Who am I? Am I my thoughts, my feelings, my physical body, some transcendant spiritual essence, or all of these aspects combined? Whether you are struggling with a mental or physical health challenge or not these are valuable questions to consider. The answers to these questions may shape how health issues are approached and addressed. As a holistic counselor I seek to assist clients using an approach that is inclusive of all those aspects of one’s being, with the basic concept that the spiritual essence is the core of one’s being, while the personality, feelings, thoughts, and physical form are all additional layers that are part of the human experience. From a physics perspective these are different layers of vibrational energy, with the mental and spiritual aspects being of such a high frequency that they are usually imperceptible to our physical senses, although some individuals with well developed extra-sensory perception may be highly empathic or telepathic and be able to tune in to the thoughts and feelings or vibes of others. Modern technologies are now being used to sense electrical and magnetic activity emanating from a person’s body, which reflect the state of the person’s energy field.

The spiritual and energetic approaches to health (including both physical and mental health) have been intrinsic to healing systems across many cultures throughout history. Chinese and Ayurvedic (Indian) medicine focus a lot on energy centers and energy currents that are understood to govern one’s health, reflecting both physical and mental health issues or patterns. From indigenous shamanism to Christian faith healing there have been people who channel spiritual energies to help foster healing in other people. There have always been many people who proclaim to have experienced profound healing results from these methods.

If we consider that our conscious mind and our physical body are merely a tiny fraction of our energy and consciousness then we can recognize that healing approaches that work with deeper layers of our consciousness and energy offer much potential to help us address the challenges in our lives. The current era in health care is one in which many practitioners are integrating more energy-oriented healing methods to enhance the outcomes they have with their patients. As a mental health counselor who teaches energy healing I have had students from all walks of life, both laypersons and health care professionals. These methods can be used both as modalities presented by professionals and as self-help resources for the public.

Energy healing methods include methods of influencing the energy system by meditation, visualization, acupressure, laying on of hands, light waves, sound waves, biofeedback, brain hemisphere synchronization, and more. Some methods, referred to as energy psychology, combine energetic stimulation with affirmations or focus on a psychological issue or memory, to help shift or reset how the issue or memory is processed in the body and energy system. One popular energy psychology technique is called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique); this technique uses tapping on acupuncture points combined with focusing on a particular issue and making verbal statements to reprogram the subconscious mind. One popular laying on of hands energy healing approach is Reiki, which involves directing energy through the hands and placing them in positions to help release stress and tension and clear distortions in the energy field (aura) and energy centers (chakras).

People often ask me what energy healing or mind-body healing methods can assist with, and I have to say that both in theory and practice it can be used with benefit for just about any concern, since everything about our being is based upon energy and consciousness. The placebo effect shows how profoundly our consciousness governs our physiology. You may notice how sunlight, colored lights, and various forms of music and sound affect how you are feeling. Clinicians and researchers have found energy healing methods to assist people with anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD and trauma, pain, cardiovascular issues, addictions, ADHD, and much more.

Modern research is uncovering how many psychological patterns can be traced back to early childhood, infancy, and pre-birth stress exposures, where coping reactions from those early stages of development become ingrained on a subconscious level. Energy healing and energy psychology approaches can help us let go of stress while enabling us to access those subconscious patterns and reprogram our reactions. Some scientists now forecast that the future of medicine will be focused to a great extent on various forms of vibrational medicine and energy healing. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait for the future to benefit from these approaches, as many of these methods are already being used to benefit millions of people.

Suggested reading:

http://www.noetic.org/research/projects/mapping-the-field-of-subtle

http://www.energypsych.org

Jed Shlackman, M.S. Ed., LMHC

Jed obtained his B.A. in Psychology and M.S. Ed. in school counseling at the University of Miami. He is a licensed mental health counselor, hypnotherapist, and energy healer with two decades of experience, currently based in Miami, Florida.

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