A soul tie is an emotional, psychological, and energetic attachment to someone that you once loved or still love. The idea of a soul tie is very broad, so you only need to know how to break a soul tie once you establish that your soul tie is actually negative.
I find that the term “soul tie” is a bit of a trendy phrase. However, the idea behind soul ties is very real. I don’t actually believe that you have a piece of another’s soul within you (as some definitions say), but instead I think that a soul tie refers to the energetic bonds between two people.
Other words for a soul tie include energetic cords, an energetic trauma bond, or etheric cords. No cords are inherently bad, since we have cords between us and just about everyone we know. It’s only when these cords because more negative than positive that we may need to do something about them.
Sometimes, soul ties are healthy and supportive, but other times soul ties can be very destructive. It’s important to know the signs of an unhealthy soul tie so that if you have one, you can make steps towards breaking it.
What Is A Soul Tie? Is It Always Negative?
There are a lot of misconceptions about soul ties. For example, some people think that it’s just a term used to describe the love between two people who have been together for many years, but there is more than one kind of soul tie.
Soul ties can be healthy or unhealthy and they come in all shapes and sizes – from the attachment between yourself and an old boyfriend from high school to a love of your life.
In Christian terms, a soul tie often indicates that you literally have a piece of the other person’s soul imbedded in your own soul. Personally, I don’t believe this is possible. However, I work from a spiritual perspective, so you may want to decide whether the rest of this post will serve your needs based on the framework and background that you believe in.
Instead, I believe that a soul tie is an energetic cord running between you and the soul of the other person, linking you together. It is the emotional, psychological, and energetic attachment that one person has to another.
You can have a soul tie to someone you’re actively with, or someone you don’t see or know anymore. You can even have a soul tie to someone from a past life who is not currently incarnated on earth.
Sometimes, soul ties can be one-sided, while other times, both people will feel the effects of the soul tie. Energy doesn’t always flow perfectly in one direction, so every soul tie will be a bit different.
For the purpose of this post, I recommend reading if you think you have a soul tie with someone you don’t want to see or think about anymore. If you’re in an abusive relationship, you need to consider how to physically and safely leave and distance yourself before you should be thinking about soul ties.
I find that soul ties are those feelings that just won’t go away no matter what you do. Even if logic (and everyone around you!) is telling you that you’re not meant to be with someone, they pop into your head anyways. You can’t stop thinking about them or dreaming about them, even if you actively try to move on.
However, don’t necessarily assume that you have a soul tie just because you want to be with someone. I find that soul ties are the unhealthy leftovers of intense relationships. You can’t seem to let go of this energy no matter how hard you try. If you actually want to be with the person, then that may or may not be a soul tie, but you should probably figure out how you can make that happen or do more inner work before looking to soul ties.
It’s important to know the basic symptoms of soul ties so that if you’re in one, you can make steps towards breaking free and feeling whole again.
Keep in mind: soul ties don’t influence your actions, only your thoughts. These etheric cords aren’t the first thing you should deal with if you want to leave a relationship or friendship. Instead, focus on breaking these soul ties once you’re away from the person and still can’t seem to get distance.
You should never stay in a relationship with someone just because you feel that you have a soul tie. We have soul ties, or energetic cordal bonds, to many people in our lives, yet we often separate and move on. It’s only when this bonds weigh you down excessively that you should consider trying to break them.
How Is A Soul Tie Created?
Some Christians believe that soul ties can only be created from abuse. I personally have noticed that soul ties can be created from any strong relationship or interactions with another person. Usually, you must have big emotions involved in order to make these bonds, though this isn’t always the case.
In the mildest form, a soul tie can be created from a strong relationship if you truly felt something for the other person. Even if the relationship doesn’t end badly or only lasted for a short time, your emotions can be enough to form an energetic soul tie.
Soul ties can also be created by toxic relationships, typically when one or both people are codependent. The illusions in the relationship are what keep the soul tie strong, so this type of tie can actually be easy to break once you’re ready to let go of the illusions.
