When the nationally popular Australian Women’s Weekly runs an article supporting mental health that talks about ‘strengthening your energy body’ and ‘connecting to your Higher Self’ — as it does this month (November 2020) – then we can see that the cutting-edge field of energy medicine is arriving in the larger public consciousness.
Since 1933 the Weekly (actually, a monthly) has been an Australian icon, beloved by generations of women.
This current article on ‘Intuition Focus’ appears to tread new ground for its readers, going on to talk about the benefits of ‘becoming more aware of our subtle energetic body, also called your aura’.
It mentions living in energetic flow… scanning your energy boundaries… the Higher Self Embodiment Ritual… (Excerpts from ‘The Intuition Journal’ by Jo Chun Yan.)
Expanding the Western medicine view
People in the Western world are increasingly looking to ancient Eastern wisdom for help to live a more meaningful life, not only through meditation, but also through applying other concepts of health and healing.
Neuroscience is one of the scientific disciplines beginning to bridge the East-West divide. Joe Loizzo M.D., Ph.D. who trained in medicine and psychiatry at Harvard, puts it this way:
‘The subtle energy body model, popularly known as the chakra system from Indian yoga, was and is used as a map of central nervous system function in traditional Indian and Tibetan medicine, neuropsychiatry, and neuropsychology.’
How does EFT tapping fit in?
A leader in the new field of Energy Psychology is Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT tapping) for accelerated stress release. EFT utilizes one of our subtle body energy systems – combines ancient energy wisdom with modern psychology — and is science-backed.
EFT is an acupressure therapy based on the invisible meridian system of the body (used in acupuncture). Instead of involving needles, EFT uses tapping on endpoints of the meridian system to manage the impact of invisible energy of our thoughts and emotions on both our mental and bodily health.
For example, anxious thoughts and feelings stress your body. When the anxiety eases or vanishes through tapping on meridian endpoints in a focussed way, your body automatically relaxes.
‘Meridians?’ They’ve been a mainstay of Eastern medicine for thousands of years.
But is there any science on meridians?
Yes, although it’s early days. Recently scientists at Seoul National University confirmed and photographed a 1960s discovery by Dr. Kim Bong-Han. This is a newly revealed network of tubular structures throughout the body. which they have called ‘the primo-vascular system’. This network, they say, is the physical component of the meridian energy system, and may explain invisible ‘chi’ or ‘ki’ energy.
Energy medicine explained
EFT INTERNATIONAL board member Kate Munden explains energy medicine: ‘You are an electrical being. Your entire nervous system – an electromagnetic web interweaving every major organ – is interlaced with every other system of your marvellous body.
‘Energy medicine is based on the understanding that any physical, mental, or behavioural problem has a counterpart in the body’s (subtle) energies, and can be treated at that level.
‘It provides a holistic approach to healing by addressing not only your body, mind and spirit, but by working also with your emotions, past trauma, and even your relationships.
‘Western medicine and energy medicine can pair beautifully to support and revitalize your WHOLE being.’
The power of words
The word ‘meditation’ was a far-out topic for our grandparents. Now it’s a household word.
The woo-woo word ‘aura’ is now often dropped in favor of ‘our biofield’, an energy description more acceptable to the Western mind.
So, in other words — energy medicine adds biofield components of the human body to the Western health approach, to speed relief from ill health and pain. .. even, hopefully, to prevent some illness. EFT tapping is at the forefront of these developments.
References:
- ‘The Dao of Neuroscience: Combining Eastern and Western Principles for Optimal Therapeutic Change’ by C. Alexander Simpkins and Annellen M. Simpkins
- Kate Munden writing about the international ‘Energy Medicine & Healing Summit’ online event November 16-20, 2020.