Understanding Energy Healing: From Quantum Physics to Personal Transformation

To understand energy healing, we first need to understand energy itself…

At the most basic level, everything in the universe is energy. This is not just a spiritual idea. It is supported by modern science, especially quantum physics. Quantum theory shows that what appears to be solid matter is actually made of vibrating energy. Particles are not fixed things but wave functions. They are patterns of probability that take form only when they interact with other particles. This means that the entire universe, including our bodies, is made up of energy constantly moving and interacting.

We are not separate from our environment. We are deeply interconnected within one vast field of energy. Thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations are all expressions of energy. Emotions, in particular, are often described as energy in motion. They arise from complex biochemical processes powered by electrical signals in the body. Experiences such as joy, trauma, and stress leave energetic imprints that affect both the body and the energy field around us.

The Law of Vibration

One of the foundational principles behind energy healing is the Law of Vibration. This law states that everything in existence is in a constant state of vibration. Every thought, emotion, cell, and object vibrates at a specific frequency. When the vibrations within and around us are in harmony, we feel calm, healthy, and aligned. But when our natural frequency is disrupted by stress, trauma, illness, or emotional pain, we may feel blocked, disconnected, or unwell.

Many of us are familiar with the sensation of being energetically off. We may feel heavy, drained, or like we are not fully present. These are signs that our energy is out of balance. Energy healing works to bring these vibrations back into a harmonious state.

The Energy Field and the Aura

In Western science and holistic medicine, the subtle energy that surrounds and moves through the body is often called the bioenergy field. More commonly, it is known as the aura. The aura is an electromagnetic field that carries information about our emotional, mental, and spiritual state. It interacts constantly with the world around us. Depending on the person, the aura can extend from a few inches to up to twenty metres beyond the physical body.

Inside the aura is a more subtle layer known as the astral body. The astral body exists within and around the physical body. It serves as a bridge between the physical and spiritual aspects of who we are. This body contains energetic information that influences our health, our emotions, and our sense of connection to something greater than ourselves.

Life Force Energy Across Cultures

The concept of life force energy exists in many traditions. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is called qi or chi. In the Indian yogic and Ayurvedic traditions, it is called prana. These systems have long known that life force energy flows through and around the body, affecting our wellbeing on every level. Blockages or disruptions in this flow can lead to illness, fatigue, or emotional struggle.

Ancient healing practices such as acupuncture, qigong, tai chi, yoga, and pranayama are all designed to balance and strengthen this life force. What ancient wisdom has taught for centuries, modern science is only beginning to explore and validate.

Understanding the Chakras

One of the most well-known frameworks for understanding the energy body is the chakra system. The chakras are energy centres that originate from the Vedic texts of India. There are seven main chakras aligned along the spine, from the base to the crown of the head. Each chakra governs specific aspects of our physical health, emotional state, and spiritual development.

Here are the seven primary chakras and their areas of influence:

1.     Root (Muladhara): Safety, stability, connection to Earth

2.     Sacral (Svadhishthana): Pleasure, creativity, emotions

3.     Solar Plexus (Manipura): Confidence, willpower, identity

4.     Heart (Anahata): Love, compassion, forgiveness

5.     Throat (Vishuddha): Communication, expression, truth

6.     Third Eye (Ajna): Intuition, insight, perception

7.     Crown (Sahasrara): Spirituality, connection to the divine

Chakras are more than just energy centres. They reflect our level of awareness and influence how we respond to life. When a chakra is blocked or imbalanced, our energy and awareness can become stuck at that level. For example, when the Root Chakra is unbalanced, we may be consumed by fear or insecurity. This level of awareness is linked to basic survival instincts, which are also common in animals.

Each chakra rotates at a specific frequency and speed, which supports the healthy flow of prana or life force energy throughout the body. This movement is not fixed. It can be influenced by many factors such as diet, lifestyle, emotional state, environment, and thought patterns.

When the frequency or speed of a chakra changes significantly, either becoming overactive or underactive, it disrupts the natural distribution of energy. Prana can become stagnant in some areas and excessive in others, leading to physical symptoms, emotional imbalances, or mental unrest.

Think of each chakra as a light bulb that is designed to run on a certain amount of power. If a 50-watt bulb receives 500 watts or only 10 watts, it will either burn out or barely glow. The same is true with chakras. Overactivity can create overwhelm, anxiety, or intensity. Underactivity can cause fatigue, numbness, or disconnection.

When we talk about balancing or awakening the chakras, we are referring to the process of bringing them back to their natural rhythm and frequency. This restores harmony within the system and allows prana to flow smoothly through the energy body.

Beyond Placebo: Scientific Evidence for Energy Healing

Energy healing is often misunderstood as simply the result of the placebo effect. While belief can certainly influence outcomes, research shows that energy healing creates real physiological changes that go beyond belief alone.

A powerful example comes from Dr. William Bengston, a researcher who studied the effects of hands-on energy healing on mice with terminal breast cancer. These mice had a 100 per cent fatal prognosis within 14 to 27 days. Bengston, initially a sceptic, treated five of the mice for one hour a day over 30 days. Surprisingly, their tumours darkened, ulcerated, shrank, and healed. The mice lived out their full natural lifespans. In contrast, all the untreated mice in the control group died within the predicted timeframe.

