Healing Hands
“The body heals itself. On the first day of medical school, this fact is taught. Whether you give medicines, perform surgery, or use any kind of medical therapy, you only support the body to heal itself. The same is true with Bio-Energy Therapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, herbs, or any other wholistic modality.
“The ability for self-healing is an inherent part of all life. The body is constantly renewing itself, getting rid of old and diseased tissues. We are not aware that this is always happening, because the body rids itself of disease so fast it appears we are remaining healthy.
“On the occasions when the ongoing self-healing process doesn't work, then it becomes necessary to get help from the outside. Traditionally, throughout the past five thousand years, our species has used foods and herbs for healing. We have also used the healing powers of touch.” (see William S Eidelman, MD - Healing with your Hands).
We are only going to talk about the use of hands to support healing yourself, though many of the techniques mentioned can be used to support the healing of others. It can be as simple as a caring human touch, your own on and around the place that hurts. That will often make a hurt place feel better and start the healing process.
“Energy Therapy” is the title use by the NCCAM (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine) for the activity presented here. There are many names for this ‘energy,’ in China it is called “Qi” or “Chi,” in India “Prana,” in polynesia it is usually “Mana,” the Native Americans of this continent have many names. Each culture has one or more names for this energy. This appears to be the energy that we use to support healing of the body. When using this energy, it is best to recognize that while each of us as individuals is a ‘container’ of they energy, there is another font of the same energy all around us. To be most effective, we need to consciously open ourselves to this living healing energy and allow it to flow through us.
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Caring Touch
Simply a caring touch by another living creature can have a very positive effect on the one touched. When the touch is done with a caring intention the effect is even stronger. In 2015 article by Keith Scott-Mumby, MD, a past I-ASC speaker, the power of the simple touch is explored. Take a look at what can happen with a simple touch.
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EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)
EFT was developed originally by Roger Callahan in the 1980's and modified and expanded upon by Gary Craig. It had been discovered that a simple tapping of certain places on the body when the mind was focused on a particular emotional problem seemed to release the emotional feelings connected to that problem. It was akin to acupuncture but without the needles. The points tapped were the end points of certain of the meridians of the Chinese energy body system.
Since that time the use of EFT has flourished widely. Its design made it ideal for use by individuals to release painful of stressful emotional memories. Many alternative approaches have been developed, but the original is still one of the best. Here is the link to a short video with Gary Craig which is an introduction to EFT. This is the link to The Gold Standard for EFT The Tapping Therapy. That Often Works Where Nothing Else Will.
A slightly different approach to EFT is presented on the website of Dr. Mercola, ND. “Basic Steps to Your Emotional Freedom”.
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TWR/WHEE
After using EFT for some time Dr Dan Benor, MD worked out a system that had close to the same results as EFT, but which could be done in a less obvious way. He called his system TWR/WHEE, the Wholistic Hybrid.
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Other Options
There are many other ways that hands have been used to support or accomplish healing, but most are oriented to the practitioner/client situation. These techniques can usually be applied by an individual to their own situation, as well Are few such are:
Reiki
Qigong
Therapeutic Touch
This list is just a suggestion of what is available. It is left to the reader to investigate these and the many other options.