CD Relaxation

I’ve recently been asked about “energy work” … working in the energy field of a client to affect healing on a physical or emotional level. In addition to practicing therapeutic massage (I am a nationally certified massage therapist), I often use a couple of different techniques to enhance my work. They are “Reiki” (pronounced ray-kee) and “Healing Touch”. Reiki is basically hands-on healing, although it can be done from a distance as well. It is intending and allowing healing energy to flow through my hands … my hands get very hot when I practice Reiki. It works well with massage, since it is mostly practiced through physical contact. I also practice Healing Touch, which I use in a different way. There are times when injury, recent surgery, cancer, skin conditions, or some other malady might preclude massage because of the increase in blood flow and movement of chemicals through the body that massage and Reiki both encourage. Healing Touch is performed primarily in the energy field surrounding the body and not through touching the physical body. This energy field actually creates the physical body and changes in the field cause changes in the physical body at some point. I don’t want to get into a lengthy explanation about how this works at this time, but I know it works through my personal experience. A lot of different effects can be acheived through Healing Touch because it is a collection of healing techniques from many different sources and cultures. You can do what’s called a “pain drain” and take energy out of an injured area. A system called “Therapeutic Touch” which has credibility in many hospitals is also incorporated into Healing Touch. The American Wholistic Nurse’s Association taught classes in it until 1996 when Healing Touch International was established and took over training.

• A good book for some Healing Touch techniques is Hands Of Light. It was written by Barbara Ann Brennan, who has a school in New York City teaching these techniques and Chapter 22 is the basis for one of the more advanced Healing Touch trainings.

• An excellent book for history, use, and techniques for Reiki is The Reiki Sourcebook