By Karen Norum, Ph.D., CBP
Bhakti Wellness Center September 2013 Newsletter – Featured Article
Energy is all around us and in us. Energy exists as fields, invisible forces that occupy space and influence behavior. We live in an ocean of energy. It is a bit mysterious in that we can only see about 4% of all the matter and energy that exists in the universe. Although we often cannot see it, we know it is there, just as we know electricity is powering our lights, computers, TV’s, etc when we do not actually see the current. Heat, light, sound, vibration, and gravity are all forms of energy. Energy exists in the form of waves and frequencies: sound and light are both wavelengths and frequencies.
Energies from the earth and sun penetrate our every cell. This energy in our bodies interacts with the energy around it and manifests in the body’s ability to cool or warm, to activate and calm, for example. Energy Medicine is a branch of complimentary and alternative medicine and is both contemporary and ancient in nature. It integrates ancient knowledge with modern perspectives and new technologies. It is a compliment to traditional medical treatment and a stand-alone system. Energy Medicine includes all concepts of energy: light, sound, electro-magnetism as well as older traditions of “life force” such as chi and chakras. In a nutshell, Energy Medicine understands the body, mind, and spirit as a system of energies. These energies can be healed, restored, balanced, or synchronized.
According to Donna Eden, there are several essential principles of Energy Medicine. One is that both electromagnetic and more subtle energies form the infrastructure of the physical body. Another principle is that the health of those energies is reflected in the health of the body. When the body is not healthy, its energies can be balanced. Lastly, flow, balance, and harmony of the body’s energies can be non-invasively restored and maintained several ways. These include tapping, massaging, tracing or swirling the hand over the skin along specific pathways, focused use of the mind, and surrounding an area with healing energy. Because energy is everywhere, Energy Medicine can be practiced by distance. While this may seem strange, consider the power of prayer: people believe in the power of prayer to invoke change, even when praying for someone many miles away.
Approaches to Energy Medicine include acupuncture, Reiki, Healing Touch, Qi Gong, BodyTalk, light and magnet therapy, color therapy, Cranial Sacral Therapy, and sound therapy among others. Therapies such as acupuncture correct imbalances in the flow of subtle energy along meridians. In therapies like Healing Touch and Reiki, the healer is believed to emit or transmit healing energy to the recipient. Energy Medicine can address physical and emotional issues. It can be used to promote peak performance and high-level wellness. It is also good preventative care: before illness shows up at the physical level, there is a disruption in the energy flow.
Dr James Oschman believes when we ignore energy, we miss 99% of reality and fact, which means missing a vast amount of healing potential. Dr. Mehmet Oz believes energy medicine is the next big frontier in medicine. The winner of the Nobel Laureate in Medicine in 1937, Albert Szent-Gyorgi, observed that in every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing was accomplished by moving energy. Now, 70-some years later, we have the tools that can detect minute energy fields around the human body, focusing attention on Energy Medicine. As you think about your healthcare plan, consider what role Energy Medicine could play. We offer several types of Energy Medicine at the Bhakti Wellness Center and welcome the opportunity to discuss how Energy Medicine might fit into your health and well-being.
Bio – Karen Norum, Ph.D., CBP
Karen calls herself a recovering academic. Over the course of her academic career, she published over 20 articles in national and international academic journals on topics such as the power of language, positivity, leadership, and the effect of physical space on our lives. She taught courses in organization development, leadership, arts-based research methods, and learning theory, all with a strengths-based approach. After teaching at the graduate level for several years, she moved into the arena of holistic health. She has always had a whole systems approach and now is bridging her academic experience and knowledge with the metaphysical and holistic health world. Her passion centers around self-care. Far from being self-ish, self-care is what makes us available to others and our larger communities.
Karen found that she could combine her eclectic background and training under the energy medicine system of BodyTalk. BodyTalk is a comprehensive, effective, non-invasive, safe energy medicine system. During a BodyTalk session, the body’s energy systems are re-synchronized and the body’s innate ability to heal itself is stimulated. The goal of a session is to determine which aspects of the body are poorly linked and under-communicating. These links are identified using a form of muscle testing and addressed through light tapping on the head and heart complex. Benefits of BodyTalk include stress reduction, pain reduction, re-balancing of the body-mind complex for overall improved health. Learn more at www.bodytalksystem.com .