Client experiences of virtual energy healing

Abstract

Context

During the COVID-19 pandemic medical and holistic health practitioners turned to utilizing virtual healthcare. As energy healing practitioners and educators who shifted to an online format, it seemed important to document descriptions of client experiences of virtual energy healing.

Objective

To describe client experiences of virtual energy healing sessions.

Design

Descriptive pre-post intervention design.

Setting and Interventions

Two experienced and eclectic energy healing practitioners developed a protocol and conducted energy healing sessions via Zoom.

Participants

A convenience sample of Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) Consociates, people of diverse life-styles and spiritual traditions who are committed to living the mission of the CSJs in the St. Paul Province.

Main Outcome Measures

Pre-post 10-point Likert scale rating of relaxation, well-being, and pain. Pre-post primarily qualitative questionnaires.

Results

Results indicated significant pre-post differences: pre-session relaxation (M=5.036, SD = 2.9) and post-session relaxation (M=7.86, SD = 6.4): t(13)=2.16, p=.0017*; pre-session well-being (M=5.86, SD = 4.29); post-session well-being (M=8, SD = 2.31), t(13), p=.0001*; pre-session pain (M=4.0, SD = 6.15) and post-session pain (M=2.25, SD = 3.41), t(13)=2.16, p=.004*. Thematic analysis revealed six themes related to client experiences of virtual energy healing: 1) embodied sensations, 2) relaxation, 3) release - a letting go of tasks/anxieties/worries, 4) sense of peace/joy/calm, 5) connection to themselves, others, and something larger, and 6) surprise that virtual energy healing works.

Limitations

This was a descriptive study using a convenience sample, therefore, there was not a control group, a large sample size, and the sample might be more prone to report better results than the general population because of their spiritual perspectives. Results were not generalizable.

Implications

Clients reported positive descriptions of virtual energy healing and say they would do it again. However more research is needed to understand the variables that influenced the results and the underlying mechanisms of action.

Introduction

We are energy healing practitioners and teach in a graduate program in Holistic Health Studies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we shifted to online teaching, including energy healing, and were surprised at our own experiences of virtual energy healing as well as the descriptions students and their virtual clients were reporting regarding virtual energy healing sessions. While there is literature documenting outcomes of in-person energy healing, and research related to distant healing, we found ourselves in an in-between space – virtual energy healing where the practitioner and client could see each other via technology but were not in the same physical space. After searching the literature and finding very little research on virtual energy healing, we designed this research project to describe client experiences of virtual energy healing sessions.

Literature review

Energy healing, also referred to as energy medicine and included with biofield therapies, describes a holistic healing practice focused on the existence and use of subtle energies, life force energy within and around the body, that can be supported to promote healing.¹ The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health simply states that energy healing therapy is “A technique that involves channeling healing energy through the hands of a practitioner into the client's body to restore a normal energy balance and, therefore, health (https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/providers/terms-related-to-complementary-and-integrative-health).

Jain et al.,² defined biofield therapies “as noninvasive, practitioner-mediated therapies that explicitly work with the biofield of both the practitioner and client to stimulate a healing response in the client” (p. 58). Rubik et al.,³ offered an explanation of the field to include “The biofield or biological field, a complex organizing energy field engaged in the generation, maintenance, and regulation of biological homeodynamics, is a useful concept that provides the rudiments of a scientific foundation for energy medicine and thereby advances the research and practice of it” (p. 8). Various adaptations of energy healing are practiced today including Therapeutic Touch, Reiki, and Healing Touch, all of which focus on the conscious use of life force energy to support the self-healing capacity of the individual.⁴ Many energy healing practitioners utilize an eclectic combination of the numerous methods, traditionally performed as an in-person practice.⁵