Sometimes, soul ties can be created from toxic relationships where you had a true connection without illusions. This type of soul tie is trickier to break. If the relationship was inherently unhealthy but you also shared a real part of your soul with your partner and saw theirs in return, then you probably have a positive and negative soul tie. Usually, it’s best to break both cords (the positive and the negative) in order to be free of the relationship and return to neutral footing.
Any interaction that creates a karmic bond can also form soul ties. If you go through an experience with someone, even if you weren’t in a relationship, your strong emotions can form a tie. This doesn’t mean that you need to be wary of experiences, however if you’re feeling unusually connected to someone, read through the symptoms of a soul tie below and see if they fit your situation.
Verbal or physical contracts can sometimes create soul ties. Marriage is the easiest example of a contract, but you can also make an energetic contract by vowing to stay with one person forever, stating that you’ll never love another, or promising something big. Luckily, these types of soul ties aren’t too difficult to break, once you figure out where it stems from.
In the most extreme cases, a soul tie can be created by a spell. For example, if you cast a love spell or a binding spell on your relationship, you may form a soul tie that isn’t easily broken, even if you part ways.
Any energetic tie creates a soul tie. Sometimes, these are more concrete things (like a past life together or a spell), while other times simply being together in an intense relationship is enough to form a soul tie.
First, identify if you have a soul tie that’s causing you issues, then I’ll talk more about why and how to break a soul tie.
9 Symptoms Of Soul Ties:
Here are the main symptoms of soul ties if you’re not actively in a relationship or even friendship with this person.
Like I said before, you can have soul ties or etheric cords with just about anyone, including your life partner, your parents, etc. These cords can be positive or negative.
However, the cords tend to become negative when you can’t stop the energy you feel towards someone, even if you don’t want to think about them anymore. For those purposes, read through these symptoms of soul ties to see if you may have etheric cords with someone who you no longer want in your life.
You feel connected on a deeper level.
There may be a special or unique feeling about this relationship, even if you know that this makes no logical sense. You may get the sense that you just “have it,” that elusive connection that others search for, even if the other person has hurt you.
They elicit strong reactions from you.
If every thing that happens feels heightened, this can be a symptom of a soul tie. Watch closely to see if your emotions feel amplified when this person’s name is mentioned, or even when you remember something about them.
They feel familiar.
Many soul ties are simply continuations of past life relationships. Both the good and bad cords come with the relationship from your past life. If this person feels incredibly familiar, this can be a sign that you’re picking up where you left off energetically. For positive energy, this can be a wonderful feeling! However, the negative energy can quickly dominate if you don’t cut those negative soul tie cords.
Your relationship feels unique or one-of-a-kind.
Maybe you’ve truly never felt this way with anyone else, and you believe that you’ll never find it again. Usually, the relationship feels so unique and important because of the intense energetic soul ties.
Look especially to feelings that you’ve never felt before. Maybe you had intense sexual experiences with this person, or you felt that they understood your emotions or hobbies on a deeper level.
Regardless, one of most prominent symptoms of soul ties is that the relationship feels different from anything else you’ve ever experienced.
You have unprompted dreams of this person that feel real.
Even if you have effectively separated, you may randomly have dreams of this individual. This often happens to people who haven’t cut the soul ties with their exes. After moving on for years and years, they will still have an ultra-realistic dream of their ex that they simply can’t get out of their head.
I used to think that there was something wrong with me when this happened. Later, I realized that no amount of mental force would make these dreams go away, because the energetic bonds still existed!
Instead, this is a sign that you need to cut the cords between you and this individual.
You left the relationship but can’t get the person out of your mind.
In the first few months after a relationship ends, you will probably think about your ex-partner a lot. This is totally normal.
However, if it has been years since your relationship ended and you find your ex-partner popping into your head multiple times per day, this can be a sign that you’re literally being reminded of them by the energetic soul ties.
