By Gedalia Genin, PhD

Vibrational medicine or energy healing was once dismissed as little more than “quackery.”

Some Western doctors may cling to such outmoded thinking, but for many doctors, energy healing is as essential a tool as a physician’s stethoscope. Indeed, integrative physicians routinely refer patients for energy healing to remove energetic blocks in the form of trauma, grief, loss, sexual abuse or everyday stress and fatigue.

Antidepressants are no longer the immediate go-to. This is certainly true in my own practice when I worked with the well-known integrative doctor—Tasneem Bhatia, MD.

Negative impressions collect over time in the human energy field much like a dirty attic collecting dust. Once this dust is removed, a person gains clarity, renewed vitality, and can embark on a clear path to whole health.

Rather than fixing symptoms, physicians, therapists, and healers are more and more often looking to address the root cause of physical symptoms. Many would say that the genesis of the ailment is almost always emotional: a dysfunctional marriage, unexpressed grief, the loss of a partner or pet, financial loss, work stress or children departing the home to live on their own, or a child’s inability to find her own way. Emotions that have been belittled or repressed can affect the body in various ways.

Haven’t you experienced this yourself? You go to a mall and leave exhausted but head to a hiking trail with waterfalls and wildflowers and feel rejuvenated. That’s energy. You sit with complaining people and feel drained, but a few friends tell some jokes over dinner and everyone is uplifted. We experience energy every moment. We are drawn to certain relationships based upon energy.

But there’s a deeper energy science is discovering, our perception and how it affects our chemistry. There is an exciting arena of research spearheaded by Bruce Lipton, PhD, called Epigenetics that reveals that what we think and feel controls whether genes lean toward genetic predisposition of disease or change. This new paradigm goes beyond the human body as merely flesh, bones, joints, tissues, and systems but rather sees the body as an energy field or bio-field of energy inclusive of things we cannot always see. Einstein said, “The field is the only reality.” We are all part of a giant quantum energy field.

Ayurveda, the traditional holistic system of medicine from India, shows how the mind and the body are inextricably connected. A core premise is that nothing has more power to heal and transform the body than the mind.

Millennia before Western medicine, Ayurveda accurately described the human energy system and depicted, in detail, where the main energy centers in the body are located and how they work. Correcting imbalances in one’s energy centers fine-tune a person’s physical, emotional, and mental health. Its vibrational toolkit can include color, sound, or specific yoga postures.

These energy centers, also known as “chakras,” and the energy field surrounding the body can be seen using Kirlian and other special photographic techniques. Dr. Kelly Brogan writes in her book A Mind of Your Own, “Energy medicine acknowledges that, fundamentally, our existence on this planet is attributable to unseen and poorly understood forces. Energy medicine does not rely on fallible beliefs about biology, the latest greatest paper, nor the reigning trend in combating disease.

It relies simply on the gifts of healers who can unlock the bodies healing potential, it puts us back in touch with our most fundamental driver—that chi, prana, or shakti or whatever word we use to describe that undeniable vital force that infuses our body with life and our mind with clarity and ease.”

Can energy healing be so easy?

The earliest practitioners of Ayurveda understood that the body is made up of more than flesh, bones, muscles, tendons, and joints. They recognized and mapped the body’s vibrant pathways or energy channels that crisscross our nervous system and entire body. In traditional Chinese medicine, these are known as meridians. In Tibetan and Ayurvedic medicine, they are referred to as “nadis”—72,000 of them.

Imagine a superhighway of channels that connect your entire being, an intricate spider web without beginning or end. A recent exhibition of Tibetan history at the Emory Museum, Doorway to an Enlightened World, included a diagram drawn on parchment paper that illustrated this unique map of our physiology dating back thousands of years.

Jonathan Goldman, author of Healing Sounds: The Power of Harmonics, writes: “If parts of the body become imbalanced, they may be healed through projecting the proper and correct frequencies back into the body.”

Vibrational Medicine helps heal the energy body through therapies such as acupuncture and Marma —sensitive points in the body through which energy flows—to assess any imbalances or disharmonies. These areas can then be treated using the frequency from flower essences, sound, therapeutic essential oils, homeopathy, color, botanical herbs, and crystals. Each sound, color, crystal, or flower essence has a specific quality that is beneficial for a human organ, system, or emotion.

When the flow of energy along these lines or “nadis” is impeded, we feel sluggish or ill. But when our energy flows smoothly and freely, we experience vibrant health. Just as a river needs to flow freely within its banks, so too does the energy in our bodies if we are to feel clear and energetic. By shifting the bio-field we shift the body toward health and wellness. Since the mind and body are inseparable, Ayurveda prescribes many tools to lessen overthinking, obsessing over the past or future, or other habits of mind that yank us out of the present moment.