Evidence supporting the efficacy of in-person energy healing is encouraging. Basic science/laboratory studies such as⁶ are particularly interesting. Therapeutic Touch practitioners directed energy into human tissue fragments (tenocytes, fibro-blasts, and osteoblasts) in culture, and the results indicated a response towards growth. Research by Thomaz de Souza et al.,⁷ regarding wound healing in rats led to the conclusion that Therapeutic Touch might support wound healing through the fibroblast process. A further animal study⁸ demonstrated that Therapeutic Touch had an effect on cancerous tumors induced in mice by decreasing metastasis and modulating the immune system even though tumor size was not impacted. Shiah et al.,⁹ explored the growth of seeds with three Buddhist monks treating both seeds and their water with the intention to improve growth. The intentionally treated water supported growth while the results related to the treatment of the seeds required additional study. Gronowicz, Bengston, and Yount,¹⁰ discussed the many challenges of preclinical research. Of particular interest to us as practitioners was the impact of human intentionality, rating practitioner skills and standardization of methods, and a practitioner's mindset in working in the laboratory setting. “However, since many practitioners are accustomed to working with patients, preclinical studies can be difficult for practitioners since the initial step of centering and setting an intention for the treatment is complicated by relating to animals or a dish of cells”,⁸ p. 56). The authors also brought forward the potential ethical conflict between practitioners and scientists if, for example, the practitioner is asked to kill cancer cells. Despite these and numerous other challenges for preclinical biofield research, Gronowicz et al.,⁸ concluded: “Ultimately, preclinical models have the potential to powerfully inform future research aimed at understanding and exploration of biofield modalities” (p. 57).

As energy healing practitioners we noted that clients often respond to in-person energy healing with relaxation, pain relief, and a shift in mood towards calm and well-being. The literature supported our observations as related to multiple health conditions. Various energy healing modalities significantly reduced severity and incidence of pain.2, 11, 12 Additional pain-related benefits of energy healing included improved relaxation and quality of life,11, 13 as well as reduced anxiety12, 13, 14, 15 and decreased need for medication.¹² McManus¹⁶ reviewed studies and concluded in general that Reiki is better than placebo and impacted the parasympathetic nervous system for healing.

Energy Healing has been used to treat various chronic conditions such as cancer,11, 12, 15, 17, 18 pain,11, 12, 13, 15 and musculoskeletal disorders19, 20, 21 by alleviating patients’ symptoms and improving their overall quality of life. Rao et al.,²² conducted a systematic review for energy healing as a non-pharmacological therapy for improving symptom management of chronic illnesses and concluded energy healing showed some improvement in symptoms, but more efficacy research was needed. Potter's¹⁸ analysis of energy healing studies related to oncology was particularly noteworthy as it took an evidence-informed practice view of Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch, and Reiki in relation to oncology care and confirmed the positive benefits in relation to “pain, quality of life, fatigue, health function and mood” (p. 139). Potter¹⁸ wrote: “Directionality of healing in immune response and cell line studies affirms the usual explanation that these therapies bring harmony and balance to the system in the direction of health” (p. 139). Furthermore, energy healing was beneficial for those who suffer from mental health disorders,13, 15, 16, 23, 24, 25 as well as patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's²⁶ or other forms of dementia.²⁷

A brief discussion of the complex topic of distant healing is relevant given the virtual nature of this study. Early on, Schlitz, Radin, Malle, Schmidt, Utts and Yount²⁸ defined distant healing intention as “shielded from ordinary physical and psychological influences by means of spatial, temporal, and/or sensory shielding, i.e., exclusion of all known causal pathways of human interaction” (p. A31) and further distinguished it from mind-body energy therapies “…in which healers are in touch with or in close proximity to the target living system” (p. A31). Distant healing included a plethora of modalities. Schlitz et al.,²⁸ suggested a shared “assumption that distance between the healer and healee is not a limiting factor” (p. 67). Some studies focused on distance healing, intentionality, and prayer and produced optimistic results.29, 30 Dyer et al., (2021) found distant Reiki was associated with significant improvements in stress, anxiety, pain, and wellbeing for healthcare workers during the pandemic. Radin et al.,³¹ combed the literature on the practice of distant healing intention therapies and concluded, “while some significant experimental effects have been observed, the evidence to date does not yet provide confidence in its clinical efficacy” (p. 67). Most studies using distant healing have not included an on-line connection with the healer and client, using visual and verbal cues from a camera and microphone.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, in an effort to reduce the spread of the virus, the scope of healthcare changed dramatically as the practice of medicine shifted towards a virtual environment32, 33 used Zoom and other programs like it, with cameras and microphones. Patients were generally satisfied with primary health care virtual appointments and preferred remote consultations for specific appointments.³⁴ While there were many advantages to virtual care, including convenience and less exposure to COVID-19, there was also a loss of essential non-verbal communication and accessibility issues.³⁴ Virtual healthcare appointments seem here to stay33, 35 and have changed the overall context and mindset for conducting virtual energy healing sessions. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many energy healers shifted to a virtual format out of necessity (https://www.healingbeyondborders.org), focusing on self-care and reaching out to the community.³⁶ Reiki practitioners saw value in distant healing, but were clear it could not replace in person contact.³⁶ DiBenedetto,³⁷ recognizing the absence of research regarding distant Reiki during COVID-19, explored distant Reiki delivered by Zoom within the context of Rogers’ Science of Unitary Human Beings framework and found decreased perceived manifestations of stress and anxiety as well as “a noted transformative experience in participant well-being” (p. E158).

