Energy medicine is an alternative therapy that uses the body’s life force to transfer and rebalance blocked energy. it s a practice where a healer may use their hands, crystals, and other holistic methods to create this shift. We all have energy and therefore we all have the power to learn how to utilize it for healing.
What is Energy Medicine?
Like everything in this world, we are surrounded by energy and our own bodies are surrounded by forces of electric, magnetic, subtle, and light energies that keep us in tune, balanced, and connected. This theory has been proven by the likes of Einstein who proved that energy and matter are interchangeable - thus our whole world is made of energy and everything in it too.
The idea of energy medicine draws on these beliefs that our bodies are brimming with vibrational energies and frequencies. Sometimes, these frequencies can become unbalanced, out of sync, blocked or undergo negative changes. This can lead to poor health or emotional turmoil and feelings of stagnancy. Energy medicine can be used to bring your frequencies back into alignment so that your own energy flow has space to circulate in the body. This can be how we feel at our most vibrant and vital best. Energy medicine can work across the emotional and the physical body - as they are intrinsically linked. It’s also a practice that is available to everyone and comes with few to no negative side effects.
What Are Some Examples of Energy Medicine?
There are many different kinds of energy medicine practices. These can range from using hands and tough to using lights and magnets. You don’t have to stick to one singular practice either, you can choose to call on a range of different energy medicine practices that complement each other. Energy therapies and medicine can also be used to ground people in their bodies and to ease symptoms of anxiety and stress. By encouraging relaxation, this improves mental health and wellbeing. Here are some of the most popular forms of energy medicine that you may already be familiar with.
Reiki
Reiki takes its roots in Japan and in fact, the word itself is Japanese and is linked to the meaning of ‘universal energy’. As a gentle touch-based therapy, it is believed that the hands of the healer can send healing energy from their palms to the person undergoing this therapy. A reiki master undergoes special training to be able to conduct the healing techniques and by moving their hands above or gently across the body they can encourage a healing flow of energy once more. It’s not that they are necessarily doing the healing, but that they can become a channel for energy. For this purpose, a reiki practitioner needs to be attuned to their own energies as any blockages could impact their practice on others. It is also believed to shift blockages from chakras and reduces stress factors which can have a positive impact on health issues.
Reiki is believed to have a whole host of benefits. It can help the body become calm, it can encourage the mind to let go of anxiety, and it can promote healthy restful sleep. Because of this gentle restful energy it promotes, it can help the body heal from injury, illness, and other stress factors. Studies have been conducted on how reiki can encourage swift healing after surgery and the results seemed to point towards it having a positive impact on recovery speed and overall wellbeing.
During a session, you can expect a reiki practitioner to move their hands across or above your clothed body - focusing on a different area as they go. Sessions can last anything from an hour to 90 minutes.
Qigong
Qigong takes its name from the phrase ‘energy work’. It has a long history and with hundreds of different styles and varieties, it can be tricky to trace its lineage back to an exact time or place. This ancient Chinese form of exercise uses a blend of meditation, breathwork, and movement to move and manage your ‘chi’. The movements are designed to follow the meridians that run through our body and they are also geared towards smoothing the outer edges of our energy fields that surround our ‘light body’ to help with better flow. The eyes are another important element in Qigong as they are believed to be ‘the spirit’ that commands and guides movement and energy. Then there’s the breath, which should be coordinated with certain movements to drive the energy to the right place in the body. When you practice and master the vital movements of Qigong it is believed that it can help you to ‘get out of your own way’ and to let the universal energy of life flow right through without impeding it.
There are many benefits to Qigong that work across the body, mind, and soul. Similar to yoga and other movement and breath-based practices, with Qigong you can effectively lower stress and anxiety levels. You can also increase your focus, tune into your inner thoughts, and even improve your emotional and physical balance and flexibility. It can also help heal the internal organs as it moves blood and oxygen around the body.
You can learn Qigong movements yourself or you can opt to take a class. Qigong is energy medicine that you can call on yourself without the need for an external healer. If you want to embrace energy medicine without a third party, then this could be one of the best ways to explore what energy work can do for you.
Healing Touch
Healing touch may sound similar to reiki in some senses but it is a different style of therapy with different roots. Healing touch is a heart-centred practice that uses intentional thoughtful and intuitive touch across certain areas of the body to encourage healing. It is a non-invasive method designed to clear blockages, encourage flow, and balance existing energy fields. With the healing touch, the practitioner will need to have some idea about the chakras and the 12 meridians although, unlike reiki, they won’t need to do an attunement first.
There are many benefits to the healing touch. It is believed that it can reduce stress and clear out anxiety and even help with depressive episodes. Physically it is believed to lessen pain, boost the immune system, and speed up recovery from trauma and surgery.
