Understand Reiki and the other forms of energy healing
By Judith E. Lipson, M.A., LPC
Energy Healing is part of a larger field called Energy Medicine. It involves the conscious use of the healer’s energy field to affect the energy field of the healed. Energy healing includes Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Quantum Touch, Healing Touch, and Jin Shin Jyutsu. There are other types as well, including Eric Pearl’s The Reconnection and the Danis Bois Method. This list is not meant to be all-inclusive.
Energy, also known as chi, prana, or the universal life energy, flows within you along meridians (the pathways most commonly used by acupuncturists), and within the chakras (the energy centers of the body – which will be discussed in an article later this year). Energy can also be seen and felt in the energy field around your body (sometimes referred to as the aura).
When I taught a meditation and energy exploration class, I helped my students to better understand the concept of energy with this simple exercise:
Place your palms together. Now separate them just slightly enough so that they do not touch. Feel the sensation between your palms. You might sense heat, vibration or a buzzy sensation. Seek to feel what you sense. Now pull your palms slowly apart. Pay attention to the sensations between your palms. Does it change? When does the sensation stop? At that point, slowly move your palms once again toward one another, while focusing on the changing sensations. What you are experiencing is the sensation of energy.
When you can feel the energy between your palms, you might try the following:
Ask your friend to lie on a couch or floor while you slowly move your hand from their head down to their toes. The goal is to not touch the body, but rather to scan the body, very slowly, several inches above the person’s clothing. The goal is not to assess for normal or abnormal, but rather to experience the differences in energy sensations. Attend to differences in heat or other sensations as you scan the body. Then switch with your partner so that they can try. While they do so, you might lie quietly, or you can close your eyes and see if you can feel the heat or energy of your friend’s hand that is scanning you.
You can also play with energy with this more advanced exercise:
Use your breath and intention to build a ball of energy between your hands, and then grow it larger. Once it has expanded between your hands, have a friend palpate the edges. They can also place their hand through the center exploring the different sensations of perimeter and interior. You might also try passing the energy ball from one to the other, or even throwing it between you.
Energy healers sense the energy that these exercises are helping you to feel. Some healers are so sufficiently attuned, they can distinguish the internal layers of the body, distinguishing organs or systems in addition to the etheric layers that are located off the body. Additionally, the healer’s training allows them to move the chi (energy) and guide it to re-achieve balance. When the chi is locked or stagnant, its ease is disturbed, potentially creating dis-ease (disease).
Incidentally, using the hands is not always required and healings can be provided with the individual present or not. This latter is called distant or remote healing. To understand this concept, think of this paraphrased metaphor that Deepak Chopra used in an interview:
Understanding remote or distant healing is easier to understand with cell phone use. We don’t think twice of recognizing that a phone call can be placed in Detroit, instantly allowing communication with another wireless phone in New York, or even Europe. We accept that our voices, and even our pictures and images can travel through walls, buildings, and across thousands of miles, instantly. With this recognition, we can also accept that a trained individual can work with another’s energy, even over distances.
Energy healing is an important consideration when addressing resistance, trauma, or dis-ease in your emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual bodies. It’s an effective way to release the subtle layers, or to support your body during more conventional treatments. There are many modalities and practitioners available to you. Energy healing can help you once again experience who you really are.
Judy Lipson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and educational strategist in West Bloomfield, MI. She helps clients of all ages who have learning difficulties; work or school related anxiety; ADHD; Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorders; and those who wish to Remember and Become Who You Really Are. Contact Judy at 248.568.8665 and judylipson@spiralwisdom.net, and visit www. SpiralWisdom.net for more information.
This article is for informational purposes and is not meant to replace medical care.