We propose virtual energy healing with an online connection is an in between space that does not fit squarely in the in-person energy healing nor the distant healing categories. Virtual energy healing may be a form of distant healing, however, we propose there are enough nuances given the larger cultural context that virtual business meetings/healthcare appointments/education are now the norm and that in virtual energy healing sessions the practitioner and client can see each other. Specific research related to virtual energy healing is needed. Thus, we began with a descriptive study of client experiences of virtual energy healing.

Method

Design and sample

This was a descriptive pre-post study collecting both qualitative and quantitative data and was approved by the St. Catherine Institutional Review Board at the expedited level, #1552.

We recruited a convenience sample of Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJ) Consociates, people of diverse life-styles and spiritual traditions who are committed to living the charism of the CSJs, always moving towards profound love of God and dear neighbor without distinction. Consociates are men and women, primarily white with some racial diversity, employed in a wide variety of jobs, located primarily in the Midwest, practice various religious traditions, and come from diverse family patterns. At the time of the study, there were 162 Consociates running in age from 29 to 95 in the St. Paul Province. We selected the Consociates because given their beliefs, they have a foundational orientation towards holistic health, an understanding of interconnectedness, and most likely an appreciation for energy healing. This sample includes 14 participants with an average age of 66, ranging from 41 to 82.

Recruitment

We sent a recruitment letter to request participants through the Consociate weekly emails that were distributed to all Consociates and two Rapid Relays, a daily message sent to the entire CSJ Community. Consociates interested in participating responded by clicking on a Qualtrics link included in the recruitment letter email. We then emailed/called participants to set up an appointment for the virtual energy healing session. Once a participant filled out the pre-questionnaire online, including the consent form, we contacted the participant to set up a virtual energy healing appointment and sent them an email reminder prior to the session.

Instrumentation

We used 4 instruments in this research study and describe each below.

Pre-questionnaire. We developed an online pre-questionnaire for this study that included a consent form, demographic information, and four questions related to previous experiences with energy healing: 1) Have you ever had an energy healing session before? 2) Have you ever had a virtual energy healing session before this study? 3) Have you ever participated in a workshop/educational session to learn about energy healing? And 4) Are you an energy healing practitioner?

Relaxation, pain, and well-being rating. We verbally asked participants to rate their level of relaxation, well-being, and pain at the beginning and end of the virtual energy healing session on a Likert scale of 1–10, with 1 being none at all and 10 being a lot. When participants responded with two options, e.g. “between a 3 and 4″ we either asked them to choose one, or we recorded the response numerically between the two numbers (e.g., 3.5).

Post questionnaire. We developed a post online questionnaire for this study that included demographic information, and seven questions related to their experience during the energy healing session: 1) Please describe your experience of virtual energy healing during this session. 2) Specifically, what did you experience physically, if anything? 3) Specifically, what did you experience psychologically/emotionally, if anything? 4) Specifically what did you experience spiritually, if anything? 5) What, if anything, surprised you about this session? 6) Based on this experience, would you seek out virtual energy healing sessions in the future? Why? And 7) Anything else you would like us to know?

