energy healing
Meaning of energy healing: A group of hands-on and hands-near practices built on a life force that measurement has never found.
Definition of energy healing
Energy healing is a group of complementary practices founded on the belief that an invisible life force flows through the body and can be rebalanced by a practitioner's hands or focused intention. Reiki, therapeutic touch and healing touch are the best known forms. No energy field of the kind described has been demonstrated by measurement.
What happens in a session?
The person usually lies clothed on a couch in a quiet room. The practitioner rests their hands lightly on the body, or holds them a short distance above it, working through a set sequence of positions and holding each for several minutes. Sessions commonly last around an hour. Nothing is swallowed, injected or manipulated, and the practices differ from massage in that pressure and movement of tissue play no part at all.
What are the main forms?
| Practice | Origin | Distinctive feature |
|---|---|---|
| Reiki | Japan | Set hand positions and formal levels of training |
| Therapeutic touch | Nursing | Hands held above the body without contact |
| Healing touch | Nursing | A structured program of techniques |
| External qi | China | Breath and movement alongside hand work |
These sit within complementary and alternative medicine, and healing touch in particular has been offered inside some hospitals as a comfort measure alongside conventional care.
What does the evidence show?
The proposed energy field has not been detected by any instrument, and a widely discussed test found that practitioners could not tell whether a hand was held near their own when they were unable to see it. Trials of clinical outcomes have generally been small and hard to blind, since a practitioner always knows whether the technique is being performed. Reviews conclude that reported benefits lie in comfort, relaxation and reduced anxiety, effects consistent with attention, touch and quiet time, and that no reliable evidence shows an effect on the course of any disease.
What are the concerns?
The practices themselves carry little physical risk. The recognized harm is indirect, arising when they delay or displace effective treatment for a serious condition. Claims of strengthening the immune system or slowing tumor growth are not supported by evidence. Training and regulation vary widely between countries, and there is no single recognized qualification, so the description of a practitioner conveys little about what they have been taught.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The patient reported using energy healing alongside conventional treatment for relaxation.
Good to know
No energy field of the kind these practices describe has been detected by measurement, and reported benefits are limited to comfort and relaxation rather than disease outcome.