A snake with striking red and irradescent hues is coiled tightly against a black background. Its head is visible, with left eye gazing forward, creating an intense and captivating presence.

We often use the words healing and transformation interchangeably—but they are not the same. Both are vital to our journeys, yet they serve distinct purposes. Healing is the process of mending, of bringing what has been fractured back into wholeness. Transformation, on the other hand, is about breaking apart—not as destruction, but as evolution. It is the death and rebirth, the shedding of an old self to make way for something new.

Healing is about returning to yourself. Transformation is about becoming more than you ever were.

This distinction is at the heart of my work: as a therapist, I guide people in the healing process, while in Embodied Rebellion, as a somatic liminalist and radical disruptor, I forge transformation. Though distinct, these roles complement each other.

The Purpose and Limits of Healing

In today’s culture, the healing industry is booming. There are countless voices claiming to help people heal, yet what does healing truly mean? At its core, healing implies fixing something broken—restoring it to wholeness. The idea is that we return to a prior state, repairing what has been harmed. This is essential and sacred work. We need healing, especially when trauma, grief, and hardship have left wounds in the psyche and body.

Yet, there is an inherent trap in the way healing is often framed. The unspoken message is that we are inherently flawed, that we are something to be fixed. The mental health and self-help industries capitalize on this narrative, keeping people in an endless cycle of trying to “heal” rather than recognizing the deeper work that is calling them forward.

As a licensed therapist, I’ve spent over a decade immersed in the world of Western psychology, guiding people through trauma, attachment wounds, and personal crises. Therapy is an invaluable tool—it can create safety, help regulate the nervous system, and offer a space for self-understanding. But I’ve also seen its limitations. Healing, as it is traditionally defined, can keep people in a holding pattern, circling the same wounds, believing they must be fully “healed” before they can move forward.

In Western psychology, we are often taught to fit a certain narrative, one that is rooted in productivity, functionality, and social norms. The goal is not to transform, but to function better within society—to return to “wholeness” based on externally imposed definitions of what it means to be “whole.”

This indoctrination is part of a broader cultural framework that has been heavily shaped by the Industrial Revolution. We are taught to be productive, efficient, and functional—often at the expense of our authentic selves. In the healing world, when we experience symptoms or challenges, they are often framed as disruptions to our ability to function within this system. Therapy and healing work, in many ways, aim to make us better at fitting into a world that doesn’t always nurture our true essence.

But what if this framework is incomplete? What if healing is only part of the equation, and transformation is what truly sets us free? This is where the idea of transformation comes in.

The Power of Transformation

Transformation is not about fixing—it is about becoming.

Where healing seeks wholeness, transformation demands a death. It is the unraveling, the rupture, the moment when the structures that have contained us no longer fit. It is the point at which the known self cannot hold what we are becoming.

Embodied Rebellion is transformation work.

It is not about returning to some imagined state of wholeness, but about stepping into the fire of radical change. It is about embracing the unknown, allowing the self to fracture so that something truer can emerge.

I believe we each choose the time and circumstances of our birth, the families we enter, and the lessons we are here to embody. Our astrological charts map these blueprints—revealing the energies that shape our evolution. Through Embodied Rebellion, we engage with these archetypal forces not as abstract concepts, but as living energies that must be felt, moved through, and integrated in the body.

Transformation is embodied. It is not just an idea or an insight—it is an experience that reshapes us on every level. This is why astrology alone is not enough. To truly transform, we must bring these cosmic forces into the body, working through them in movement, breath, and lived experience.

Breaking Open: The Call to Step Beyond Healing

Many people remain in therapy for years without experiencing true change. They do the work, they gain insight, they understand their wounds—yet something remains stuck. They internalize the belief that they are the problem, that they are not healing fast enough or doing the work "correctly." But what if the issue isn’t them? What if the container of healing is simply no longer sufficient for what they need?

Therapy can only take us as far as our practitioners have traveled in their own journeys. If they have not confronted their own depths, they cannot guide us beyond their limitations. This is why the most profound healing and transformation come from those who have repeatedly walked through their own fires. Spoiler alert-it is not a once and done thing.

Healing work can stabilize us, but transformation requires a willingness to step beyond safety. It asks us to hold the tension of fear and possibility, to sit in the discomfort of expansion, to let go of who we have been in order to become who we are meant to be.

Fear is often mistaken for a reason to stop. Yet, there is a difference between the fear of true danger and the fear of stepping into something vast and unknown. The latter is the threshold of transformation—the moment when we either retreat to safety or leap into the new.

Transformation is for those who are ready to leap.

Liberation for the Individual and the Collective

Transformation work is fundamentally liberation work. At its core, transformation is about breaking free from the limiting structures—both external and internal—that confine us. It’s about shedding old skins and embodying the truest version of ourselves—the version we came here to be at a soul level. When we commit to the deep, often uncomfortable work of transformation, we are not only liberating ourselves; we are also contributing to the liberation of the collective. Each time an individual rises into their full expression, it creates a ripple effect that reverberates outward.

This is especially true in the context of our current astrological era—the Age of Aquarius. Aquarius is all about radical change, innovation, and breaking free from the old, outdated systems. As Pluto transits through Aquarius, we are collectively being called to transform at a deep, soul level. This is not about fixing what’s broken; it’s about reinventing ourselves and our world.

In this new age, transformation is the call. The shift is from healing our wounds in isolation to using those wounds as stepping stones for profound transformation—not only for ourselves but for humanity as a whole. When we embody our essence—when we stand firmly in who we are and express that fully—it ripples out, inviting others to do the same. As we each break free from societal conditioning and step into our full potential, we can shift the way humanity shows up for one another, for the planet, and for all living beings. The work of transformation becomes collective, and the healing that arises from it is more expansive than individual wellness—it is the healing of culture, society, and the planet.

Healing and Transformation: Two Necessary Paths

Neither healing nor transformation is better than the other. They are simply different paths, serving different needs at different times.

Healing is foundational. It helps us regulate, understand, and integrate. It provides the stability needed to navigate life’s challenges. But healing alone is not enough—at some point, we must step beyond it.

Transformation is the wild unknown. It is what happens when we take everything we have learned, every ounce of healing we have done, and surrender to the fire of becoming.

The Intersection of Healing and Transformation

While healing and transformation serve different purposes, they are deeply interconnected. Healing is a necessary first step for many people, especially when dealing with trauma, wounds, or unresolved patterns. It provides the foundation of self-awareness, stability, and emotional regulation that allows us to then dive into the transformative process.

However, without the groundwork of healing, transformation work can be destabilizing or overwhelming. It requires a level of self-awareness and emotional resilience that can only come from having done healing work first. This is why I often find that the people who are most ready for transformation work have already done significant healing—whether through therapy or other modalities.

Ultimately, the process of embodying your truest essence—of stepping outside of societal norms to live your authentic truth—is what I believe to be the most powerful form of healing. It is this liberation that leads to the collective healing we so desperately need in the world.

Embodied Rebellion is for those who are ready to move beyond healing.

It is for those who feel the pull to step outside of prescribed narratives, to embody their astrology rather than simply understand it, to engage in somatic practices that catalyze change rather than just analyze it.

It is a path of reclamation, of radical self-trust, of learning to navigate the breakdowns and breakthroughs that mark true evolution.

If you feel the call to not just heal, but transform—this is for you.

In rupture and rebirth,

AW🖤

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What does healing and transformation mean to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts—drop a comment and let’s explore this together.

Becoming Whole vs. Breaking Apart: The Difference Between Healing & Transformation