The mind naturally finds poise and restful awareness through the practice of meditation, yoga, tai chi, qigong, gardening, dance, and creativity. 

One form of energy medicine that is now mainstream is acupuncture. Many major insurance companies cover this ancient practice for pain relief, cessation of smoking, fertility, relieve headaches, fibromyalgia, fatigue, anxiety, osteoarthritis, menstrual cramps, and more. Marma, the energy therapy of Ayurveda, works with the chakras to clear the emotional body, while acupuncture works with meridians to affect the physical body.

Marma or Marmani are energy points that lie along the front and back of the body. When gently pressed, the “prana” or life force in our bodies is stimulated releasing an inner pharmacy of natural chemicals such as serotonin, melatonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. Marma therapy relieves pain on all levels, increases energy flow, can be anti-aging and is restorative, calming and grounding.

It increases a sense of overall well-being and has the unique benefit of being able to change one’s perspective. Marma is only taught from teacher to student. Marma can also serve as a diagnostic tool where the practitioner can detect imbalances in the doshas, organs, and bodily systems revealing valuable clues to healing. Both ancient systems of medicine recognize that each organ has an emotional, mental, and physical component potentially storing past and present emotional trauma.

Some people find touch therapies reach deeper places in the unconscious than traditional talk therapy. Each approach has its benefits. Some touch therapists assert that their touch healing modalities access alternative pathways to the brain to change ingrained patterns.

Is raising my frequency essential to my health?

Researchers found that the frequency range of the human body ranges between 62 to 68 MHz, and when it drops below that, we may be subject to disease. Interestingly, cold symptoms appear at 58 MHz, flu symptoms at 57 MHz, candida at 55 MHz, Epstein bar at 52 MHz, and cancer at 42 MHz. Simply put, if we can keep the body frequency high enough, and well oxygenated, we can remain disease free.

The body’s trillion or so cells face formidable threats, and one of these comes from chemicals known as free radicals. Antioxidants came to public attention in the 1990s, when scientists began to recognize their harmful effects. Antioxidants were seen as a way to eradicate the negative energy in our body and up the ante with oxygenating foods such as colorful fruits and vegetables. In addition to food, yoga, breath work, healthy relationships, exercise, chanting, meditation, and positive emotions, these key ingredients serve to promote wellness and “good vibes.”

How can I raise my frequency?

Here’s a startling fact: essential oils are said to possess the highest frequency of any substance known to man. Ancient Egyptians used aromatic botanicals when preparing the deceased for mummification. Royal embalmers used botanicals such as cinnamon, and the resin from frankincense, myrrh, and ancient cedars and junipers to create essential oils.

Essential oils are easy to use and easy to carry—with no negative side effects. They are truly nature’s gifts! A few drops of peppermint reduce stomach aches, improve mental focus, and release tight muscles. A lemon essential oil can cleanse toxins, stimulate lymph drainage, and boost energy. Lavender oil reduces anxiety, improves sleep, and can alleviate burns and headaches.

 Be sure to use high-quality, therapeutic grade oils that are organic, wildcrafted. Low-quality essential oils may be packaged with toxic ingredients that counteract the benefits of aromatherapy. What you apply to your skin goes directly into your bloodstream. When you use a high-quality oil, you will feel the results almost immediately within 15 minutes of application. Essential oils can benefit physical, mental, and emotional health.

How do I use essential oils?

Aromatherapy, as it is known, is inhaling essential oils through a diffuser which is normally plugged into a wall socket. The best diffusers have a cool air mist (avoid heated diffusers which destroy the oils’ essential properties). Simply add ten to fifteen drops of your favorite oil into the diffuser or use a combination of oils.

There are also other effective ways to use essential oils such as adding oil to a bath. Just ten drops of therapeutic grade lavender, chamomile, rose, or ylang ylang can be nourishing and healing after a busy day. A compress can easily be made by using warm distilled water—one cup with two to three drops of oil. Dip a cloth in the water and apply. A couple of essential tips when it comes to oils:

• Always dilute them when using on the body (eg, with coconut oil, sesame, jojoba, or sweet almond)
• Don’t ingest them unless directed by the manufacturer and be cautious using them on pets and children. There are specific dilutions for children and pets that you can find with a little research.
• Don’t apply oils to open wounds.

Here is a simple recommendation for emotional healing:

Add two drops with a carrier oil. Apply to the bottom of the feet, behind the neck or ears and on your wrists, or add it to your bath or in your body massage oil.

