Daniel J. Benor, MD

The majority of Energy Medicine (EM) practitioners focus on the biological energies (bioenergies) that surround and interpenetrate the physical body. Some specialize in human bioenergy interventions, other use varieties of instruments.

Some EM practitioners focus as well on the intentionality that guides the bioenergies, and on the consciousness of healees that shape the responses to the bioenergy interventions. This is where I live and practice in the spectrum of EM. I work within a framework of Wholistic healing, which I explain below (Benor, web ref 1.)

Human healers
Varieties of approaches for human assessments and manipulations of bioenergies have been developed and popularized for helping people heal physical and psychological problems. Some of the major methodologies include Therapeutic Touch (TT), Healing Touch International (HTI), Reiki and Johrei. Assessments are most commonly made by healers through sensations experienced when they pass their hands through the bioenergy fields of the healees. Some healers have visual perceptions of bioenergy fields and can assess healee’s states by the color and shape of healees’ fields.

There are now hundreds of published research studies for these modalities, particularly TT and HTI, which are largely practiced by nurses (Benor, 2001a; 2001b; web ref. 2). Significant effects of healing have been demonstrated for anxiety, pain and other problems.

The consciousness of the healer is important in the assessment and manipulation of healing energies. In learning healing, healers are taught to quiet and center their minds so they can focus as clearly as possible. Many EM practitioners learn to assess and shift the state of healees’ bioenergies, and to intentionally direct their own healing bioenergies which they project and manipulate in varieties of ways in order to achieve particular healing effects.

Some EM practitioners refrain from manipulating bioenergies, but rather set the intention that the practitioner's energies will interact with those of the healee in the ways that are for the highest good of the healee, or for the highest good of all. Here there is an acknowledgment that there is a higher consciousness that guides our lives.

The consciousness of the healees is also considered important in the process of healing. Most healers focus on alterations of healee consciousness that are brought about by the bioenergetic interventions. It is hard to miss this, because healees almost universally respond within moments to their bioenergy healing by sighing and relaxing, often going into a pleasant state of reverie or even dozing. Subsequent decreases in anxiety levels, as well as improvements in mood, in attitude and relationships are very common in response to bioenergy manipulations.

Spiritual dimensions of healing
Personal spiritual awareness is a natural part of healing. During EM interventions, many healers and healees spontaneously find their spiritual awarenesses are awakened and strengthened through the processes involved in healing. Both healer and healee may enter altered states of consciousness in which there is awareness that each individual is a part of the All. This has been my personal experience, even though I came from a very skeptical point of view, having been indoctrinated in conventional psychology, medicine, psychiatry and standard research methodologies. We healers and healees become aware that we are a part of the All, and that each of us is aware of various parts of the All as they are relevant to our needs and spiritual commitments (Benor, 2006). My personal belief is that this is the most important part of healing, and for this reason I generally refer to such interventions under the label of spiritual healing. This puts me outside the mainstream of western healthcare, which focuses primarily on the body, even to the point of ignoring or seeking to deny the validity of substantial bodies of research evidence that solidly establishes the existence of spiritual realities (Benor, 2006; web ref. 3). Many EM practitioners also remain within the standard western frameworks of belief, ignoring or denying spiritual aspects of their work.

Prayer healing focuses primarily on the consciousness of healers and healees. Prayer petitions are made for divine intervention, either directly or mediated through angels or saints, or through the healers themselves. Any results of prayer healing may be attributed to divine interventions and/or to faith in one's being cured. There are several studies of prayer healing published in medical journals, showing significant effects of healing on people with cardiac problems (Byrd, 1988; Harris, 1999).

Craniosacral therapy and cranial osteopathy involve practitioner assessments of the bioenergies of healees and manipulations of these energies through the practitioners’ intents. Practitioners use their hands as the instruments for bioenergy assessments, but attribute their awarenesses to movements of cranial bones. These are their claims, even when practitioners’ hands are held inches away from the body and when they report they can selectively sense with their hands the tensions in body fascia. My impression is that a large part of these therapies is healing under a different name.

Acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years, and in modern times has been researched more than any other EM modality. Almost universally, the explanation for responses to acupuncture focuses on manipulations of acupuncture points found along lines of bioenergies called meridians. The acupuncture points respond to stimulation with needles, physical pressure, electromagnetic and laser energies.

Major centers of energies called chakras may be addressed through the therapists’ bioenergies (most commonly by holding the therapists’ hand over the chakras, or by the therapists’ or the healees’ intentionality). Many EM approaches use the chakras to access the informational system of the body and to offer healing.

Energy Psychology (EP) includes varieties of EM approaches. Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), the most widely practiced EP method, focuses primarily on acupuncture points from each of the twelve major meridians, while at the same time healees are guided in reciting focusing statements (e.g. Even though I feel ___ ) followed by a standardized statement (e.g. I deeply and completely love and accept myself). Most EFT practitioners assume that responses to their interventions are due primarily to the bioenergy effects of tapping on the acupuncture points.

WHEE, an EP approach I developed, is based on a broader, wholistic theoretical base. WHEE: Wholistic Hybrid derived from Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and EFT assumes that our existence is based on the combined experiences of body, emotions, mind, relationships (with other people and the environment) and spirit (Benor, web ref 1.). The physical and bioenergy bodies are only part of the picture.

Homeopathy classically utilizes remedies that are created by shaking (succussing) a physical substance in a vial of water, and then serially diluting the water again and again. After the thirtieth serial dilution, no single molecule of the original substance is present in the solution. Dilutions up to a million times are used. The higher the dilution, the greater the potency that is observed. Therefore, in dilutions beyond the thirtieth, homeopathy is an energy medicine intervention.

Healing devices
Radionics utilizes any of a wide variety of devices that help practitioners to tune into what is happening to a healee and to project healing to the healee. The devices have dials that are said to attune to the bioenergetic energies of the healee and that are able to send healing bioenergetic energies to the healee. These devices are used for healing at a distance, where healer and healee may be separated by any distance. There is no technology that is controlled by the knobs of these devices.

My personal view is that these radionics devices are no more than ‘Dumbo feathers’ that enable practitioners to set aside their personal involvement and ego, attributing the responsibility for the healing to an outside agent (Benor, 2007a).

Computerized assessment devices, such as the EPC of Konstantin G. Korotkov, have been developed for measuring the states of bioenergies and consciousness of living organisms.

… Electrophotonics, is based on Gas Discharge Visualization technique (GDV), is a breakthrough beyond Kirlian photography for direct, real-time viewing of the human energy fields. This new technology allows one to capture by a special camera the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy emanating to and from an individual, plants, liquids, powders, inanimate objects and translate this into a computerized model. This allows researcher and client to see imbalances that may be influencing an individual’s well-being greatly facilitating the diagnosis of the CAUSE of any existing imbalances showing the area of the body and the organ systems involved.  One of the greatest benefits to date is the ability to do “real-time” measurements of a variety of treatments for such conditions as cancer to determine which is the most appropriate for the client.

EPC utilizes a weak, completely painless electrical current applied to the fingertips for less than a millisecond.  The body’s response to this stimulus is the formation of a variation of an “electron cloud” composed of light energy photons.  The electronic “glow” of this discharge (invisible to the human eye) is captured by an optical CCD camera system and then translated into a digital computer file.   

The data from each test is converted to a unique “Photonic Profile”, which is compared to the data base of hundreds of thousands of data records using 55 distinct parametric discriminates, and charted so that it is available for discussion and analysis.  A graph of the findings is presented as a two-dimensional image. To study these images, fractal, matrix, and various algorithmic techniques are linked and analyzed.  In addition, the system provides instant graphic representations of the data to provide easy reference and interpretation.  To further enhance the data in an understandable and meaningful manner, a further graphic representation is generated, placing the indicators within the outline of the human form, for ease of explanation and discussion (Korotkov website).

Research is beginning to confirm the efficacy of the GDV in diagnosing varieties of problems (Korotkov, et al. 2004).

See much more on the above energy medicine modalities and other EM modalities in my books on Healing Research (Benor, 2004; 2005) and articles on Energy Medicine (Benor, 2002; 2007b).

