Energy medicine has been around for a long time and has helped many people get better from a number of ailments. It is only in the last few years where it is being recognized as a way of healing. Let us know your thoughts…do you believe in Energy Medicine?
What Is Energy Medicine?
The following is an article from my Wellness Expert column in Kingston’s Fine Lifestyles magazine: April 2014.
What do Oprah, Dr. Oz and Miley Cyrus all have in common? A belief in energy medicine. While Miley’s viral video on Reiki may have been a tongue-in-cheek look at this form of energy medicine practice, it has nevertheless assisted in creating awareness about its amazing powers.
Reiki is no longer a word that raises eyebrows. Dr. Oz has spoken of its healing powers, touting how his wife will employ Reiki healing with their children when he is stumped on how to assist them. In 2007 he shared these wise words on The Oprah Winfrey Show: “We’re beginning now to understand things that we know in our hearts are true, but we could never measure. As we get better at understanding how little we know about the body, we begin to realize that the next big frontier in medicine is energy medicine. It’s not the mechanistic part of the joints moving. It’s not the chemistry of our body. It’s understanding for the first time how energy influences how we feel.”
With an aging population, long waiting lists to see specialists, and fear of the side effects from medications, we are a society seeking answers. We want to take better care of ourselves and energy medicine is one simple and easy way. Creating wellness for ourselves now greatly reduces the onset of disease and illness as we age. There are many energy medicine techniques available, and can be experienced by a session from a trained practitioner, or by easily learning these amazing healing methods for yourself.
It is a holistic way of stimulating the innate biological intelligence of the body. The body knows how to heal from the flu, cuts, bruises and broken bones and is by nature designed to be well. Energy medicine helps achieve this by creating balance in the flow of energy within the body, which nourishes the organs, tissues, brain – all bodily functions and systems. Energy medicine is literally the language the body speaks. Robert C. Peale said this: “The best and most efficient pharmacy is within your own system.”
Let’s take a look at the popular energy medicine practice of Reiki. Reiki is a hands-on healing energy medicine technique originating in Japan, and serves as a beautiful complement to Western medicine. An easy to learn, simple practice, it has been used on every imaginable illness, and in every case always brings about deep healing. As an example, Dr. Oz is one of the first doctors in the U.S. to allow Reiki during surgical procedures such as heart surgeries and transplants.
This holistic practice treats and balances the mind, body and spirit. A practitioner places their hands on the recipient’s body and the flow of energy creates a deeply relaxed state, creating the ideal environment for the body to heal itself. It greatly reduces stress and stimulates the body’s rest and repair function. Reiki heals by addressing the root cause of any imbalance, whereas medication, which can be helpful, is not always a long- term solution, and simply masks the symptoms the body is displaying.
How does it work?
It rebalances and realigns all the energies in our body; it calms down the nervous system and brings about deep feelings of peace and relaxation. It also helps to heal imbalances we may experience in the form of depression, anxiety, disease, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, insomnia, obesity, fibromyalgia and more. Each symptom we notice is the body’s way of waving a red flag – trying to get our attention. A new wellness pattern needs to be adopted for the body to heal. Reiki can assist with the release of repressed emotions, old patterns of thinking, chronic illness and pain. Our life experiences, such as long-term stress, loss, grief, illness, divorce, etc. create blockages that disrupt this natural flow of energy in our bodies. Energy medicine literally retrains the body’s energies. You begin to think more clearly, feel less pain, and respond to your day differently.
Many people fall into a blissful sleep during a treatment. It has been said that a one-hour session is the equivalent to a restorative four-hour sleep. Reiki achieves this by triggering the parasympathetic nervous system in the body, which is the body’s rest and repair response. Much of the time we move through life in the opposite of this relaxed healing state – instead we function in a fight or flight state. Over time this wears down the immune system and creates chronic imbalance. In my 13 years of practicing this technique on myself and on others, I have found it to unwind and unravel daily stress as well as help heal chronic imbalances.
How does it complement other practices?
I have had nurses, massage therapists, estheticians, dental hygienists, hair stylists, doctors, nuns, ministers, teachers, lawyers, jewellery designers, musicians, artists – people from every imaginable career path ¬ experience the healing of energy medicine practices and also learn the techniques for their own self-care.
I have personally incorporated a variety of energy medicine practices into my daily life since 2001 and began teaching them in 2003. They dramatically changed my life. I was experiencing depression and anxiety when I discovered their healing powers. I have since guided, taught and nurtured thousands of clients and students in my practice, and have witnessed firsthand how miracles can happen.
People are looking for natural ways to heal, without medications and unnecessary surgical procedures. Experiencing a series of sessions, or learning energy medicine for your daily self-care, are wonderful ways to make a commitment to your long-term wellness.
I wish you an abundant spring season filled with much love, passion and adventure. As always – I am here to support you in this life journey and love your feedback. See you soon!
