Taking it All In

We're excited to share that this article was published in Energy Magazine! Read the full piece below.

I’m not the biggest social media fan, but I like to keep up with friends and family, so I do scan my feed every day.

Recently, I saw someone posted that they had just had an energy healing session. That grabbed my attention, because I love seeing how energy medicine and holistic healing practitioners bring this incredible light to the world.

So, when I clicked open the post, my heart took a blow; energy healing was being severely misrepresented in a demonic way by someone self-labeling as an intuitive, but offering no recognized training or certification in any known modality.

Worse, the group moderators allowed literally hundreds of comments that devolved into the truly absurd and extreme realm of misinformation, negativity, and even emotional harm.

My heart sank further when I realized the group had almost 100,000 members.

Now, anybody reading Energy Magazine is a professional, and you’re going to wrinkle up your nose and disdain – why is she wasting time writing this – and maybe even be a little annoyed with me. I get it. I was pretty tempted to just slam it shut, block the group and move on.

But wait a minute.

“We go lightheartedly on our way, never thinking that by a careless word or two we may have altered the whole course of human lives, for some person will take our advice and use it.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder.

How hopeless do you feel when you are faced with the extreme and absurd misuse of the term “energy healing?”

Right now, as we celebrate ‘Energy Medicine Around the World’ as the theme of this publication, it’s an important time to consider all the information being taken in – by us, by our clients, and by the public.

And how it’s being perceived; the risks of damage to our practices and industry, and the incredible opportunity we have, as energy healing is being embraced around the world.

So, what can we do? We can’t join every group, argue every case, or even change the hive minds of the ignorant, like so many members of the group I ran across.

But I think it’s worth a few minutes of time for all of us to revisit the information we take in and put out.

“In every culture and every medical tradition before ours, healing was accomplished by moving energy.” – Albert Szent Gyorgyi

Our Contributions to Public Information Intake

Energy medicine and holistic healing are on a trajectory for tremendous growth. In 2023, the global market was estimated in US dollars to be $78.58 billion, and is estimated to grow to $394.73 billion by 2030.¹

With acceptance comes attention. Mainstream medicine is starting to accept alternative and complementary services like Healing Touch and Reiki in areas like cancer and pain treatment – and it’s up to all of us to maintain the highest integrity in the information we impart to anyone.

So, let me share some suggestions from leading practitioners…

• Don’t embellish or invent anything when trying to explain energy healing. Even if it’s based on what you truly believe, keep your information factual and simple. If someone is dubious about energy making a difference, remind them of the feeling when walking into a room where an argument is taking place versus a celebration – pretty easy to feel the difference in the energy, right? 
  
  
• Explain your services in understandable language. For example, “Healing Touch is a form of complementary and alternative medicine based on the belief that vital energy flows through the human body. This energy is said to be balanced or made stronger by practitioners who use their hands to work with this energy, passing over or gently touching the person’s body.”
  
  
• Never make claims to heal, cure, or prevent illness or symptoms. Only licensed healthcare providers can diagnose or treat illness. Be clear that your work to clear energy fields is complementary to any medical treatment from a doctor (not in place of) and helps to allow the body to heal itself.
  
  
• Don’t try to prove anything about energy healing. The world has acknowledged energy as a key healing factor as long as there has been civilization. Research and results will speak for themselves. Point people to websites where reports on credible research are available, like the Biofield Science Evidence Map which is a “first-of-its-kind tool intended to support researchers, practitioners, patients, healthcare professionals, policymakers and funders in searching and exploring the extensive body of scientific evidence in this field.”² You can search this map for modalities, a health condition, the results, and when those results were published.

What Our Clients Take in from Practitioners

Most clients come to us with something they want ‘fixed’ – and they’ve been referred by someone or done their homework and already have confidence in the modality or practitioner. However, experienced practitioners will still advise that active listening is the best tool to determine what is needed, and safe practice tips include:

• A clear and simple scope of practice, up to date with all services you offer, in a language the client understands.
  
  
• A signed consent form that explains exactly what the sessions will include and what the client can expect before, during, and after the session.
  
  
• Clients may or may not use language tuned to your modality, but most practitioners will recognize their intent, whether they are talking about chakras, meridians, or auras…you know the questions to ask to gather the information you need to lead you to the right answer to apply your work in the way that will best serve the situation.
  
  
• If clients start using medical terms or you feel they are trying to assign a role to you that is outside your scope, let your gentle questioning techniques lead them back to their doctor or therapist, or provide the referral you believe they need.
  
  
• If clients start to drift into the rabbit hole, like the social media post that caught my eye, gently rein them in. Remind them that we are all made of energy and that while exotic explanations can be alluring, there is extensive research, ancient history, and modern science for those serious about energy medicine and holistic healing – after all, that’s why they came to see you, right?

“A healer's power stems not from any special ability, but from maintaining the courage and awareness to embody and express the universal healing power that every human being naturally possesses.” - Eric Micha'el Leventhal.

Professional Intake for the Practitioner

Whenever we are working with someone, we need to gather information to determine the best service to provide. We use intake forms to ask life and health questions. Although I’ve talked about it before, here’s a quick reminder about this information:

• Don’t ask for more health information than you need, as it’s protected by HIPAA. Even if you aren’t regulated by HIPAA, you are still responsible for protecting your client’s personal identifying information (PII) and health information (PHI).
  
  
• Depending upon your state of residence, you may be required to provide information about how you protect this information, as well.

But something new to think about for intake is asking a few questions about the client’s experience with energy healing.

Consider this: we are living in a time of litigation. Our population consumes and disposes of everything – sometimes even feelings and relationships (and doing so relatively quickly). There’s an opportunistic slice of the public always lying in wait for the chance to litigate.

Asking a few questions, such as those below, may be enough to raise a red flag signaling you need to probe deeper. This is a great risk management tool.

• Have you had experience with energy healing?
• If yes, what was the outcome/how did you feel?
• Were you satisfied with your experience?

I recently reviewed a possible claim from a practitioner who shared social posts from the unhappy client, and it was clear this client had a long complaint history. So, when vetting your new clients, it might be worth reviewing their social media, too.

Remember, one of the three biggest mistakes a practitioner makes is letting your insurance lapse as part of your standard of care. If you want to know the other two biggest mistakes, you can download the free 3 Biggest Mistakes Energy Healers Make That Expose You to Legal Issues and How to Avoid Being Sued guide here.

My hope is you won’t run into a post like the one that triggered this article. But if you do, say something! Tell moderators to gently shut them down with a few facts or suggest they just turn off the comments if it doesn’t resolve.

Letting misinformation run rampant damages our industry, and it’s so much better when you share your love and light. On that note, happy healing – and please don’t let the, um, (bed) bugs bite.

“Giving and helping from the heart becomes like a magnet, amplifying the energy to all those involved in the exchange.” – Heidi DuPree.

1 Grand View Research “Body, Mind and Energy Healing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report”
2 www.biofieldsciencemap.org

Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only and does not provide legal, financial, or medical advice. The examples are general, and coverage may vary by policy. Always refer to your insurance provider or policy language for specific details, as the policy terms take precedence. For legal concerns related to your practice, consult an attorney.