The study was replicated in other cities with similarly trained volunteers, most of whom were also sceptical. Across three replications, 87.9 per cent of the energy-treated mice survived, while 100 per cent of the control mice died. Even more remarkably, when some of the healed mice were re-injected with the same cancer, it did not return, suggesting a stimulated and lasting immune response.

This study shows that energy healing can produce measurable, repeatable effects independent of belief. It offers strong support for the idea that energy work stimulates deep biological responses, not just psychological ones.

Scientific studies increasingly support the benefits of Reiki. The Centre for Reiki Research has reviewed over 30 peer-reviewed studies, many showing that Reiki can reduce stress, anxiety, pain, and depression.

One study found that Reiki increased vagal nerve activity in heart patients, promoting relaxation. Animal studies showed Reiki reduced stress and even healed damaged blood vessels in rats, effects not seen with sham treatments, again suggesting that Reiki’s impact goes beyond placebo.

Reiki has also been shown to ease post-surgical pain and anxiety, improve mood in chronically ill patients, and enhance cognition in those with mild Alzheimer’s.

While more research is needed, evidence suggests Reiki supports healing on both physical and emotional levels.

My Experience with Energy Healing

My journey with energy healing began unexpectedly. One day, I had an overwhelming urge to sign up for a Reiki Level 1 training. At the time, I called it impulsive. Now I know it was my intuition speaking. I had never even attended a Reiki session before. While I had worked with an energy practitioner in the past, I never considered that I could channel energy myself.

The Reiki training profoundly shifted my consciousness. I experienced things first-hand that expanded my worldview forever. I went home with a headache from the sheer intensity of it.

The 21-day cleansing period that followed was equally transformative. I quit smoking, stopped drinking, and instinctively deleted the majority of my Instagram followers. My habits changed, my energy changed, and so did the way I cared for myself and moved through the world.

During this time, I also began using energy healing to support my reproductive health. I had been dealing with ovarian cysts, which had been growing steadily. Three months after beginning my Reiki practice, I went in for an internal ultrasound. To both my doctor’s and I’s surprise, the cysts were completely gone, and my ovaries looked healthier than ever before.

Now, energy healing is part of my daily life. I use it to support my body, clear stagnation from my food and belongings, heal emotional wounds (from this life and beyond), and even infuse love into simple moments by sending energy through texts and emails, or holding intentions of love in everyday exchanges.

Basic Energetic Hygiene: Caring for Your Energy Body

Just like we learn to brush our teeth and shower daily, it's equally important to care for our energy body. Our energetic state affects how we think, feel, and move through the world and vice versa. Regular energetic hygiene helps clear stress, prevent buildup from others’ emotions, and restore your natural vitality.

Simple daily practices include:

-       Grounding (walking barefoot, visualising roots)

-       Energy clearing (salt baths, breathwork, intention setting)

-       Protecting your field (visualising a bubble of light, limiting draining interactions)

-       Recharging (time in nature, joyful movement, meditation)

A very easy practice to begin incorporating is what I call the “rain method”. Energy is a force, and it is directed by the power of your intention. If you intend to cleanse your energy with healing energy, that is what will happen. Find a comfortable seated position or lie down. Take a few deep breaths and come into your body. Imagine a golden rain beginning to fall in your body, cleansing your energy field and energy centres. If you have any pain, tension or emotions, allow the rain to dissolve these. Continue until you feel refreshed and slowly come back into present-day reality. Do this daily for a period of time and notice the shift in your energy.

Energy healing isn’t reserved for the “gifted.” It’s a natural capacity we all have and one I believe we should be taught from a young age. With awareness and simple tools, anyone can learn to tune into and work with their energy. Your energy is yours to tend, shape, and restore.

References

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Baldwin, A. L., Wagers, C., & Schwartz, G. E. (2008). Reiki improves heart rate homeostasis in laboratory rats. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 14(4), 417–422. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2007.0759

Baldwin, A. L., Vitale, A., Brownell, E., Scicinski, J., Kearns, M., & Rand, W. (2010). The Touchstone Process: An ongoing critical review of Reiki in the scientific literature. Holistic Nursing Practice, 24(5), 260–276. https://doi.org/10.1097/HNP.0b013e3181f8e00e

Bengston, W. F., & Krinsley, D. (2000). The effect of the “laying on of hands” on transplanted breast cancer in mice. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 14(3), 353–364.

Crawford, S. E., Leaver, V. W., & Mahoney, S. D. (2006). Using Reiki to decrease memory and behavior problems in mild cognitive impairment and mild Alzheimer’s disease. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 12(9), 911–913. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2006.12.911

Dressin, L. J., & Singg, S. (1998). Effects of Reiki on pain and selected affective and personality variables of chronically ill patients. Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine, 9(1), 53–82.

Friedman, R. S. C., Burg, M. M., Miles, P., Lee, F., & Lampert, R. (2010). Effects of Reiki on autonomic activity early after acute coronary syndrome. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 56, 995–996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2010.06.016

Shore, A. G. (2004). Long-term effects of energetic healing on symptoms of psychological depression and self-perceived stress. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 10(3), 42–48.

Vitale, A. T., & O’Conner, P. C. (2006). The effect of Reiki on pain and anxiety in women with abdominal hysterectomies. Holistic Nursing Practice, 20(6), 263–272. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004650-200611000-00010

Wilson, L. M., & Baldwin, A. L. (1998). Effects of environmental stress on the architecture and permeability of the rat mesenteric microvasculature. Microcirculation, 5(4), 299–308. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1549-8719.1998.tb00125.x