Spiritual Healing in Bali
As I mentioned in my roundup, my recent trip to Indonesia was about grounding myself; and maybe a little bit of closure - for the year I’d had. It was some of the hardest months, emotionally, of my life and Bali was a chance for me to put a physical finish on it.
Asia had healed me before I needed its help again.
A healing ceremony; I told my friends as I showed them TikTok videos of girls screaming into the abyss. A traditional Balinese Purification ritual known as "Melukat"
I woke up at 3 am that morning, crying about something that I didn’t think had affected me, so that was a good start. It set an emotional tone for the day.Arriving at Tri Desna felt eerie. The dark wood structures and purple fabrics set an unfamiliarly dark ambience, heightened by the distant echoes of other girls' screams.
That’d soon be me.
Sitting in a wooden cabana, I sipped my tea and waited. We started with a tarot reading which did not relate at all, so I came out of there in a huff. We’ll just breeze over that part.
I was then asked to pick an outfit from a wall of sarongs and ties that lay in front of me. By the time I had gotten changed, another girl had arrived so we sat together and shared stories of what brought us there.
I told her how eerie it all felt and she quite wisely said, 'people come here to dump their trauma and leave, of course it felt weird.' It made so much sense. The dark, moody sky all added to the atmosphere.
The videos I'd seen, had shown girls screaming their hearts out at this part and to be honest, I thought it was a load of rubbish. Surprisingly, I wasn’t told to scream, just to let it all out as and when.
I could feel myself tearing up as it was happening. I'd had a really hard few months.
They poured water full of flowers over me and as chants filled the air, the emotions I had suppressed surged to the surface; so I did let it all out. Screaming, sobbing, releasing what had consumed me for months. I felt terrible afterwards.
After sitting there for a little while, we moved to another corner of the garden - which was now a sunny spot. A sanctuary of vibrant fruits, flowers, and swirling incense. Together we said prayers as I was blessed with holy coconut water and offerings of rice and fruit.
They poured water full of flowers over me and as chants filled the air, the emotions I had suppressed surged to the surface; so I did let it all out. Screaming, sobbing, releasing what had consumed me for months. I felt terrible afterwards.
After sitting there for a little while, we moved to another corner of the garden - which was now a sunny spot. A sanctuary of vibrant fruits, flowers, and swirling incense. Together we said prayers as I was blessed with holy coconut water and offerings of rice and fruit.
As you can you can tell by the photos, I was feeling very sorry for myself at this point.
Before I left, they tied a traditional Indonesian bracelet of red, white and black thread around my wrist; representing love, life and death. Told not to remove it, I am still wearing it now, 5 months later.
The weird feeling lingered for a few days after the ceremony, I was emotionally drained. Sitting by the hotel pool that afternoon, I called home to talk it though amidst the haze of emotions that clouded my mind.
Adhering to instructions, I also refrained from showering for three days to let the holy water sink into my skin. Like a good little girl, I arrived back in the UK with dried flowers stuck in my hair, still smelling like Bali.
Returning home, the haze slowly lifted and was replaced by glimpses of happiness which I hadn’t felt for months. Tri Desna gave me what I had come for. Looking back on my trip to Bali - and all my adventures of the past year, I was thankful to have them as happy memories during the worst year of my life.
Before I left, they tied a traditional Indonesian bracelet of red, white and black thread around my wrist; representing love, life and death. Told not to remove it, I am still wearing it now, 5 months later.
The weird feeling lingered for a few days after the ceremony, I was emotionally drained. Sitting by the hotel pool that afternoon, I called home to talk it though amidst the haze of emotions that clouded my mind.
Adhering to instructions, I also refrained from showering for three days to let the holy water sink into my skin. Like a good little girl, I arrived back in the UK with dried flowers stuck in my hair, still smelling like Bali.
Returning home, the haze slowly lifted and was replaced by glimpses of happiness which I hadn’t felt for months. Tri Desna gave me what I had come for. Looking back on my trip to Bali - and all my adventures of the past year, I was thankful to have them as happy memories during the worst year of my life.
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