Journey of a Wounded Healer: Using Modern Alchemy to Grow a Healing Practice – An Interview with Alyassia “Asia” Taylor

They say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.

For Alyassia “Asia” Taylor, PhD, this has been an unwelcome mantra echoing through her life. As a single mother who has faced unimaginable loss and pain, her journey has been anything but easy. Yet, her strength shines through as she has transformed her wounds into a powerful Sound and Energy Healing practice.

In this interview, Dr. Asia opens up about the beginnings of her spiritual journey, how she has learned to embrace the wounds that nearly broke her, and how she now helps others turn their own pain into abundance. Her story is one of resilience, transformation, and the incredible power of healing.

Tell us about your awakening to mindfulness, consciousness, and spirituality. How did this unfold for you? 

My awakening began when I left home at 19 as a young army wife and mother. Growing up, I adhered to my parents’ beliefs, and I would have to swallow the troubling feelings of not being able to ask questions about, well anything, really. However, once on my own, I began to trust my intuition and seek answers independently. At 20, I acquired my first tarot deck, initially feeling conflicted about using it. Yet, as I delved deeper into my intuition and the symbols communicating with me from my Higher Self, I embarked on a profound spiritual path.

Over the past 30 years, this path has taken me through various explorations of religions, beliefs, spirit and consciousness, shadow work, and divination. In 2018, I felt a calling to build a community and present my authentic self to inspire others. Initially, I attempted to create a lifestyle blog centered around my work as a Masters Track and Field Athlete, but it didn’t resonate with my true purpose.

In late 2019, I received a message: “What if you lost it all?” I originally thought it was preparing me for the global pandemic, which indeed disrupted many activities, including track and field. At that time I thought, “eh, this isn’t so bad, I guess losing it all is pretty cushy. I get to take a break from training and stay in my comfortable home.” I wasn’t prepared at all for what happened next. One afternoon in October 2020, I answered my door to find a police officer informing me that my son had been killed that day.  Four months later, it was time to assist my grandmother in her transition as her hospice caregiver and death doula. 

I spent almost a year in a dark period that transformed me. I questioned it all, including the point of living. I can say now that these experiences led me to a deeper understanding of myself and my life’s direction. The journey through this dark period led me into the depths of who I truly am, and what direction I want to take in my life. I realized that the things that really mattered to me were not being realized in my life. I needed to find my true authentic voice. I also learned that every dark time that I endured in life (and there were many) was preparing me as someone who has been called to help others transmute their dark times and soul wounds into something greater and more authentic to them.

I embarked on a path of initiations into priestesshoods, shamanic practices, meditation formats, and other spiritual healing methods, which I now incorporate into my practice. I pursued a University program tailored to my interests in metaphysical topics, gaining profound knowledge and realizing the vastness of what I still have to learn. My PhD in Metaphysics serves as a foundation for continuous growth, allowing me to share new insights with others in an accessible and meaningful way.

What inspired you to start your journey as an intuitive energy and sound healer?

My journey into the world of healing began with a deep spiritual calling. I discovered that my higher purpose is to help others with their soul wounds, engage and inspire empaths and creatives, and that I have a unique gift for working with energy and vibration. During my Master’s studies, I delved into topics around the luminous energy field and explored various ways to harness this energy. It’s a great area of study, and even quantum physics now supports what we, as energy workers and shamans, have always known: we are all energy vibrating in different forms, and observing the vibration has an impact on how energy vibrates.

Sound has always affected me differently. I just didn’t know why. When I bought my first bowl, I had no idea where it would lead me. A friend who owned a metaphysical shop invited me to try giving a sound bath, and from that moment, my path became clear. My curiosity about energy manipulation grew, and so did my sound healing practice. Today, I offer a range of healing services, including sound healing with bowls, auric and somatic tuning with tuning forks, and energy clearing and healing practices. These methods blend shamanic and ancient techniques with my intuitive guidance to support my clients’ healing journeys.

When you lead a sound healing experience/ sound bath, what is your desire for those who participate? What do you personally experience? 

My desire for every sound bath and healing session is to use my gifts to help clients achieve the healing they need. Before each session, I engage in a ritual of quiet contemplation, meditation, and divination to communicate with Source (or my Higher Self). This helps me understand what I need to know and the intention I should carry into the session. I openly share this intention with my clients, inviting them to join me on our journey together. It’s crucial for clients to accept and actively participate in each session. I am merely a conduit for the healing energy to flow; clients must be open to receiving and communicating with their higher Self or Source for the healing to occur.

During the sessions, I experience a sense of lightness and enter a semi-meditative state. While I may zone out a bit, I remain present to ensure my clients’ safety and well-being. Initially, sessions used to drain me energetically. However, I have developed a technique of “funneling” energy from the Root and Crown energy centers, which prevents me from using so much of my personal energy for the healing process. This has significantly helped me maintain my energy levels, though I still require a rest period after each session.

After energy healing sessions, I sometimes feel aches or tingling in my body corresponding to the areas where I performed the clearing on the client. My pre-session ritual also includes boundary work, so this doesn’t happen every time. When it does happen, I use it as a reminder to send love and compassion energy to the client as they continue their healing journey.

