Where the term comes from
The phrase was made popular by Deepak Chopra's 1989 book Quantum Healing, which mixed mind and body medicine, Ayurveda and meditation with ideas borrowed from quantum physics. Its central idea is that attention and intention can shape what happens in the body.
Since then, quantum healing has become a label many practitioners use for their own blend of energy work, guided relaxation and intention setting. Two sessions under the same name can be quite different, so ask what a practitioner actually does.
What a session usually involves
- A conversation about what you want from the session.
- Lying or sitting comfortably, fully clothed, in a quiet room.
- Guided breathing, relaxation or visualisation, sometimes with light touch or hands held above the body.
- Time at the end to talk about what you noticed.
Quantum healing and QHHT
QHHT, the Quantum Healing Hypnosis Technique, is a separate thing. It was developed by the American hypnotist Dolores Cannon and uses deep hypnosis and regression, including what practitioners describe as past lives. If that is what you are looking for, ask specifically for a trained QHHT practitioner; a general quantum healing session is not the same.
What science says
The word quantum here is a metaphor. Quantum physics describes the behaviour of particles at a scale far below cells, and it does not mean that thoughts can rearrange the body. Chopra's use of it earned him the 1998 Ig Nobel Prize in physics, a satirical award, and no clinical trial has tested quantum healing as a treatment.
That does not make a quiet hour of attention worthless. It means the honest way to approach a session is as relaxation and reflection, never as a replacement for medical care.
Quantum healing at Portal de Paz
Sessions take place in the private session room at Portal de Paz, near the park in Mindo, two hours from Quito. Write to us from this page and we will tell you who is offering them and how they work.