I often get questions about “energy medicine” or “energy healing,” and “is that what we will be doing in our sessions?” While a lot of the work we will be doing falls under the general heading of Energy Work, in general you will hear me refer to it all as Healing Work. The work I do is not of one method or modality, but is eclectic and individualized for each person’s specific needs. You may need something different than someone else, or you may need something different from one session to another.
There are literally hundreds of healing modalities out there. This is a general overview of a few of them, and more specifically, what you may experience in some of our sessions. There is no agenda here, we will let the work unfold as you and your body are ready to release or move through the issue that brought you here. We will do this in a way that utilizes a variety of healing modalities, is grounded, gentle, and honoring to your body, your emotions, and your spiritual path.
What is Energy Medicine, also known as Energy Healing?
Energy healing is one of the oldest forms of healing in the world. There are
a variety of modalities, and you may also hear energy medicine referred to
as Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch, or Reiki. There are subtle differences
in each modality, yet all have a basic common goal: To rebalance the energy
system of the human body to facilitate healing.
What is the philosophy behind energy medicine?
The human body generates an electromagnetic field. Measurements of this field
are often used in conventional medicine to diagnose illness and disease.
Examples of these measurements include Electroencephalograms (EEGs), Electrocardiograms
(EKG's) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
This electromagnetic field or aura around the body can be detected by a healer or an intuitive, and sometimes can be learned through training or schooling. Research has shown some individuals are able to see beyond the normal visual spectrum and can see this field, which is typically referred to as your aura. An imbalance in the auric field can eventually lead to physical disease, emotional stress, or spiritual imbalance. Restoring balance in the field aids in healing of the physical body, and often is accompanied by a sense of “feeling better.”
What Is It?
Energy healing is a broad term for any type of healing that unblocks, restores,
or balances the flow of energy in the body. It is grounded in the belief
that, in addition to its physical and biochemical systems, 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. When a person's energy flows freely in a balanced,
symmetrical manner, good health can be maintained. However, when the energy
flow becomes blocked, restricted, disordered, 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.
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.
Those who work 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, either through the hands or other methods, 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 medicine as Meridians, Chakras, and Etheric levels. See the glossary for more information.
What can I expect from our healing work sessions?
The work we will do is personalized, without the “cookie-cutter” approach
that may come from a school or training program. Your healing work is individual
and reflects your personal journey, where you have been, where you are now,
and where you would like to be going. As you release old traumas, wounds, or
resistance, you will probably find you have a greater sense of calm and clarity,
along with an increased sense of clarity, intuition, and spiritual connection.
You may also find some old grief coming up as you process your past and let go.
Know that we do not seek to change a thing or release something because it is or was wrong or bad, but only because you are ready for a change and whatever you are ready to release no longer serves you. Changes and releases come when something is no longer a reflection of who you are, who you want to be, and where you are going. The healing work we will do is a gentle process of unfolding, and will help you to let go and move into the new, at a pace you set, that is comfortable and safe for you.
What does it feel like?
In reference to the work we will be doing, it is very common for people to
say they feel relaxed, warm, nurtured, “opened up,” or as though
a great weight has been lifted. People often fall into a deep sort of meditative
sleep during a session, which they say feels like “floating.” Many
clients say they have dreams or visions during the session, or have the sense
that there are several people working on them at once, even when they “know” there
is only one person in the room with them. You may have the sense of leaving
your body, seeing or feeling very connected to the Spirit world, and often
lose sense of linear time. After the session, you will probably feel very
relaxed at first, and often have an increase in energy for a few days following
the session, followed by a sense of clarity about the issue you are addressing.
Can you give me advice for after a session or treatment?
I suggest that you drink lots of water and herbal teas with honey to help eliminate
the toxins releasing from your system. I also encourage you to refrain from
stressful or strenuous activity and heavy exercise for 6-24 hours following
a treatment. Also, I strongly suggest that you refrain from using alcohol
for several days after a session. The liver is busy trying to detox/eliminate
the toxins released from the healing work, and adding alcohol to your system
on top of that will lead to a horrific hangover. Be gentle with
yourself and let the healing work integrate.
How long does it take?
A typical healing session usually lasts about 2 hours, depending on the condition
being addressed. For basic stress reduction, the sessions are often shorter
and a few sessions may be all that are needed, with follow-up sessions scheduled
if needed or desired. For the treatment of chronic diseases or conditions,
more long-term treatment may be required. All of this is at a pace you set,
and you can stop or take a break whenever you want to, there is no pressure
to come back several times a week, etc. We will discuss your particular needs
before the session, and you are always in control of how often you come and
how long you are here.
Is there anything I should do to prepare for a session?
There is nothing special that you need to do before a healing session with
me. It’s ok to eat a snack or light meal before coming, just make sure
your stomach is not too empty or too full. I will pay attention to your comfort
level during the session and you are always free to let me know how you are
feeling physically, emotionally, mentally and/or spiritually.
When should I come for a session?
This type of work is wonderful as preventive care for a person's body, mind,
and spirit. Why wait until your shoulders or back hurt from pent up emotions,
overwork, or stress, or the headaches that start at the back of your skull
begin to pound, or the stress of every day life makes you want to come completely
unglued? Regular healing energy work is a wonderful way to cope with stress,
both physical and emotional, and to keep if from causing discomfort or harm
to your body or emotions.
People also come as a helpful adjunct to counseling or therapy, or when they feel “stuck” with some issue and want to release it or move forward with something. This work is also especially helpful during times of transition, recovery from addiction, when quitting smoking, or when you are ready to release an old pattern that no longer serves you.
What kinds of problems can energy work address?
Of the various healing modalities, Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch, Massage,
and Reiki have been the most widely publicized, and have in general been
picked up by the medical establishment. As a result, these modalities have
been clinically studied and successfully used in hospitals, hospices, rehab
centers and outpatient facilities. This type of work has been found to accelerate
healing, quicken recovery from surgery and trauma, reduce pain, anxiety and
depression, lessen stress, and assist with emotional and spiritual healing.
What are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are the subtle, volatile liquids that are distilled from plants,
shrubs, flowers, trees, bushes and seeds. A volatile oil is an oil that vaporizes
quickly and easily, it is an oil that evaporates easily. It is also called
an essential oil and contains the plant hormones and delicate chemical constituents
of the plant. For example: peppermint oil is an essential or volatile oil that
is obtained by steam distillation from peppermint leaf and is easily evaporated,
while olive oil is a fixed or fatty oil that is obtained by pressing the olive
fruit and does not evaporate. Olive oil would be the carrier oil, and peppermint
the essential oil.
Where do you get your supplies?
Because I like to use organic or ethically harvested products whenever possible,
the vast majority of my essential oils, carrier oils, and other supplies come
from Mountain Rose Herbs. I also make custom oil blends from herbs or plants
I grow here, usually in a base of olive oil, castor oil, or almond oil. If you
are allergic to any of these products, please let me know ahead of time. Thus
far, I have had no problems with any of these products. Check out the links section for more on Mountain Rose Herbs, medicinal plants, and botanicals.