Energy
healing restores or balances the flow of energy in the body.
It is grounded in the belief that the human body is made up
of a complex system of invisible energy. It is believed that
this vital life force energy continually flows throughout
the body in organized patterns, just as blood does. Unlike
blood, however, life force energy does not stop at the surface
of the skin but extends several inches beyond the body, thereby
creating a unique energy field for each individual.
When
a person's energy flows freely in a balanced, symmetrical
manner, good health can be maintained. However, when the energy
flow becomes restricted or weakened, an imbalance occurs and
an excess or deficiency of energy results. This can lead to
symptoms of emotional and physical distress and eventually
to chronic pain and disease.
How
Does It Work?
Those
who have had success with energy healing believe that the
treatments work by manipulating the energy that pulsates in
and around all living beings. Energetic intervention by a
practitioner can serve to correct imbalances in energy flow,
restore symmetry, and re-establish the free flow of energy
through the body's energy pathways. These pathways are known
in energy healing as channels (meridians), chakras and etheric
levels.
Channels:
Energy flows through a person's body via various acupoints
that are organized into channels, or meridians. The meridian
system contains several hundred points that can be manipulated
to promote energy balance in parts of the body that experience
discomfort or disease. Although Western science has been able
to measure the existence of the acupoints using their electrical
properties, researchers are still investigating ways to measure
the groupings of points in the meridian channels. Studies
have shown that stimulating acupoints can release chemical
messengers in the body, including endorphins, the body's natural
painkillers.
Chakras:
In Indian or Ayurvedic medicine it is believed that the body's
vital energy flows up from the feet to the top of the head
and concentrates at different levels in the body called chakras.
Maps of the body's chakras generally show seven major chakras
along the centerline of the body, and multiple minor chakras
outside the body and along the extremities. The state of each
chakra reflects the health of a particular area of your body.
When chakra energy is blocked or misdirected, emotional and
physical illness can arise.
Etheric
levels: Just above the skin's surface, the human energy
field is divided into etheric levels. Each of these levels
is three dimensional and envelops the body like a sheath.
The levels closest to the body are the physical, emotional
and mental. The physical level is linked to vitality. The
emotional level contains the energy associated with both positive
and negative emotions. Because physical and emotional energies
are interconnected, emotions can have a profound effect on
how the body functions. The third level is the mental field
and it contains energy associated with thought, conceptualization,
rationalization and interpretation of events. Energy from
this layer surrounds and interfaces with the emotional level,
intensifying the relationship between thoughts and feelings.
In
diagnosing and treating a client, a practitioner of energy
healing will look at the pattern of energy flow in one or
more of these pathways, and manipulate energy wherever it
is blocked. Often during a session, a client will achieve
a deep state of relaxation. Western science tells us that
such deep relaxation helps to balance the autonomic nervous
system and possibly trigger the release of hormones and neurotransmitters,
which can help to decrease pain and increase a sense of well-being.
Energy
healing can also release emotional energy and create increased
awareness of mind-body patterns that contribute to energy
imbalances. Most people who receive an energy healing session
note an immediate decrease in their stress level, which has
long been recognized as a major contributor to wellness.
Adapted
from the Whole Health MD Resource Library
