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Is Energy Healing Bogus? Here's Everything You Need To Know

Sarah Farris
Author:
May 16, 2017
Sarah Farris
Reiki Master
Photo by Stocksy
May 16, 2017

I recently met a woman who opened up about her unsettling experience with an energy work practitioner. Just as you’d find in any industry, there is a wide spectrum of energy healers out there (think shamans and Reiki, EFT and shiatsu practitioners). Some of these people are excellent at what they do, but others, despite their intentions, aren’t in the best position to be doing work of this nature.

Since energy healing requires a practitioner to enter your energy field, they need to be incredibly clean and diligent about their healing and self-work in order to take the best care of you. In order to ensure that you're not picking up on your healer's unresolved emotional issues or energetic excess, you should choose someone who has legitimate credentials. You should always feel totally comfortable and confident around your energy worker.

Energy work can be tremendously effective and help heal the body from a wide variety of physical and emotional conditions.

This particular woman had been receiving massage and energy work from a practitioner for several months when she noticed that she wasn’t feeling like herself. She observed that she was having difficulty experiencing certain emotions as well as finding physical stability. She had several other odd and inexplicable symptoms she instinctively knew were somehow connected to this practitioner's work.

After consulting with a few other energy workers as well as a team of medical physicians who ruled out any tangible or diagnosable conditions, this woman was confident she could trace her experiences back to the energy work she had received.

Energy work can be tremendously effective and help heal the body from a wide variety of physical and emotional conditions. If you are considering hiring an energy worker, here are a few tips straight from a professional Reiki master so you can avoid getting involved with someone who isn’t worth your time or money:

1. Trust your gut.

Take time to get to know a practitioner before you book a session. Most professionals offer a free consultation strictly for this purpose—take advantage of it! Do your homework, come prepared with questions, and don’t be afraid to ask about their training, mentors/teachers, and what type of clients they usually work with. Ask what they love most about performing this work or if they’d be willing to share anonymous pieces of a client success story.

Really listen, and if something feels off, don’t dismiss it. Find out if the practitioner has a refund policy or a service guarantee. You’re not going to be offensive as long as the questions come from a respectful and sincere place.

2. Read client feedback.

I ask every single one of my clients for feedback because I want to know immediately if someone isn’t happy with his or her session. I also want to be able to share people's experiences with others who are considering getting Reiki but are a little uneasy about booking a session.

When I am in a position to buy a good or service, it really helps to hear from someone about what their unique experience was like. Plus, a review for Reiki is a little more unique than one for a vacuum cleaner or restaurant, so it’s nice to be able to read lots of feedback before committing to a session. Pay attention to themes you notice. There's a lot of truth in the consistency you see—or don't see—in reviews. Practitioners should have client testimonials posted on their website, but if they don’t, just ask!

3. Be clear about what you are looking to achieve.

It is incredibly helpful when a client has clear goals about what he or she wants to get out of a session, and it’s important to be upfront about what your expectations are with your practitioner. Some energy workers are great at identifying medical issues while others are stronger at emotional clearing. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment by assuming that your practitioner can help you with something that is outside of his or her purview. You'll both feel more comfortable going into a session if you're clear about needs and expectations.

It's also good to know that it may take a few sessions to obtain your desired results, but you should feel something after an initial session. If you receive energy work and aren't getting any helpful information or feeling any physical sensations indicating that your energy is moving, it may be time to find a new practitioner.

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