Healing Is the New High: A Guide to Overcoming Emotional Turmoil and Finding Freedom by Vex King

Healing Is the New High: A Guide to Overcoming Emotional Turmoil and Finding Freedom by Vex King explores inner healing as the ultimate state of elevation. The book solves the problem of relying on temporary, external “false highs” to numb emotional pain by offering a sustainable, inward approach to processing trauma. In today’s high-stress world, it matters because it provides practical, accessible tools to process past conditioning, raise your vibration, and reclaim your authentic self without needing an external guru.

Who May Benefit

• Individuals struggling with emotional pain, past trauma, or limiting beliefs.
• Readers of personal development looking for actionable self-care routines.
• Anyone experiencing anxiety or feeling stuck in repetitive negative cycles.
• Spiritual seekers wanting practical applications of yogic philosophy.
• People seeking to establish healthy boundaries and better relationships.

Top 3 Key Insights

1. Trauma distorts reality, making us hypervigilant, reactive, and prone to pain.
2. True healing requires working through all seven layers (or bodies) of the self.
3. You must actively reparent yourself to rewrite lifelong limiting beliefs.

4 More Takeaways

1. Unprocessed emotional wounds often manifest as chronic physical pain.
2. Sustainable healing requires setting firm, loving boundaries with others.
3. Intuition brings calm clarity; trauma responses trigger frantic fear.
4. Inner freedom means accepting all emotions, not just feeling happy.

Book in 1 Sentence

Vex King provides a practical framework using the seven subtle bodies to release trauma, raise your vibration, and achieve sustainable inner peace.

Book in 1 Minute

Healing Is the New High by Vex King is a transformative guide that shifts the focus from chasing temporary, external highs to cultivating genuine, sustainable inner peace. Drawing from yogic philosophy, King introduces the concept of the seven subtle bodies—physical, etheric, astral, mental, spiritual, cosmic, and nirvanic—as a comprehensive framework for holistic healing. The book explains how unprocessed trauma from our past, especially childhood, manifests as limiting beliefs and physical blockages that dictate our current reality. Rather than just offering abstract spiritual concepts, King provides highly practical exercises, such as body scans, limiting belief rewrites, and reparenting techniques, to help readers systematically clear out emotional debris. The ultimate outcome is a resilient mindset where readers reclaim their true self, operate from calm intuition, and experience profound emotional freedom.

1 Unique Aspect

The book uniquely structures psychological healing through the esoteric yogic framework of the “seven bodies,” turning abstract spiritual concepts into accessible, practical exercises that bridge ancient philosophy and modern trauma therapy.

Chapter-wise Summary

Chapter 1: How many bodies?

“To vibrate on a high level and feel alive… each one of our seven bodies… needs to be working in harmony.”

This chapter introduces the core framework of the book, moving beyond traditional therapy to explore the holistic self. King explains that to truly heal, we cannot rely on surface-level fixes; we must address the “seven bodies” derived from yogic and esoteric philosophy—ranging from the physical to the nirvanic. Healing is not a linear process, but working systematically through these subtle energy layers ensures we don’t neglect hidden trauma. This structured journey is designed to be experienced practically, not just academically.

The concept of the seven subtle bodies comes from yogic and esoteric teachings, such as Kundalini and the philosophy of the Indian guru Osho, and serves as a holistic framework for inner healing. Because trauma affects all layers of our being, true healing cannot take place if we only address our surface-level wounds. To achieve true emotional harmony and vibrate on a high level, all seven bodies must be nurtured and work together.

The seven bodies are:

1. The physical body: This is the most obvious layer and the one we are most familiar with. It acts as the interpreter between our inner self and the outside world, giving us the ability to experience, feel, sense, and express.
2. The etheric body: Closely tied to our emotions, this body is said to develop between the ages of seven and 14. It is where we store our emotional experiences, which ultimately form our perceptions of the world, ourselves, and other people.
3. The astral body: This layer is associated with intellect, reason, and logical thinking. Because it develops through our interactions with the world, working with the astral body can help us change our thought patterns, build new habits, and find new motivation.
4. The mental body: Moving beyond simple logic, this body is the center of our intuition and deeper mental power. It shapes our subjective world and adds fullness to our daily lives.
5. The spiritual body: This layer is entirely about connection. When we nurture the spiritual body, we open ourselves to a much deeper connection with our “true Self,” which is the innate steadiness and peace that always exists at our core.
6. The cosmic body: This is the level where we transcend our individual selves and feel deeply connected to everything else in the universe. You might naturally experience the cosmic body when you feel a sense of awe looking up at the stars or when you feel unprompted love and kindness for a stranger.
7. The nirvanic body: This final body represents ultimate liberation and inner freedom. When you consistently work with this body, you can tap into a profound sense of freedom at any moment, regardless of what is happening around you.