For the following emotional states, use:

• Mood Swings—geranium
• Anxiety—lavender, frankincense, and sandalwood
• Anger—jasmine, rose, sage 
• Confidence—jasmine and rosemary 
• Depression—lavender and juniper
• Fear—ylang-ylang and frankincense
• Grief/Loss—rose, ylang-ylang, and neroli. 
• Balance hormones—clary sage and holy basil
• Grounding—vetiver
• Fatigue (mental, emotional, or physical)—nutmeg, juniper, geranium

Essential oils are highly effective for emotional healing as they affect the limbic part of the brain and promote awareness. Oils such as frankincense and sandalwood have high frequencies and are used for meditation. White Angelica can ward off negative energy and are often used by healers to protect their energy.

The best advice when using essential oils is to follow your nose. If you feel attracted to the scent of an essential oil, it is most likely good for you. Essential oils are a concentrated combination of a plant or tree bark, leaves, and stems, and hold the vibrational quality of that plant’s intelligence. They somehow have a way of speaking to your highest need. Ask and you shall receive.

The American Holistic Nurses Association is now training RNs to use therapeutic grade essential oils, also known as aromatherapy, in a clinical setting.

I first began using essential oils when our children were young. I would apply a dab of Young Living Thieves oil to their feet before school and a bit of vetiver before sleep as a daily ritual. If they had a fever, I would mix peppermint and lavender with a carrier oil like sesame or sweet almond oil and apply it on their spine.

The peppermint would help to break the fever without the use of over-the-counter medications. My son could soon return to class and playing tennis within a few days. After many years of competitive athletics, I once awoke with a ruptured disc. The therapist who came to my home used essential oils on my back—Roman chamomile, valor, and lavender. After a few weeks of rest, oils, and the use of a TENS unit my back healed, much to the surprise of my orthopedist. He was curious what I had done to heal so quickly.

Ten oils I recommend you start with are:

• Lavender
• peppermint or spearmint
• eucalyptus
• lemon
• orange
• rosemary
• ylang-ylang
• sandalwood
• geranium
• holy basil.

The following companies sell high-quality essential oils: Young Living (Utah), Mountain Rose (Oregon), Nature’s Gifts (Tennessee). Bulk Apothecary also has organic oils providing more competitive pricing. Diffusers can be purchased through any of these companies.

Color

I like red, you may prefer blue or someone else loves green. So, what’s in a color? Just like the colors of the rainbow, each color contains a vibratory frequency, much as musical notes. We know that red means stop, and green means go, black is generally worn at funerals, and white at weddings. But there are more profound ways colors affect our emotions. Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian founder of the esoteric spiritual movement known as anthroposophy and Waldorf schools, advocated painting each classroom a different color depending on the developmental age of the child.

For example, the kindergarten was painted in peachy tones representing the softness of the soul. He found this soothed the often out of control energy of young children. Orange or ginger is often recommended on the walls in a dining area to help digestion, while blue or lavender for a room promotes a good night’s sleep. Green fosters calm, while red can be stimulating.

The body’s subtle energy system mirrors the rainbow, starting from the root chakra and up to the crown, in a spectrum of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

Colored light therapy, known as chromotherapy, is used in Europe to heal various physical conditions. Wrapping a cup of water in colored tissue paper and setting it under the sunlight can infuse it with colored light. In India, while completing my clinical training in Ayurveda, I witnessed my teacher, Vasant Lad recommend selected patients wrap a glass of water with green tissue paper, set it on the windowsill for an hour and then drink it to absorb the vibrations of light. Green was chosen to reduce stress and anxiety.

We are continuously encouraged to eat “colorful” food so we can receive the “full spectrum” of light into our bodies, thereby raising our oxygen intake and frequency. 

When we spend time in nature, we bathe our bodies in the full spectrum of colored light nourishing us on all levels. The Vitamin D benefits are essential for over 300 bodily functions including the absorption of other minerals such as magnesium.

—

Well Being Journal adapted this passage from Enough Drugs! I Am a Woman and Can Heal Naturally: A Practical Guide to Feeling Your Best, copyright 2017 by Gedalia Healing Arts.

For more than 15 years as a holistic practitioner Gedalia has helped women uncover new pathways to health and vitality by drawing on a wealth of holistic gems: Ayurveda, Marma energy healing, aromatherapy, gemstones, nutrition, meditation, breathwork, sound healing, naturopathy, creativity, sound healing, and her skilled healing gifts. Learn more at www.gedaliahealingarts.com.