Energy Healing
How Energy Healing Works
There's no scientific consensus about how energy healing therapies work. Energy healing encompasses a variety of techniques believed to clear blockages in the energy field that contribute to imbalance in a person's life.
Pain Relief
A major benefit of energy healing touted by practitioners is pain relief, and there is some scientific backing for that claim. A review of studies, published in Current Rheumatology Reports in November 2019, on qigong for musculoskeletal pain found that a consistent qigong practice soothed pain in varying degrees among adults with different forms of chronic pain, and with few side effects.
A meta-analysis in the May 2018 Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice of four randomized controlled studies involving 212 participants found that, on average, those who received reiki therapy reported reduced pain scores compared with control groups.
Improved Depression and Anxiety Symptoms
Energy healing may improve mood and even help with symptoms of depression and anxiety. A 2017 review of 13 studies determined reiki was more effective than a placebo at reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as improving overall quality of life. A more recent review, published in November 2021, of 10 studies involving more than 1,200 adolescents determined that qigong was effective at reducing depression and anxiety among teens.
Energy healing may help with anxiousness because it can lead to a deeper level of inner listening and increase your inner knowing.
when you consistently take time to be quiet and still with yourself, over time a deeper level of intimacy is established within all aspects of the self — mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, When the body and mind are more at ease in a state of homeostasis, there is more opportunity and ability for healing.”
Enhanced Overall Well-Being
Those who practice energy healing techniques in a therapy session or on their own say one of the biggest benefits of the practice is that it induces a state of deep relaxation, which can enhance overall well-being.
One larger, uncontrolled online survey study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in December 2019 involved 99 reiki practitioners and more than 1,400 reiki sessions. It found that even a single session led to significant improvements in overall well-being and other factors, like mood and pain.
May Help Cancer Patients
Energy healing is currently being studied in patients who receive cancer therapy to find out if it can improve quality of life, boost the immune system, or reduce side effects, according to the NCCIH. Some forms of energy healing have been shown to have some benefits to cancer patients.
One past study funded by the NCI found that women with advanced breast cancer who received reflexology treatments showed improvement in some symptoms, like shortness of breath, and overall physical functioning (like physical capacity and exercise capacity, based on self-reporting).
How Energy Healing Works
There's no scientific consensus about how energy healing therapies work. Energy healing encompasses a variety of techniques believed to clear blockages in the energy field that contribute to imbalance in a person's life.
Pain Relief
A major benefit of energy healing touted by practitioners is pain relief, and there is some scientific backing for that claim. A review of studies, published in Current Rheumatology Reports in November 2019, on qigong for musculoskeletal pain found that a consistent qigong practice soothed pain in varying degrees among adults with different forms of chronic pain, and with few side effects.
A meta-analysis in the May 2018 Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice of four randomized controlled studies involving 212 participants found that, on average, those who received reiki therapy reported reduced pain scores compared with control groups.
Improved Depression and Anxiety Symptoms
Energy healing may improve mood and even help with symptoms of depression and anxiety. A 2017 review of 13 studies determined reiki was more effective than a placebo at reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as improving overall quality of life. A more recent review, published in November 2021, of 10 studies involving more than 1,200 adolescents determined that qigong was effective at reducing depression and anxiety among teens.
Energy healing may help with anxiousness because it can lead to a deeper level of inner listening and increase your inner knowing.
when you consistently take time to be quiet and still with yourself, over time a deeper level of intimacy is established within all aspects of the self — mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, When the body and mind are more at ease in a state of homeostasis, there is more opportunity and ability for healing.”
Enhanced Overall Well-Being
Those who practice energy healing techniques in a therapy session or on their own say one of the biggest benefits of the practice is that it induces a state of deep relaxation, which can enhance overall well-being.
One larger, uncontrolled online survey study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in December 2019 involved 99 reiki practitioners and more than 1,400 reiki sessions. It found that even a single session led to significant improvements in overall well-being and other factors, like mood and pain.
May Help Cancer Patients
Energy healing is currently being studied in patients who receive cancer therapy to find out if it can improve quality of life, boost the immune system, or reduce side effects, according to the NCCIH. Some forms of energy healing have been shown to have some benefits to cancer patients.
One past study funded by the NCI found that women with advanced breast cancer who received reflexology treatments showed improvement in some symptoms, like shortness of breath, and overall physical functioning (like physical capacity and exercise capacity, based on self-reporting).
Before:
Before your energy healing session begins, you’ll have a few minutes to chat with your practitioner to set expectations.
“A practitioner will typically ask the client what intentions they have for the session and if there are any particular concerns or imbalances they would like to release,” There will often be an opportunity for the client to ask questions prior to the treatment itself, and the practitioner will provide an explanation of what the client can expect during a session.”
During:
In many forms of energy healing your practitioner will ask you to lie on a massage table fully clothed at the start of the session. Depending on the modality, the practitioner may touch certain areas of the body or hover their hands over the body without touch,”
It’s also common for your experience to change each time, she notes.
The experience of the client is often different for each session and is directly influenced by their intention for the session,” Some practitioners will talk during a session, others will remain silent, however it is always advisable to tell the practitioner if you are uncomfortable or have questions during a session.
After:
After an energy healing session is over, your practitioner will usually give you care instructions.These [often] include drinking plenty of water, resting, and eating something to help ground the body. The client may experience a continuation of energy clearing symptoms for an hour and up to several days after a session.
Before:
Before your energy healing session begins, you’ll have a few minutes to chat with your practitioner to set expectations.
“A practitioner will typically ask the client what intentions they have for the session and if there are any particular concerns or imbalances they would like to release,” There will often be an opportunity for the client to ask questions prior to the treatment itself, and the practitioner will provide an explanation of what the client can expect during a session.”
During:
In many forms of energy healing your practitioner will ask you to lie on a massage table fully clothed at the start of the session. Depending on the modality, the practitioner may touch certain areas of the body or hover their hands over the body without touch,”
It’s also common for your experience to change each time, she notes.
The experience of the client is often different for each session and is directly influenced by their intention for the session,” Some practitioners will talk during a session, others will remain silent, however it is always advisable to tell the practitioner if you are uncomfortable or have questions during a session.
After:
After an energy healing session is over, your practitioner will usually give you care instructions.These [often] include drinking plenty of water, resting, and eating something to help ground the body. The client may experience a continuation of energy clearing symptoms for an hour and up to several days after a session.
Frequently Asked Questions
Energy healing is a technique rooted in the beliefs of ancient forms of medicine like ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which a practitioner channels healing energy to support the recipient's body and mind. This is meant to restore energy balance and improve health.
There are dozens of forms of energy healing, and this list is not exhaustive, but some include reiki, acupuncture, qigong, sound healing, reflexology, shamanic healing, crystal healing, touch therapy, chakra balancing, polarity balancing, and quantum energy healing.
There’s some scientific evidence to suggest reiki can help with a number of health concerns, including pain, depression, anxiety, stress, and overall mood. But these studies are small, and more robust research is needed to determine the true benefits.
Energy healing is considered to be noninvasive and generally safe, but it may bring up some feelings and sensations that people find unpleasant or uncomfortable, including tingling feelings throughout the body, emotional release, hot and cold sensations, twitches or tremors of the muscles, coughing, and tiredness.
An energy healing session can look different depending on the type and practitioner. Generally, you lie on a massage table fully clothed and a practitioner may touch certain areas of your body (if you have given permission) or hover their hands over the body without touch. This is done to channel healing energy, called qi in TCM; other traditions and therapies have different names for this energy.