If Reiki, Energy Healing, Chakras, and Crystals Leave You Feeling Uneasy, Confused, and A Bit Skeptical, PERFECT - This is For You!
- Erin J.
- May 16, 2024
- 9 min read
Updated: Oct 9, 2024
There’s a lot of confusion and skepticism around energy work, understandably, and I used to be in that boat. My goal with this post is to help you know just a little bit more than you did before, be a bit more open-minded to the concepts, and perhaps feel a bit of curiosity. It’s good to expand our perceptions!
I was raised religious and taught that most everything outside of our little bubble was “evil”. For years I thought anything related to energy, crystals, tarot, super WOO people (“those damned hippies”), etc. were all bad, fake, evil, you name it. Man oh man, was I wrong, and now I’m probably the most WOO person I know, lol! But here’s the thing, if those things are how you feel, great, I’m not here to convince you otherwise! Not everything is for everyone, at least right now (we’re always changing and growing, who knows!), and I’m never going to try to convince someone to agree or change their beliefs. But what I do hope is that you’ll just get curious and be open to expanding your knowledge and mindset – that’s all. If you never receive Reiki, that’s fine! If nothing else, I hope you can be accepting of other people’s beliefs, perhaps tune into yourself just a bit more and notice what’s going on in and around you, and judge a bit less (it brings your energy down, teehee, see what I did there?!). I personally feel that pursuing things that give you peace, healing, relaxation, comfort, and/or purpose is a beautiful thing, as long as you aren’t hurting anyone!
Energy work has changed my life and I love using it for myself, my loved ones, friends, clients, etc. Huge fan.
To understand energy work, it’s essential that you can be open to accepting, or at least acknowledging that some things are unseen and just have to be believed or known. Like Santa (yes, I still believe 😉). We tend to see things as binary: yes or no, black or white, all or nothing, right or wrong, good or bad, true or false. Simply being open to there being something in between can open up so much more possibility in your life (this goes for all areas of your life)! Deep down, we know things are not that simple, in fact, they are so much more complex. We are complex.
So let’s get into what it is, isn’t, some science-y facts, benefits, and more.
What Energy Healing/Reiki Isn’t
There are so many misconceptions about Reiki so let’s clear those up right now.
Reiki/energy work is not:
Evil or harmful
A religion
Imaginary/fake/made up
Some elusive thing that only the select few/chosen ones can do
A magic cure
Look, there are going to be sketchy or untrustworthy people in the world from time to time – in energy work, the grocery store, your office, on TV, whatever. I’ve seen healers that weren’t acting with integrity, and that’s unfortunate. But that doesn’t mean all healers are that way. Do your research, ask questions, and tune into your energy and how you feel with/around that person.
If someone claims they have a super magic cure that will heal whatever ails you in one session – run! Just like with medicine, therapy, or other healing modalities, things can take some time (that being said, you will feel a difference after one session, just not fully “healed”).
What It Is
Energy work is a holistic approach to balancing the mind and body through the body's natural energy field. It's based on the idea that the human body is filled with vital energy and that the goal of energy healing is to balance that flow. Energy healing can be used as a complementary practice alongside other types of therapy and medical treatment. Rad!
Reiki is a form of energy healing that encourages a healthy flow of energy to decrease stress, promote relaxation, balance energy centers, and boost the body’s natural healing abilities.
Anyone can work with energy – there’s nothing special about an energy healer/Reiki practitioner except for the fact that they’ve been educated (please always make sure they have) and are attuned to working with energy. But everyone can feel energy, work with energy, etc.
When working on yourself through coaching or any form of inner work or healing (working through repressed emotions, trauma, inner conflict, rejected aspects of yourself, limiting beliefs, building self-esteem or self-confidence, etc.), energy work helps bridge the gap as a holistic approach to integrating thoughts, feelings, mind, and body – ALL aspects of yourself.
Understanding the connection between your emotions, thoughts, energy, body, and everything else will eliminate so much confusion and struggle when moving forward in any area of your life!
Just like you want to eat well, exercise, and take care of your mind, you also want to take care of your energy!
Check out my Reiki page for more information on the history of Reiki.
Benefits of Reiki/Energy Work
Improved sleep
Mental clarity
Encourages the body's natural self-healing abilities
Calms the busy mind & allows for clarity
Strengthens the immune system
Promotes pain relief
Deep relaxation & stress relief
Reduces anxiety
Improved mood
Clears & protects energy for those of us who are sensitive to other people's energy
Accelerate healing and recovery
Balance the flow of energy in the body by releasing blockages
Relieve emotional distress
Assist the body in cleansing toxins
Helps you become more in tune with your higher self
Promote inner peace and harmony
About Energy & Research
Because I know people love facts, here is some great research:
Research supporting the use for Reiki in hospital settings has been conducted by Midilli & Eser (2015), who found that Reiki application was able to significantly reduce the intensity of pain, anxiety and breathing rate amongst patients who had undergone cesarean delivery. Therefore, positioning Reiki as a useful intervention for nurses to utilize amongst patients. Further supporting recent research has been conducted by Carnerio et al (2016), who have suggested that Reiki is effective in significantly reducing anxiety levels and perception of muscle tension amongst cardiovascular inpatients in comparison to fake Reiki and control group; therefore, increasing an overall sense of wellbeing. Similar positive Reiki outcome results has been conveyed by Bremmer et al (2016) based on individuals living with HIV. This research found that Reiki was able to significantly improve pain relief, whilst also reducing levels of stress, anxiety and depression amongst the HIV positive individuals over a 1o week period of Reiki treatment.
