The energy healing practice is not a new phenomenon per se, but throughout the years, it has had some relative growth. For instance, practices similar to this one have always been found in various and among different civilizations and religions. In addition to examining the reasons leading to the cultivation healing philosophy in this manner, this article aims to examine the elements that characterize energy healing as a discipline.
What is the historical background of energy healing?
The practice of energy healing can be traced back to some of the earliest civilizations such as China, India and Egypt. Chinese medicine based its practice on the ‘Qi’ which was the life’s energy source, while in India, Ayurveda was based on balancing ‘prana’. In Egypt, temples for healing practised the use of energy and sound as aides in the healing process. Such practices formed the very foundation of the evolution of the current energy medicine.
Every single society had its own set of systems in focusing energy to heal. Today, practitioners of Traditional Chinese medicine still incorporate acupuncture and Qigong. yoga, pranic healing, as well as chakra balancing techniques have their root in Ayurveda. In Ancient Egypt, energy-based medicine practices and sound therapy known to be deeply rooted in the medical practices of Egyptian temples were practices that showed the idea and effect of energy.
In what ways is it possible to say that ancient Chinese medicine relates to energy in healing practices?
An ancient Chinese practice includes the forms of Qigong and acupuncture which include the notion of Qi. Their purpose was to improve health by achieving an equilibrium in body energy. The fact that these practices were based on the existence of energy channels or meridians is not surprising. They effectively paved the way for subsequent energy healing practices.
Scholar Wei Liu attempts to explain the terms of life energy and meridian. The actual word ‘meridian’ was replaced by ‘channel of Qi’ or ‘energy’. According to the practitioners of Chinese medicine, health is achieved when there is no stagnation of such energy. When engaging with the body, acupuncture was to heal by helping to restore oriental Qi balance or flow, using needles as appliances at points. It is not surprising to say that these activities also find their application today.
How does Ayurveda integrate itself into the history of energy healing techniques?
Out of Indian culture comes Ayurveda and its importance in energy healing. It works on the principle of balancing the life-giving ‘prana’ energy of the body with techniques such as chakra-focused Pranic healing. The energy of the body and its balance is assisted with normal practices including meditation, yoga, and herbalism. Infusion of such ancient quality of healing is prevalent in modern energy movement practices called Ayurveda.
This ancient system of healing sees health and illness in the context of structural, psychological, and spiritual energies. Chakra healing requires the overall alignment of the chakras in order that the prana is unblocked.
This is about elimination and energizing the energy system of the body. Such ancient practices paved the way for more contemporary approaches to energy medicine such as reiki, and crystal therapy all of which seek to consider the body as a whole.
How has the ancient Egyptian civilization changed the approach to energy healing?
The people living in the temples for healing energy have been using sound and vibrational energies for energy healing in ancient places. Not only were the great energy centers of the body known, but they also used sound to balance these important centers. These rituals were accompanied by songs, music, and energy therapy. This was a part of the advancement of the use of energy healing in practice for different cultures.
The Ancient Egyptians thought that it would be possible to rectify such energy imbalances with the help of ritual sounds and the corresponding sacred activity. Healing temples found in places such as Saqqara were designed with the purpose of enhancing these vibrations and hence healing energies.
The amplification of sound within temple rituals included also the assistance of sound instruments, such as sistrums, as well as chants. These methods illustrate the natural energy knowledge of the Egyptians, regarding the importance of energy medicine and the practice of body and soul healing.
How did shamanic traditions address the issue of energy healing?
According to the shamanistic traditions present in the cultures of the Indigenous people in all the continents, when a person falls sick it is regarded as when one’s energy is out of balance. Very active shamans work with healing energies, provide guidance, and make rituals. Methods involve energy and negative entity cleansing, spiritual journeys and botanical remedies. These practices present the significance of energy healing which affected the development of therapies nowadays.
The healers’ interventions redistributed energy balance because they divined into and connected the spirit and earthly realms. The process of energy extraction consisted of negative energies and/or negative entities being removed and the process of soul retrieval concerned healing where parts of the soul that could have been fragmented were being reclaimed.
The more conventional healing was supplemented with plant medicine and sacred rituals euphemistically known as healing. These ancient techniques illustrate the emotional aspects of energy healing that belongs to nature and spirit healing.
When did energy healing become apparent in Western society?
In the Western world, the notion and application of energy healing made its foray in the nineteenth century, more so, through mesmerism and the New Thought movement. Other forms emerged, which were offshoots of Eastern practices like reiki and acupuncture, that came later. A greater focus on including more aspects in holistic health came about in the twentieth century. Energy healing in contemporary western society comprises both impulse and revolution.
Mesmerism proposed by Franz Mesmer revolved around search for a certain ‘element’ called ‘animal magnetism’ or energy fields that surround everyone. The new thought focused on the unity of body and mind and the application of energy. The emergence of Reiki practice as well as the growing popularity of acupuncture prepared the ground for this.
The popularization of energy systems and bioenergy healing in modern Western practice includes crystal healing and Therapeutic Touch biofield therapies which bring together ancient traditions with current knowledge.
Conclusion
Regardless of the era and religion, energy healing has found a place in all cultures for example the energy medicine of china and india, the energy medicine of ancient Egypt or the healing of Native Americans. These methods of treating the physical form created the renaissance of modern energy healing which is simply the synthesis of ancient practices and the modern development of the energy medicine. Such a context will help make sense of why energy healing feature in books and its practice within the present age of health and wellness.