Rather than treating these bodies purely as empirical facts, you can view them as a powerful language of understanding—a structured way to explore and heal the subtle, hidden parts of yourself that are often ignored.

Chapter Key Points:

• Healing requires holistic self-awareness.
• Seven subtle bodies form us.
• Energy drives emotional harmony.

Chapter 2: Start with the body you know

“When someone or something hurts us, the physical body holds on to that pain.”

Healing begins with the physical body, the layer we know best. King shares a coaching story to illustrate how emotional trauma and social anxiety frequently manifest as actual physical pain. Because our body remembers our history, repressing memories only forces the body to absorb the shock. By using targeted physical exercises like a personal history body scan and moving in entirely new ways, we can safely locate stored trauma, unblock stagnant energy, and kick-start profound emotional release.

Chapter Key Points:

• Trauma lives in the body.
• Body scans locate stored pain.
• Movement unblocks emotional energy.

Chapter 3: What’s your vibe?

“Taking charge of your inner healing is one of the greatest acts of self-love.”

Focusing on the etheric body, this chapter examines how our internal vibration dictates our external reality and relationships. A low vibration attracts heavy, negative experiences, while a high vibration fosters resilience and joy. King addresses the dangers of seeking external validation and urges readers to stop agonizing over what others think of them. Instead, true healing requires you to assess how you feel about others, building authentic connections and setting firm boundaries to protect your energetic space.

Chapter Key Points:

• Vibrations dictate our relationships.
• Stop seeking external validation.
• Prioritize authentic, supportive connections.

Chapter 4: Go back in time

“The trauma you suffered during your childhood could be governing the way you handle experiences and your emotions right now.”

Here, King delves into the astral body and the heavy impact of childhood trauma, which often forms our limiting beliefs. He teaches readers how to distinguish between true intuition, which is calm and liberating, and trauma-responses, which are frantic and fear-based. The chapter guides readers through the challenging but necessary process of writing a “personal history list” to map out painful memories. Furthermore, King emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries to prevent the transfer of generational trauma.

Chapter Key Points:

• Identify intuition versus trauma.
• Map past painful memories.
• Break generational trauma cycles.

Chapter 5: Work with you in a new way

“Blaming your past for a limiting mindset doesn’t fix it. You have to seek new ways of thinking…”

Addressing the mental body, this chapter focuses on “reparenting” to rewrite the limiting beliefs unearthed in the previous chapter. King explains that humans often unconsciously choose behaviors that cause pain because it feels familiar and safe to our traumatized ego. By consciously reparenting our inner child, we can create new neural pathways that foster self-worth and resilience. Readers are instructed to actively rewrite their limiting beliefs into empowering affirmations and cultivate a curious, non-judgmental approach to life.

Reparenting is the process of relearning how to acknowledge and meet your needs as an adult, allowing you to reshape your capacity for learning and rewrite the unhelpful subconscious beliefs you formed during childhood.

To start reparenting your inner child, you can follow these practical steps outlined in the sources:

1. Revisit your limiting beliefs and memories Look back at the limiting beliefs you developed as a child and the specific memories attached to them. For instance, you might hold a belief that you shouldn’t share your opinions because an adult mocked you for getting a question wrong when you were young.

2. Imagine sitting down with your childhood self As an adult, visualize looking your childhood self in the eye. Put yourself back into those specific memories and act as the adult you needed in those moments.

3. Repeat the childhood interaction in a different, supportive way Instead of reinforcing the pain, speak to your inner child with the curiosity and honesty they deserved. You can say something like, “Hey, that thing you learnt? It’s not true. I completely get why you believe it so deeply… But it’s not true. What is true is that you deserve love, and to know that you’re safe, and that you’re good“. Ask yourself how your childhood self truly needed to be spoken to or treated, and provide that response.