What is a Divine Path Consultation, and how does it guide individuals toward their life’s purpose? 

Divine Path Consultations are my favorite of the services I offer my clients. A Divine Path Consultation is a unique counseling session where I utilize intuition, divination, and my work with archetypes and human design to help my clients explore their life purpose, relationships, and the significance of their past experiences on their current and future journey.

I describe it as observing a conversation between my Higher Self and my client’s Higher Self, along with any ancestors, guardians, or other spiritual entities present for the client. I present what I intune in this conversation and bring it to the client to address the questions they have about their journey.

Recently, I have integrated more human design elements into the consultations, having witnessed their profound impact on my own life. However, this requires information about the clients’ birth chart, which is not always available. 

Overall, the consultation lasts a little longer than an hour, and is led by whatever questions the client asks. By the end of the consultation, clients gain a clearer path forward and a deeper connection with their Higher Self, because I also provide them with tools to enhance their intuition and communication with their Higher Self.

How do you approach the work of helping creatives and empaths transform their soul wounds into personal growth? 

I began referring to my work as “soul alchemy” and soon discovered that many others around the world are engaged in this transformative practice. It was incredibly validating to realize I am part of a global movement of modern alchemists.

The process of soul alchemy is akin to the traditional alchemical process, but the symbology varies depending on the individual case. The ultimate goal is to transmute the wounds of our lives into something new and beautiful. I draw upon my own experiences with soul wounds (traumas) to guide others. For instance, my ability to help those who have experienced profound loss is deeply rooted in my own journey through death and loss.

Transmutation can occur through various means, such as art, writing, creative endeavors, or community programs. Personally, I use my art, writing, business, and community programs as ways to work the transmutation process. Creatives and empaths, who often have many open energy centers in their bodies, tend to experience heightened emotions (both their own and others’) and may need more resources to process them. As empaths, we not only feel pain and pleasure more deeply, but it is also our responsibility to help others navigate their emotions without becoming the processors of those emotions ourselves.

My goal in working with creatives and empaths is to help them find the best paths for transmuting the energy of their soul wounds and to recognize the gifts they have and the best ways to use them. In addition to using my sound baths to help facilitate the communication with the divine Source, I assist both creatives and empaths in transforming their pain into growth through small group coaching and events, one-on-one coaching (though less frequently), courses, discussions in the Creatrix Academy, and by sharing my personal alchemy journey on my live video streams.

What is the Creatrix Academy, and who would this benefit? 

The Creatrix Academy is a vibrant online community dedicated to empowering individuals through a wide array of metaphysical and spiritual courses. I founded this community to support those embarking on their personal spiritual journeys, especially those who, like me, felt a curiosity towards topics often considered taboo, such as energy work, alchemy and divination.

My goal was to create a space where we could openly discuss our journeys and share resources on subjects like soul and urban alchemy, divination, and sound and energy healing. Within the Academy, I offer both live and self-paced courses, along with live-streamed events for our members.

Who would benefit from The Creatrix Academy? I feel everyone could benefit from experiencing an open mind on topics that are sometimes kept in the shadows. But specifically, the community was created for:

• Spiritual Seekers: Those eager to explore a variety of metaphysical tools and practices to enhance their spiritual journeys.
• Healing Practitioners: Individuals looking to integrate new ideas into their healing practices.
• Personal Growth Enthusiasts: People aiming to discover and embrace their authentic selves through guided challenges and courses.

I want The Creatrix Academy to be a nurturing environment for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of metaphysical practices and achieve personal transformation.

In your opinion, what are some of the most common challenges people face when starting their spiritual journey? 

In my opinion the most common challenge people face when starting their spiritual journey is the ego and anthropomorphizing of the Divine. We tend to come into the spiritual journey with a very human mindset. We bring our rules and analytics created using our very limited human brains. We start out the journey with human expectations of what “should” happen and when. We tend to set ourselves up for failure. 

This is my biggest pet peeve with religion as well. I feel religion had the potential to be beautiful and immensely helpful, but the human aspect often complicated it. The concept of “God” has been humanized, given human characteristics and a human history. If we could strip away the anthropomorphic ideology and open a channel in our hearts for communication without words, boundaries and rules, the religious journey could be more spiritual. 

Similarly, starting a spiritual journey with an open channel for communication with the Divine Source, free from the constraints and analytics of our Monkey/Lizard/Human brains, can make the journey simpler and more beautiful. By removing these human-imposed limitations, we can experience a more profound and authentic connection with the Divine. There is no “wrong” or “right” way to do what is intrinsically a personal path created only for you. 

As your work continues to expand, what are your hopes and dreams?

I hope to keep growing and trusting myself on this journey. I want to be a positive influence on others’ journeys and explore more of the world. Now that I have children and grandchildren, I see how my past wounds are helping me support them. I believe I was meant to heal many generational traumas in my family. Recognizing this, I hope to help others see it in their own families. I also dream of finishing any of the four books I’m writing so that I can continue spreading positive ripples worldwide.

What’s the best way for people to connect and follow your work?

If you are interested in more information about my Sound and Energy Healing sessions, Divine Path Consultations, Soul Alchemy groups or projects, or the Creatrix Academy, please visit the website or find me on Instagram or YouTube.