Energy Healing
Our Bodies Function As Dynamic Energy Systems
The current practice of western or mainstream medicine is based on the Newtonian level of reality. Doctors view the body as a type of machine that is controlled by the brain and peripheral nervous system. However, there is ample room for skepticism.
“If one regards oneself as a skeptic, it is a good plan to have occasional doubts about one’s skepticism.”
—Sigmund Freud
Even mainstream medicine recognizes the placebo effect as an example of the power of the mind to heal. The placebo effect is demonstrated by giving a patient a dummy pill, which is a pill without medication in it, that creates an expectation of healing so powerful that symptoms vanish.
A landmark study conducted by Irving Kirsch, Ph.D. showed that “the difference between the effect of [a] placebo and the effect of an antidepressant is minimal for most people…whatever difference is clinically insignificant. People get better when they take the drug, but it’s not the chemical ingredients of the drug that are making them better, it’s largely the placebo effect.” Kirsch discussed this on 60 Minutes, where the interviewer said to him, “You are throwing a bomb into this (pharmaceutical companies). This is huge.” (Treating Depression: Is there a Placebo Effect?)
The Newtonian level of reality upon which mainstream medicine rests ignores the unified nature of the body. Matter is ultimately organized energy, and our bodies, therefore, function as dynamic energy systems. Your body has more than 60 trillion cells. Contemporary bioelectromagnetics tells us that each and every one of your cells operates as a little wireless transmitter and receiver of electromagnetic energies, including visible light. We are quite literally beings of light.
This energy is also referred to as life force. Eastern cultures have been quite familiar with it for ages. It is called prana in India, qi or chi in China, and ki in Japan. Prana was referenced in the 3,000-year-old Chandogya Upanishad.
This life force or field of energy was confirmed by the leading scientists of the 20th Century:
“All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force….We must assume that behind this force a conscious and intelligent mind exists. This mind is the matrix of all matter.”
—Max Planck, one of the founding fathers of quantum physics
“We may, therefore, regard matter as being constituted by the regions of space in which the field is extremely intense….There is no place in this kind of physics both for the field and matter, for the field is the only reality.”
—Albert Einstein, Nobel Prize Physics 1921
An emerging field of healing, energy healing, is based on the Einsteinian paradigm that matter is an expression of energy. Energy healers use specialized forms of energy to positively affect energetic systems that may be out of balance due to disease. For example, acupuncture is a commonly known ancient energy healing modality that rebalances the flow of energy. In recent years, a variety of new energy healing approaches have been introduced, such as Reiki and sound healing. The books on the following list include many forms of energy healing as well as the mind’s remarkable ability to heal the body.
Books about Energy Healing
Note: Book titles are linked to amazon.com, which offers numerous book reviews.
Achterberg, Jeanne, Ph.D.
Imagery in Healing: Shamanism and Modern Medicine
by Jeanne Achterberg, Ph.D., 253 pages (2002)
Alacantara, Margarita
Chakra Healing: A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Healing Techniques that Balance the Chakras
by Margarita Alcantara, 190 pages (2017)
Website: AlcantaraAcupuncture.com
Video: How To Open Your Third Eye
Bradshaw, John
Healing the Shame that Binds You
by John Bradshaw, 316 pages (1988)
Bradshaw is known as the “founding father of the self-help movement.” He pioneered the concept of the “inner child” and brought the term “dysfunctional family” into the mainstream. This book and five of his other books were New York Times bestsellers. His books have been published in 42 languages.
Brennan, Barbara Ann, Ph.D.
Core Light Healing: My Personal Journey and Advanced Healing Concepts for Creating the Life You Want to Live
by Barbara Ann Brennan, Ph.D., 204 pages (2017)
Brennan is a bestselling author and former NASA physicist.
Light Emerging: The Journey of Personal Healing
by Barbara Ann Brennan, Ph.D., 352 pages (1993)
Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field
by Barbara Ann Brennan, Ph.D., 320 pages (1988)
Website: BarbaraBrennan.com
Bruyere, Rosalyn L.
Wheels of Light: Chakras, Auras, and the Healing Energy of the Body
by Rosalyn L. Bruyere, 288 pages (1994)
Trained as an engineer, Bruyere is an acclaimed teacher and healer.
Dale, Cyndi
The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Body
by Cyndi Dale, 487 pages (2009)
Website: CyndiDale.com
Dispenza, Joe, D.C.
Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing the Uncommon
by Dr. Joe Dispenza, 348 pages (2017)
Dr. Dispenza is a New York Times best-selling author.
You Are the Placebo: Making Your Mind Matter
by Dr. Joe Dispenza, 348 pages (2014)
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One
by Dr. Joe Dispenza, 329 pages (2012)
Doidge, Norman, M.D.