4. Actively rewrite your limiting beliefs Take your limiting beliefs and actively write down new, empowering versions of them. For example, if your old belief was that no one would take your opinions seriously, your new belief can be: “My thoughts and opinions are valuable and I have the confidence to share them“. This specific act of rewriting serves as a way to tell yourself the things you wish the adults in your life had told you when you were young.

5. Build evidence and practice your new beliefs To integrate these new beliefs into your subconscious and build new neural pathways in your brain, you must build a body of evidence for why these new beliefs are true for you. Ask yourself what has happened in your life that supports this new belief, and consciously remind yourself of it every day using sticky notes or phone alarms. Whenever you feel an emotion tied to an old limiting belief, pull out your newly rewritten belief to guide your actions.

Chapter Key Points:

• Reparent your inner child.
• Rewrite subconscious limiting beliefs.
• Cultivate curiosity, not fear.

Chapter 6: Who are you?

“The true Self is the part of each of us that’s eternally connected with everything else.”

King asks readers to strip away their trauma-based conditioning to discover their true Self, which remains steady and peaceful beneath the surface noise. He uses the metaphor of a panicky wave versus a calm wave realizing it is the ocean. The chapter outlines how to stop reacting impulsively out of fear and instead choose responses aligned with newly written beliefs. Through visualization and acknowledging present truths, readers learn to anchor themselves in their innate, unshakeable power.

Chapter Key Points:

• Discover your unshakeable true Self.
• Choose responses, avoid reactions.
• Visualize an empowered future.

Chapter 7: When your fire burns

“Your inner fire keeps you safe in the way that your fear has always wanted to keep you safe.”

Exploring the cosmic body, this chapter focuses on reigniting the “inner fire” that trauma often extinguishes. King emphasizes that true self-care goes beyond surface-level treats; it requires daily, weekly, and monthly practices that nourish the mind, body, and spirit. He introduces “candle gazing” (trataka) as a meditative tool to improve focus, calm the nervous system, and visualize burning away deeply ingrained fears. By developing personalized self-care routines, readers maintain their vibrational equilibrium.

Chapter Key Points:

• Reignite your inner fire.
• Build robust self-care routines.
• Practice focus through meditation.

Chapter 8: You are free

“Healing isn’t only about healing – it’s about your entire life.”

The final chapter arrives at the nirvanic body, the ultimate state of inner freedom and oneness. King clarifies that true freedom doesn’t mean being perpetually happy; rather, it is the profound acceptance of all emotions and the quiet confidence that you can handle whatever comes your way. Readers are guided through a meditation of floating into the ocean to experience oneness. Ultimately, healing is a lifelong, non-linear journey, but stepping into your authentic self allows you to live without the fear of external judgment.

Chapter Key Points:

• Freedom is accepting all emotions.
• Experience oneness with the universe.
• Live authentically without fear.

10 Notable Quotes

1. “Inner healing is the act of letting go of past conditioning, creating a new, empowering belief system for ourselves…”
2. “One thing I know about trauma is that it distorts and intensifies every negative thought, feeling, and physical sensation we have.”
3. “We do everything we can to avoid facing our trauma, but it’s impossible to wipe it from our history.”
4. “Taking charge of your inner healing is one of the greatest acts of self-love.”
5. “If you’re striving to improve in a way that someone else thinks you should improve… you’re making yourself less important than them.”
6. “Trauma feeds the fearful, wounded aspect of the ego and drives us to make decisions based on that pain.”
7. “Blaming your past for a limiting mindset doesn’t fix it. You have to seek new ways of thinking and being…”
8. “Those who attempt to belittle us reveal more about their own character and perception of the world than ours.”
9. “The true Self is the part of each of us that’s eternally connected with everything else: the Universe, the Divine, the universal consciousness…”
10. “People who accept themselves can accept others. And that can change the world.”