Below are thanks to here:
Placebo-controlled trials provide strong evidence that energy healing can reduce pain, including in arthritis patients.
In vitro studies have shown significant results with bacteria (E. coli), along with human and animal cells (osteoblasts, tenocytes, keratinocytes, and more).
Animal studies have shown significant results for breast cancer metastasis and immune response in mice.
Plant studies have shown an increased rate of seed germination and extended longevity of plant clippings from under 30 days (for the control group) to over 90 days (for the treatment group).
Studies of inanimate matter have shown energy healing affecting the physical properties of water.
These results cannot be explained away as placebo, since placebo only affects humans.
This research highlights a small fraction of the wonders that Reiki can deliver and the impact that it can have on improving one's life for the better. This also points out that it is important to note that Reiki is not just useful for physical conditions such as pain relief. Reiki operates on a holistic level and is therefore helpful on a psychological, emotional, and spiritual level.
Relatable Examples of Energy
Since energy is everywhere, here are some relatable examples of energy in your everyday life.
Feeling energy:
Every single day as you interact with the world (people at home, technology, strangers out and about, coworkers) you’re interacting with energy. From everything! Everyone is different and how much of it they feel or “pick up” can vary, but for some of us, the highly-sensitives, it’s kind of like going out for a walk on a spring day under the cottonwood trees. You go out fresh and clean and the longer you walk, the more cotton you have on you, and by the time you get home, you’re covered in it. This is kind of what being empathic can feel like, and it’s important to do energy-clearing work of some kind to dust it off, so to speak.
Stress:
What DOESN’T stress impact!? 😉 It definitely impacts our energy! When you’re feeling anxious, tense, knots in your shoulders, restless, having trouble slowing your mind or sleeping, experiencing stomach or appetite issues, and many many many other things from stress, your energy is all out of whack (do people still say that? Did I just age myself?)!
Illness:
Illnesses, pains, and diseases can all be related to energy as well. If our energy centers (chakras) are unbalanced or off for some reason, it can impact our physical health. In the same way, being sick can affect our energetic health.
How It Works
Reiki is completely natural and something everyone can give and receive. The simplest way to explain the process is that the practitioner/Reiki Master uses their intention to heal (and education and attunement) and the recipient has the intent to be healed. On that note, if you (as the recipient) are closed off to healing or the idea of it, the practitioner won’t be able to do much for you. So if you go into a session skeptical, and you’re closed off to the idea of it working or helping, it’s not going to help which will confirm your skepticism. But the opposite is also true.
I want to address the term “healer” here as well. I am a “healer” in the fact that bring tools, modalities, and intuitive guidance as well as compassion, empathy, and acceptance to every session and have the client’s best interests and well-being top of mind always. I utilize years of personal and professional experience and education to help each client as the individual that they are, learn, heal, and integrate in the way(s) best for THEM. That all being said, I consider myself a conduit – knowledge, insights, intuition, education, and Reiki energy are essentially flowing THROUGH me, but I’m not wielding some magical mystical powers (dammit!). Rather, I’m open and allowing all the beautiful things the client needs to come through me. SO I don’t take credit as HEALING someone, but I bring the things they need and allow everything to work through me.
If you want to know more about my style of healing and what to expect in a session, reach out! I’d love to chat.
Distance Healing
Because everything is energy, the practitioner is able to connect “remotely” with the recipient to send the Reiki energy to them if they’re not present. This is really cool if someone is ill in another state, in a hospital, or simply doesn’t like interacting face-to-face with people!
Despite how far-fetched this may sound (no pun intended), the benefits of distance Reiki healing have been supported through research, and some of my best sessions have been distance sessions!
Random Things I Get Asked About
What About Energy Transference?
I do NOT use my own energy or take in someone else’s energy. Sometimes people are worried about this, understandably. I’ve been trained to prevent this from happening (this would make us feel like shit, basically). You don’t want whatever I’m dealing with personally on an energetic level and I don’t want yours, no offense. I take protective measures to keep us both safe and grounded!
What About Negative Side Effects?
Reiki and energy work can do no harm. You do generally feel energy moving and it’s recommended that you hydrate more after a session, your dreams might be a bit unusual for a few days that follow, and you might feel a little "different" if we worked on some super stuck energy or something related to your physical health, but nothing bad can happen.
What If I Didn’t Feel it?
I pretty much already addressed this but it’s worth mentioning again. To fully experience energy work, you must be open-minded and remove as much doubt as possible, even if just for the time you’re experiencing the work. Fear, doubt, and resistance are all energy and energy that blocks energy movement and positive energy (that was a lot of usage of that word!). If I know someone is closed off, I won’t proceed with scheduling or conducting a session.
What About Animals?
Animals love energy healing and it’s highly beneficial to them!
I really hope this helped clear some things up! I often tell people who are curious and open that the best way to really learn about it is to give it a try. Energy healing is different for everyone! Check out my testimonials or reach out if you want to chat more or experience it yourself.
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