Discussion
Western scientific and healthcare approaches have parsed our conceptualizations and utilizations of aspects of our being, institutionalizing these subdivisions in diverse academic and therapeutic specialties. The body is addressed by medical doctors, nurses, physical therapists, massage therapists and nutritionists. The emotions and mind are considered the domains of psychotherapists, counselors, coaches and social workers. Relationships with other people may be addressed by those who treat emotions (especially when these have specialized training in family therapy), but typically are relegated to social workers. Environmental scientists advise us on how we can best relate to the world around us. Religions have classically claimed the territory of spiritual dimensions of our lives, but over the past century there has been an accelerating movement into personal spiritual awareness (Benor, 2006).

I believe that we do best when we are aware of every level of our beingness and when we take personal responsibility for dealing with our issues in life through body, emotions, mind, relationships and spirit (Benor, web ref. 1).

*Note: This article was stimulated by Thornton Streeter, who is focalizing discussions on Energy Medicine (EM) among the participants in the currently dormant International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine (ISSSEEM).

References

Benor, Daniel J, Healing Research: Volume I, (Popular edition) Spiritual Healing: Scientific Validation of a Healing Revolution. Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications 2007 (Orig. 2001)
   Healers describe their work, research in parapsychology as a context for understanding healing, brief summaries of 191 randomized controlled studies, pilot studies.

Benor, Daniel J, Healing Research: Volume I, (Professional Supplement) Spiritual Healing: Scientific Validation of a Healing Revolution. Southfield, MI: Vision Publications 2001.
  Only the annotated, critiqued 191 randomized controlled studies and the pilot studies - described in much greater detail, including statistical information.

Benor, Daniel J. Energy medicine for the internist, Medical Clinics of North America 2002, 86(1), 105-125. http://wholistichealingresearch.com/energymedicinefortheinternist.html

Benor, Daniel J. Healing Research, Volume II: (Professional edition) Consciousness, Bioenergy and Healing.
Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications 2004. 
  Thorough review of research validating the efficacy of self-healing, wholistic complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM), biological energies, and environmental interactions with bioenergies. “Book of the Year” award - The Scientific and Medical Network, UK.

Benor, Daniel J. Healing Research, Volume II: (Popular edition) How Can I Heal What Hurts?  Wholistic Healing and Bioenergies, Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications 2005.
  Popular edition Explains self-healing, wholistic complementary/ alternative medicine (CAM) and bioenergies, and discusses ways in which you can heal yourself.

Benor, Daniel J. Healing Research, V. 3. Personal Spirituality: Science, Spirit and the Eternal Soul.
Bellmawr, NJ: Wholistic Healing Publications 2006.
     Research confirming OBE, NDE, reincarnation memories, benefits of religious affiliation and practice with health, and how our consciousness participates in creating and evolving our personal and collective realities

Benor, Daniel J. What is Your Favorite Feather? International Journal of Healing and Caring, 2007a, 7(1), 1-13. http://www.wholistichealingresearch.com/71edmuse.html

Benor, Daniel J. Energy Medicine: Fact or Fantasy? International Journal of Healing and Caring, 2007b, 7(1), 1-10. http://www.wholistichealingresearch.com/73edmuse.html

Benor, Daniel J. web ref. 1 http://www.wholistichealingresearch.com/srmeb.html.
A discussion of the relationships between body, emotions, mind, relationships (with other people and the environment) and spirit.

Benor, Daniel J. web ref. 2 http://wholistichealingresearch.com/completelistrandomizedstudiesx.html
Healing research references, alphabetized by author.

 Benor, Daniel J. web ref. 3. http://www.wholistichealingresearch.com/psi_research.html
Summary of parapsychology research.

Byrd, Randolph C, Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a coronary care population, Southern Medical J. 1988, 81(7), 826-829

Benor, Daniel J. web ref. 3 Parapsychology Research http://www.wholistichealingresearch.com/psi_research.html

Harris, William S. et al, A randomized, controlled trial of the effects of remote, intercessory prayer on outcomes in patients admitted to the coronary care unit, Annals of Internal Medicine 1999, 159(19), 2273-2278.

Korotkov, Konstantin; Williams, Berney and Wisneski. Leonard A. J. Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2004, 10(1): 49-57. doi:10.1089/107555304322848959.