The Pros and Cons of Having a Soul Tie Relationship in Your Life

And how to break one if it's toxic.

There are many types of relationships that we can form with others. From finding your twin flame to kindred spirit to a soulmate, you can feel various kinds of deep connections with people in your life. If you’ve found someone who makes you feel so intertwined and connected to them, you may have developed a soul tie.

“A soul tie, sometimes referred to as emotional or spiritual cording, is an inexplicable, powerful emotional bond to another person,” explains Dr. Carla Marie Manly, clinical psychologist and author of Date Smart.

Dr. Manly explains that for as long as humans have believed in souls, they also believed that souls have the power to connect and reconnect throughout time. This is evident through the beliefs and practices of ancient Egyptians, who believed the soul helped guide you through life.

Soul ties can occur in any relationship. However, Dr. Manly says it’s most strongly felt after being intimate or having sex with someone. Ahead, find out the key signs that show you’ve found a soul tie, including how and when to break one if you need to.

3 Major Signs You’ve Found a Soul Tie:

1. You’ll feel inexplicably connected to someone.

When you’ve developed a soul tie with someone, you’ll feel insanely connected to them on a spiritual and emotional level. Dr. Manly explains it as you’ll feel a metaphorical cord is always pulling you toward that person. You may feel like this person completes you, and your feelings are stronger towards them than other people you’ve met in your life.

2. You’re dreaming about the person.

Additionally, developing a soul tie with someone can cause an increase in dreaming about that person or experiences with them, says Dr. Manly. They’re always on your mind, consciously and subconsciously.

3. Your connection will last a long time.

In essence, wherever a deep emotional connection is formed, a soul tie can present, says Dr. Manly. “You might experience a soul tie with a former romantic partner and sense a strong connection even years after the relationship has ended,” she says. “In non-romantic relationships, a soul tie will often feel like an invisible thread that links two people together beyond the confines of space and time.”

No matter how much time has passed or the circumstances with your soul tie have changed, you’ll always feel connected, which can be a positive and negative experience leading us to the next question.

What are the potential negatives of a soul tie?

A soul tie relationship can be a very positive connection, but it can also become toxic if the person you’re connected to isn’t a positive influence. “When a soul tie feels constraining, dark, or obsessive, mental and physical health can be negatively affected,” says Dr. Manly. “Those who believe in past lives often sense that a soul tie has within it a learning experience. Through this lens, a healthy soul tie would contain within it a positive learning experience while a toxic soul tie would contain the opportunity to acknowledge, cut, and release the negative connection.” 

Examples of a toxic soul tie relationship include feeling that person completes you so much that you can’t function without being near them, thus building a negative attachment. Also, Dr. Manly adds if you’re having obsessive or intrusive thoughts of the person; feelings of intense negativity from the individual; or a lurking, gut sense that you need to cut ties with that person, you may be in a toxic soul-tie relationship with someone.

You can also develop a soul tie with someone fundamentally different than you, which can create issues with trying to force a relationship that isn’t meant to last forever. “If a soul tie is bringing negative energy or behaviors into your world, it’s important to break the toxic connection,” says Dr. Manly.

How can you break a soul tie?

“Cutting a soul tie can be accomplished through working with a professional experienced with soul work,” explains Dr. Manly. Keen, a network of trusted spiritual advisors, is a great resource to start. You can also try doing the work on your own by doing a ritual that consists of meditating and asking whatever higher power you believe in (with loving-kindness, adds Dr. Manly) that the negative connection is broken. “It’s often helpful to have an image of a spiritual guide or angel present during and after this process,” says Dr. Manly.

Ultimately, though, not all soul ties are bad. They can be an enriching and loving relationship that will bring unconditional love, peace, and harmony into your life.