Energy Healing Therapy is the channeling of healing energy through the hands of a practitioner into the client’s body to restore a normal energy balance and therefore, health. (Nahin, 2009) Energy healing therapy has been used to treat a wide variety of aliments and health problems, and is often used in conjunction with other alternative and conventional medical treatments. Such treatments that use energy healing techniques are Therapeutic Touch, Polarity Therapy and Reiki; Qigong, Breema and Yoga; Aromatherapy and Electromagnetic Therapies. Each one expands on positive and negative energy patterns emitted from a client’s body (their aura).
Historic Origin
Energy healing therapy has been around since the 17th century. (Longhran 2000) Reiki is the oldest of the energy healing therapies which was developed in Japan. It was brought to the United States in 1937. (Stein, 1995) Most of the energy therapies were developed in the 1900’s. As a practitioner uses techniques on their client’s some changes are made to develop their own techniques depending on what is in the best interest for the client. (Longhran, 2000)
Reasons for Use
Energy healing therapy has been used in various cultures for religious ceremonies and medical purposes. It can be used for anything from stress reduction, anxiety, depression and fatigue, relief from cold or flu, and pain management, to minimizing the side effects from medical treatments or symptoms of chronic illnesses. Some seek energy therapy to maintain balance of mind, body and spirit. Also according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can also be relieved. Practitioners believe that most of these issues are re...
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Nahin, RL., Barnes PM., Stussman BJ., Bloom B. (2009). Costs of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and frequency of visits to CAM practitioners: United States, 2007. National Health Statistics Reports,no.18. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2009
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Ross defines and differentiates between the terms healing and curing. She recognizes the fact that healing and curing are very intertwined and it can be hard to distinguish between the two terms. There are differences between the definitions in scholarly and general settings. She references an ethnographic study of healing versus curing conducted by anthropologists Andrew Strathern and Pamela Stewart in 1999 with native groups in New Guinea. The results of the study looked at how energy used by the different types of tribal healers to either cure or heal a patient. Eastern medicine focuses on how energy interacts with the healing process in connection within the mind. Whereas Western medicine is focused on the mind and the body separately. The practice is considered a holistic approach to finding cures. According to Ross (2013), healing is more a therapeutic process targeting the whole body and specific illness including emotional, mental, and social aspects in the treatment. The act of curing is a pragmatic approach that focuses on removing the problem all together. The life experiences of a person playing into how well certain treatments will heal or cure what is ailing them. These aspects can not be defined with textbook definitions. The interaction that the healing process has with energy is a variable in the success rate. Uncontrolled emotions can have a greater impact on the inside the body than a person can realize. The exploration of energy interaction within the body can be used for greater analysis of health care systems. (21-22). Are Western healthcare facilities purposely “curing” patients just so that they return are few years later? Is Western Medicine built upon a negative feedback loop? The terminolo...
Therapeutic touch was developed by Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz in the 1970s as a non-invasive nursing intervention (Kelly et al. 2004). Jackson and Keegan (2009, p.614) defined therapeutic touch as “a specific technique of centring intention used while the practitioner moves the hands through a recipient’s energy field for the purpose of assessing and treating energy field imbalance.” The original theory of the technique proposed by nursing theorist Rogers (1970) is that individuals as a unified whole have their own permeable energy fields that extend from the skin surface and flow evenly when they are healthy. The energy field of the ill physical body is disrupted, misaligned, obstructed or “out of tune” (Huff et al. 2006). TT has the potential to re-pattern, reorganize and restore the individual’s imbalanced energy fields through the open system extending from the surface of the body interacting with the environment constantly (Krieger, 1979). The earliest studies of healing touch were carried out in the 1950s and 1960s: biochemist Bernard Grad (1965) collaborated with famous healer Oskar Estebany to demonstrate the significantly accelerated healing effects of therapeutic touch on wounded mice and damaged barley seeds. The central aim of healing therapies is to relax and calm patients in order to activate patients’ natural healing ability, and it does not include any religious activity (Lorenc et al. 2010).
