A method is provided for healing reset errors for a magnetic memory using destructive read with selective write-back, including for example, a self-referenced read of spin-torque bits in an MRAM. Memory cells are prepared for write back by one of identifying memory cells determined in error using an error correcting code and inverting the inversion bit for those memory cells determined in error; identifying memory cells determined in error using an error correcting code and resetting a portion of the memory cells to the first state; and resetting one or more memory cells to the first state.