As psychiatrist and author of Fulfilled: How the Science of Spirituality Can Help You Live a Happier, More Meaningful Life Anna Yusim, M.D., tells mbg, the soul is the deepest part of yourself that connects you to spirit, the universe, and divinity. “By connecting to your soul, you get answers to questions in your life, and you get insights that neither your mind nor your heart can give you,” she explains, adding, “It’s really about your destiny path—and the voice of the soul is your intuition.” “I see soul searching as a threshold in our lives,” Cator says. “It’s a crossroad and we’re trying to figure out what the right next path is, what the right next decision is, or who are we in the greater scheme of things.” And as Yusim adds, people who are soul searching typically seek to become more authentic, live in alignment with what they truly want on the deepest level, and own their truth. As with any kind of search that has to do with psychological and spiritual advancement and development, Yusim says it’s often because there’s something that feels missing, or people are in some form of emotional pain. “So, soul searching is their way of regaining equilibrium or bringing back what’s been missing or has not been aligned,” she notes. It’s also important to factor in societal expectations around purpose and worth, Cator adds. “We’re so disconnected from the rhythms of life and not taught to ask ourselves the deeper questions of ‘Who am I?’ and ‘What’s my purpose?’” Whatever it is you’re looking to have answered, “go out and allow nature to speak to you through symbols,” she adds, whether it be a certain animal that means something specific to you or even a snippet of an overheard conversation that’s somehow relevant to your situation. And as Yusim adds, you need to be able to differentiate your soul from the voice of the mind and the voice of your heart—so from your emotions and your reason—and meditation is a great way to start to do so. She adds that it’s a natural part of the cycle of life to go through periods of rebirth, with some of us are bound to soul search multiple times in our lives. “We get to reinvent different parts of ourselves,” she says, adding, “If we’re doing that in the hopes of individual and collective liberation, we know we’re on the right path.”
