What energy healing is
Energy healing covers practices that share one idea: that the body has an energy field a practitioner can sense and influence with their hands or attention. Reiki, which began in Japan in the 1920s, is the most widespread. Therapeutic touch and healing touch work in a similar way, and qigong combines the same idea with breath and movement.
An energy healer is simply someone who gives these sessions. There is no single training or licence behind the title, so it is worth asking any practitioner what they practise and where they learned it.
What happens in a session
- You talk briefly about why you came.
- You lie on a table, fully clothed, usually with your eyes closed.
- The practitioner places their hands lightly on you, or holds them just above you, in a sequence of positions.
- Most of the session is quiet. People describe warmth, tingling, deep relaxation or nothing in particular.
What the research says
Plainly: not much. NCCIH, the US government's centre for complementary health research, says Reiki has not been clearly shown to be effective for any health purpose and that there is no scientific evidence the energy field exists. In a well known 1998 test published in JAMA, practitioners of therapeutic touch tried to sense which of their hands was near a person's hand and were right 44 percent of the time, about what guessing would give.
NCCIH also reports no harmful effects of Reiki. Many people value a session for the hour of stillness and kind attention, and that is a fair reason to book one. It is not a reason to skip a doctor.
Choosing an energy healer
- Which practice is it, and where and how long did you train?
- What will happen, how long does it take, and will you touch me?
- Do you make any promise about curing an illness? A good practitioner will say no.
Energy healing at Portal de Paz
Sessions take place in the private session room at Portal de Paz, near the park in Mindo. Write to us from this page and we will tell you who is offering energy healing and when. For Reiki in particular, Monica gives sessions and teaches Reiki training.