Sensing Subtle Energy
How To Develop Your Abilities To Perceive



So how does a person go about sensing subtle energy, the life force out of which our energy fields are made?

Nancy Hausauer doing energy work(c) Dane Gregory Meyer

People perceive energy differently.  Many healers feel energy with their hands.  Some see it.  Some hear it.  Some just sense it, or have a "knowing." Some feel it with their whole body.  Some even smell it or get a taste sensation.

My point is that how we perceive energy is probably unique to us.  And there is no right or wrong way, no way that is better than the others.

And in fact, healers may even sense entirely different things with the same person. Healer and teacher Alain Herriott says that there are many, many channels of information that you can tune into.  So, working with the same person, you may tune into one channel, while another healer tunes into another, yielding very different kinds of information.

But is sensing subtle energy necessary for doing energy healing?  Probably not. If your intention is to heal, the energy will go where it is needed.  A person's innate genius for healing will use the energy where ever and however it is most needed.

Nevertheless, it can be useful to perceive energy.  And I believe that we can all learn to do it. 

In fact, I believe that we all perceive energy all the time!  But mostly we aren't consciously aware of it.  For example, maybe we meet someone and immediately like them without knowing anything about them.  That's probably an energetic phenomenon.  (OK, if you're single and meet someone really cute, you might like them a lot right away, but that's a different phenomenon!)

Sensing other people's energy is something we do naturally, all the time. Start paying attention to the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) feelings you get about people. Your own body is a reliable reader of energy. Perhaps some people make you feel relaxed and happy, while your stomach ties itself into knots with others. Your body is telling you about their energy!

Here's a list of ways I've experienced energy or seen/heard of others experience it. I think it's helpful to know that it can be perceived in such a wide range of ways.

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  • light
  • insights and intuitions
  • heat (and occasionally cold)
  • physical reactions such as jumping, twitching, shivering, sneezing, coughing, body movements, ears popping, sighs and deep breaths
  • a clear sense of the presence of the Divine
  • emotional release (e.g. tears or laughter)
  • a current of electricity
  • spirit guides
  • visits from loved ones who have passed on
  • visits from various animals
  • a sense of greater aliveness
  • buzzing or tingling in the body
  • movement or flow (like a current) in their body
  • a knowingness of something
  • something being released from the body, energy field, or mind
  • a hand on their body when they are not being physically touched
  • fire
  • a sacred web
  • a sense of deep peace and calm
  • a sense of everything being right and in harmony
  • and, as I’ve mentioned, as color.

Energy-Perceiving Exercises and Resources

You already sense subtle energy pretty well (be confident!), but here are some links to exercises and techniques for developing and amplifying your awareness.

Learn about some of the many ways people experience energy. Some of these may surprise you!

Learn two simple exercises for developing hand sensitivity to subtle energy here. It's fun to play around with this!

Learn about sensing auras (energy fields) and seeing auras here.

Learn about sensing chakras here.

Learn the technique of muscle testing, which can give direct information about our bodies and energy systems. It's a great skill for an energy healer to learn.

Explore your unique intuitive style, which will help you tune in to your native style of sensing energy as well.


But Is Sensing Subtle Energy Absolutely Necessary?

But do you need to be able to interpret what you are sensing--to know what it means? A lot of people get hung up on this. I think not, although others may differ. Here are some thoughts about whether or not it's necessary be able to interpret what a particular sensation means.