'What Is Energy Medicine?': A Cross–Cultural And Transpersonal Perspective

Energy Medicine is a generic designation that covers a wide variety of healthcare modalities and practices, as developed, over the course of many thousands of years, by different cultures and individuals across the globe. Despite this geographical, methodological and temporal variance, however, at the heart of all Energy Medicine paradigms and practices can be said to rest two core understandings of the Universe, and a single, consequential realisation of our place within it. While diffuse cultures and individuals have, out of this awareness, created and named numerous different cosmologies, the premises on which these are founded can, nonetheless, be asserted as being more or less similar.

First and foremost among this foundational wisdom is the awareness that the Universe is comprised of both an Interior and an Exterior. While the Exterior, which we might synonymously call Matter, is, of these two facets of the Cosmos, the one most immediately perceivable to the human senses, for the Energy Medicine practitioner, nevertheless, focus is placed primarily in the Interior, which we might synonymously call Consciousness. The reason for this is the awareness that, despite the Exterior and Interior being independent phenomena, in those situations where they do co-exist, as in the case of a human being, it is the Interior which directs and orchestrates the Exterior. From this perspective, Consciousness informs Matter, or, in other words, there is an understanding that what is experienced by a human being at the physical level, whether in their own material body or in the world at large, is a consequence of what is occurring within their own Consciousness. The implication of this for any and each individual is that what is experienced in the exte
al world is a consequence of what is resident in their internal world; ipso facto, the Energy Medicine practitioner, when called upon, collaboratively engages with the client primarily at the level of their Consciousness, so as to effectively and permanently alter that person's subsequent physical experience(s).

The second shared understanding among Energy Medicine practitioners is that, as Einstein later famously evidenced with the equatio
E=mc², everything in the know
Universe is composed, fundamentally, of energy. Despite this ultimate constitutional unity, however, this universal energy does not take the same form in the Exterior and in the Interior; while Matter can be asserted as a condensed, static energy form, in the realm of Consciousness energy exists in a more fluid, subtle state. With this in mind, it might be reasonably ascertained that Consciousness is essentially a phenomenon composed of subtle energy or energies. On this basis, any health care practice that addresses and engages with Consciousness can be designated as Energy Medicine, both to indicate the raw substance of what is worked with and also to distinguish its methodology from that of health care practices which primarily address the Exterior.

Out of these two premises arises a third common awareness among Energy Medicine practitioners, as well as among those interested in an engagement with, and a refinement of, their own Consciousness. This is the realisation of the ability and necessity, if one aspires to experiencing life in the world of Matter, on Earth, on their own terms and in ways that are reflective of their own conscious choices, to take full responsibility for one's inner life. In this context, one of the primary benefits of Energy Medicine is, therefore, that it enables and encourages an individual to embrace and utilise this capacity for personal responsibility, so that they may gradually become master of their own destiny. One of the core ways in which this process of self-mastery is facilitated by Energy Medicine, no matter what specific techniques the practitioner may use, is through helping the client to shed whatever it is residing in their Consciousness, which at the personal level might also be called an Energy Body or Soul, that prevents them from feeling able and willing to take full responsibility for their life. Such impediments, the accumulated legacies of our ancestral, cultural, personal and social pasts, exist as (subtle) energetic imprints stored in our Consciousness, and as such can be easily and gently located and transmuted by a skilled Energy Medicine practitioner, even if the client them self is not aware of their existence.

Despite this common objective and philosophy among such practitioners, however, there exists a wide variety of disciplines, modalities and procedures that fall under the rubric of Energy Medicine. While, as noted, this can be partly explained as a consequence of cultural diversity and personal idiosyncrasy, two further factors are worth noting, ultimately so as to enable the prospective client to have a clearer idea of which practitioner might be the most suitable one for them to work with. To this end, firstly, it is important to realise that in order for Energy Medicine to have the most potent effect and the greatest benefit for the recipient, what is required prior to any clinical work being undertaken is awareness of what is residing in the client's (Sub-) Consciousness – as the adage goes one cannot work with what they are not aware of. Numerous ways – talking, writing, art, drama, to name but a very few – have evolved to facilitate this insight; because they all lead to more or less the same conclusion (depending, of course, on the skill of the practitioner and the dedication of the client) then there is no 'right one' that the prospective client must utilise. Rather, there is a choice – the criteria for selecting which awareness practice to employ should perhaps be that methodology which is most enjoyable, and which is easy to relate to, two qualities that can enable and encourage a person to venture inside their being.

A second crucial component is the fact that within our Soul exists a complex of different energetic systems – of which the chakras and the meridians are perhaps the most commonly known – and the modality offered might work specifically with one or more of these networks, depending on its traditional cosmology and field of expertise, as, for example, is the case with acupuncture, which focuses on the meridians. Alte
atively, practitioners might simply work with the Energy Body in its totality. In light of such a wealth of approaches and varied focuses, withi
Consciousness itself, it might be beneficial to the prospective client to conduct prior research, so as to establish what they feel is the most appropriate modality for them based on their need(s) and preference(s).

That all said, perhaps the greatest determinant of who one should work with should be the practitioner them self – who is it that you can most easily relate to, and with whom could you imagine yourself to be comfortable and relaxed in discussing intimate aspects of your life? It has been my repeated experience that the most potent healing, the greatest refinement of Consciousness, occurs when there is rapport between the client and the Energy Medicine practitioner. May you find whoever it is with whom you can share that personal connection!