Soulmate Gem
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio Pexels Logo Photo: Andrea Piacquadio

What is the difference between soul tie and soulmate?

They're both rare to find, but soul ties typically develop differently than do soulmates. Psychologist Ronald Williams says a soulmate is most often formed through an immediate connection. Sure, it's also possible for a soul tie to form instantaneously, but most soul ties develop gradually.

What can stop the love of God?
What can stop the love of God?

Romans 8:35-39 teaches that it is impossible for the believer to be separated from Christ and his love. Nothing can stop Christ's love or separate...

Read More »
Where can I get free money?
Where can I get free money?

Here are the best ways to make free money with little or no effort: Bursaries, scholarships and grants. ... Sign-up offers. ... Money for switching...

Read More »

Soul Ties

Have you ever met someone whose presence in your life just made sense? Maybe it was an instantaneous attraction, or maybe things clicked after you formed an extremely deep connection. Either way, if you've ever felt an invisible string pulling you toward someone, it's possible you've encountered a soul tie. A soul tie is a type of spiritual connection that relationship expert and matchmaker Sameera Sullivan describes as the "knitting together" of two souls. They can develop via a physical, spiritual, social, or emotional bond, and it typically happens more in romantic relationships than platonic ones. Not every person you've dated qualifies as a soul tie - no matter how in love you may have been. Because here's the thing about soul ties: they're so intense that the feeling may be unlike anything you've ever experienced - in a good or bad way. We spoke with experts to explore what this rare connection is and what it means when you've found someone who could be a soul tie.

Related: 25 Signs You've Found Your Soul Mate

What Is a Soul Tie, and How Are Soul Ties Formed?

Also called a "spiritual coding," a soul tie can be depicted as two souls linking together through a spiritual or emotional bond, spirituality expert Perry Valentine, founder of healing-crystal store AtPerry's, says. The connection is so deep that it can make you feel like you've known the person forever. (If that sounds like a lot, that's because it is.) Soul ties are typically formed through a physical, spiritual, social, or emotional connection, which can involve deep conversations and complete openness and vulnerability - but more generally, they blossom after sexual intercourse, certified relationship and life coach Joseph Moore says. It's important to have an emotional connection prior to having sex, but a continuously passionate sex life generally helps the soul tie develop. "Time and sex is how a soul tie is formed," he says.

Story continues

You may be asking yourself, "OK, but what's the difference between a soul tie is and just plain ol' falling in love?" - which, fair. Normal relationships involve sex, time, and lots of intimacy, but it's the spiritual part that takes a soul tie to a deeper level. It's literally your two souls becoming intertwined beyond the boundaries of falling in love. (Like I said, intense.)

What's the Difference Between a Soulmate, a Soul Tie, and a Twin Flame?

What happens when body arrives at funeral home?
What happens when body arrives at funeral home?

Once a funeral home has picked up the body and brought it to their facility, they will then clean and dress and/or shroud the body. Afterward, the...

Read More »
What makes a man suddenly commit?
What makes a man suddenly commit?

“A man will commit when he feels a deep connection with a woman that he doesn't feel with anyone else; when he finds a lover who is also his best...

Read More »

Whereas you only have one soulmate, you can have many soul ties throughout your life. They're both rare to find, but soul ties typically develop differently than do soulmates. Psychologist Ronald Williams says a soulmate is most often formed through an immediate connection. Sure, it's also possible for a soul tie to form instantaneously, but most soul ties develop gradually. Soulmates are also typically seen in a more positive light. David Bennett, a relationship counselor and owner of Double Trust Dating and Relationships, previously told POPSUGAR that "a soulmate treats you with kindness, generosity, and brings out the best in you." While that can also be true of a soul tie, there can be a toxic side. Twin flames are similarly intense - and potentially toxic. The biggest difference between a soul tie and a twin flame is that a twin flame can be a best friend, a sibling, or even a child. While it's possible to have a platonic soul tie, it's way more common to form a romantic soul tie, since most of them form after sexual intercourse. Related: Your Twin Flame Is Different Than Your Soulmate but Still Just as Impactful

What's the Negative Side to Having a Soul Tie?

Because the connection is so rare, intense, and deep, it's possible for you to develop an unhealthy obsession or extreme attachment with your soul tie, Valentine says. "Some people may even feel incomplete without their soul tie," she says, which, in relationships, can lead to an unhealthy attachment style where boundaries, needs, and wants are not met. In addition, one person can feel the soul-tie connection more than the other. If that happens, "the other person can easily take advantage of it and become toxic or abusive, and oftentimes, the other person can hardly leave," Moore says.

Can You Break a Soul Tie?

Fortunately, it's possible to break a soul tie if it feels unhealthy, but "it takes a lot of self-confidence and determination, meditation, and a willingness to endure pain for a while before time heals the wound of separation from your soul tie," Moore says. This can best be worked out through therapy and journaling to help sort out your feelings. With that said, if there's no inequitable power dynamic or toxicity and you're happy in your soul-tie courtship, there's no need to break it off.

What Are Some Signs You've Met a Soul Tie?

What body type do men prefer?
What body type do men prefer?

The short answer is that there isn't a most attractive body type. Guys like all female body types equally. What's going to have the biggest impact...

Read More »
How do I make him jealous and want me more?
How do I make him jealous and want me more?

27 Ways To Make Your Man Jealous Go out with your girlfriends. Save. ... Dress up. ... Ignore his texts and calls. ... Laugh at his friend's jokes....

Read More »

Unfortunately, it's one of those things that's best described as "when you know, you know." However, according to Valentine and Sullivan, there are a few signs that you may have met a soul tie: You can't stop thinking about them. You feel connected with them on a deeper level - more so than any other connection you've felt before. You cannot bear the thought of your relationship ending. You might feel a physical or subconscious pull leading you to them. You feel like you've known the person forever. You feel a sense of familiarity and comfort around them. You feel like you can let your guard down around them. You dream about them often. Ultimately, if you think you've met someone who could be your soul tie, explore it. Don't focus too much on the "signs" or what it's supposed to feel like - when a connection manifests to the level of being a soul tie, it's something you likely won't even have to question. Related: I'm Not a Math Person, but I'll Fully Accept the Results of This TikTok "Soulmate Test"

Can your soulmate be toxic?
Can your soulmate be toxic?

People may feel an instant and intense connection with each other, but the relationship may be full of highs and lows, and toxic behavior patterns....

Read More »
Can a person only love once?
Can a person only love once?

“Love can happen many times. If you fall in love and the person turns out to be the wrong one for you, you can't force yourself to continue loving...

Read More »
Is 25 years old still a kid?
Is 25 years old still a kid?

That's right: According to these researchers, if you're under 24 years old, you're basically still a teenager, not a full-blown adult — not yet, at...

Read More »
What is the smallest age gap?
What is the smallest age gap?

Nine to 10 months age gap is obviously the smallest gap you can have, and can be quite tough but rewarding at the same time. The children are so...

Read More »