What is Energy Healing?
According to research published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine, energy medicine is defined as “the therapeutic applications of subtle energies.” While modern medicine focuses primarily on physiology, practitioners of energy healing focus more on the aspects of health that are not physical.
Physiologically, our bodies interact with our environment through ambient fields like sound, light, electricity and magnetism. These interactions generate massive amounts of information in the form of energy fields, according to researchers.
Did you know that humans have voltage potentials that modulate cell function? These energy units are involved in the therapeutic effects of healing energy.
The purpose of energy medicine is to treat energetic imbalances in order to bring the body’s systems back to homeostasis. In this form of medicine, it’s believed that disturbances in human energy patterns are indications of disease and aging. According to research published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine mentioned above:
If Western medicine applied the principles of modern physics, it would understand human beings are composed of information (energy) interacting with other energy (environment) to profoundly impact our physical and emotional health.
Energy Healing is a gentle, non-invasive therapy and covers many other minor modalities such as Reiki, Prana healing, Brennan Healing Science and other hands-on-healing techniques. The practitioner facilitates the healing by channeling Universal Energy through the human energy field. The channeling of this energy promotes health, balance and relaxation. This energy heals the physical manifestation of dis-ease which result from imbalances in the human energy field and the energetic templates. It is when we are relaxed that our innate, natural healing abilities can truly begin to work. So by working with an energy therapist, you are not only receiving universal energy, but are also tapping into and activating your own healing potential.
- ‘Everyone has a doctor in him or her; we just have to help it in its work. The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.‘ – – Hippocrates
How does Energy Healing work?
Everything is energy. Energy therapy uses focused healing energy to clear energetic blocks that accumulate in our energy bodies, hindering the natural flow of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy. When this energy is unable to flow, just like water, it can become stagnant. When water doesn’t flow, and becomes stagnant, it begins to become dirty and unusable. It is the same with energy. When this energy becomes blocked and unable to flow, we begin to experience the undesirable, and if it is left for too long, it begins to coagulate, which promotes the manifestation of physical dis-ease. So, by clearing, opening and balancing the flow of energy in and around the body, we promote clarity, vitality and create the optimum conditions for a healthier body.
“Energy is the living, vibrating ground of your being, and it is your body’s natural self-healing elixir, its natural medicine. This medicine, this energymedicine, feeds body and soul, and attending to it restores your natural vitality. Energy medicine is the science and the art of optimizing your energies to help your body and mind function at its best.”
– Donna Eden with David Feinstein in Energy Medicine for Women
What are the benefits of
energy healing?
1. Reduces Pain
Research on forms of energy healing like acupressure, acupuncture and healing touch therapy suggests that energy medicine may help relieve numerous forms of pain.
Healing energy can help alleviate headaches and migraines; back, knee, shoulder and neck pain; and arthritic pain.
One meta-analysis showed that acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain, while a 2014 study found that acupressure was effective for reducing pain associated with conditions like chronic headaches, labor pains, menstrual cramps and lower back pain.
2. Improves Sleep
Researchers have found that healing energy may be useful for reducing insomnia symptoms and helping with overall sleep regularity.
In fact, a systematic review published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine indicates that acupuncture was superior to medications regarding the number of patients who experienced increase sleep duration.
3. Used as Complementary Medicine
Studies suggest that energy healing is beneficial as a form of complementary medicine to help boost immunity and speed up recovery for patients dealing with serious health conditions, including cancer and chemotherapy treatment, childbirth and postpartum healing, and healing after surgery.
Forms of energy medicine that can be used in combination with modern or conventional medicine include reiki, acupuncture, healing touch, healing prayer and reflexology, among others.
4. Boosts Brain Health
Our senses play a major role in our day-to-day functions and memory, so using healing energy or sensory-stimulating techniques, like music and touch therapy, can help boost brain function and promote balance.
Healing medicine is meant to cleanse and balance the body’s energy life force, thereby boosting your ability to focus and concentrate.
Research indicates that many forms of energy medicine, including reiki, music therapy, touch therapy and multisensory stimulation, can be helpful as a form of alternative medicine for dementia.
5. Promotes Mental Health
A study published in the journal of Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that acupressure was able to alleviate PMS symptoms, including feelings of anxiety and depression.
Many forms of energy healing promote relaxation and an overall sense of well-being. Spiritual healing, in particular, helps you improve peace in your life, thereby reducing stress on the body and working to prevent disease.
Healing prayer, meditation and mindfulness alone can have a major impact on hormone balance, helping lower cortisol levels, improve sleep and boost mood.
6. May Improve Healing
Because many forms of energy medicine help improve your mood and induce a relaxed, balanced state, they are known to promote healing and support immune function. A critical trial conducted in 1989 found that music therapy was even able to reduce the incidence of cardiac complications.
This energy healing benefit is likely due to its ability to reduce cortisol levels, allowing the body to recover, repair and heal naturally.
Risks and Side Effects
Energy healing appears to be generally safe when practiced by a trained professional. These types of healing, however, should not be used to replace conventional care, so be sure to continue seeing your health care professional, especially if you are struggling with a health issue.
To reduce potential risks and side effects, make sure to use a reputable practitioner or therapist who has been trained and can offer referrals.
Conclusion
- Healing energy is the therapeutic applications of subtle energies, meaning that it works to promote the human energy force and treat energetic imbalances in order to bring a patient’s body systems back to homeostasis.
- Practitioners and patients of energy medicine believe that disturbances in human energy patterns are indications of disease and aging. By balancing energy channels, a patient can experience a relief of pain, insomnia, mood disorders and early signs of aging.
- There are several types of energy medicine, including reiki, acupuncture, acupressure, healing touch, healing sprayer, music therapy and reflexology. Each one of these forms works to balance energy balance and promote human life force.
Energy Meridians act as invisible pathways that spread energy, or Qi, throughout the human body. These paths help keep the balance between the body’s physical, emotional, and spiritual conditions.
