The Philosophy Therapies involving subtle energy fields are based on the concept that human beings are infused with a subtle form of energy. This vital energy or life force is known under different names in different cultures, such as qi in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), ki in the Japanese Kampo system, doshas in Ayurvedic medicine and elsewhere as prana, etheric energy, fohat, orgone, odic force, mana and homeopathic resonance. Vital energy is believed to flow throughout the material human body. Therapists work with this subtle energy to affect changes in the physical body and influence health. Examples of practices involving subtle energy fields include:
The Art Reiki, Johrei, Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch and Polarity Therapy: Distant Healing and Intercessory Prayer: Proponents of energy field therapies also claim that some of these therapies can act across long distances. For example, the long-distance effects of external qi gong have been studied in China and summarized in the book Scientific Qigong Exploration, which has been translated into English. In Intercessory Prayer, a person prays for the healing of another person who is a great distance away, with or without that person's knowledge. The Science Energy medicine is gaining popularity in the American marketplace and has become a subject of investigations at some academic medical centers. A recent National Center for Health Statistics survey indicated that approximately 1 percent of the participants had used Reiki, 0.5 percent had used qi gong, 4.6 percent had used some kind of healing ritual, and approximately 30 percent had had others pray for their health. Yet, neither the external energy fields nor their therapeutic effects have been demonstrated convincingly by any biophysical means. Many small studies of Therapeutic Touch have suggested its effectiveness in a wide variety of conditions, including wound healing, osteoarthritis, migraine headaches and anxiety in burn patients. In a recent meta-analysis of 11 controlled Therapeutic Touch studies, seven controlled studies had positive outcomes and three showed no effect; in one study, the control group healed faster than the Therapeutic Touch group. Similarly, Reiki and Johrei practitioners claim that the therapies boost the body's immune system, enhance the body's ability to heal itself, and are beneficial for a wide range of problems, such as stress-related conditions, allergies, heart conditions, high blood pressure and chronic pain. However, there has been little rigorous scientific research. Overall, these therapies have impressive anecdotal evidence, but none has been proven scientifically to be effective. Despite the failure to positively prove the efficacy or the presence of subtle energy, the weight of such a huge body of anecdotal and historical evidence is driving continued research into the nature of subtle energies with some interesting results. An extremely sensitive magnetometer called a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) has been claimed to measure large frequency-pulsing biomagnetic fields emanating from the hands of practitioners. In another study, a simple magnetometer measured and quantified similar magnetic fields from the hands of meditators and practitioners of yoga and qi gong. These fields were 1,000 times greater than the strongest human biomagnetic field. However, there are considerable technical problems in such research. For example, SQUID measurement must be conducted under a special shielded environment. And the connection between electromagnetic field increases and observed healing benefits reported in the current literature is still missing. Other studies of subtle energies suggested that energy fields from one person can overlap and interact with energy fields of other people. For example, when individuals touch, one person's electrocardiographic signal is registered in the other person's electroencephalogram (EEG) and elsewhere on the other person's body. In addition, one individual's cardiac signal can be registered in another's EEG recording when two people sit quietly opposite one another. Reiki Practitioners |
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