There are many types of energy healing. Energy healing is a broad term that describes any form of healing directed at the energy body. If you are new to energy healing, you may be wondering, “What on earth is an energy body?” Never fear! In this overview I will cover all of the basics of energy work and energy healing including chakras, Reiki, the energy body, distance energy healing, and hands-on energy healing.

THE ENERGY BODY

Everything around us has an invisible, spiritual energy flowing through it. Sometimes the energy body is called life-force, prana, or chi. The ancient Egyptians called it the Ka. In Christianity, it is considered the soul.

Chakras

Just like your physical body has vital organs that perform different functions, your energy body has organs, too. These organs are called chakras. Simply put, your chakras are your energy body’s organs. There are seven chakras, which perform different functions for your energy body.

Root : 1

color: red
corresponding physical location: base of the spine
attribute or function: grounding and safety

Sacral : 2

color: orange
corresponding physical location: below the belly button
attribute or function: creativity and sexuality

Solar Plexus : 3

color: yellow
corresponding physical location: over the belly button
attribute or function: confidence and will power

Heart : 4

color: green
corresponding physical location: center of the chest
attribute or function: emotional connection and love

Throat : 5

color: blue
corresponding physical location: center of the neck
attribute or function: assertiveness and truth

Third Eye : 6

color: purple
corresponding physical location: between the eyebrows
attribute or function: intuition

Crown : 7

color: bright white light
corresponding physical location: top of the head on the scalp
attribute or function: spiritual connection and enlightenment

Nadis

Now that you’ve learned that the chakras are your energy body’s vital organs, we can cover the smaller energy channels called nadis. In your physical body, your blood vessels carry blood to your vital organs. In your energy body, your nadis carry life-force energy to your chakras.

SUBTLE ENERGY BODY

The energy body radiates far beyond your physical body. It expands outward into different planes of existence. Think of a light bulb lit in a dark room; the light from the bulb radiates outward. Your energy body — your soul— is much like the light bulb. Its light radiates outward from your physical body and touches many different planes of existence.

Intuitives, energy healers, and psychics have tried to categorize sections of the energy body based on the plane of existence it is radiating into. If you read about energy work elsewhere, you may see references to the “Astral Body”. All that is referring to is the section of your energy body that is radiating into the astral plane.

If you would like to read more about the layers of the subtle energy body, I would recommend the book Wheels of Life.

Energy Healing

The philosophy behind energy healing:

Imbalance in the energy body can impact the physical body.

Energy healing involves directing life-force energy to the parts of the energy body in need of healing. There are many different ways to approach energy healing including Reiki, sound healing, and energetic cleansing.

Reiki

Reiki is a type of energy healing where the Reiki practitioner channels universal life-force energy to a person, place, or situation in need of healing. It is non-denominational, universal, and practiced by people from a variety of religions. During a Reiki session, a Reiki Practitioner will allow the Reiki energy to flow through them to the client. The Reiki energy is gentle and intelligent — it goes to the section of the energy body that needs healing the most.

What Receiving Reiki Healing Feels Like

Reiki can feel tingly and warm. It is relaxing; you may fall asleep while receiving it. Some individuals feel a sensation of cold or heat emanating from the practitioner’s hands. I always experience Reiki as a warm and relaxing, static electricity feeling. Some people do not feel anything, but they are still receiving energy healing.

Attunement to Reiki

To begin practicing Reiki, a person must be attuned to Reiki energy by a Reiki Master. During an attunement, the Reiki Master “gives” the energy of Reiki to their student. I think of this process like learning to riding a bike. Before learning to ride a bicycle, you don’t know what it feels like to ride one. After you learn to ride a bike, you get instantly get on one and know how to ride it. Before being attuned to Reiki, you are not aligned with the Reiki energy; you cannot access it because you don’t know what it feels like. The Reiki master aligns you with the energy and moving forward, you can instantly access it.

Levels of Reiki

There are different “levels” of alignment with Reiki energy: Level I, Level II, Level III (Advanced Reiki Training), and Master Teacher. These different levels represent a Reiki practitioner’s level of attunement with Level I being the most basic and Master Teacher being the most advanced. Only those attuned to Master Teacher can attune others to Reiki energy.

Distance Healing

The physical body is limited to space and time, but the energy body is not. This means that energy can be channeled and sent at a distance. All you need to know is where to send it. Energy can even be sent to the past or to the future. A Reiki practitioner will learn distance healing during their Level II training.

Hands-on Healing

At times, an energy healer may place their hands on the physical body to direct energy. In Reiki training, practitioners learn about different hand-placements on the body; however, as their Reiki practice evolves, they may be intuitively guided to place their hands over different areas of the body that are not considered traditional hand-placements. For example, a practitioner may feel intuitively guided to place their hands on the client’s shin for a prolonged time. After the session these types of hunches are often validated — for example, the client may reveal they broke their leg in that location years ago and still have pain there.

Other forms of Energy Work

Besides Reiki, there are a few other ways to perform energy work that are worth mentioning.

Using Your Own Energy

You can direct your own, physical life-force energy to heal others, but it is not recommended. If a practitioner is using their own energy to heal instead of using Reiki, they could get tired or drained. Using Reiki is like receiving water from a faucet — it just keeps replenishing and flowing from the universe. Using your own life-force energy is like pouring water from a cup — it is limited and gets depleted.

Creative Visualization

You can use visualization to help with energy blockages and to help facilitate healing.

Example:

Imagine a sparkling white healing light enveloping your physical body and your energy body. As it covers you, imagine it healing and restoring you to perfect health and vitality.

Energetic Cleansing

Cleansing using white sage, sound, crystals, salt, bathing, or rose water can useful for keeping your energy well. You want your energy body to be clear. A simple way I like to cleanse rooms is by spraying blessed rose water in all of the corners while reciting a prayer.

Conclusion

I hope this overview of energy healing has helped you understand the basics. Of course, this only scratches the surface. There is so much more exciting information to learn! Always be mindful that energy healing and any matter of spirituality is not a science. There are many different viewpoints on it presented by different practitioners and authors. The one you read here is my own and is based on my experience in working with energy, doing psychic readings, and working in the spiritual and holistic field for years.

What Is Energy Healing? How It Works.