They showed up at a significant time.
If this person entered your life at a pivotable point, this is often a symptom of the soul tie bond. Many times, people with soul ties reincarnate together to help each other learn lessons, so they pop in and “meet” just as things are changing.
Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean this person had good intentions for you. Many souls help us learn lessons through pain. However, appearing at a pivotable moment is often an indicate that you’re trying to resolve karmic wounds from a past life in order to help each other heal.
You feel like/imagine that the other person is with you or watching you.
When you go about your daily life, you make either feel like the person is watching you, or you may talk to them in your head as if they’re really with you. And don’t worry – this doesn’t mean you have a mental illness. If you’re doing this with just one or a few individuals, this can be a clear symptom of a soul tie.
On some level, the person’s energy is with you, because the energetic bonds are flowing back and forth between the two of you. Do a cord cutting ritual (below) and see if you experience this less.
Certain life experiences feel “imprinted” by this person.
Maybe you experienced new things with this person, whether that was hobbies, conversation styles, emotional intimacy, sexual experiences, or other life events. In some way, these things now feel connected to this individual, even when you try to separate and move on.
Often, this means that you’re triggering the energy of the soul tie when you try to engage in an experience that you had with this person. This can be a clear sign that you need to cut the cords in order to fully live your life.
This person calls you for no reason or they randomly text you without prompting from your side. This appears to be for no reason.
You had sex with the person at one point.
Now, don’t think that you’ll necessarily form soul ties with every single person you’ve had sexual relations with. This isn’t always the case.
However, the hormones that are released during sex make it more likely that you will form some sort of energetic cord. If you find that any of the symptoms of soul ties above apply to someone you’ve had sex with, it might be a good idea to break those ties so that you can move on.
Keep in mind that soul ties can be weak or strong. You may only experience a few of these symptoms once in a while, which probably means you have a weak soul tie.
However, a strong soul tie will mean that you experience many of these symptoms of soul ties quite often. These soul ties can take a bit longer to break, but it’s necessarily to clear the energy so that you can function against as one individual.
Can Soul Ties Be One-Sided?
Soul ties can definitely be one-sided. If your feelings are strong, then it may seem inconceivable that the other person doesn’t feel the same. However, energy works differently for every single soul tie.
I recommend that you focus on cutting the soul tie for both people if you want to be free of this relationship, whether or not the other person has a lot invested.
With any kind of soul tie, the other person will probably feel the energy a little bit, but it may or may not feel as strong to them as it does to you.
Regardless, it’s good to clear that energy so that the relationship goes back to a neutral energetic playing field.
Why Should You Break A Soul Tie?
As you can see, not all soul ties are bad. The marriage soul tie is extremely strong and can be super powerful in a positive way if your relationship is good.
However, if a person is no longer in your life, a soul tie can hold you back. Whether the relationship is good or bad, I often find that the tie needs to be broken so that the energy can go back to neutral, since the relationship has effectively been dissolved.
Here’s the thing: breaking soul ties isn’t easy. At first, it may feel like you’re permanently saying goodbye to this person or that you’re abandoning them. But please trust me when I say it’s essential to cut the cord if you want a chance of having a successful relationship with someone else in the future, whether this soul tie is romantic, familial, or a friendship bond.
Breaking your soul tie will effectively free up your energy to go somewhere more useful. When in doubt, I always recommend at least breaking the negative cords between you. After, see how you feel, and proceed to break the positive cords if that seems right. I’ll include more information about how to do this just below.
The sign of an unhealthy soul tie or cord is when someone can’t let go, whether that someone is you or another person. If you’re in a healthy relationship and looking to reconnect or reignite passion, cord cutting isn’t for you.
How To Break A Soul Tie The Right Way
There are many different methods if you’re trying to figure out how to break a soul tie. I recommend that you choose the method that feels right to you.