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Derived from several ancient healing practices, therapeutic touch is based on the theory of human energy fields - every person has an energy field that surrounds the entire body. During therapeutic touch treatment, practitioners use their hands, without actually touching the person, to re-establish a healthy energy flow. Therapeutic touch seeks to restore balance within the body while also stimulating the patient's own healing response. The practice of therapeutic touch is used worldwide in thousands of hospitals, clinics, and private practices. It is an easily learned, successful complement to other healing programs.
...The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Ed. Retrieved from Infotrac Health & Wellness Resource Center
Most of the time when going to the doctor’s office they will prescribe a prescription drug to the patient to help manage their pain. This pain can be described as a “sensation of physical or mental suffering or hurt that usually causes distress or agony to the one experiencing it.” (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, and Lynn, 2011) However, there are some instances where medication may not be enough for some patients; they may require more relief than what a prescription drug can offer. This is why many patients may benefit from complementary and alternative therapies (CAT). These types of interventions are “complementary therapies (they can be used with traditional medical interventions and thus complement them).” (Taylor et al., 2011)
On Complementary and Alternative Medicine: An Overview and Alternative Therapy. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 18(4), 20-36. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.uproxy.library.dc-uoit.ca/docview/1114602433
Acupuncture originated in China and it has been practice for more than 2000 years now. This modality is considered the main treatment within the traditional Chinese medicine. Its main concept is the conviction that the body possesses hidden channels identified as meridians. These channels allows for the flow of energy which is considered a vital life force through all the body. Acupuncture modality believes that when this energy becomes obstructed or imbalanced, sickness and symptoms can build up. It is only when this energy becomes unblocked by stimulating focal points in the meridians that health can be achieved again (Cherry & Jacob, 2010).
In today’s world, many people assume that the latest medical technology and treatments are always the best option. However, all over the world, different techniques for curing diseases and aliments are being used. These methods fall under the category of complementary and alternative medicine.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is slowly becoming better known all over the world. CAM encompasses various types of therapies, such as yoga, reflexology, chiropractic therapy, herbal therapy, ayurveda, meditation, biofeedback, hypnosis, homeopathy, acupuncture, etc. The evidenced-based research, recognition of disconnect between patients and also the positive and negative aspects of CAM modalities are reasons behind the increased attention it has gained in medicals schools all over the United States. (Hart, 2009, p. 287).
These alternative treatments include acupuncture, meditation, and therapy among many others.There is growing evidence that the desire for alternative medicine is expanding because people undergoing procedures in today’s health care system has had unmet needs as well as feelings of being uncared for (Acari & Flanagan, 2015). Alternative medicine is able to provide patients with treatments that provide relief for hard to cure problems such as back pain, neck pain, and arthritis. Many of these alternative treatments have been shown to be successful for various problems. The use of complimentary and alternative medicine as well as the open ended communication that holistic nursing provides is gaining popularity from patients who are fed up with traditional care and hospital
Reiki is a Japan based healing secret that is rapidly recognized worldwide. In early 1900s, Mikao Usui discovered the surreptitious of reiki while he was isolating himself at Mount Kurama in Japan. Afterwards, the healing art of reiki has been scattered over the world as the reiki practitioners are escalating abruptly. In fact, numerous cultures all over the world believe that there are concealed energy flows through all creatures that are connected to the quality of life ever since ancient times. Reiki utilizes specific technique for rejuvenating and balancing the natural life force energy within the body. Reiki symbols have specific frequency that specialize certain condition to sanction the flow of energy throughout the body. The colour and shape of each symbol signify the frequency and amplitude of the energy. The healing power of reiki can be verified by the existence of first degree of reiki and second degree of reiki as well as enhancing the results of medical therapy.
...used as a healing aid including relieving stress and anxiety, rebalance the energy in the body, and transform your life.