About the Author

Vex King is a #1 Sunday Times bestselling author, mind coach, and leading voice in the world of personal development and spiritual seeking. Growing up, King faced severe adversity: he lost his father as a baby, experienced frequent homelessness, and endured violence and racism in troubled neighborhoods. Despite these traumatic beginnings, he successfully transformed his life, becoming an inspirational figure who bridges the gap between ancient spiritual wisdom and modern practical psychology. He is best known for his massive hit Good Vibes, Good Life, which helped popularize the concept of vibrational energy and self-love for a mainstream audience. With a massive social media following, King shares deep spiritual knowledge, mental health advocacy, and practical self-care solutions in an accessible, relatable manner. Through his books and coaching, he empowers millions to overcome emotional turmoil, rewrite their limiting beliefs, and step into their authentic power.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is inner healing? Inner healing is the proactive process of letting go of past conditioning and building a new, empowering belief system for yourself.

2. What are the “seven bodies”? They are subtle layers of the self from yogic philosophy used as a framework for healing: physical, etheric, astral, mental, spiritual, cosmic, and nirvanic.

3. How does trauma affect the physical body? Trauma is often stored in the physical body, manifesting as unexplainable pain, tension, stiffness, or anxiety responses.

4. What is a limiting belief? It is an unconscious, negative assumption about yourself or the world, usually formed during childhood to protect against pain.

5. What does it mean to “reparent” yourself? Reparenting is the psychological practice of caring for your inner child and rewriting past traumatic lessons with adult wisdom, curiosity, and love.

6. How do I know if my intuition is talking? Intuition feels calm, liberating, steady, and protective, whereas trauma responses feel frantic, anxious, restrictive, and fearful.

7. Why are boundaries important for healing? Boundaries protect your emotional energy and inner peace, ensuring your relationships are built on mutual respect rather than obligation.

8. What is generational trauma? It is unhealed emotional pain and negative conditioning passed down from parents to children through behavior, comparison, and environment.

9. How can I raise my vibration? You raise your vibration through active self-love, confronting your emotional wounds, and engaging in consistent self-care practices like meditation.

10. Does true freedom mean always being happy? No, inner freedom is the profound acceptance of all your emotions and trusting your internal resilience to weather hard times.

Theories and Concepts

• The Seven Bodies: Derived from yogic and esoteric teachings, this framework posits that humans have physical, etheric, astral, mental, spiritual, cosmic, and nirvanic layers that must all be harmonized for true healing.
• Reparenting: A psychological practice where an adult consciously provides the love, validation, and emotional re-education that their inner child lacked during traumatic early experiences.
• Generational Trauma: The theory that unprocessed trauma alters behavior, parenting, and beliefs, which are subsequently passed down to future generations unless actively broken.
• Neuroplasticity: The brain’s biological ability to form new neural pathways. King applies this science to rewriting limiting beliefs through repetition, visualization, and conscious thought replacement.

Books and Authors

• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: An ancient yogic text that guided King’s understanding of holistic living, meditation, and spiritual liberation.
• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk: Referenced to explain how trauma alters brain chemistry and is stored physically long after an event.
• The Original Body by John Stirk: Inspired King’s exercises on moving the body in new, unconditioned ways to release physical trauma.
• ReParenting Yourself by Dr. Art Martin & The Inner Child Workbook by Cathryn Taylor: Mentioned as foundational texts for the process of reparenting and healing childhood shame.
• The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz: Referenced for the vital principle of “not taking anything personally” when dealing with triggered individuals.

Persons

• Osho: A globally known Indian guru who extensively taught the concept of the seven subtle bodies to achieve holistic peace.
• Robin Sharma: Bestselling author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, who wrote the foreword for this book, praising King’s relatable wisdom.
• Dr. Joe Dispenza: Author and researcher cited by King to explain how visualization and thought alone can signal the body to create real physiological changes.
• Brené Brown: Renowned shame researcher referenced to differentiate healthy, self-focused improvement from the trauma-based need for external perfection.

How to Use This Book

Read the book sequentially, using a notebook to actively complete the practical exercises—like the body scan and limiting belief rewrites. Afterward, keep the book accessible to revisit specific meditations and self-care routines whenever you feel triggered or out of balance.

Conclusion

Healing Is the New High is a masterclass in turning ancient spiritual wisdom into accessible, everyday psychological tools. Vex King proves that you don’t need an external guru to heal; you just need the courage to look inward. Start your journey today by mapping your limiting beliefs, setting firm boundaries, and reclaiming the unshakeable power of your true self.