“Can one treat his own sicknesses and cure himself by reading the Books of Sufism?”

Shaykh ‘Abdul Qādir ‘Īsā ash-Shādhilī  ق said:

If it is established in modern medicine that a person is unable to treat his own self, even if he reads many medical books, and that he must go to a doctor who can diagnose his hidden ailments and see things he is unable to see, then the diseases of the heart and maladies of the soul are in an even greater need of a purifying doctor for their dangers are much greater, and their diagnosis is much more nuanced.

For this reason, it is of practical benefit to purify the soul and rid of its maladies under the hand of a completed spiritual guide who is licensed to guide others and has inherited knowledge, piety, and the ability to guide and purify from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

[Adapted from Realities of Sufism by Shaykh ‘Abdul Qādir ‘Īsā ash-Shādhilī ]