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Twin Flames Vs Soulmates: Differences & Similarities Explained

Twin Flames Vs Soulmates

Other-half – a term that we toss around a lot when we meet a partner who connects with us on levels no one ever has. But this other half, are they your soulmate or your twin flame? Given the similarities between the two, it can be difficult to differentiate who is who. To break the first and the biggest distinction between twin flames vs soulmates, you should know that your literal other half is your twin flame. You only have one twin flame, but multiple soulmates. Twin flames are two parts of the same soul, while soulmates can be thought of as being cut from the same energetic fabric as yours. There’s a deep instant familiar connection with both, but a twin flames relationship will challenge you emotionally and spiritually in ways a soulmate relationship just won’t!  




What is a twin flame?

Twin flames, also known as mirror souls, are two halves of the same soul. When you meet them you’ll feel an intense magnetic connection as your soul will be drawn towards them fiercely. You’re meant to end up with your twin flame, but not necessarily in this lifetime. The union can happen over multiple lifetimes. With your twin flame, you’ll experience love and passion that will be hard to experience anywhere else. They’ll have deep acceptance towards you and you’ll feel immense comfort and peace with them.

Having said that, you might be picturing a rom-com kinda love with your twin flame, when in fact, it’s everything opposite to how you’d expect a relationship to unfold.

A twin flame connection hits you physically, emotionally, and above all, spiritually and energetically. They will mirror your insecurities, wounds, inner pain, and unresolved issues. By activating these wounds, the partnership challenges you, heals you, and ultimately develops a refined self-awareness. This can lead to tumultuous phases and tough conversations. But they’d never use these negative aspects against you, but rather serve as a catalyst to understand yourself and do the inner work you’re meant to do in this lifetime. More often than not, it will be your own anxieties and self-doubt that will ruin the relationship. 




Despite the challenges, twin flames are never abusive, toxic, or intentionally cause harm to the other person. Some people get into relationships where they fight a lot and experience intense emotions and think it’s their twin flame. It’s a big misconception that leads to staying in a draining relationship longer than someone’s supposed to be at! A twin flame relationship isn’t something you go out and start searching for, it’s something you attract. So, if you’ll glamorize the nuances, drama, this is what you’ll attract: a low-vibe relationship that will take you further away from your healing and soul empowerment. Instead of desperately waiting for your twin flame to arrive, work on your awareness, self-love, and discover who you’re. This is the best way to attract your twin flame – but there’s no guarantee. When it comes to partnerships, it’s all about timing, and ultimately, fate. 

What is a soulmate?

Have you ever met someone and felt an instant inexplicable connection like you have known them forever? And from there, things only started going uphill (with a few rough patches, of course!) and you felt like your life has changed for the better, forever. This person is most likely your soulmate. And unlike a twin flame, you can meet many soulmates in your entire life and you’ll most likely end up romantically with your soulmate too. 




A soulmate relationship can last or can be a fleeting encounter. You’ll have one or more soulmates in your life though who’d be there for a long period of time – that can be someone you’ve been friends with for a long time, a partner, or a family member. The main crux of a soulmate connection is to further your growth as an individual self and enrich your life. But it will be an easy, comfortable, and unproblematic growth as opposed to the kind you experience with a twin flame. You’ll feel deeply connected to your soulmate and will love them unconditionally. 

4 Similarities Between Twin Flames vs Soulmates

You’ll Feel An Instant Connection

When you meet your soulmate or twin flame, the initial interaction is so similar, it can be difficult to figure out if you’re with your soulmate or twin flame. There will be a deep sense of familiarity and a homecoming feeling. The connection will be strong, familiar, and meaningful at the offset. 

Communication Will Be Effortless

You will want to open up, speak your truth, and talk for hours with both your soulmate and twin flame. It will feel like they just get you and the feeling will be mutual. In a twin flame relationship though, the non-physical interaction will be surreal. There will be telepathy, energetic synchronicity, similar dreams, and feeling their presence without them in sight. 

The Basis Of The Relationship Will Be Unconditional Love




You’ll feel deeply connected to your soulmate and your twin flame. There’ll be an inexplicable attraction that you just won’t be able to put into words. With them, you’d feel at home and the comfort level will be surreal. Despite the rough patches, you’d wish only good for them and try your best that they stay in your life. Even if they don’t, they will still hold a special place in your heart. 

There’s A Learning Curve In Both Relationships

Both relationships will bring about strong life lessons and challenges that shift your life path and make you a better human being. But while twin flames will pose more potent growth surges, a soulmate connection poses challenges that aren’t as mentally or emotionally draining to make growth happen. 

