Working with Energy in Therapy: A Guide for Skeptics
Do chakras, auras, energy healing, crystals, and the like leave you at turns incredulous, curious, and confused? These old yet new, spiritual yet scientific,“out there” topics are often broached with either a religious-like fervor or swift dismissal depending on who you talk to.
For those of us that are curious to learn more, but reluctant to adopt the opinions or beliefs of others, I invite you to consider an approach that is based on learning what is helpful, supportive, and meaningful to you. What can these ideas of energy and holistic healing offer to the modern skeptic?
Energy Work as Part of Holistic Therapy
We first consider what is meant by the term “energy” in psychology and wellness. The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP) defines energy psychology as an approach that incorporates “natural energetic components into the treatment process that include, but are not limited to, meridians, chakras, biofields, and bio-electrical and electromagnetic activity of the body, the nervous system and the heart.” In a nutshell, this means bringing in holistic therapeutic methods that assume a body-mind-spirit connection.
Energy psychology or psycho-energetic therapy considers the integration of biological, social, psychological, behavioral, physical, cognitive, and spiritual realms of being. There are methods such as Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) or “tapping” and broader approaches such as Comprehensive Energy Psychology (CEP). Michelle Shlafman is a therapist at our practice with specialized training in integrating these forms of healing with traditional psychotherapy.
Research on Energy Psychology Techniques
Ask the experts about the research basis for many of these ideas and you’ll get a mixed bag of results. Organizations such as the Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology and HeartMath.org track the research for these ideas. There are other sources who call this research into doubt, hence some controversy surrounding the evidence-basis for these methods. Of course, we know that when we begin to explore topics that more spiritual in nature, finding proof can be challenging.
A stronghold of Western culture and thought seeing the world as binary: yes or no, all or nothing, right or wrong, good or bad, true or false. Many of us have had experiences or simply an inner knowing that life isn’t so simplistic. Life is complex. We are complex.
Seeing Doubt as a Strength in Holistic Therapy
As a therapist specializing in religious trauma, I’ve seen the downside of blind belief or forced adherence to a viewpoint that required adherents to leave their curiosity, intelligence, and doubt at the door. With any new treatment or theory integrated into therapy, key questions include: Is it helpful to you? Does it do no harm?
I propose that we are stronger when we embrace and examine our doubts, leaving room for curiosity and wonder. I invite you to go at your own pace to build a foundation of understanding. Stick with the concepts that spark creativity and empower you to apply new perspectives to your inner healing work in a way that feels genuine and comfortable.
Energy Work as Metaphor for Healing
Beyond specific treatment methods and research, the energy psychology foundations provide alternative frameworks for processing and understanding of the self, our experiences, traumas, wounds, and opportunities for growth and healing.
A skilled holistic therapist can interweave concepts of chakras with parts work or attachment theory, creating a bridge to healing, for example. You may hear practitioners speak of “working with energy” or “energy work” in therapy. This may include using ideas of energy flow, chakras, and biofields as metaphor and symbolism for the experiences are tangible to you — what shows up in your mind and body. Therapy may integrate guided visualizations and meditations to help engage a different part of your brain to assist in healing.
Using Intuition in Holistic Therapy
Trust your intuition and also your doubts. Holistic approaches to therapy and healing should welcome you as you are, where you are. Healing is not about spiritual bypassing, magical wish fulfillment, or an easy way to enlightenment. Instead, adding energetic therapies into your healing or your therapy can be another tool in your toolbox. As with any new learning or approach, keep only what serves you and move you toward new perspectives, healing, and integration. Perhaps skepticism is a tool in your self-discovery, rather than an obstacle.
Connecting to Your Inner Wisdom
As you learn and read about energy work (chakras, energy fields, etc.), spend time with the emotions and reactions that show up. You may notice different parts — perhaps the Skeptic, Judge, Inner Child, Student, or others. Your unique self, past experiences, and current reactions (from extreme resistance to enthusiastic excitement) form a pathway for self-growth. Bring your creative, intelligent, and magnificent mind as you explore concepts of energy work.
Uncertainty as an Explorer’s Map
There is so much we do not know, even about ourselves. In my practice as a psychotherapist, clients are working through repressed emotions, internal conflicts, rejected aspects of themselves, broken relationships, trauma, and more. The path forward involves integration. I view this integration as the core healing work of therapy, bringing a holistic view of thoughts and feelings, mind and body, authenticity and idealism, boundaries and connection.
Inner work and healing builds upon an assumption of both-and rather than either-or. We can be grounded in Western science, but be open to expanded ways of understanding. We can embrace the traditions and views of our family and culture, yet appreciate that we do not have all of the answers. We can seek answers and knowledge, yet accept the inherent mystery of life with wonder.
An Invitation to Explore
Grounded in openness and curiosity, I extend an invitation to you to explore the foundational concepts of energy work, how they may be useful, and options for integrating energy work in your personal journey, from testing the waters to diving in the deep end.
As with any search, self-reflection is a critical step. What are the presuppositions, biases, and framework that you bring? What are you hoping to find? What is your why?
Since there is no exact guidebook around these concepts, the more important question is a practical one: so what? What does the exploration yield for you? What changes do you experience in your life? You may memorize the chakras, have a strong affinity for crystals or the idea of energy fields, but this may still be surface-level without integration of your intuition and inner guidance.
Future blog posts will explore some of the foundational concepts in energy work, starting with the chakras. These posts are invitations for reflection and for you to which concepts can be practically applied to your personal journey or further explored with your holistic therapist.
Interested in Starting Energy Work With a Holistic Therapist?
If you are curious to explore energy psychology concepts further with a holistic therapist, we can connect you with a holistic therapist that specializes in integrating these concepts with traditional psychotherapy.
Energy Psychology Therapists
Schedule a free 15-minute consultation to learn more. We are here to listen to your unique needs and help you find a holistic therapist who is a great fit for you.
Resources:
Follow psychotherapist Michelle Shlafman on YouTube to learn more about energy medicine, natural wellness, and mental health.
Resources for Resilience - self-help videos on various energy healing techniques
Feinstein. (2019). Energy psychology: Efficacy, speed, mechanisms. Explore (New York, N.Y.), 15(5), 340–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2018.11.003
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