In psychiatry, we usually think of energy as a way to describe how we are feeling mentally and/or physically. For example, depression tends to be associated with less energy, while mania is associated with increased energy.
However, we can also look at energy in a big picture kind of way. The physical world and our bodies appear through the eye of nuclear physics to be a latticework of energies, in which the body is surrounded and permeated by an energy field which carries information.
In the world of energy, one can develop some notion of their own “energy anatomy”. The energy body has its own complex shape and form, like a “ghost” of the physical body, occupying the same “space” on a subtler level. You can also become more attuned to energy in your physical environment. For example, if you were to take a hike in the woods you might sense a more harmonic energy while if you were standing in a crowded and loud subway car in NYC you may sense energy in a more discordant way.
In traditional psychiatry, we tend to associate chemical imbalances with psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. However, evidence is mounting that the body’s energy systems can shift the brain chemistry that can also help overcome some psychological problems. There is also evidence that the reverse is true: our mental thoughts affect the body’s meridians and other energy structures.
Holistic techniques for working with energy fields and the mind are most often based on the principles of the meditative traditions. These teach us that a simple shift in awareness can change the entire configuration of energy flow; which in turn reshapes the physiological events that become a physical disease. Thus, I suggest that many mental health challenges start out as energetic disturbances that over time become more physical and deeply rooted; requiring more potent interventions such as psychotropic medication. Ideally, the energy disturbance would also need to be addressed for true healing. I advise patients to begin with observing their own breathing, and consider seeing a practitioner who specializes in “energy repair”.
Therapists who practice energy healing (such as practitioners of Craniosacral Therapy, acupuncture, Healing Touch, Reiki, and Therapeutic Touch) can help restore normal energy flow wherever it has been distorted by trauma. In hypnotherapy, the conscious energy of thoughts is used to direct the mind and body to a certain goal. In EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), states of heightened emotions or energy are treated by tapping energy points that retrain the body and brain, so that the thought or situation no longer causes the overreaction.
If you are curious about any of this but not sure where to begin, I invite you to do 3 simple experiments on yourself to see if you can become aware of energy shifts within and around yourself.
A simple body exercise called the Wayne Cook Posture that I learned from Donna Eden, author of Energy Medicine. Notice if you are thinking more clearly after doing these 4 steps:
Sit with spine straight. Place left foot on your right knee. Hold your left ankle with the right hand and the bottom of left foot with left hand. Breathe through nose while lifting body and stretching the leg toward you. Exhale out the mouth relaxing your body. Repeat four or five times (see figure below).
Do the Reverse with other leg as above. Uncross legs.
Steeple your fingertips together, resting thumbs just above the bridge of your nose. Breathe through the nose and out the mouth 3 or 4 times. On exhale, separate your thumbs slowly stretching the skin on your forehead.
Bring hands together down in front, surrender into your own breathing.
Now, notice if your mind feels clearer or more settled. Notice, too, if your breath feels a bit easier or fuller. These are signs that your body has shifted to an easier state of energy flow.
Observing your energy after eating certain foods. Every food has its own energy which is not necessarily about nutritional value but its vibrational energy; the more processed or genetically modified the food, the more likely it may create discord energetically within us. As I mentioned in a previous article, I like to focus on eliminating the most pro-inflammatory foods: gluten, commercial cow’s milk, and processed sugar (such as high fructose corn syrup) over an extended period. In this case, I’m suggesting a more immediate experiment. Let’s say, you usually have meat with a potato or pasta and then take note how you feel an hour later which could include feeling heavy, desire to sit and do nothing, and harder to stay focused on mental tasks done. At a different meal, I would then experiment with the same meat but this time pair it with a salad and again observe you how feel an hour later which might include feeling light in mood, easy to get up and go, and refreshed. If you are still not sure if there is a difference, keep playing with the food choice difference for a few more meals, and then decide if it’s worth keeping that food in your diet. If you’re motivated for something more ambitious please refer to my previous article, Should we all be on an anti-inflammatory diet?
Changing the energy within your environment. A good room to start with is your bedroom. Cover the television (assuming you are no longer watching it!) and any mirrors that are facing the bed with sheets or scarves. What is the idea behind this? The television emits EMF that can affect how you feel, and the energy of the room is also affected by what you watch on television (violence, news, pornography). Mirrors and televisions hold a variety of energy imprints. For example, people often have negative thoughts about their appearance when they look in the mirror, and the imprint persists. (This is a good experiment to do especially if you find yourself staying in a hotel room that you don’t feel good in. Many people have stayed in that same room, affecting the energy environment.)
Finally, while I’m not proposing that energy medicine can treat severe psychiatric conditions by itself, I do believe it can be used as a worthwhile adjunct in many cases and can improve someone’s sense of well-being and mood. If you would like to learn more about this topic, I highly recommend:
Radical Healing by Rudolph Ballentine, MD
The EFT Manual by Gary Craig
Energy Medicine by Donna Eden
Acupressure Potent Points: A Guide to Self-Care for Common Ailments by Michael Reed Gach
Full Body Presence by Suzanne Scurlock-Durana
https://www.reiki.org/reikinews/sciencemeasures.htm
https://www.wellandgood.com/good-advice/energy-medicine-acceptance-in-medical-community/slide/2/
*Special thanks to Grace Wormwood, a craniosacral therapist in Asheville, for helping me edit and clarify the concepts presented in this article.