5 Stark Differences Between Twin Flames vs Soulmates

Many Soulmates, One Twin Flame

You only have one twin flame because the emotional and mental energy it will require is impossible to expend on two relationships. You can have a soulmate in your friend, lover, family member, but a twin flame is, more often than not, a life partner. Since you’re meant to undertake serious spiritual & emotional growth with your twin flame and do so for them as well, it’s most likely that they will be your partner – the proximity is the closest in this relationship to experience and heals through these challenges. 

Soulmates Further Your Personal Growth, While Twin Flames Raise Consciousness Of The Entire Planet




A soulmate connection is meant to help individual growth, while twin flames connection fosters higher vibration and consciousness of the entire planet by growing with each other. It’s likely that you will work on yourself through a soulmate partnership in many lifetimes before reaching a potential where you can thrive in a twin flame relationship. It can be hard to decipher this twin flames vs soulmates connection. 

You Eventually End Up With Your Twin Flame (Over Many Lifetimes Or Come Back Together In A Single Lifetime)

Twin flames relationships are meant to last! While a soulmate can drift apart in a lifetime, and meet some other partner (who also can be their soulmate), twin flame partners will find their way back to each other – either in this lifetime or the next one. Your twin flame will be your greatest love story. A good example is that of The Notebook. The twins meet, there are tumultuous stages, and they drift apart, but find their way back to each other. All through this – their love & attraction toward each other remains intact. 

Soulmate Relationship Is Less Intense & Rocky Than A Twin Flame

Every relationship has its ups and downs, and so will a soulmate & a twin flame connection. But with your soulmate, you’ll be able to work through these rough patches quickly without going through any extra pain. With your twin though, you’ll mirror each other’s imbalances, issues, and unhealthy patterns. This can make both partners question their self-worth and begin to feel deeply insecure. A rocky stage is reached, where either of the twin flames tries to escape the relationship, but unfortunately can’t escape the bursting of unconditional love for their twin. While going through this tough phase, you’ll accept that *it’s not them, it’s you”. Your twin flame will awaken your soul, help you fulfill your divine purpose, and make you more human than ever. A sharp contrast between twin flames vs soulmates which you will feel later on in a relationship.




Twin Flames Are Rarely Non-Romantic

While your soulmate can be a non-romantic connection, twin flames are 99% your romantic partners. This is a stark contrast between twin flames vs soulmates. In a twin flame relationship, all energies – including sexual, are quite intense. There’s a reason that the term includes ‘flames’ after all; the relationship is pretty hot. 

FAQ’s

Which relationship is better – a twin flame or a soulmate?

A twin flame connection is much deeper, profound, and whole than a soulmate relationship. But the range of emotions you’d have to break down to reach this wholeness requires intense personal healing. Not everyone is ready to experience the emotional and mental toll a twin flames relationship can bestow on them. This is also the reason why people can handle multiple soulmate connections – like with your partner, family member, or a friend, but only have the capacity to handle one twin flame relationship in their life. Many relationship experts and spiritual gurus don’t recommend marrying your twin flames unless they see a person spiritually and emotionally mature to handle it – which is very rare. They rather advise taking the twin flames connection as a life lesson and moving on to settle with a soulmate. Clearly which one’s better for you depends entirely on each person’s individual journey. But, you can feel blissfully happy with both – don’t stress about that! 

Are twin flames rarer than soulmates?




Yes, of course. Twin flames are far rarer than soulmates. While one person can have many soulmates, they can only have one twin flame. It’s also not necessary that you’ll meet your twin flame in this life. Maybe this life is all about being with your soulmate unless you’re ready to experience and thrive in the challenges a twin flames companionship brings. Twin flames will eventually end up together, but this can happen over multiple lifetimes. 

Twin flames vs Soulmates: Who’re you happier with?

Comparing happiness between twin flames vs soulmates isn’t as straightforward. You can have happiness and fulfillment with both relationships. Who you’re with in this lifetime is all dependent on divine timing. You can live an amazing life with your soulmate if the purpose of your life is to be with them. Having a twin flames relationship requires an incredible amount of soul work, and it’s possible that you met them in this life but left the connection because of immature spirituality at the time. In some cases, you can reunite with a twin flame after having been separated from them. For instance, when you reconnect with someone you knew in high school, an ex-partner, or someone you have been friends with for a very long time. 




Some people think that since a twin flame relationship is intense and enhances you in ways soulmates can’t, they won’t be happy without finding their mirror soul. This is far from truth. It’s absolutely possible to feel blissfully fulfilled without being reunited with your twin flame. It’s all about timing – and some things are out of your control. So, instead of chasing something, cherish what you have and be incredibly happy with the present state of affairs.  

How are soulmates and twin flames different from karmic relationships?

