---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people get into therapy, or when…"
description: "\"When people get into therapy, or when they need healing, their real hope is that they'll come to the secret frontier in themselves, some unknown source..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/john-o-donohue-1919_divinity_when-people-get-into-therapy-or-when-the_2595014.jpg"
---

#  When people get into therapy, or when they need healing…

![“When people get into therapy, or when they need healing, their real hope is that they'll come to the secret frontier in themselves, some unknown source of energy and healing in themselves, where the divinity of who-ness is protected. This is a spiritual quest.” quote by John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/john-o-donohue-1919_divinity_when-people-get-into-therapy-or-when-the_2595014.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/john-o-donohue-1919_divinity_when-people-get-into-therapy-or-when-the_2595014.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/john-o-donohue-1919_divinity_when-people-get-into-therapy-or-when-the_2595014.jpg)

> “When people get into therapy, or when they need healing, their real hope is that they'll come to the secret frontier in themselves, some unknown source of energy and healing in themselves, where the divinity of who-ness is protected. This is a spiritual quest.”

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Therapy invites us to discover an inner, divine source of healing that lies beyond ordinary awareness.

**In simple terms:** Healing comes from an inner sacred energy.

Key Takeaway

Seek your inner sanctuary.

Themes

spirituality healing self‑discovery

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- counseling sessions
- personal meditation
- creative expression

Key Concepts

inner divinity secret frontier personal growth

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you recognize your inner sacred energy?
- What practices help you connect with your inner divinity?

A Different Perspective

The inner source may feel abstract and hard to access.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Divinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divinity/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Energy healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy-healing/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Healing Divinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing-divinity-1893313/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Need Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-healing-541933/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Quests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quests/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Source](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/source/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual Quest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-quest-402559/) [Therapy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapy/)

## Related quotes

> [For me, the spiritual quest will be a life-long work in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/for-me-the-spiritual-quest-will-be-a-life-long-work-in-progress/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [The intellectual quest is exquisite like pearls and coral, But it is not the same as the spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/the-intellectual-quest-is-exquisite-like-pearls-and-coral-but-it-is/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [The urge to explore has propelled evolution since the first water creatures reconnoitered the land. Like all living systems, cultures cannot remain static; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/the-urge-to-explore-has-propelled-evolution-since-the-first-water/)

[Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/)

> [Contact with the sacred occurs in the stillness of the heart and mind. If there is any real destination to the spiritual quest, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baldwin/contact-with-the-sacred-occurs-in-the-stillness-of-the-heart-and-mind/)

[Christina Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baldwin/)

> [“I watched you enter the world in amazement. I held you in my hands. I carried you on my shoulders. I picked you up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-poet/i-watched-you-enter-the-world-in-amazement-i-held-you-in-my-hands-i/)

[The Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-poet/)

> [“Most people need healing more than they need teaching.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/most-people-need-healing-more-than-they-need-teaching/)

[Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/)

> [“One of you needs food,' said the Old Woman, 'and three of you need healing.' So the Princess sat down to good soup, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt/one-of-you-needs-food-said-the-old-woman-and-three-of-you-need/)

[A.S. Byatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-byatt/)

> [Just One more moment, that's all that's needed. Like wounded soldiers in need of healing. Time to be honest, this time I'm pleading Please…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-eyes/just-one-more-moment-that-s-all-that-s-needed-like-wounded-soldiers/)

[Angel\_eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-eyes/)

> [We have made a terrible mistake! For most of this century we have wrongly defined soul wounds as psychological disorders and delegated their treatment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-crabb/we-have-made-a-terrible-mistake-for-most-of-this-century-we-have/)

[Larry Crabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-crabb/)

> [Someone with whom we have a lifetime's worth of lessons to learn is someone whose presence in our lives forces us to grow...those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/someone-with-whom-we-have-a-lifetime-s-worth-of-lessons-to-learn-is/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [“Some might say I need more healing but the connection you feel with the man you love, like how deeply I love Jaxson, can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faleena-hopkins/some-might-say-i-need-more-healing-but-the-connection-you-feel-with/)

[Faleena Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faleena-hopkins/)

> [Thank God for what doesn't need healing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/thank-god-for-what-doesn-t-need-healing/)

[Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/)

> [As pain tells us of the need for healing, worry tells us of the need for prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lovelace/as-pain-tells-us-of-the-need-for-healing-worry-tells-us-of-the-need/)

[Richard Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lovelace/)

> [When I meet children and people who suffer, when they mention any kind of pain, emotional pain, physical pain, I know what they need,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phan-thi-kim-phuc/when-i-meet-children-and-people-who-suffer-when-they-mention-any-kind/)

[Phan Thi Kim Phuc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phan-thi-kim-phuc/)

> [“If the wounds of a neighbor were inflicted by us, there is then two who need healing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/if-the-wounds-of-a-neighbor-were-inflicted-by-us-there-is-then-two/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

