As we shift towards Integrative Medicine, what role should Energy Medicine play? Western Medicine has been slow to recognize Energy Medicine as a valuable tool in healing. There are many reasons for this. The biggest being the lack of research in the discipline. How does one measure the Human Energy Field? And even if we could measure it, does the dynamic nature of the Field lend itself to measures that are both reliable and valid?
In my opinion, the first place we need to start if we are ever going to integrate Energy Medicine into the mainstream, is having better, more inclusive training for our Energy Practitioners. The Energy Field is made up of many different systems and to only learn one of them, E.G. Chakra System, we do our discipline and our clients a disservice. If there were some congruence in the training that included an understanding of the different systems and how they interact with one another, it would be beneficial in creating universal Energy Medicine terminology. Just as doctors have their language, Energy Practitioners should have their own unified language as well.
I also think that we should use some caution in our efforts to move Energy Medicine into the mainstream. Although, I think it would help our cause to standardize some of the language, education and techniques; Energy Medicine, at its core, is an intuitive art. It requires compassion, mindfulness and grace and those virtues must not be eliminated in order to make the therapy more palpable for the masses. In all truth, I would like to see the training include ways to cultivate those characteristics. After all, it is those characteristics that have allowed hands on healing to flourish even without research based evidence. People want that level of connection, even if we are uncomfortable with it in Western Medicine.
The addition of Energy Medicine would go a long way in creating a healing environment in clinical settings. We are missing the intuitive and emotional aspects of healing and the amount and type of information that can be gathered from its inclusion. Can you imagine if the health care provider and the patient took five breaths together before beginning the clinical care? There is a lot of information that could be gleaned from one another even before a single word is spoken. This is the direction I would like to see healthcare move, to really create health partnerships physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically.
Want to learn more about this topic? Listen to my interview with guest, Shoshanna Katzman.
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