However, you should definitely focus on self care, regardless of how you choose to break your soul tie. This is a tricky process because it’s emotional and energetic, so you’re sure to bring up some difficult feelings. Take time to meditate, journal, or do anything that makes you feel happy and secure.
A Cord Cutting Visualization:
Typically, a cord cutting visualization is one of the best places to start when you’re first learning how to break a soul tie. It only takes a few minutes to do and is often very effective.
If you’re not into meditation or visualization, then you can definitely consider some of the other options on this list.
To do the cord cutting visualization:
-Take a deep breath, exhale slowly
-Picture your soul as a bright light. It is pure and whole with no dark spots
-Hold this image in your mind for several minutes—it may help to close your eyes
-Imagine that the other person has an identical light hovering before them. They have complete control over their own light
-See if you can visualize a set of cords between you and the other person. I often picture these cords going between the two people’s hearts, or between the top of their heads. Each cord will be connected to both individuals
-Once you have visualized the cords, look closer. They will each be a different color. Can you see a different? Can you identify which cord is positive, and which is negative?
-Using your own energy, break the cord that you no longer wish to keep whole. You can break only the negative cord, or you can break both if you want the energy between you two to return to neutral
-Revisit this scene the following day/week/month to see if the cord has grown back. It may take a few tries before the cord is totally broken and the energy dissipates
Call Upon Archangel Michael:
If you work with Archangels, then you may want to consider calling upon Michael. I find that he is very helpful when I need to break a soul tie. I will call on him before I sleep or while I’m actually doing an exercise to break a soul tie.
You can also call upon Archangel Michael every time that you feel the soul tie get triggered. Try to communicate with him using the pendulum, oracle cards, tarot cards, etc.
Visualize A Conversation With The Person:
Sometimes, I find that it can be helpful to actually have a conversation with the other person in visualization. This is especially good if you have loose ends that were never tied up.
However, it’s important that you ask to speak to the person’s Higher Self, not their personality. Regardless of specific beliefs, I find that this gives me a person I can talk openly to.
Ask the other person if they’re willing to break the cords and do a ritual (however you’d like) to dissolve the energy between you.
Sometimes, I like to combine this visualization with the cord cutting visualization for extra zing.
A Physical Cord Cutting Ritual:
One of the most effective and immediate ways to break a soul tie is by performing a physical cord cutting ritual.
For this ritual, you will select two pillar candles, one in a color that represents the other person, and one in a color that represents you. Place the candles about a foot apart and tie a string between the two candles.
Tell each candle who it represents, or carve a symbol into the candle. When you’re ready and your intention is set, light the candles and allow them to burn down. Feel free to say any words that feel right.
Watch closely as the candles burn. Is one more aggressive? Does one snuff out quicker? Ideally, the candles remain burning until the string is severed.
After, I like to bury everything I used, as long as it’s biodegradable. Make sure that you perform this spell on a fire safe surface, too!
Seek Therapy:
A more conventional route for breaking a soul tie is through therapy. Because a soul tie is mainly energetic, the energy will shift naturally over time as you work to change your emotions.
If you have a soul tie from a toxic relationship, I find that therapy can be really helpful, especially if you combine your psychological practices with some of these other energetic rituals.
Again, I recommend focusing your attention on self-care for before starting this process as well as after your cords are broken. This can include things like journaling, meditating, and spending time with your loved ones—anything that makes you feel good.
Soul tie relationships are not uncommon. They can exist between two people who have a strong, healthy relationship. Soul ties aren’t always bad things, but they often indicate unhealthy attachments between people in relationships.
If you think that you have the symptoms of a soul tie, then I recommend figuring out how you’d like to break it and exactly what part of the tie you want to break before you do any of the methods for how to break a soul tie.
Remember that ultimately, soul ties can be positive, negative, neutral, or some combination. Energy simply exists and isn’t good or bad; it’s what we do with the energy that matters, and you always have control over your own energy.
