The Healing Process

The Healing Process

'It is believed by experienced doctors that the heat which oozes out of the hand, on being applied to the sick, is highly salutary... It has often appeared, while I have thus been soothing my patients, as if there were a singular property in my hands to pull and draw away from affected parts aches and diverse impurities, by laying my hand upon the place, and by extending my fingers towards it.'

Hippocrates, physician in ancient Greece (460-370 BC) and founder of the Hippocratic Oath taken by all modern doctors

All living things are far more than a collection of chemical ingredients. There is an energy, a Life Force which makes us alive - we are in effect Energy Beings. Furthermore, we are surrounded by different energies which affect us constantly. We aren't brought up to recognise it, but we all sense other people's energy to some extent and this comes out in everyday language. Ever seen a roomful of people all perk up when a particular person walks in, even before they speak? Ever said of someone 'She's happy - she's really glowing!' or 'There's a black cloud hanging over him!' ? You have sensed their energy fields - their Aura. When we feel good our auras expand to fill more space around us; when we feel tired or ill or down, our auras contract.

A rich range of cultures, from Indian and Chinese to Mayan and Australian Aborigine - have traditions of the importance of energy points running up the spine, usually known in this country as Chakras. These are the connections between the Aura and important organs in the physical body. Ever felt bad news or criticism like a blow to the solar plexus? That's the site of the third chakra, which deals with self-esteem. All cultures know the heart area - the fourth chakra - as the place love comes from.

Because we are these wonderful complex Energy Beings, it really doesn't work to split up issues in our lives into nice tidy little boxes labelled 'physical aches and pains', 'emotional problems', and so on. We all know that depressed people can feel tired and be more prone to physical illness, whereas happy people look well and do lots more with their lives.

Healers are people who can access energy from outside themselves and channel it to the energy system of someone else who needs it. That person's energy system then can use it to help restore flow and balance. When I say that I am a healer I am well aware of having to avoid ego-trips, as the healing power comes through me but not from me. I'm a sort of human conduit. We all have the ability to do this; my system has, if you like, had some of the hidden switches in the human system set to 'on'. You could do it too if you wanted.

When I give healing I can have the client sit on an ordinary dining chair or they can lie on a treatment couch if available - this can be very good for longer treatments and is obviously a good way to settle down and unwind more quickly. They may need a little time to relax. I will stand behind them. I may rest my hands lightly on their shoulders for a minute or so to 'tune in' to their energy field. I then put my hands in various positions around their body, working on the aura. I work around the chakra system, sensing blockages and overactive or underactive energy centres and I may make brushing or sweeping motions to move energy on. Some healers use music while giving treatment, but as a musician I actually find it distracting and in any case taste in music is very personal. A light, peaceful atmosphere in the room used is, however, very important.

*Clients naturally don't need to undress. Healing energy can be felt working right through many layers of clothing!

*I don't touch the body - it's unnecessary. These days I work at a much greater distance from the body than when I first became involved in Healing work, as I am much more aware of the aura. I feel it as a kind of 'bouncy' or 'springy' field around people. I can actually feel it all the way up my forearms when making sweeping motions.

Healing works at an energy system level. What happens during healing is different every time and the effects may work through over days and weeks, but it can be summed up as Gentle - Safe - Powerful. During the session both healer and client may feel warmth and tingling. People I have given healing to have reported feeling occasional twinges, perhaps when tension is released from muscles; they usually report feeling peaceful, drowsy and relaxed and some say that they have felt pains or headaches disappearing. They need some time to become 'grounded' again when I have finished.

Healing is not curing. When my son was a baby he was screaming in distress with dreadful colic, so I gave him healing and this sent him off to sleep immediately - in the time-honoured cliché, he 'went out like a light', which felt quite remarkable at the time. The long-term fix for the problem was to stop using cows' milk as he had an intolerance for it, but the healing gave him (and us!) some much needed rest. I was privileged to give my father healing in his final hours before he died from lung cancer and pneumonia. There was no way the cancer was going to suddenly vanish, as his time had run out. What I believe it did do was to make his passing over more comfortable. Healing implies, not going back to some mythical perfect state, but growth and moving on.

Healing doesn't make big emotional or physical issues 'go away' but it can really help people deal with them alongside other approaches.