Energy healing protocol

Two female academic researchers, with over 75 years of combined energy healing experience and educated in a variety of methods such as Therapeutic Touch, Reiki, Healing Touch, lay healing, shamanic healing, and Indigenous healing, provided virtual energy healing sessions via Zoom. The protocol used in this study was a synthesis based on principles primarily found in Therapeutic Touch, Reiki, and Healing Touch. It used basic principles of grounding, clearing, and connecting energetic centers that are common to many forms of energy healing. We developed the energy healing protocol, practiced on each other, offered a sample session to our research assistants, and piloted the protocol on two people not related to the study. At the beginning of the session, the randomly assigned practitioner welcomed the participant, asked if she had questions about the consent form, and confirmed the physical environment set up so that the researcher could see the participant's face on the computer screen. We began a session by saying to the client, Energy healing is used to support health, healing, and wellness. We are interested in your unique experience of energy healing. We also asked, is there anything that is important for me to know before we begin energy healing? Next the practitioner grounded and centered herself and held that the intention for the energy healing be the client's highest/best good. The practitioner verbally described to the client where she was working in the energy field or where she had her hands on the body. We began with the right foot saying, I'm holding your right foot; one of my hands is on the top of your foot and the other is on the bottom of your foot. We ‘held’ each foot and each hand. Next, we made multiple energetic passes over the energy field from head to toe with the intention of clearing the energy field followed by placing one hand on the occipital ridge and the other on the forehead. We then moved to placing hands on the shoulder and the elbow, to hands on the elbow and the hand, followed by the hip and knee to the knee and foot on each side of the body. The session ended with the practitioner placing one hand over the heart and one over the abdomen in the field and then both hands on the feet for grounding.

Data collection

At the beginning of the session, we asked participants to rate their current levels of relaxation, well-being, and pain on a scale of 1–10, with 1 being the least amount and 10 being the most. We then implemented the virtual energy healing protocol. At the end of the session, we again recorded their current levels of relaxation, well-being, and pain. After the session, we told each participant they would receive an email with a link for the post-session survey to complete within the hour.

Data analysis

We analyzed the data using descriptive statistics, paired two sample for means t-tests, and thematic analysis. For thematic analysis, the two researchers and a research assistant transferred the data into an excel spreadsheet where we each read the data across the rows and down each column to familiarize ourselves with the data. We each independently coded the data and then met as a group several times to identify patterns and name emerging themes.

Results

Participants included 14 people who identified as white females, with an average age 66. Thirteen of them had experienced a previous in-person energy healing session prior to this study. Two had a previous experience of virtual energy healing, one with Reiki and one with an Aryuvedic practitioner. Five participants had previously been participants in an energy healing workshop, including Reiki, qigong, and craniosacral therapy. Two identified as energy healing practitioners, but added these comments. I no longer do energy healing as part of my work, except at times during end of life, but typically I bring in healers for that. Another stated, I do not advertise as a practitioner but offer Reiki healing to friends and loved ones.

Descriptions of virtual energy healing

Relaxation, well-being, and pain

Results indicate significant differences in relaxation, well-being, and pain before and after sessions using paired two sample for means two-tailed t-tests: Pre-session relaxation (M = 5.04, SD = 2.9) and post-session relaxation (M = 7.86, SD = 6.4): t(13)=2.16, p=.0017*; pre-session well-being (M = 5.86, SD = 4.29); post-session well-being(M = 8, SD = 2.31), t(13), p=.0001*; and pre-session pain(M = 4.0, SD = 6.15) and post-session pain(M = 2.25, SD = 3.41), t(13)=2.16, p=.004*.

Embodied sensations

Participants described a wide range of embodied sensations, including energy flow, tingling, and experiencing colors during the virtual energy healing sessions. One participant described it as, I felt the energy flowing through my body. It was a tingling sensation. Another said she felt warmth & slight tingling in different areas as the energy moved from place to place. I saw varied colors at different times, pink, blue & yellow shades. Another participant also experienced colors, I felt my heart rate slow down and I saw colors. Purple when the energy was flowing and a dark red/black when it was blocked.

One participant described an openness and ability to breathe more freely. I also felt a surprising expansion of my breathing after a little while when [the practitioner] was working in my energy field and with one hand on my forehead.

