What Is This Mysterious Thing Called Energy Healing?
If you were to see an energy healing in process, it might look like someone slowly moving their hands through the air a few inches to a few feet away from your body. The healer might pause now and then over certain areas, or perhaps sometimes make small gestures with their hands. What are they doing?!
Photo by Dane Gregory Meyer Energy healing—also called energy work, energy medicine,
spiritual healing, and laying on of hands--recognizes and works with the
beautiful reality of the more subtle aspects of our nature—our energy.
This
energy has been called by many names in many times and cultures, including life force, aura, electro-magnetic
field, energy field, subtle energy, vital energy, chi, qi,
ki, and prana.
We are pulsing with this life force. It animates us and is the
foundation and template for our physical being. Though universal in
nature, it takes a unique and beautiful form in each one of us. However, our energy fields can become disturbed in various ways, which then gets reflected in a person's life or in their physical body.
Energy healers work with this vital energy to support you in moving toward greater health and well-being. We use energy to influence energy. In general, energy healing aims to balance a person's energy and promote or return it to a state of harmony and flow. Some energy healers sense a rhythm that they try to restore. Personally, among other things, I also often try to bring a person's energy field up to present time; help people ground their energy; help people strengthen their energetic boundaries; and promote a direct experience of the non-physical (energy) world, which I believe has a powerful impact on a person's well-being in the largest sense.
If you've never had an energy healing treatment, you may be curious about exactly what is involved. While every energy healer works a little differently, this page will tell you generally about about how energy healers work and what a session might look like. It also includes a detailed description of one of my own sessions with a client, just to give you a really specific idea of what a session might include.
Why energy healing matters in today's world. I believe that we need energy healing now more than ever.
Energy Healing Benefits
Energy work does not operate on a medical model of fixing or curing "what's wrong." It works at a deeper level than that, more on the level of source than symptom.
However, it often does have a clear impact on physical and emotional health and mental functioning. (And there is a growing number of scientific studies documenting this.)
One highly positive aspect of energy work is that there are no risks or side effects. It "does no harm." (This is no small thing, since by some estimates one of the leading causes of death in the U.S. is unintended side effects of conventional medical treatment.)
Probably the most common, immediate, readily identifiable benefit is that it puts most people into a state of deep relaxation. This alone has powerful benefits for health--it allows the body, mind, and emotions to heal and restore themselves. Often this state of relaxation lasts for many days following the treatment.
After a healing, people often feel grounded, "in their bodies," alert, and clear. Recipients usually feel more balanced and calm--lifted above the fray of day-to-day life.
While no reputable healer would promise you specific physical benefits, people often do find that they heal more quickly from illness and injury after having a healing. (I have certainly experienced this personally.) Pain can also be reduced or relieved, making it an effective form of natural pain relief. (Ditto.)
Recipients often have insights into the underlying issues in their lives and relationships, and find that they are able to resolve problems more easily, or that their relationship to a problem changes.
Many people find that managing stress and stressful situations is easier. Many also find that they have more creative energy.
Noticeable benefits may happen immediately, or over a period of time.
There are many more potential benefits to energy work. You can read about them here.
There is a small but growing body of scientific evidence about the
efficacy of energy medicine. However, there is much more anecdotal
evidence that it has powerful benefits.
Basic Energy Healing Principles
Most forms of energy work share some basic assumptions or principles. For example, most healers define healing more holistically
than just "curing" or "fixing" a particular health or emotional issue.
Most healers also see illness as starting with disturbances in the
energy field. And most recognize the mind-body connection, knowing that the
impact of their work may show up in any aspect of a person--mind, body,
emotions, or spirit.
Click here to learn more about core principles of energy medicine.
Learn More: Types of Energy Healing and Choosing a Healer
There are a number of different kinds of energy healing. While they all work with similar principles, you may find that some feel more compatible with you than others. Find out about some of the more well-known kinds of energy-work here.
While most energy healers are wonderful people, there are some who (how can I say this without sounding judgmental, hmmmm....) are misguided or could stand to mature a little as healers before they work with others, and there are a few people who, sadly, see energy healing as an opportunity to scam vulnerable people. Learn tips for choosing a reputable healer here.
What It's Not
Reputable energy work is not intended to replace conventional medical or psychological treatment. It is intended to be a complementary therapy. When receiving energy work, you should always continue to seek and follow the advice of your qualified medical or psychological practitioner.
Interested in learning more about energy, energy healing, and the chakras? Try my book, Chakra Care: Do-It-Yourself Energy Healing for a More Joyful, Loving, Fruitful Life. You'll learn
to clear, nurture and support your chakras with 500 fun, down-to-earth
activities. A user-friendly, practical guide, available as a paperback
or Kindle. Learn more or buy it here.