Energy Medicine
Energy Field Medicine, Energy Medicine, Energy Work
Energy therapies work from a common understanding that a smooth and balanced flow of vital energy is fundamental to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. They start from the premise that our mind-body systems have an innate intelligence and are constantly striving for balance, but that our energy flow may be disrupted by stress, injuries, toxins, poor diet, and other impediments.
Energy therapies offer a variety of ways to enhance, direct, and otherwise balance the flow, as healing at the level of the energetic field supports healing on many levels. Some forms have been in use for thousands of years, others are based on discoveries of the past two centuries. As technologies for measuring energy and its effects become more sensitive, many of these practices have been receiving more serious attention from Western science.
These therapies vary in how they engage with the physical body, and work with energy on different levels, but all share an awareness of the vibrational character of all life, and thus of health. Typically, the client rests on a massage table or comfortable chair, and the energy practitioner works with the client's energetic field. Sometimes, no touch is involved, which is especially useful for individuals who could use the healthful benefits of massage but have delicate skin that experiences discomfort with touch. Often, energy therapies are utilized in concert with other modalities. Hospitals often welcome the use of energy modalities during surgery and in post-op, finding them beneficial to a patient's speed of recovery.
Energy therapies encompass many different modalities, such as Shiatsu and other forms of massage; acupuncture and acupressure; chiropractic; Reiki; Therapeutic and Healing Touch; Matrix, homeopathy; Hatha yoga; flower remedies and aromatherapy; Qi Gong; energy medicine, energy psychology and thought field therapy; as well as a variety of specialized branches developed by individual healers. (Definition contributed by Ruth Ann Smalley, Ph.D., Certified Eden Energy Medicine Practitioner, Authorized Instructor, Eden Energy Medicine for Women.)