Learn about Energy Work / Energy Medicine - EnergyWork.NaturalHealthcare.ca

What is Energy Work?

Energy Work (or Energy Medicine) is a category of complementary and alternative therapies that manipulate the body's energy field (or "biofield") to affect changes in the body itself, including relaxation, pain relief, and a general sense of well-being. Energy Healing also encompasses work with non-putative forms of energy such as sound, light (including colour), and magnetism.

Energy Work is done in tandem with regular medicinal practices, making it a Complementary therapy, rather than Alternative. Putative Energy Work is done with the recipient being clothed.

How does it work?

From a Western scientific standpoint, current thought posits that what is being affected is the body's natural emission of gamma radiation, which may create the electromagnetic field that surrounds the body. From the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM, a US government agency, part of the National Institutes of Health):

It has been hypothesized that the body's primary gamma emitter, potassium-40 (K40), represents a "self-regulation" of energy within the body and the surrounding electromagnetic field. The body's energy adjustment may result, in part, from the increased electromagnetic fields surrounding the hands of the healers. Furthermore, an extremely sensitive magnetometer called a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) has been claimed to measure large frequency-pulsing biomagnetic fields emanating from the hands of Therapeutic Touch practitioners during therapy.

[Editor's Note: The reality is that the mind is a powerful instrument, and if you are not open to the session, you will not experience the full benefits. This, of course, only serves to reinforce the pseudo-skeptical standpoint that it is non-existent.
Skepticism is healthy and is agnostic - without a stake in the outcome. Pseudo-skepticism "knows" the outcome from the start.]

Types of Energy Work

As mentioned, there are two subcategories of energy work: putative and non-putative.

Therapeutic Touch

Therapeutic Touch™ (TT) a contemporary interpretation of several ancient healing practices, is a consciously directed process of energy exchange during which Practitioners use their hands as a focus for facilitating healing. This technique was first brought to our attention as a modern healing method by Dolores Krieger, Ph.D., R.N. and her colleague, Dora Kunz, in 1972.

Therapeutic Touch (usually "Non-Contact Therapeutic Touch" - NCTT) is described on the Therapeutic Touch Network of Ontario website as:

In Therapeutic Touch, the practitioner uses his/her hands in the client's energy field to facilitate healing. The client remains fully clothed, in a sitting or lying position. The practitioner usually moves her hands at a distance of a few inches from the body, although touching can be involved [Contact TT].

In Ontario Therapeutic Touch™ is a Registered Trademark held by the Therapeutic Touch Network of Ontario.

For more information in Canada, see:

• British Columbia Therapeutic Touch Network
• The Therapeutic Touch Network of Ontario
• Atlantic Therapeutic Touch Network

Therapeutic Touch is about encouraging and rebalancing the natural energy flow of the client.

Reiki

Reiki touch therapy is a complementary biofield energy therapy that involves the use of hands to help strengthen the body's ability to heal. Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key) is based on the belief that there is a universal and unlimited supply of "life force energy" that can be channeled through the practitioner's hands into the recipient to improve health and enhance the quality of life.

Reiki is a technique for stress reduction and relaxation in which the practitioner issues high frequency energy out the hands into another person to correct energetic imbalances in the receiver thereby re-establishing the normal energy flow of Ki (the Japanese equivalent of the Chinese Qi or Chi). It is one of the more widely known forms of energy therapy.

Find out more at the Canadian Reiki Association website.

Reiki is always hands on and is a direct transference of energy; there are many different styles of reiki.

Healing Touch

Healing Touch is a non-invasive therapy that seeks to restore harmony and balance in the energy system placing the client in a position to self heal. Form the Healing Touch Canada website:

Healing Touch is a biofield therapy that is an energy based approach to health and healing. It uses touch to influence the human energy system, specifically the energy field that surrounds the body, and the energy centers that control the energy flow from the energy field to the physical body. These non-invasive techniques utilize the hands to clear, energize, and balance the human and environmental energy fields thus affecting physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health and healing.

Healing Touch is used for surgery, pregnancy & labour, headaches, back and neck pain, bone fractures, cancer, grief, arthritis, depression, PMS, viral infections, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, and many other situations.

Healing Touch will predominantly be non-contact, but may involve light touch with the client's consent. Healing Touch also involves Chakra Work, differentiating it from Therapeutic Touch.

Find out more at the Healing Touch Canada website.

Quantum Touch

Quantum Touch descends from the Native Tradition of Hollow Bone. It uses breath techniques in the healer to facilitate the transference of energy to the client in pulses. There is a series of breathing techniques (and possibly humming) that the healer will utilize to increase and raise their vibration to be able to transfer energy to the client.

Quantum Touch is always hands on and is a direct transference of energy like Reiki, though Reiki is typically done in silence.

Polarity Therapy

From the American Polarity Therapy Association:

Polarity Therapy is a comprehensive health system involving energy-based bodywork, diet, exercise and self-awareness. Scientifically, it works with the Human Energy Field, electromagnetic patterns expressed in mental, emotional and physical experience. In Polarity Therapy, health is viewed as a reflection of the condition of the energy field, and therapeutic methods are designed to balance the field for health benefit.

A Polarity Therapy session is done clothed, with the practitioner using multiple methods including palpitation (touch may vary from light to firm), observation, and interviews. They may make recommendations for nutrition, exercise, and/or bodywork based on their observations, though they do not diagnose.

Find out more about Polarity Therapy at the Ontario Polarity Therapy Association website.

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