Relaxation

Nearly all participants described a sense of deep relaxation: I was surprised by how relaxed I was during the session. Afterwards, I felt awake and alert. Another participant reflected on how relaxation helps her health. The energy healing helped me to get to a place of deep relaxation and has reduced pain that I experience at times. My health and wellness are improved when I reduce the stress level in my life. Relaxation is good for my blood pressure as well. One poetic description included, My experience was positive, as the session proceeded my entire body became relaxed and I felt as if I was floating. When the session ended I wanted to remain in that beautiful space and relaxed state I was in. Finally, When I came back I was so relaxed & I had more energy than before.

Release - letting go of tasks/anxieties/worries

Nearly all participants described experiences of release of some kind - energy, tasks, anxieties, and worries. I experienced the sensation of energy releasing up and away, like steam rising. Another described it as, The tension and discomfort in me lifted away. On a practical level one woman found it helpful to relieve some tension. I had just had my covid shot just a few days before and it helped with the pain and anxiety. For another, it was letting go of an earlier event in the day: I went through the emotional stuff from the morning and let it go. Another reported releasing the stress related to her tasks and the effects of doing so. I was feeling very anxious at the beginning about a long list of things that I need to get done, and feeling like my capability for getting any of them done was diminishing. As I focused on the experience, I found myself being more connected with myself. Being able to breathe in a much less constricted way helped me tremendously. After the experience, I'm no longer worried about those tasks. I'll still do them, but they won't haunt me or dominate my being.

Sense of peace/joy/serenity/calm

Several participants expressed their feelings of peace, joy, and serenity while receiving energy healing. It was a very positive experience and deepened my sense of calm and contentment. And the fact that healing was possible was so great. Other participants put it this way: I felt peace as if I was meditating and I was simply calmer from the day's business.

Connection - self, others, something larger

Participants expressed feeling a connection to themselves, others, and something larger. I felt peaceful and in touch with my spirit. Another participant described it as having, Deep gratitude for my body, reconciliation with myself, openness to healing from other people, stronger connection with community, knowing that I am held. Another described an energetic connection with the world: My image of God is the interconnectedness of all things and I felt that very strongly. Especially when I followed my breath and was able to turn down the mental chatter. I felt a kind of exchange of energy with the rest of the world; it didn't feel like a solitary, isolated experience.

Surprised it works

Participants expressed surprise at being able to feel the hands of the healer on their body. I've never had energy healing, although I've heard of it. I was surprised that I could feel [the practitioner's] hand on the top and bottom of my right foot, where she started. I could feel her hands everywhere else that she said. Another said, It was unexpected to feel the warmth of the hands on my body. I enjoyed that. A participant new to energy healing said she was surprised at, Pretty much everything, as I'd never experienced energy healing, even in person. I was surprised that I could feel [the practitioner's hand], surprised at the release of the restriction around breathing when (the practitioner) worked in my energy field, surprised that there was a different experience on my right and left sides, surprised that my jaws relaxed and even seemed to be healing (the way a sprained ankle might feel when it starts to heal). This participant had her expectations exceeded: I wasn't expecting this session to have much effect, if any. But despite those expectations, I'm still feeling a greater ability to breathe - much more than when I've tried to just do some deep breathing.

We'd do it again

All but one participant indicated based on this experience they would seek out virtual energy healing sessions in the future. I would not hesitate to add this to my ways for self care. And one described a benefit of virtual energy healing: It's so convenient not having to go anywhere.

Discussion

Results were statistically significant for increased relaxation, well-being, and decreased pain as is consistent with the literature.2, 11, 12, 13, 16, 21, 23, 37 Participants described their experiences of virtual energy healing as similar to in-person sessions. Given the significant relaxation effect, virtual energy healing has the potential to disrupt the stress response, one of the most prevalent health issues of our times.³⁸ Richeson, et al,¹³ suggested the effects of relaxation in reducing stress might also be applied to energy healing given relaxation is one of the key outcomes of energy healing.

There was equivocal evidence for distant healing.³¹ Reiki distant healing was a common form³⁹ and, although flexible in format, was not typically associated with technology. DiBenedetto³⁷ described Reiki delivered by Zoom as distant; we, as practitioners and researchers, categorize virtual energy healing as different from distant healing. The client and practitioner see each other (visual presence) and can communicate through the session. The practitioner can ask the client to visualize hand placement replacing sensory and proprioceptive cues with auditory ones. In addition, the practitioner can notice body language, changes in breathing as well as sighs, sounds and movement the client might make. It is interesting to note that all participants reported sensing virtual energy healing with themes identified as 1) embodied sensations, 2) relaxation, 3) release - a letting go of tasks/anxieties/worries, 4) sense of peace/joy/calm, 5) connection to themselves, others, and something larger, and 6) surprise that virtual energy healing works. DiBenedetto³⁷ reported similar findings with participants receiving distant Reiki by Zoom feeling “calm, peaceful, and relaxed” (p. E151), “comforting physical sensations” (p. E151), and “resolution of perceived stress and anxiety” (p. E152).

