I think that the energy worldview opens up a variety of alternative healing modalities within the holistic approach to counselling. One such modality as mentioned within this module is Pranic healing. In 2017 I attended a Basic Pranic Healing Course in which I was introduced to this fascinating form of energy healing. According to Pranic healing the healing process can be accelerated by increasing life energy (prana or chi) in the body.
Recent studies have found that Pranic healing has been effective in easing mild and moderate depression. Pranic healing sessions can be combined with meditation and breathing techniques to provide clients with the opportunity to incorporate energy healing into their therapy.
The science behind earthing or grounding techniques provides the counsellor with a self- help tool that clients can be equipped with outside of the counselling room. When the body is in direct contact with the earth science suggests that this could regulate cortisol which can help clients deal with stress, anxiety and overwhelm. This is a technique that can enable clients to actively participate in their healing process.
Often attempting to explain to clients that their negative thought patterns about the challenges they face could be the root cause of their anxiety and despair is a challenging task, however, if we incorporate the correlation between thinking patterns and energy this becomes easier to explain and understand. If everything is energy as explained by the scientists in this module, then our thoughts too are energy and since one of the properties of energy is “like attracts like” this applies to our thoughts as well.
The law of attraction dictates that the energy you put into the world is the energy that will come back to you. This concept can be used to encourage clients to take their focus off their problems and consciously direct their thoughts towards wellness.
The law of attraction is also exceptionally helpful in assisting clients with goal setting and planning for the future as techniques such as creating a vision board can help people become more focused and clearer about what they wish to have in their lives and then take inspired action towards achieving those things.
In 2004 a documentary called “What the Bleep Do We Know?” provided a fascinating glimpse into the way that our lives are affected by quantum physics on a regular basis. In this documentary an experiment conducted by a Japanese scientist Dr Masaru Emoto proved that water particles are affected by emotions. People focused on water with both positive and negative emotions. The water picks up the vibrations caused by the emotion and changes its molecular structure, so that when frozen, it forms ice crystals which reflect the original emotion – so the word “Hope” written on a beaker of water causes beautiful symmetrical crystals, while the word “War” creates a disintegrating mess.
Dr. Emoto concluded that water is a “blueprint for our reality” and that emotional “energies” and “vibrations” could change the physical structure of water. Since about 70%
of the human body, and a large majority of the world, consists of water, everything occurring around us, our thoughts, attitudes, behaviours, and intentions are related to one another and can affect our emotions.
I often follow the work and teachings of neuroscientist Dr Joe Dispenza who has written numerous books and has many meditations focused on accessing the quantum field.
After experiencing a life-threatening accident which left him paralysed Dr Dispenza visualized each of his vertebrae healing and reconstructed his spine in his mind. Within just ten and a half weeks, he was back on his feet, and in twelve weeks, he was training again and back at work at his chiropractic clinic. He fully healed himself with the power of his mind. Dr Dispenza now teaches on how to empower and heal our mind through meditation and mindfulness.
To further support this concept, Dr Bruce Lipton, an American Biologist discovered through his study of human stem cells that a minimum of one third of all medical intervention is a placebo effect – meaning that it is the result of positive thinking and not of medication. His research illustrates that by changing your perception, your mind can alter the activity of your genes and thereby facilitate healing.
Energy modalities have given us as counsellors a great diversity in terms of healing techniques that can be practiced within the scope of wellness healthcare. They also provide invaluable tools that we can equip clients with to assist themselves and contribute to their own healing and wellness on a daily basis.