Imagine a river which is continually flowing inside the human body. The river branches off at certain locations, becoming smaller streams in certain areas and meeting together as great whirlpools in others… however, if the river runs into pebbles, stones and even boulders, i.e. our human “worries” and “fears” – those blockages will eventually disrupt the normal functioning of the various systems that work together as a whole, including key organs and glands!

This ‘river’ cannot be seen with normal eyes. If you cut yourself with a knife, all you will see is blood. However, those with enough sensitivity, or receptivity, can perceive the energy body. They can see where the river flows, and where it is stagnant, clearing the blockages and redirecting the flow.

Many of us can also learn to sense our own energy flow again, as well as choosing to go to seasoned healers/masters for a ‘tune-up’ or to help heal more serious health conditions. The Usui Reiki system of natural healing (usually just called ‘Reiki’ in the West), for example, has spread like wildfire since its humble days in Japan in the early 1920s precisely because it helps students from all walks of life tap into their body’s natural energy flow as their system is given a boost (called an ‘attunement’).

With time, care and attention, giving Reiki to oneself (called ‘self-treating’) helps keep the ‘energy body’ in tip-top health. One can also direct the flow of Reiki outwards to another person. No outer technology is needed, only one’s inner technology.

This is not as strange, or alien, as one might first think. After all, in our everyday language, we refer to this internal energy flow without realising it. If we have an abundance of energy and vitality, we might say, ‘I’m feeling energised/pumped/stoked/psyched’ or ‘I’m feeling fired up’! On the other hand, if our energy is depleted, we will use the words ‘feeling low/down/flat’.

When the underlying energetic basis of dis-ease is addressed, then chronic illnesses may improve, and even medication can be sensibly reduced with the expert guidance of a physician/doctor who is willing to consider such integrative approaches to health and well-being.

If you are having lingering health challenges that are persistent but standard medical tests fail to show any signs of illness in the body, you will most likely be dismissed with the diagnosis, ‘it’s all in your head’, or ‘there’s nothing wrong with you’, even if you have been suffering and experiencing discomfort for an extended period of time.

To a patient who is genuinely seeking answers, this type of dismissal is always disheartening and can even be devastating if the health challenges are chronic, disrupting their overall quality of life. Just  ‘getting on with it’ is no fun at all. Today, there is a great need to go beyond the limited box of solutions that we have unwittingly accepted as the whole truth, rather than admitting it is only a partial truth.

If we examine the word diagnosis, ‘gnosis’ means ‘to recognise or know’, so we can ask ourselves what are we supposed to know to truly heal? Healing means to acknowledge the mental, emotional and spiritual causes at work, not just the physical.

The other part ‘dia’ means ‘apart’, so we can say that a part of ourselves that has become fragmented from the whole, which we need to recognise and heal. Medicine is a tool for healing of the physical body, but authentic healing cannot take place without awareness of the deeper ‘energy root causes’ in the body-mind continuum.

Reductionist methods of healing only serves to cause further separation in the psyche – which is why we keep having to patch ourselves up, getting sicker and sicker in the process. Often one dis-ease is ‘gotten rid of’, only to have another dis-ease appear within a short period of time. The underlying frequency of dis-ease has not been addressed.

If we see an illness, and corresponding body part, as something that has nothing to do with ‘us’, then we reject our responsibility in playing a key part in our own process of healing, and we cannot truly heal.

As long as we resist the inner messages from our body, our health challenges will persist. Unless we truly understand the frequency of the illness, and the underlying message(s), we will continue to see an uphill struggle. We will be fighting against ourselves.

Whether an energy healing session is ‘in person’ or done ‘remotely’ a seasoned healer will sense where the energy blockages are and be able to help correct them through what may be termed ‘higher sense perception’. Crucially, they will also point to the messages from the body. They will look to the greater life meaning that the person needs to know, and acknowledge before they can truly heal.

There are many methods of energy healing, from older ones like Reiki and Pranic Healing to more recent ones like Therapeutic Touch, Spiritual Response Therapy, and Theta Healing. Yet the method is not so important as the level of consciousness of the person doing the healing. When healing is looked at in energetic terms, then the more aware, alert and receptive the healer, the more accurate and powerful the healing will be.

Have you ever been in the presence of a master healer/teacher? There is a sense of calm power that is present and inviting. It is power used for good. It has no need to shout or boast, it simply does what is needed. One key difference between a master and student is that the master recognises the illusion for what it is, and is not attached to a particular outcome – either for themselves or their students.

Of course, this does not mean that the master healer/teacher is ‘perfect’ in the sense of being without any flaws. All humans, including healers, have their inner challenges to work with as their consciousness continues to evolve.

Every day, people from all walks of life are becoming interested in the real and lasting effects of energy healing, not least because this type of healing provides a happy jolt to their slumbering consciousness. They suddenly ‘wake up’ to a new reality which is freeing on all levels!

Critics of this type of work often jump to the erroneous conclusion that vulnerable people are being ‘preyed upon’ and duped. Yet, the range of people earnestly exploring alternative health and energy healing is diverse, including some of the most discerning minds I have met. Professionals of all kinds, including lawyers, dentists, and even brave doctors are exploring this emerging field of alternative health seriously.

The flashes of insight that come with authentic energy healing are usually profound and lasting. The moment we allow ‘truth’ to be revealed to us, the more we are empowered to change and heal from the inside out. As Dr. Bruce Lipton, author of the Biology of Belief remind us, ‘The moment you change your perception is the moment you rewrite the chemistry of your body.’