Healing

Healing is based on the principle that there is a universal energy which is freely available to all, and which can be used for the purpose of restoring harmony, balance and health. This universal energy is called chi, ki or qi in traditional Chinese medicine, and it is called prana by ayurvedic practitioners and those who practise yoga.

It is also sometimes referred to as life force, healing energy or divine energy. In essence, there is no difference, apart from the name given by the different practitioners. There are number of different schools of healing including reiki, seichem, reiki-seichem, quantum touch, therapeutic touch and spiritual healing.

None of these forms of energy healing require the client – the recipient of the healing – to believe in any specific creed, dogma or set of beliefs. Even the most sceptical person can benefit from energy healing.

How does it work?

During an energy healing session the practitioner relaxes and opens his or her awareness to the universal energy that is all around us. The practitioner draws in this healing energy and then directs it outwards, passing it on to the client. The client does not receive the practitioner’s energy, but only the chi, prana, life force that the practitioner is channelling.

What does it involve?

An energy healing session will usually last for about an hour. Depending on the school of healing to which the practitioner belongs, the practitioner may or may not begin the session by taking a brief medical history and details of what the client hopes to achieve. The client, fully clothed, will be asked to sit in a reclining chair or lie on a couch.

The practitioner will place their hands over the client’s body and begin to access and direct the healing energy to wherever it is needed. Some practitioners focus on working with the client’s chakras (the seven energy centres: see Colour therapy), in which case they will be aiming to release energy blockages and encourage energy flows.

Other practitioners will direct the healing energy to all parts of the body, focusing on those areas or organs which specifically need help. Some practitioners will lightly touch the client during the healing session, whilst others will keep their hands two or three inches above the client’s body.

What is it good for?

Energy healing can be used to treat all kinds of conditions and illnesses. It is successfully used for pain relief in all areas of the body, skin problems, broken bones, cuts and lesions, headache and migraine as well as for stress management, insomnia, depression, anxiety and other mental and emotional problems. Therapeutic touch is used in hospitals and hospices, particularly post-operatively or to help with pain management and recovery following chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

What are the benefits?

Clients report that receiving energy healing is a wonderfully soothing and relaxing experience which promotes feelings of well-being and rejuvenation.

What are the side effects and when should it be avoided?

There are no side effects as a result of receiving energy healing, and this therapy is suitable for everyone from the very young to the very old; people who are in reasonably good health to those who are experiencing serious illness.

When you receive energy healing you may experience sensations of tingling, heat, coolness, but these are not in any way painful or uncomfortable, and soon pass. Some people find the therapy so relaxing that afterwards they feel unable to do much apart from go home and rest for an hour or so.