The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science
by Norman Doidge, M.D., 427 pages (2007)
Dr. Doidge is a psychiatrist and a New York Times best-selling author.
The Brain’s Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity
by Norman Doidge, M.D., 409 pages (2015)
Dossey, Larry, M.D.
Reinventing Medicine: Beyond Mind-Body to a New Era of Healing
by Larry Dossey, M.D., 271 pages (1999)
Eden, Donna, Ph.D., and Feinstein, David, Ph.D.
Energy Medicine: Balancing Your Body’s Energies for Optimal Health, Joy, and Vitality
by Donna Eden, Ph.D. with David Feinstein, Ph.D., 404 pages (2008)
Website: EdenEnergyMedicine.com
Frazier, Karen
The Little Book of Energy Healing Techniques: Simple Practices to Heal Body, Mind, and Spirit
by Karen Frazier, 179 pages (2019)
Website: AuthorKarenFrazier.com
Gaynor, Mitchell L., M.D.
The Healing Power of Sound: Recovery from Life-Threatening Illness Using Sound, Voice, and Music
by Mitchell L. Gaynor, M.D., 262 pages (1999)
Gerber, Richard, M.D.
Vibrational Medicine: The #1 Handbook of Subtle-Energy Therapies
by Richard Gerber, M.D., 604 pages (2001)
Goldman, Jonathan, M.A.
The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing
by Jonathan Goldman, M.A., 155 pages (2008)
Goldman is an international authority on sound healing. He is the director of the Sound Healers Association.
Website: HealingSounds.com
Goswami, Amit, Ph.D.
Quantum Doctor: A Quantum Physicist Explains the Healing Power of Integral Medicine
by Amit Goswami, Ph.D., 204 pages (2011)
Goswami is a theoretical quantum physicist and prolific author.
Grof, Stanislav, M.D. Ph.D., and Grof, Christina
Holotropic Breathwork: A New Approach to Self-Exploration and Therapy
by Stanislav Grof, M.D., Ph.D., and Christina Grof, 221 pages (2010)
Dr. Grof is a psychiatrist with over 60 years of experience researching non-ordinary states of consciousness. He has published 17 books translated into 22 languages.
Website: StanGrof.com
Video: Stanislav Grof: Holotropic Bodywork Workshop [Part 1]
Hawkes, Joyce Whitely, Ph.D.
Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge from Soul to Cell
by Joyce Whitely Hawkes, Ph.D., 158 pages (2006)
Website: CellLevelHealing.com
McKusick, Eileen Day
Tuning the Human Biofield: Healing with Vibrational Sound Therapy
by Eileen Day McKusick, 251 pages (2014)
McTaggart, Lynne
The Power of Eight: Harnessing the Miraculous Energies of a Small Group to Heal Others, Your Life, and the World
by Lynne McTaggart, 301 pages (2017)
McTaggart is a best-selling author.
Ober, Clinton and Sinatra, Stephen T., M.D.
Earthing: The Most Important Health Discovery Ever
by Clinton Ober, Stephen T. Sinatra, M.D., and Martin Zucker, 318 pages (2014)
This book is a Nautilus Book Awards Winner.
Oschman, James L., Ph.D.
Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis
by James L. Oschman, Ph.D., 359 pages (2016)
Rankin, Lissa, M.D.
Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself
by Lissa Rankin, M.D., 259 pages (2013)
Rossi, Lawrence, Ph.D.
The Psychobiology of Mind-Body Healing: The New Concepts of Therapeutic Hypnosis (Revised Edition)
by Ernest Lawrence Rossi, Ph.D., 362 pages (1993)
Website: ErnestRossi.com
Ryan, John G., M.D.
The Missing Pill: The Rise of Energy Healing and Conscious Bio-Spiritual Transformation
by John G. Ryan, M.D., 473 pages (2013) This book includes an introduction to Unity Field Healing.
Schwartz, Gary, Ph.D.
The Energy Healing Experiments: Science Reveals Our Natural Power to Heal
by Gary E. Schwartz, Ph.D. with William L. Simon, 260 pages
Video: A Scientific Look at Spirit Communication Technology – Dr Gary Schwartz 6/4/20
Video: Interview with Gary Schwartz (ISF Science Forum)
Stein, Diane
Essential Reiki: A Complete Guide to an Ancient Healing Art
by Diane Stein, 156 pages (1995)
Website: DianeStein.net
van der Kolk, Bessel, M.D.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma
by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. , 443 pages (2014)
This #1 New York Times bestseller has been published in 38 languages. Dr. van der Kolk is a medical doctor and psychiatrist.