Alternative Care for the Mind and Body Session 2 Energy Medicine Jennifer Kitchen July 2, 2013

“Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity” Hippocrates

Overview  Universal Energy  Benefits of Touch Therapies  Therapeutic Touch  Healing Touch  Reiki

Universal Energy  Not directly measurable  Does not lose power with distance  Cannot be blocked by barriers  (Micozzi, 2011)

Universal Energy  Energy Medicines  Qigong, Rieki, and Therapeutic and Healing Touch  Based on philosophy, historical use, and traditional use  Interaction between energy field and intention  (Micozzi, 2011)

Universal Energy  Bioenergy  Ki  Chi  Qi  Prana  (Micozzi, 2011)  Aura  Biofield  Meridian  Energy Pathway  Chakras  Local Energy Fields  (Feinstein and Eden, 2008)

Universal Energy  Reach  Efficiency  Practicality  Patient Empowerment  Quantum Compatibility  Holistic orientation  (Feinstein and Eden, 2008) Six Pillars of Energy Medicine

Benefits of Touch Therapies  Promotes health  Balanced energy in the body  Reduces anxiety  Improved muscle relaxation  Enhanced stress reduction  Improved mood  Improved functional status  Improved over-all health  Reduced blood pressure  Increased immune function  Increased ability to cope with pain  Decreased fatigue  (Feinstein and Eden, 2008)

Therapeutic Touch  The therapist  Places hands on or near the patient's body  Consciously directs the patient’s energies  Focuses on balancing the energies and stimulating the body's own natural healing  (The University of Minnesota, 2012)

Based on the assumptions that  Human beings are open energy systems  Illness is an imbalance in the energy field  Clearing or balancing the energy field promotes health  All humans have the natural abilities to heal  (The University of Minnesota, 2012)

 Taught in many nursing schools,  Categorized as a biofield energy therapy by NCCAM  Is not a substitute for medical treatment  It does complement conventional medical care  Is beneficial with other therapies  (The University of Minnesota, 2012)

Healing Touch  A Healing Touch session  Practitioner goes through a centering process  Practitioner becomes fully present with the patient  Practitioner focuses intention on patient's “highest good”  (The University of Minnesota, 2012)

Techniques  A gentle but firm physical touch  Placing of hands in the energy field surrounding the body  Continual reassessment of the client’s physical indicators  (Wilkinson, Knox, Chatman, et al, 2002)

 Complements other healing techniques  Conventional medical practices  Other Mind/Body oriented therapies  Not intended as a cure  (The University of Minnesota, 2012)

Reiki

The Five Precepts  Just for today, do not anger  Just for today, do not worry  Be humble  Be honest in your work  Be compassionate to yourself and others  (Arnold and Nevius,1982 & Miles and True, 2003)

Reiki  Extremely Passive Medicine  Hands gently on patient or just above the body  No attempt to adjust or reorganize energy field  No attempt to project energy into the body  Does not require an assessment of patient energies  (Micozzi, 2011)

Reiki Induced States of Awareness  Novel and paradoxical sensations  Disorientation in space and time  Altered experience of self, environment, and relationships  (Micozzi, 2011) Changes in Physical Measurements  Lowered stress and anxiety  Skin temperature lowered  Electromyographic readings lowered  Salivary cortisol level lowered  (Micozzi, 2011)

Questions

Time to Relax

References  Arnold, L. and Nevius, S., (1982). The Reiki Handbook. ParaScience International; PA.  Energy Intuitives, (n.d.). Energy Healing. Retrieved from  Feinstein, D. and Eden, D., (2008). Six Pillars of Energy Medicine: clinical strengths of a complementary paradigm. Alternative Therapies, 14:1, Retrieved from  Micozzi, M.S., (2011). Fundamentals of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (fourth edition). Missouri; Saunders Elsevier.  Miles, P. and True, G., (2003). Reiki—review of a biofield therapy history, theory, practice, and research. Alternative Therapies, 9:2, Retrieved from  The University of Minnesota, (2012). Healing Touch. Retrieved from touch touch  The University of Minnesota, (2012). Therapeutic Touch. Retrieved from practices/therapeutic-touch practices/therapeutic-touch  Wilkinson, D.S., Knox, P.L., Chatman, J.E., Johnson, T.L., Barbour, N., Myles, Y., and Reel, A., (2002). The Clinical Effectiveness of Healing Touch. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 8:1, 33–47. Retrieved from Effectiveness%20Article_ pdf Effectiveness%20Article_ pdf