## More by John O'Donohue

> [I always was kind of on the edge of the church when I was fully in it , cos I was always asking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/i-always-was-kind-of-on-the-edge-of-the-church-when-i-was-fully-in-it/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [Real friendship or love is not manufactured or achieved by an act of will or intention. Friendship is always an act of recognition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/real-friendship-or-love-is-not-manufactured-or-achieved-by-an-act-of/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [It is lovely to meet an old person whose face is deeply lined, a face that has been deeply inhabited, to look in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/it-is-lovely-to-meet-an-old-person-whose-face-is-deeply-lined-a-face/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [“For Someone Awakening To The Trauma of His or Her Past: For everything under the sun there is a time. This is the season…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/for-someone-awakening-to-the-trauma-of-his-or-her-past-for-everything/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [It is a strange and wonderful fact to be here, walking around in a body, to have a whole world within you and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/it-is-a-strange-and-wonderful-fact-to-be-here-walking-around-in-a/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [“If we could be mindful of how short our time is, we might learn how precious each day is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/if-we-could-be-mindful-of-how-short-our-time-is-we-might-learn-how/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [If you try to avoid or remove the awkward quality, it will pursue you. The only effective way to still its unease is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/if-you-try-to-avoid-or-remove-the-awkward-quality-it-will-pursue-you/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [A friend is a loved one who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/a-friend-is-a-loved-one-who-awakens-your-life-in-order-to-free-the/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [“There is a poetic import to the phrase ‘without a shadow of a doubt’: in all probability, there is no doubt without a shadow.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/there-is-a-poetic-import-to-the-phrase-without-a-shadow-of-a-doubt-in/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [If you allow yourself to be the person you are then everything will come into rhythm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/if-you-allow-yourself-to-be-the-person-you-are-then-everything-will/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [Much of the stress and emptiness that haunt us can be traced back to our lack of attention to beauty. Internally, the mind becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/much-of-the-stress-and-emptiness-that-haunt-us-can-be-traced-back-to/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [Consumerism is the worship of the god of quantity; advertising is its liturgy. Advertising is schooling in false longing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/consumerism-is-the-worship-of-the-god-of-quantity-advertising-is-its/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [Inspiration is always a surprising visitor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/inspiration-is-always-a-surprising-visitor/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [Thought is an amazing thing: it can be a mirror, a lens, a bridge, a wall, a window, a ladder or a house. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/thought-is-an-amazing-thing-it-can-be-a-mirror-a-lens-a-bridge-a-wall/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

> [ We \[humans\] are the only creatures who are in-between. We're of the earth, but don't belong to it, because we strain after the heavens;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/we-humans-are-the-only-creatures-who-are-in-between-we-re-of-the/)

[John O'Donohue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

[Explore all 198 John O'Donohue quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/)

## More Divinity quotes

> [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/)

[Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/)

> [Were you indeed not blinded by the Curse Of Self-exile, that still grows worse and worse, Yourselves would know that, though you see him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farid-al-din-attar/were-you-indeed-not-blinded-by-the-curse-of-self-exile-that-still/)

[Farid al-Din Attar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farid-al-din-attar/)

> [It is through the body that everything comes to the mind. It is through and with your body that you have to reach realization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/it-is-through-the-body-that-everything-comes-to-the-mind-it-is/)

[B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/)

> [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Our great thoughts, our great affections, the truths of our life, never leave us. Surely they can not separate from our consciousness, shall follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/our-great-thoughts-our-great-affections-the-truths-of-our-life-never/)

[William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/)

> [The end product of mixing your ability with Divinity is to better humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mbuko/the-end-product-of-mixing-your-ability-with-divinity-is-to-better/)

[Michael Mbuko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mbuko/)

> [As soon as I find myself in the presence of a rich man, I cannot help looking upon him as an exceptional and beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octave-mirbeau/as-soon-as-i-find-myself-in-the-presence-of-a-rich-man-i-cannot-help/)

[Octave Mirbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octave-mirbeau/)

> [I have now been an officer in this Church for a very long time. I am an old man who cannot deny the calendar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/i-have-now-been-an-officer-in-this-church-for-a-very-long-time-i-am/)

[Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/)

> [Every man is a divinity in disguise, a god playing the fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-man-is-a-divinity-in-disguise-a-god-playing-the-fool/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“No scripture is more divine than the innate divinity of the human self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/no-scripture-is-more-divine-than-the-innate-divinity-of-the-human-self/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [Ah fair Zenocrate, divine Zenocrate, Fair is too foul an epithet for thee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-marlowe/ah-fair-zenocrate-divine-zenocrate-fair-is-too-foul-an-epithet-for/)

[Christopher Marlowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-marlowe/)

> [Where there is no purity, there is no Unity. Without Unity you cannot attain Divinity. Then your life is just a waste. First purity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/where-there-is-no-purity-there-is-no-unity-without-unity-you-cannot/)

[Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/)

> [“You know how it goes: at some point in your life, you fell in love with someone and had a glimpse of God. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/you-know-how-it-goes-at-some-point-in-your-life-you-fell-in-love-with/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [The history of the world is the history of a few men who had faith in themselves. That faith calls out the divinity within.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-history-of-the-world-is-the-history-of-a-few-men-who-had-faith-in/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [There are many concepts of spirituality, among them, various notions of divinity developed in the Judaeo-Christian-Islamic religions. Within these the concepts vary greatly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-many-concepts-of-spirituality-among-them-various-notions-of/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

[Browse all 892 Divinity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divinity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When people get into therapy, or when they need healing, their real hope is that they'll come to the secret frontier in themselves, some unknown source of energy and healing in themselves, where the divinity of who-ness is protected. This is a spiritual quest.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John O'Donohue"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/when-people-get-into-therapy-or-when-they-need-healing-their-real/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Divinity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/when-people-get-into-therapy-or-when-they-need-healing-their-real/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/john-o-donohue-1919_divinity_when-people-get-into-therapy-or-when-the_2595014.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/john-o-donohue-1919_divinity_when-people-get-into-therapy-or-when-the_2595014.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/68d/john-o-donohue-1919_divinity_when-people-get-into-therapy-or-when-the_2595014.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When people get into therapy, or when they need healing, their real hope is that they'll come to the secret…” — John O'Donohue",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "John O'Donohue",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-donohue/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When people get into therapy, or...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/when-people-get-into-therapy-or-when-they-need-healing-their-real/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-donohue/when-people-get-into-therapy-or-when-they-need-healing-their-real/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
