No One Talks About How Expensive Healing Is

We love to romanticize healing: the bubble baths, the journaling, and the therapy sessions where breakthroughs come like waves. But  no one tells you  that healing—real healing—is expensive.

It’s not just about time and energy. It costs money – sometimes, a lot of it. 

Healing Is a Financial Privilege

Whether you’re dealing with the aftermath of trauma, chronic illness, anxiety, or grief, you can find a long list of things that might help you feel whole again: therapy, medication, yoga classes, acupuncture, physical therapy, hormone testing,, or even cosmetic procedures that help you feel comfortable in your own skin again.

But unless you have a top-tier insurance plan (or a rich aunt), you likely foot the bill yourself.

Many insurance providers don’t even cover therapy. If they do, it’s on their terms with extreme limitations. They definitely don’t cover grief coaching, nutritional consultations, or the kind of holistic, trauma-informed care that many of us  seek. So we have to choose: groceries or therapy? Rent or recovery?

I’ve Skipped Appointments Because I Couldn’t Afford Them

After my partner died, I was in physical pain from the grief. My body ached. I couldn’t sleep. My chest was tight for weeks. I increased my therapy sessions to once, even  twice, a week. Eventually, I asked for help because I had to either pay my rent or  for therapy, and I desperately needed both. 

This may sound like an exception to the rule, but it wasn’t the first time I had to choose between healing and financial survival.

In 2017, after I experienced a miscarriage, I fell into a deep, debilitating depression. Weekly therapy didn’t give me enough—I needed medication, frequent follow-ups, and, eventually, an intensive outpatient program (IOP),  to start functioning again. The total cost of all of that? Tens of thousands of dollars, even after insurance. On a teacher’s salary, I couldn’t cover those bills without sinking into debt.

Then, in 2020, I went  through a divorce during the midst of a global pandemic. My then-husband lost his job, and I didn’t have insurance through my employer at the time. I had to cancel every doctor’s appointment I had scheduled, and I didn’t see a primary care doctor again until 2022. Even after I got coverage, the high deductible plan meant that I couldn’t afford things like physical therapy for a knee injury were entirely. Instead, I  had to deal with the pain and move on.

Payment Plans Shouldn’t Be Taboo

We shouldn’t reserve healing for those who can afford to pay up front. Fortunately, an increasing number of providers  offer options that make care more financially accessible. Some now provide patient payment plans—a flexible way to pay for treatment over time, often without giant upfront costs or predatory interest rates.

And this kind of financing doesn’t just cover cosmetic work anymore. It’s a lifeline for people like me, people who desperately want to get better but simply can’t afford to do it all at once.

We Need to Normalize the Full Picture

Healing looks like therapy and fresh air and crying on the bathroom floor—but it also looks like logging into your insurance portal and realizing you’re still $3,000 away from your deductible. It looks like skipping sessions, asking about payment plans, or deciding between mental health and physical health because you can’t afford both.

Let’s normalize budgeting for our emotional well-being. We need to discuss payment plans, sliding-scale providers, community health clinics, and nonprofit programs. And let’s remind people that it’s okay to need help—not just emotionally, but financially, too.

Everyone deserves to heal – not just the ones who can afford it.

Photo by Jared Rice on Unsplash