lower it or do free. Ending sessions on time. That's important because even your guides will be telling you it's time to end the session. Allowing clients to be responsible for their own process, allow people to do their own healing, don't try to do it for them. Not over delivering to earn worth. Yes. Receiving is not passive, it is capacity. You only can receive at the level of your capacity, and your capacity is based on how much work you have done to be able to be a receiver. So let's talk about the refrain. And this is not selfish, so God help you. Please don't see things as selfish. This is well, there is this belief that right, if I receive fully, I'm taking from others. No, you're not. But in reality, clear exchange creates clearer work. When clients pay, they are more engaged. They are. They take the work more seriously, they do. And they show differently. They're like, I'm paying for this. I'd rather get my money's worth and and they pay attention. I try to offer free things and nobody joins my free groups. They don't. They only join when I charge something. And I don't know why, because I always wanted a little free something to just kinda hang out, right? But when you receive, you stay regulated. Your energy remains clear, your perception stays accurate. Yes. This is not about becoming transactional, it's about becoming sustainable. You are not here to prove your work through depletion. You are here to create work that can continue. Look, if you have this calling, it's a beautiful way to help people. You know, we're not here to replace therapy or social work or counseling or anything. We're in addition to or an alternative, but it helps people. People feel good. I mean, when my son died, I couldn't collect my thoughts, right? I was just in a fog, I was in a daze, and I just remember wanting to die, you know, because I wanted to be where he was. Why would I wanna be on the earth without my son? And what really helped me was all this woo-woo energy stuff and having a spiritual coach. That's how I survived this pain. And it's incredible. And you have to look at what your skills are and feel like they are worthy of paying. I never asked for anything free when I needed all that help. I paid whatever they charged because it helped me. And if you can start looking at yourself as worthy, you can do more, you can help more people, and then if you want to do some type of charity, you have some money left over to do that after you save and pay your bills and do everything else. You have got to change how you see things if you are struggling with this, because money is not a power imbalance, it's not greed, it is powerful, it is a tool, it is freedom. And that's something that spiritual people just don't allow. We'd love to keep ourselves in chastity and pain and you you know, we must suffer and be a martyr, and that's not gonna help you. You won't make it. And believe me, who's ever doing this work now? They can't do it forever. We're all mortal beings. We need more people to do this work during COVID. People sought this work out like crazy. You know, so really think about what do you want to contribute and do that inner work, break through. And we gotta stop all this floating in the clouds, spiritual lily work, and it's not helping us. And people may say I don't sound spiritual because I am also a realist. And spirituality is reality. And if you're doing this work, you've got to charge. If you plan to do this work, you've got to charge a sustainable way. And none of that is greed. So I'm gonna close this out because as you can tell, I know personally, I know professionally, I have facilitated so many people with this, and I watch them battle themselves, and I say, okay, you just I'm done. You can just fall. You can just fall so that you can understand. And a lot of us do end up in bankrupt or you you know, if you want to hang out and do the van life and you can, yes, but you're still gonna need money for that, you're gonna need gas, you're still gonna need food, you're still gonna need stuff. So look at things differently. And if you're someone who isn't starting a business, but you still don't know how to seek a job that will pay you your worth, and you've really had the skills and everything, do this inner work, start working on aligning your nervous system. Definitely. It is important to be a receiver, you know, and also because if you can help yourself money-wise, you can help receiving better and relationships, it all carries over and friendships and life and manifesting as you need. Sometimes I'm a very quick manifestor. Sometimes I filter my words because I'm like, I gotta watch what I manifest because you know why I have to watch what I say because sometimes I can just get what I want, and I wasn't always there. I was there when I needed things for my kid, but not really for me. You know, as he grew up, it's like that shield was lifted and it's like, whoa, I never really manifested for me. It was always to take care of him. So this is the time to do the work so that you could be sustainable and don't burn out, and you're not a people pleaser and a overgiver. Because some of y'all stay late at work to impress the boss, right? And you'd do all these things saying I have to do this when you weren't even asked to do it. You're volunteering to do it. Then you're saying my job requires it, and that isn't so. So let me close this out. If you are a psychic healer or intuitive, your ability to receive is directly tied to your ability to sustain your work. You do not need to suffer to be of service, you do not need to undercharge to be ethical. You do not need to sacrifice yourself to be legitimate. You are not a martyr. You are a practitioner. And practitioners require structure, exchange, and support. When you allow yourself to receive fully, you can have the business of your dream. You become clearer, stronger, and more stable. So this concludes this episode. I want to thank you for listening. Have a great day, and I will see you in the next episode.