Energy Healing

The human body has a natural ability to heal. Some people seem more attuned to this internal energy than others, but this powerful force is just there waiting to be tapped. It is generally referred to as energy healing, widely considered now as a type of alternative medicine.

While many remain skeptical, health practitioners who are trained in both western and eastern modalities of medicine take energy healing seriously. According to them, when a person is physically injured or suffering from emotional pain, energy can stagnate in the body, resulting in energy blocks that can cause illness. Energy healing aims to improve the flow of energy and remove blocks around the body to reduce pain, induce relaxation, and hasten the healing.

Different Methods of Energy Healing

There are many energy-based healing practices gaining popularity as alternative methods that complement Western medicine.

Chakra Balancing

A chakra is a center of energy in the body. There are 7 chakras that begin at the top of the head going all the way down to the end of the spine. The chakras regulate all the other systems in the body, and they influence everything from the way we process emotions to how we resist disease. Ideally, the 7 chakras are open and kept in alignment. If they become blocked or out-of-sync, a person's physical and psychological well being become negatively affected. There are several ways to cleanse and revitalize the chakras to bring them back to their natural state of balance:

Crystal Energy Healing

Crystals possess some of the highest vibrational frequencies on earth. The chakras can tune-in to these beneficial energies and then transport these energies throughout the body via what are called "meridians" or energy pathways. By placing the appropriate crystal on or around the chakras, our internal energies become cleared of blockages, leading to healing of the imbalances in the mind, body, spirit, and emotions. These crystal energies can uplift sluggishness or subdue overactivity in the chakras. This can be achieved by wearing crystals in jewelry, taking crystal elixirs or holding crystals directly over the area in the body that needs healing from pain or illness.

Yoga

Yoga teaches that the body and mind are not separate and that both are permeated with "prana" (energy). Prana is the Sanskrit equivalent of the Japanese "ki" (like in Rei-ki) or the Chinese "chi" (like in Tai-chi), all meaning life force. Yoga releases stress from the physical body to allow the life force to flow where it was previously blocked. All types of yoga enhance energy flow, and Chakra Yoga, in particular, provides yogic exercises that enable practitioners to cleanse and balance each of the chakras.

Reconnective Healing

Reconnective Healing founder Eric Pearl describes it as an art, a science and a philosophy. It is not a "technique" as he calls the other energy healing methods like Reiki and Healing Touch etc. The theory behind Reconnective Healing is that the body heals via a healing spectrum of frequencies consisting of energy, light, and information– not through chemicals.

During a Reconnective Healing session which typically lasts from 40-50 minutes, the "patient" is asked to lie down, close their eyes, and relax without falling asleep. They are asked just to "let go" and be in a state of open expectancy without actually expecting any specific outcome. No clothing or accessories have to be removed except shoes. Wearing perfumes or fragrances are discouraged because certain scents or aromas might manifest during a session, and the patient should be able to experience that. The healing practitioner's hands don't ever touch the patient's body because the healing energies will go through anything to wherever they need to go without being directed.

While every reconnective healing experience is unique, there are some common sensations that patients have observed during or after a session, namely:

• Aches and pains disappear
• Better able to handle daily stresses
• Bliss
• The body is 'shivering' but not cold
• Energy increase
• Energy traveling through the body
• Faster recovery from injuries
• A general sense of well being
• Inner visions
• Sleeping deeper after the healing
• Strong emotions
• Tingling sensations, heat or coolness

Touch Therapies

Reiki

From the Japanese words "rei" (universal) and "ki" (life energy), Reiki has been around for thousands of years. It is also referred to as hands-on healing or palm healing. The patient sits comfortably or lies down fully clothed. The practitioner positions their hands lightly on the body or over it, where the transfer of Reiki energy begins to take place. The practitioner's hands may be tingling and feel warm while held over a particular part of the patient's body. When he/she feels that the energy flow has stopped or that the heat or energy in their hands has abated, he/she will move to a different area of the body.

Reiki is believed to help in the body's natural healing processes. It is also believed to induce intense relaxation, help relieve emotional stress, and improve overall wellbeing. Reiki has been used to assist in the treatment of the following conditions:

• anxiety
• autism
• cancer
• chronic pain
• Crohn's disease
• depression
• fatigue syndromes
• heart disease
• infertility
• neurodegenerative disorders

Therapeutic Touch (TT)

This method of energy healing appears to be a close relative of Reiki until one realizes that Reiki is "hands-on" while Therapeutic Touch is "hands off". Another marked difference is that in Reiki, the practitioner "allows" the flow of energy where it will, while in TT the practitioner actually "directs" where the energy should flow. TT aims to induce relaxation, promote wellbeing, decrease anxiety, and stimulate healing.

Which Method is Best for You

These are but a few of the many energy healing methods being practiced today. Choosing which method to pursue is totally a matter of personal preference. The touch therapies will most certainly not work for individuals who have issues about being touched. Those with particular physical disabilities or injuries may have a hard time pursuing the more challenging yogic exercises and poses. Perhaps the easiest and most passive starting point is to explore the use of healing crystals. The idea is to keep an open mind about each of the methods available to you, research them thoroughly, and then take the plunge.

Should You Stop Seeing Your Doctor?

Most definitely not. Energy healing therapies are alternative therapies that are meant to complement and not replace traditional treatments. These days pursuing energy healing therapies alongside conventional medical care is called integrative healthcare, and the combination can prove to be quite formidable.

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