What is energy medicine? The term refers to the use of a practitioner’s hands to assess and balance the human energy field and may help enable healing and wholeness. Energy medicine is a complementary body of work that integrates with other forms of traditional western medicine. It is not intended to be a substitute for any other form of medicine, nor do energy medicine practitioners consider it an “alternative” form of medicine and prefer the term complementary. An energy medicine practitioner’s job is to remove blockages in the energy field and restore balance to the field to help relieve physical discomfort, ease stress and help the body to heal itself.
The role of an energy healer: Energy medicine practitioners do not diagnose problems presented by a client and they do not prescribe medications. A practitioner, no matter the discipline used, clears, balances and energizes the human, animal or plant energy system to help promote health and healing for the body, mind and spirit.
The following story illustrates how this works. On a rainy day a construction worker falls and breaks his leg. It is a nasty break where the bone protrudes through the skin and mud has infiltrated the wound. On its own the body can heal the leg. He may not walk again but at least the man will recover from this serious injury. However, if a surgeon sets the bone, the chances are the man will recover and walk again. The surgeon’s use of pins to hold the bones in place also increases the man’s chance of walking again. If someone cleans and sterilizes the wound, there is less chance of infection causing problems. If someone stitches up the wound the leg will heal with less scarring. If the man is given antibiotics, he may avoid a staph infection. When an energy medicine practitioner balances the disturbed field surrounding the injury, the man’s leg may heal faster, with less physical discomfort and fewer complications.
The book debuts April 8, 2023. You may pre-order copies at the following sites:
Llewellyn Worldwide Publications
A massive yet affordable book that offers complete information on the practical applications of sixty-five energy medicine therapies of both Eastern and Western origin, the book includes information on the following:
- A description of each therapy and its origin
- A description of a session
- How and where to get training
- Detailed information on available classes
- Information about continuing education units
- Information about certification and the credentialing behind the certification
- Accreditations and endorsements
- Links to research studies
- Contact information
Some of the therapies listed are:
- Healing Touch Program
- Reiki
- Acupuncture
- Qigong
- Reflexology
- Therapeutic Touch
- CranioSacral Therapy
- Polarity Therapy
- Access Consciousness
Sample page
Legalities
Several years ago one of my mentees advertised her Healing Touch services on Craig’s list. Some of the requirements for certification with Healing Touch Program include documenting one hundred healing sessions and spending a minimum of one year with a mentor, which is where I came into the picture. About a week later she received notification to appear in front of the Oregon Massage Board and that she was facing a possible fine of six thousand dollars.
My mentee had failed to mention in her ad that she was a Healing Touch Program apprentice and that she would be doing energy work. What she didn’t know was that in the past a group of prostitutes came up from Nevada advertising their services as “healing touch.” The Oregon Board of Massage keeps a sharp eye out for that kind of thing. From the wording in my mentee’s ad, they thought that she was either practicing massage illegally, or advertising for lady-of-the-evening services. Once they found out she was doing energy work, the charges were dropped. Even so, we spent a couple of uncomfortable weeks sorting things out.
More recently, an Oregon legislator introduced a bill requiring all alternative practitioners to register with the state. Fees were involved, of course. Also mentioned in the bill was the intention to provide testing for licensing. The way the word “alternative practitioner” was defined, everyone from care givers, energy practitioners, aroma therapists, hypnotherapists, to homeopathy, even ministers fit the definition. The people in the legislature knew little to nothing about what all these different practitioners do and caregivers and ministers certainly didn’t belong in the picture.
I serve on a steering committee working to stop the bill from passing. We put the word out about the bill. After a period of time a public meeting was held and over three hundred people showed up, either in writing or on virtual media, to protest the bill. At the time of this writing it is still remotely possible that bill could go through. The last we heard was that it might be either rewritten or cancelled.
I have about 20 copies of the old version of the encyclopedia left. I pay the postage if the receiver lives within the United States. Postage for anything out of the country is outrageous.