In³⁶ a study on Reiki during COVID-19, practitioners used technology to communicate with clients but made somewhat limited use of distant healing. “They saw value in adapting their practice as part of the future of the profession by utilizing new technology and distant Reiki healing, but were clear this could not replace in person contact”(p. 6). The authors indicated that clients were reluctant to participate in distant sessions. “Distant Reiki was considered a leap too far for most clients to comprehend as they were more likely to be open to the tangible nature of hands-on in person treatments”,³⁶ p. 6). Perhaps this is a mindset to be explored in relation to both clients and practitioners given participants in our study said they were surprised that virtual energy healing worked and would do it again indicating the receptivity of this particular sample. In the DiBenedetto³⁷ study, delivering distant Reiki by Zoom, “participants described feeling neutral or willing to try Reiki again in the future” (p. E152). More research is needed to challenge the mind set of practitioners like ourselves who value the power of human touch and in-person therapeutic presence and may be undervaluing distant healing and virtual healing. In addition, expanding distant healing to a virtual format may provide additional cues and practitioner support that make it more acceptable to practitioners and clients.

In this study, we had an unanticipated older population with an average age of 66; there was a ready willingness from participants to use technology for virtual energy healing, which is in contrast to Abdurahaman and Payne's³⁶ research where elders were reluctant to use technology. More data is needed to explore if elders are receptive to virtual energy healing or if technology has too many barriers. Results from this study indicated positive descriptions of client experiences of virtual energy healing for elders. This specific sample, Consociates of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, might also be more prone to report better results than the general population as they might be described as “spiritual”. Participants’ comments supported the spiritual dimension of virtual energy healing by eliciting a sense of connection that potentially lessened isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic and aging. Virtual energy healing offered convenient access beyond in-person sessions and might contribute to an expanded use of energy healing and the resulting benefits. DiBenedetto³⁷ supported the “importance of developing socially distant healing modalities for mental wellness, self-care, and wellbecoming” (E158).

Given that virtual healthcare seems here to stay, we invite our colleagues to join us in future research about the virtual energy healing environment and move beyond descriptions of client experiences to efficacy while clearly articulating paradigmatic assumptions. We also invite others to join us in untangling the nuances of in-person energy healing, distant healing, and virtual energy healing. Let us keep exploring these ideas as practitioners, teachers, researchers, and clients to better understand why clients reported increased relaxation, well-being, and less pain, as well as embodied sensations and positive experiences of virtual energy healing.

Limitations

This research is framed from a criticalist research paradigm, with its ontological assumptions that the reality of nature can only be seen through a value window and, therefore, objectivity is neither desirable nor possible; its subjective relativist epistemology, that acknowledges there is a subjective relationship between the knower and the known and objectivity is not possible; and axiological underpinnings of social consciousness.⁴⁰ Based on our paradigmatic assumptions, our research bears a descriptive purpose rather than an exploratory or explanatory purpose. We did not intend to compare, contrast, predict, or control the outcomes; therefore, we did not have a control group, standardized measures, and a large sample size. From a positivist paradigm, with its ontological assumption of being able to measure specifically for an outcome that can predict and control natural phenomenon, an objectivist epistemological belief that the researcher must adapt a noninteractive relationship with the people participating in the research; and axiological beliefs of order, prediction, and control, the lack of a control group, standardized measures and a large sample size can be seen as problematic and perhaps interpreted as the results were influenced by clients’ expectations rather than the actual virtual energy healing. However, what we do in this study is describe client experiences, regardless of the outcome or the reason for the outcome. Client descriptions of virtual energy healing are sparse in the literature, and given the shift to virtual healthcare as a result of COVID-19, this research makes a contribution to the current literature.