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Until recently the vast majority of scientists would have stated that effecting healing through the manipulation of the body's energy fields was an impossibility. This conclusion would have been drawn from the lack of hard evidence available that could be tested for reliability and validity.

Times have changed. There is now an increasing amount of empirical research that gives a firm basis to the concept that bioenergetic phenomena not only exist but are also of prime consideration in any healing process. Much of what has been discovered on the body's energy systems over the past twenty years has come about through the course of orthodox scientific study; and there is now enough attention being given to the subject that new academic disciplines are being born under such titles as ‘Energy Psychology’, ‘Energy Therapy’ and ‘Energy Medicine’.

Essentially, the following advances are beginning to augment our knowledge of the many layered aspects to our being. They are specifically to do with the subtle forces of energy within the physiological system that contribute to the overall well-being of the individual:

Since the beginning of the 20th century it has been known that the body's organs produce their own detectable electric fields. During the 1950s instruments were developed to detect the magnetic fields that the laws of physics indicated should exist as a consequence of electrical currents. Medical research has been mapping biomagnetic fields ever since and developing clinical tools to complement treatment plans.

The application of electric and magnetic fields in order to stimulate healing has been explored comprehensively. The most effective form of application has been pulsating magnetic fields ~ a phenomenon that has been shown to be emitted from the human hand under certain conditions. (Thus giving tentative scientific plausibility to the 'healing hands' practice of energy manipulation. Indication that an energy transfer mechanism between healer and client actually exists and is, under the right conditions, scientifically measurable.)

Ultra-sensitive imaging equipment can map radiation patterns (heat and light) emitted by the body ~ even down to its constituent cells.

Spectroscopy (the scientific analysis of electromagnetic radiation) applied to the body's fields has revealed the part energy fields play in a variety of molecular processes ~ the antibody-antigen interaction, for example. Spectroscopy gives credence to and underpins practices such as homeopathy, aromatherapy and herbal medicine by illustrating the effects these treatments have on molecular energy emissions and adsorptions.

Biological scientists that have focused upon cell functioning are beginning to realise that cellular response goes beyond nerve impulses and hormonal influence. The matter both within and surrounding cells has been discovered to be part of an all-body encompassing living matrix. A continuum of communication throughout the body that involves not just the chemical and molecular constituents but also electronic, photonic, and vibratory properties.

Tensegrity (an architectural principle concerned with tensional and compressive structures within a form that provide both stability and a dynamic ability to cope with forces acting upon it) concepts are being utilised to explain how energies are conducted and retained within the physiological system. It is now being observed that the vibrational pitch of molecules within the living matrix can be affected by emotional states.

Although the scientific fraternity remains skeptical as to whether there is such a thing as a divine 'life force' permeating a living system, our knowledge (gained through the scrutiny of scientific methodology) of the various energies that contribute to it has increased considerably. Life force or not, we now know that 'health', or well-being, is not simply a product of biological and biochemical equilibrium. There are many energetic components incorporated within the living system ~ electrical, magnetic, elastic, acoustic, photonic, gravitational and thermal ~ and their individual balances contribute to the overall balance of the living matrix, and thus well-being.

As there are numerous energetic systems, there are equally as many therapeutic techniques that attempt to address imbalances within one or more of these systems. There is now a long history of empirical evidence to support the efficacy of a good majority of complementary approaches. Biological science is turning its attention towards examining the interactions between energy fields within the body and the body's structure and functions. Other scientific disciplines are beginning to examine the interactions between our biological energy fields and energy fields produced in our environment. Although electromagnetism has been thoroughly explored in physics, it has not until the last few years been investigated as a property of biological systems. Energy Medicine and Energy Psychology are beginning to make inroads into achieving a scientific understanding of a puzzle that Werner Heisenberg expressed many years ago:

"Something has to be added to the laws of physics and chemistry before the biological phenomenon can be completely understood."

At the very core of our existence is energy. Albert Einstein has shown us this fact. Our Selves are patterns of energy ~ and one aspect to our Selves is energy captured in physical form. The physical pattern to our Selves, the corporeal body, is not all of the Self though. Science is in the process of mapping the layers to the Self where they can be measured through scientific instrumentation. There is some way to go though before science can fully demonstrate the truths behind this statement taken from a metaphysical publication:

"Even your bodies exist in other terms than you usually suppose. You perceive them as objects, with bulk, composed of bone and flesh. They also have 'structures' of sound, light, and electromagnetic properties that you do not perceive. These are all connected with the physical image that you know. Any physical disabilities will show themselves in these other 'structures' initially.
The sound, light, and electromagnetic patterns give strength and vitality to the physical form that you recognise. They are more mobile than the physical body, and even more susceptible to the changing pattern of your thought and emotion."

(Jane Roberts, The Nature of Personal Reality.)

Some Resources:

Bridging Science and Spirit.  Norman Friedman.

Consciousness and Healing: Integral Approaches to Mind-Body Healing. Marilyn Schlitz and Tina Amorok with Marc S. Micozzi.

Energy Medicine.  Donna Eden with David Feinstein.

Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis. James L. Oschman.

Energy Psychology.  Fred P. Gallo.

Energy Psychology in Psychotherapy.  Fred P. Gallo.

Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine.  Candace Pert.

Power vs Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior. David R. Hawkins.

The Conscious Universe: The Scientific Truth of Psychic Phenomenon.  Dean Radin.

The Biology of Belief.  Bruce Lipton, Ph.D.

The Promise of Energy Psychology: Revolutionary Tools for Dramatic Personal Change.  David Feinstein, Donna Eden and Gary Craig.

The Field.  Lynne McTaggart.

www.energypsych.org (Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology.)

www.theamt.com (Association of meridian-based therapeutic methods.)

www.issseem.org (International Society for the Study of Subtle Energy and Energy Medicine.)

www.innersource.net (D.Eden and D.Feinstein’s site.)

www.soulmedicineinstitute.org (Research into Epigenetic Medicine - effects of consciousness on gene expression.)

~  the Science Behind Energy Therapies

"When a scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right; when he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong."

(Arthur C. Clarke)