172 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TOALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
EXPERIENCE YOUR ENERGY FIELD
■ Vigorously rub your hands together for 20–30 seconds.
■ Hold your palms together, parallel but not touching.
■ Slowly separate them a couple of inches.
■ Slowly bring them close together again.
■ Repeat this process several more times, each time separating your palms by an
additional two inches, until they are eight inches apart.
■ You should be able to detect your energy field as you bring your palms together;
you may feel a sense of bounciness, sponginess, or elasticity; some people describe
it as the feeling of two magnets repelling each other.The Experience of Energy-Balancing Healing.
A third party witnessing a session between a patient and an energy-balancing
healer might believe that nothing was really happening. The other two parties
would surely beg to differ. The following descriptions of TT, HT, and Reiki sessions
will help you better understand what’s really happening during such a healing
session.Therapeutic Touch
Sessions of TT last up to 30 minutes and can be done with the patient sitting or lying
down, fully clothed. Practitioners often combine both physical and nonphysical con-
tact during the course of treatment. It is not necessary, however, to touch the physi-
cal body, which makes this technique especially helpful in situations where the
person may not be able to tolerate contact, such as with burn victims or in the case
of acute rheumatoid arthritis. Patients do not have to believe in the efficacy of TT to
receive benefit. The one absolutely essential ingredient in TT, however, is the good-
will and compassion of the practitioner.
The first step in the TT process is centering, which is performed by the practitioner
before beginning the actual treatment. Centeringis a general term for any method
that people use to quiet themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. Centering
can be achieved by many methods, such as deep breathing, visualization, and
focusing, which allow the practitioner to relax and focus on the intent of the healing
session. Being centered allows healers to operate intuitively, with awareness, and to
channel energy throughout their bodies. The sidebar, “Centering Yourself,” describes
one centering method.