During a healing touch session, you can expect your healer to perhaps run through a meditation session with you first - or to touch base about how you are feeling. You then may lie down fully clothed and they will take their time to gently place their hands on (or above) certain areas of the body. Sessions can last between 40-60 minutes and you may feel deeply relaxed during or after the session. While healing touch doesn’t necessarily require touching the body directly, it can get pretty close. For those who aren’t super comfortable with the idea of touch, reiki may be a better energy medicine for you.
Crystal Healing
Crystal healing has been around for centuries. It is the practice of using crystals, stones, minerals, and other gems to encourage healing in the body, mind, and soul. Crystals have high vibrational energies and these energy vibrations can have an impact on your own energetic vibrations too. The energy of the crystal can shift, redirect, balance or channel energies to bring you into alignment. The healing work of crystals has been studied by the likes of Marcel Vogel who led pioneering works into how crystals cut into certain shapes could work with universal life energy.
There are endless benefits to working with crystals. These powerful gems go through an intense process to be here with us now and it can take millions of years - meaning that they collect a lot of energy along the way. There are crystals out there to suit everyone - some bring balancing energy, others can keep you protected from negative vibes, some will give a bright boost of life and vitality, and others are matched to certain chakras - the possibilities are endless. Crystals can help with emotions, they can put you on a spiritual path by helping you nurture psychic gifts, and they can encourage the body to heal in a physical sense too.
Working with crystal healing comes in many forms. You can make it really simple and just pick a crystal that you are drawn to and wear it in the form of crystal jewelery. You can place crystals on certain parts of your body while meditating. You can hold worry stones or use towers to ground and strengthen. You can place them in the home and you can sleep with them under your pillow. Find out more about crystal healing with our guide to the essential gemstones.
Benefits of Energy Medicine
Energy medicine can be a beautiful thing and comes with many benefits that ripple across the body, mind, and soul and add up to incredible healing. Not only can energy medicine soothe the mind, but it also brings better immunity and physical strength to the body, and can propel you towards spiritual growth. Here are some benefits you can expect from practicing energy medicine.
- Deep relaxation
- Better sleep
- Reduced blood pressure
- Pain relief
- Toxin-cleansing
- Boosted immunity
- Spiritual growth
- Increased energy flow
Does Energy Medicine Have Any Negative Side Effects?
One of the best things about energy medicine is that it has no negative side effects physically. It can be enjoyed by anyone and can only bring positive light shining on your life. During any of the treatments mentioned, you should feel no ill effects or discomfort and many of the practices mentioned are non-invasive. As with any energy work, if you are sensitive to this type of practice you may feel a little light-headed or you may have an emotional release if working through attachment issues or old traumas. This is your body’s way of clearing space to let in the light.
How Energy Medicine Works
Because everything in the universe is made up of energy, this is how energy medicine works. Everything within the world (including us) is made up of molecules that are always vibrating at various frequencies. Sometimes these frequencies can be blocked or closed or operating at a low level and this can manifest itself into physical and emotional imbalances and issues. Sometimes it can be issues like trauma or blocked chakras or toxins that cause our vibrations to go low. Energy medicine works by clearing out blocks and bringing your vibrational system back up to speed. It uses healing and high vibrations to create space within you for a finer flow of energy.
Energy Medicine FAQs
Is acupuncture an energy medicine?
Acupuncture can be considered a form of energy medicine and in fact, is one of the oldest energy medicines in the world. It is one of the most scientifically recognized forms of energy medicine too and is designed to restore the balance of energy that flows through the body.
What is a Biofield?
The biofield refers to a large field of energy that surrounds the body. Our human biofield cannot be seen by the eye but can be felt in terms of temperature and energy. It is said to extend out from the human body by around 8ft and contains photons, magnetic, and electromagnetic compounds.
What is the difference between energy medicine and traditional medicine?
Traditional medicine refers to information gathered and collected and shared based on traditional knowledge and experiences. This can either refer to a more natural folk medicine based on nature or it can be another term used for conventional western medicine that leans heavily into scientific evidence. Energy medicine is a form of alternative medicine that utilizes the existence of vibrational energies in order to heal the body, mind, and soul. The two together can also work as complementary therapies and healing modalities
Getting Started With Energy Healing
Energy medicine is for everyone and there are many ways you can step out onto this path. Whether it’s something as simple as buying a piece of crystal jewelry to wear or if it’s booking a reiki session or taking a Qigong class, there are so many different styles of energy medicine that you are sure to find what works for you. Always make sure that you do your due diligence when it comes to research and pick an appropriate practitioner that has the right credentials.
Which of these healing practices calls to you? Have you ever had any kind of therapeutic touch or treatment that call on the body’s energy?