Wellness: Energy medicine
Do you remember in Grade 9 science when we learned about the particle theory of matter? We were taught that matter is anything that has mass and takes up space, and that matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms. These atoms are in constant motion and there is space between atoms. Atoms attract each other and as temperature increases, particles of matter move faster. On a subatomic level at the centre of all atoms is a nucleus made up of protons and neutrons. Swimming outside the nucleus are electrons. Does anyone else remember the toothpick and styrofoam-ball model of an atom they made in high school? What I don’t remember learning about was the space that exists inside an atom. How big is that space and what do we call it? Turns out quantum physics now knows that atoms are 99.99999 percent space (.00001 percent matter).
Elders and mystics have been utilizing this “space” for transformation for millennia.
Also interesting is that electrons form more of a cloud swarming in orbits around a nucleus and that protons or neutrons are made of tiny, tiny particles known as quarks.
Cool science aside, the purpose of this column is not physics but wellness, so how does this all relate? Conventional medicine, at its core, focuses on matter – cells, tissues, and organs. Energy medicine, at its core, focuses on energy fields (space) that organize and influence the growth and repair of cells, tissues, and organs. When there are disturbances in energy it impacts the body and vice versa.
Energetic healing modalities work with the vital energy force within and around the human body to restore the flow of energy known as chi in Traditional Chinese Medicine; prana in Indian medicine; and Great Spirit in Indigenous medicine. Practiced for thousands of years, there are two main categories of energy healing – veritable and putative. Veritable energy medicine uses light and sound to heal and putative energy medicine influences the body’s energy fields through the use of hands, accupoints, needles, intentions or meditation. A sound bath or pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy would represent veritable energy medicine, and acupuncture, Tai Chi, or Reiki would be examples of putative energy medicine. In future columns I look forward to sharing my first hand experiences with various energy healing modalities.
The type of energy medicine that I practice is a combination of techniques that are designed to restore flow, balance, and harmony in the body. This is done through clearing and unblocking energetic resistance in the form of emotional or
thinking patterns, utilizing sound, therapeutic touch, crystals and stones. I have healed many emotional and physical aspects of myself utilizing a balanced approach of conventional techniques, nutrition, and energy medicine. As science progresses, we will undoubtably learn more about the nature of matter and non-matter which will inform how we view and heal the human body, mind and spirit.
I threw out my model of the atom many, many years ago but the imprint of its story and missing chapters keeps me curious about the nature of matter and non-matter.
Nicole Hambleton is a wellness coach, meditation, and energy medicine practitioner living in Mulmur. You can learn more about her services at purpletentwellness.com.
