Healing

The meaning of 'healing' is 'to make whole'. The practice of channelling subtle but powerful healing energy with positive intent goes back centuries. All healing supports self-healing, helping us to regain balance of mind, body and soul so that we can thrive and live the lives we all deserve.

Healing by means of channelling, transmitting or directing beneficial energy with a positive intention to help the recipient has been practised for thousands of years in cultures across the globe. While there are many schools and modalities of healing these days, some ancient, some more modern, they generally agree that healing energy works to support the client's own self-healing capacity, restoring balance and supporting health and well-being. Healing is truly holistic and tailored to the individual, treating the whole person according to their particular needs, and capable of bringing benefits at every level, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Restoring this essential balance allows us to regain access to our reasoning and problem-solving abilities which we lose touch with when we are in the grip of stress, anxiety or strong emotions. We can then move forward, healing emotions, finding ways through challenges and putting problems into a more realistic and constructive context within which we can start to find solutions.

Each healing modality has its own guiding theories or principles, but healing is generally a complementary therapy, capable of supporting conventional medicine rather than an alternative to it. Healing is safe and can be offered to cancer patients - something that is not true for all complementary therapies. Healers respect any beliefs their clients may have, and do not require them to subscribe to any faith or belief system in order to receive healing.

In a healing session, you will generally sit or lie fully clothed while the healer channels beneficial energy from its source into your physical and energetic bodies, usually through his or her hands. There may or may not be physical touch, but if so, this will be with your consent, and should be sensitive and appropriate. The healer's intention is set to support the best outcome for you, and you need do nothing except relax, be positive and open to the process. The healer will make sure you are comfortable and may suggest you close your eyes. A session may last from ten or twenty minutes up to an hour. Sometimes one session may be enough, or several sessions may be recommended. The healer will explain how he or she will work, and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about healing in general or their modality in particular.

When the healing energy is channelled via the healer, you may feel a sense of calm and peace or revitalisation and focus, depending on what is needed to restore balance. The energy is subtle but can be very powerful. Although no healer can promise specific outcomes or benefits, many clients report relief from physical and emotional stress, greater clarity and optimism or increased well-being, having received healing. A quietened mind may also open up our ability to become more aware of our own spiritual dimension. There is no need to have a problem to gain benefits from Healing. Changes or improvements may be noticed immediately or may come on gradually. Sometimes benefits may be unexpected, and may vary from session to session, depending on the need being healed at that time. While not everyone is aware of the healing energy during sessions, many report feeling sensations of various kinds as the healer works on different areas.

In many modalities, notably Spiritual Healing, absent or distant healing is also a powerful option, meaning a recipient can benefit from healing even if far away from the healer. Any living being can benefit from healing, and animals are generally particularly receptive. Research studies into channelled Spiritual Healing have even shown effects in areas like enhancing or retarding rates of growth of plants, bacteria and yeasts, influencing Enzyme activity and in various animal studies (where the placebo effect cannot be a factor).

You should choose a healer who has had all the training necessary to understand and explain the theory and guiding principles of their healing work, and works to a professional level when practising their form of healing. A healer trained to professional standards will have the knowledge to make healing a safe and positive experience, and you should check that he or she is registered with a professional body and is properly qualified and insured. This will usually mean working to a Code of Conduct.

Spiritual Healing is probably the most ancient form of healing practice, and spiritual healers act as pure channels for the healing energy. No religious beliefs are involved. Spiritual Healers have to undergo a two year training period before they can be registered, most often with either The Healing Trust or member organisations of the British Alliance of Healing Associations. Healer members of The Spiritualist National Union will also have undergone a similar process of training and registration. Payment for healing may be fee-based or sometimes on a donation basis.

Healing is included among the therapies listed by the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), a voluntary register of a wide range of therapists who have demonstrated they are trained to national standards and carry insurance. Their register can be searched on the internet. If you want to check a healer's qualifications, you may find you need to check registers specific to the modality or type of healing you feel drawn to.

Energy Healing is a term often used to refer to a wide range of healing approaches, including Spiritual Healing. Recent new modalities include Theta Healing, Reconnective Healing, Quantum Touch, Healing Touch and many more. Chakra Healing and Pranic Healing are built on traditional Eastern practices. In each case, theory and practice will be set out by practitioners or described in specialist registers.