Energy Healing Therapy

Energy healing therapy is an ancient practice that stems from the belief that our life force energy becomes imbalanced during times of stress or physical disease. In Western culture, life force energy may simply be called "energy", while the Chinese refer to it as chi or qi; in India it is called prana. All of these words describe the same thing: the concept that life force energy exists in all living beings and interconnects them as a whole.

Principles of Energy Healing
All energy healing techniques are based on the principle that universal energy can be harnessed by the intention of one person and directed to specific areas of the body, mind, emotions or spirit of another person in need of healing. The intention may be as general as the well-being of the recipient or as specific as destroying cancer cells. The healing qualities of energy are channeled most effectively when the recipient is open to receiving the energy from the practitioner.

Skeptics of energy healing are quick to point out that life force energy is invisible and must therefore be imaginary. True, there is less scientific validation of life force energy than electromagnetic, nuclear or quantum energies, but already the medical world has taken notice: thousands of nurses and medical professionals have been trained in Reiki, Therapeutic Touch and other forms of energy healing that they integrate into traditional patient treatment plans.

Energy Healing Techniques
Some energy healing practitioners have their own methods of channeling and directing energy while others practice more formal techniques. Healing energy may be channeled through the energy healing practitioner's hands, eyes, breath, voice or a combination of some or all of these, and directed to the recipient via light touch or hands held in close proximity to the area being treated.

Energy healers may also use crystals, incense, music, stones, boxes, prisms, or musical instruments to change energetic vibrations in the room during energy healing sessions. These tools vary according to the energy healing method, and the training and belief systems of the individual practitioner.

Distance Healing
One of the most interesting things about energy healing is that it can also be performed at a physical distance. Distance or absent energy healing has been shown to be as effective as hands-on treatment.

Distance energy healing works because life force energy demonstrates similar characteristics to quantum energy, where actions performed on one subatomic particle affect others, regardless of the physical distance between them. Energy healing, then, may be directed by practitioners toward areas in the world where there's been a natural disaster or places like Darfur where people are suffering. A more well-known, comparable practice to this form of energy healing is prayer.

Complement to Western Medicine
Energy healing is intended to complement, not replace traditional medical therapies, by encouraging the body to draw upon its natural healing ability. Used in combination with traditional treatments, energy healing may help you experience more powerful results from your treatment plan.

Energy healing isn't limited to treating physical conditions, however. If you've ever felt blocked, stuck in a rut or dealt with anxiety, the benefits of energy healing work just as well on emotional levels. The relationship between stress and hypertension is one example of how stored emotional energy has a direct effect on our bodies-energy healing can help ease these conditions by opening up the flow of energy, clearing emotional blockages and detoxifying the body. Energy healing has also been used to help people overcome addictions or other unhealthy habits.

Energy healing can't harm you and "too much" energy healing is impossible. If energy is directed at an area that doesn't need it, it will redirect itself to an area that does need it, or it won't be absorbed at all. You might consider energy healing for anything from stress reduction, relief from cold or flu, and pain management, to minimizing the side effects from medical treatments or symptoms of chronic illness.

While medical insurance companies are slow to cover the costs for alternative medicine, including energy healing, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a center dedicated to researching complementary and alternative healing modalities, so this may change in coming years. Generally speaking, hands-on energy healing sessions are priced similarly to therapeutic massage while distance energy healing, which takes less time than hands-on treatment, may be less expensive.