When a person’s soul is sick he must turn to those who heal souls, much as one would go to a doctor if his body were sick. People tend to ignore their souls because they are too preoccupied with their bodies. A righteous person, in contrast, recognizes the soul’s supremacy over the body, accepts physical suffering with joy, and knows that it comes because of his sins.

When the soul is sick it also needs a doctor:

People mistakenly think that sickness only applies to the physical body and that when the soul lacks something it is not “sick,” but only has a spiritual deficiency. They will therefore go to great lengths to consult with doctors about a physical illness but will not do the same concerning a spiritual problem. The opposite is really true, though, for the [body’s] limbs are the “clothing” of the soul. If [healing] the “clothing” requires so much effort, all the more so should a person [whose soul is sick] seek out doctors [for the soul], which is the essence of a person.

Most people are focused on their bodies, whereas the righteous treat the soul as central and the body as secondary:

Most people love only their bodies, not their souls. For they have no way of appreciating the pleasures of the soul, but when a person’s body is suffering, he really feels it because he loves his body so much. To go to a wise man to ask him to pray on his behalf is considered something that a person will go to great efforts to do on behalf of his body – for out of love for the body people go to great extents. To sum up: A person sees any deficiency in his physical health as a great misfortune, but that is not the case for his soul…. For a righteous person the opposite is true. He does not love his body, which is of lesser importance but prefers his soul, which is more special. If, God forbid, something happens to him, he will assume it happened because of his many sins, saying: “Everything that the all-merciful One does – without a doubt – He does for the best” (Berakhot 60b). He accepts [physical suffering] with joy, and understands well that because “You are children [to the Lord your God]” (Deuteronomy 14:1), a father knows what is best for his young child more than the child himself. If he is saved from distress he will be very happy – as opposed to the less refined person we mentioned earlier – for the righteous person experiences a close relationship with the all-powerful and merciful Father and has found favor in His eyes. (Rabbi Simĥa Zissel Ziv, Ĥokhma UMusar 1:122)