Karmic relationships aren’t meant to last, while you end up with either your soulmate or your twin flame. Karmic relationships spark an intensely exciting and passionate romance that’s incredibly difficult to maintain. Your karmic lover is meant to fix the hurt and trauma of the past life or this life of which you aren’t yet aware! Unfortunately, they will bring out this unresolved trauma, but neither the relationship nor the person can help you heal through it. This is a stark contrast between a twin flame and a karmic relationship. Your twin flames not just bring out your deepest fears and shadows, but also catalyze healings, conscious expansion, and spiritual maturing. 

One of the stages of the twin flame relationship is when the twins start to experience emotional disturbances because of their insecurities, fears, and traumas being brought on the surface. This happens in the karmic relationship as well, making it confusing to identify a twin flame or a karmic flame. Look for these differences between the two: 




#1 There’s a lot of miscommunication in karmic relationships, while the communication with your twin flame is effortless. In the latter romance, despite the uncomfortable disagreements, you’ll feel like the other person just gets you, sometimes without having to say a thing. In karmic relationships, the communication gap will make you feel exhausted and frustrated. 

#2 Karmic relationships can quickly turn toxic, while a twin flame can NEVER be toxic. With your karmic flame, you will not feel your best self, and growth, both spiritual and emotional, is close to impossible. Sadly, a karmic relationship can even turn out to be physically and emotionally abusive. 

#3 You only have one twin flame, while several karmic flames. If you didn’t complete the growth meant to be completed with your first karmic relationship, there’s a chance you’ll wind up in another karmic flame romance. It’s a cycle that repeats itself quite too often.  

#4 The basis of a karmic relationship is growing (not in the relationship, after the separation), but the basis of a twin flame or even a soulmate partnership is healing. A karmic relationship will hold you back from furthering your spiritual journey, while both twin flames and a soulmate will bring you closer to your higher spiritual self. 

#5 Intense karmic relationships bring the traumas and insecurities to the surface and keep both individuals in a low vibe, causing a downward spiral. While a twin flame connection brings out the shadow aspects, helping the other person realize it, then blossoming a partnership that leads to a higher vibe and process/heals through these sufferings. 




If you understand the difference between a twin flame and a karmic flame, it will be easier to differentiate the latter from a soulmate. Soulmate connections are the most balanced of all the three. Whilst in a karmic relationship, you’ll always feel like the other person isn’t right for you or there’s something wrong but letting go seems inexplicably difficult. In both a soulmate and twin flames relationship, you’ll feel like you belong with that person, but in a karmic relationship, there will be a passionate, magnetically drawn emotion that more often doesn’t feel like a homecoming experience. 

Can twin flames or soulmate relationships be toxic?

NEVER! There’s no toxicity or abuse in a twin flames relationship or a soulmate partnership. No emotional manipulation, gaslighting, physical abuse, etc. is involved in both of these connections. In some cases, the idea that there’s just one person out there for you can lead to people staying in toxic, abusive relationships. Because of the term *toxicity* getting thrown around a lot, it’s easy to confuse mere disappointments, conflicts, and rough patches in a relationship with such a strong term. Just because your partner disagrees with you, doesn’t live up to the fantasy in your head, or has a major issue with the relationship doesn’t mean they’re toxic. Let’s educate ourselves on the topic before jumping to conclusions. Here are a brief and some resources to help you! 

Coined by psychologist Dr.Lillian Glass’ in her book Toxic People in 1995, the phrase ‘toxic relationships’ is defined as “a relationship between two people who don’t support each other, where there’s conflict and one seeks to undermine the other, where there’s competition, where there’s disrespect and a lack of cohesiveness.” Basically, an unpleasant and draining connection where the negative far outweigh the positives. Any relationship goes through ups and downs, but the toxic ones stay consistently distressing and can be mentally, emotionally, or possibly even physically damaging to the participants. And these connections needn’t be only romantic: they can be familial or professional. 




There are chances that one partner can be much more toxic in a relationship, and another one can be a victim. Although, the roles can be reversed and since the victim isn’t in such a good mental state, they can turn toxic too. 

There could be many reasons why someone causes harm to their partner or behaves in a narcissistic manner. This could be rooted in their subconscious, unresolved childhood traumas, growing up in a conflicted environment, mental disorders, or have a distorted idea about love and partnerships. 

If you’re in a toxic relationship, realize that it isn’t your job to change someone or make them a better person. The best you can (should) do is leave. 

Here are some books to understand the topic of toxicity better: 

  • Toxic People – Dr.Lillian Glass (Get here)
  • But It’s Your Family – Sherrie Campbell (Get here)
  • In Sheep’s Clothing – George K. Simon (Get here)
  • Should I Stay or Should I Go – JAC Patrissi & Lundy Bancroft (Get here)
  • Whole Again – Jackson Mackenzie (this book outlines how to heal yourself after a toxic relationship) (Get here)
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