Science of Energy Healing
According to Wikipedia, “Energy medicine is a comprehensive
term for practices that include, but are not limited to: acupuncture
and acupressure, laser therapy, light therapy, magnetic therapy,
qi gong, energy psychology, Reiki, Johrei, Healing Touch, Therapeutic
Touch, Touch for Health, Applied Kinesiology, Emotional Freedom
Techniques, NAET, Tapas Acupressure Technique, Brennan Energy
Science, Eden Energy Medicine, distant healing, intuitive medicine,
and intercessory prayer.”
Techniques that are used to manipulate energy in the body are
derived from ancient healing arts found in numerous cultures,
races, and religions. This “life force energy“ is
called qi or chi by the Chinese, ki by the Japanese, baraka by
the Sufi’s, light by the Christians, ka by ancient Egyptians,
prana by Hindus, and ho’omana (which, literally, means “keeper
of balance” and making of energy) by the ancient Hawaiian
kahunas (experts in Huna).
In many forms of medicine that originated in the East, this universal
life energy is viewed as the flow of energy that sustains life
itself. It is believed that dis-ease occurs when this vital energy
is out of balance, and healing is enhanced when balance is restored.
The idea of using energy to diagnose and heal is also used in
Western medicine in the form of electrocardiograms and electroencephalograms
to record the electrical energy of the heart and brain, respectively.
Other forms of Western medicine’s use of energy include
but are not limited to: electrical stimulation to suppress pain,
electromagnetic fields to help fractured bones heal, and sound
waves to heal bone outgrowths and dissolve kidney stones.
The scientific world is relatively new in their understanding
in comparison to what the metaphysical and spiritual teachers
have known for centuries – that the universe is not composed
of matter; but rather a kind of force that has been referred to
as “energy”. Objects perceived by our physical senses
that appear separate to us as solid matter (i.e., book, table,
chair, etc.) are really comprised of particles that vibrate at
different speeds and it is the speed that holds the pattern of
their physical form. This is a very simplistic explanation of
these complex interactions, but basically, the world of subatomic
particles is an inseparable network of interactions.
According to Tamisha Sabrina of The UK Reiki Federation - Research
& Development, “Independent research by Dr. Robert Becker
and Dr. John Zimmerman during the 1980's investigated what happens
whilst people practice therapies like Reiki. They found that not
only do the brain wave patterns of practitioner and receiver become
synchronized in the alpha state, characteristic of deep relaxation
and meditation, but they pulse in unison with the earth's magnetic
field, known as the Schuman Resonance. During these moments, the
biomagnetic field of the practitioner’s hands is at least
1000 times greater than normal, and not as a result of internal
body current. Toni Bunnell (1997) suggests that the linking of
energy fields between practitioner and earth allows the practitioner
to draw on the 'infinite energy source' or 'universal energy field'
via the Schuman Resonance. Prof. Paul Davies and Dr. John Gribben
in The Matter Myth (1991), discuss the quantum physics view of
a 'living universe' in which everything is connected in a 'living
web of interdependence'. All of this supports the subjective experience
of 'oneness' and expanded consciousness related by those who regularly
receive or self-treat with Reiki.”
“Zimmerman (1990) in the
USA and Seto (1992) in Japan further investigated the large pulsating
biomagnetic field that is emitted from the hands of energy practitioners
whilst they work. They discovered that the pulses are in the same
frequencies as brain waves, and sweep up and down from 0.3 - 30
Hz, focusing mostly in 7 - 8 Hz, alpha state. Independent medical
research has shown that this range of frequencies will stimulate
healing in the body, with specific frequencies being suitable
for different tissues. For example, 2 Hz encourages nerve regeneration,
7Hz bone growth, 10Hz ligament mending, and 15 Hz capillary formation.”
In his book entitled, “Energy Medicine – The Scientific
Basis” (published in 2000 by Harcourt Brace/Churchill Livingstone,
Edinburgh), James L. Oschman Ph.D. (degrees in biophysics and
biology from the University of Pittsburgh) also cites the above
research investigations. Additionally, in an interview with William
Lee Rand (a reprinted article from the Reiki News Magazine, Vol.
One, Issue Three, Winter 2002), Oschman further discusses how
Zimmerman “found that this pulsing field is produced by
the of hands of practitioners of Therapeutic Touch and Healing
Touch, but non-practitioners do not produce such signals.”
Oschman also states, “The basic physics of induction is
important because it helps explain some of the effects of Reiki,
laying on of hands, and other hands-on and hands-off therapies.
In essence, the biomagnetic fields produced by a practitioner’s
hands can induce current flows in the tissues and cells of the
individuals who are in close proximity.”
In the same referenced interview above, Oschman addresses the
potential of distance healing -- an aspect of Reiki healing energy.
Oschman states, “There are several phenomena in physics
that could mediate healing at a distance. For example, scalar
waves have the extraordinary property of affecting the structure
of space everywhere, instantaneously. Scalar waves therefore do
not have a velocity as such, and their effects do not diminish
with distance. Now that there is growing evidence for healing
at a distance, as well as the benefits of prayer, the scalar wave
is being reexamined for its possible role in mediating such phenomena.
This is important because many of the complimentary therapies
are discovering the healing work that can be done locally can
also be done at a distance.”
As conceptual ideas of non-locality become addressed, “energy
medicine” begins to take on the quantum physics viewpoint
of a “'living universe' in which everything is connected
in a 'living web of interdependence'.” During an interview
entitled, “A Romp Through the Quantum Field” (published
in Awareness Magazine Sep/Oct issue 2006), Dr. Bruce Lipton (a
renowned cellular biologist, author of the book entitled, The
Biology of Belief and many other publications) states, “Your
thoughts are not contained in your head — they are a part
of the Quantum Field.” Lipton continues, “When playing
through your nervous system, the thoughts generate a vibratory
field similar to that of a tuning fork. Thought vibrations interact
and entangle with harmonically-resonant structures in the Field.
Simply, we activate and bring into our lives the things that we
think about the most.” In part 2 of the interview (Awareness
Magazine Nov/Dec issue 2006), Lipton describes a new science called
epigenetics that is a “new perspective of human biology
that does not view the body as just a mechanical device, but rather,
incorporates the role of a mind and spirit. This breakthrough
is fundamental in all healing because it recognizes that when
we change our perception or beliefs we send totally different
messages to our cells, causing a reprogramming of their expression.”
To summarize the above-quoted scientists and put together this
collective information into a succinct and simple way of describing
the important aspects of energy medicine, it is important to understand
that energy fields exist in and around our physical bodies. Additionally,
we have the power within to heal ourselves, but our physical and
emotional experiences create patterns that are difficult to alter.
Practitioners of energy medicine assist in mapping the way for
clients to become aware of energy pulses and patterns that are
stored in the body that either have created dis-ease or have the
potential to create physical problems -- before they become completely
manifested. Through this process, distorted energy fields can
become known and balanced to help clients shift their energy field
as well as their perceptions about their state of being. To paraphrase
Dr.Bruce Lipton (from the conference entitled, Bodies of Earth/Cells
of God [Santa Fe, NM, Nov. 2004]), energy healing works because
it is in alignment with the way nature works.
