Many people come to me specifically because they want a mental health therapist who also understands energy and spirituality. They want a therapist who understands their mental health concerns in a way non-therapist energy healers often don't, but they also want a therapist who understands and even incorporates energy and spirituality into their work. This blog post will discuss the role of energy healing in mental health counseling.
“Energy healing” is a broad term that can include reiki, pranic healing, any forms of healing touch, shamanism, or integrated energy medicine. Our ancestors from all over the world have been practicing energy healing for millennia to heal themselves, their loved ones, and their communities.
I have heard some therapists say that psychotherapy is the shamanism for modern times. While therapy may be about as close as we come in modern times to shamanism, the reality is that the modern therapist-client relationship is quite different from the way ancestral energy healers worked. Most therapists never learn about things like “energy” in school and many go so far as to scoff at the idea that it has any place in the therapy room.
However, one thing I know to be true through my own observation is that client beliefs, worldviews, and desires have a big sway on outcomes. If clients are seeking out energy healing from their therapist, and believe it might benefit them, then chances are that they are likely to benefit. These clients will feel more deeply seen and understood by a therapist who understands and accepts their beliefs, and who has the ability to unite them with psychology.
Additionally, according to the American Counseling Association, “there is growing empirical evidence that our spiritual values and behaviors can promote physical and psychological wellbeing.” These clients can benefit from a space to talk about these aspects of their lives in therapy.
At the very same time, I am also reminded of the urge in the therapy field to practice evidence-based methods. Some emerging and ancient forms of energy medicine have never been clinically studied, and therapists are cautioned against using methods that are not proven.
Given that all of these things are true - that clients who find what they are looking for in a therapist have better outcomes, that including spirituality in sessions can be helpful, and that therapists are urged to practice in an evidence-based way, is it possible for a therapist to incorporate energy healing into their work?
I would argue yes. One model I am trained in, Depth Hypnosis, includes energy medicine as a core pillar of the work. Depth Hypnosis has shown remarkable benefits in a clinical study, showing a 56% reduction in depression, a 58% reduction in anxiety, and a 45% reduction in PTSD after just 8 sessions.
Depth Hypnosis powerfully integrates talk-based insight work, trauma work, client-led spirituality, and energy medicine into a method that works on both the emotional and spiritual levels. If you’re interested in incorporating energy healing into your mental health sessions, it may be a good fit for you.
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