What is energy healing?

Ai Xin Goh
3 days ago
4 min read

For the curious skeptic.

You've probably heard the term "energy healing" thrown around on Instagram, in wellness spaces and maybe from a friend who came back from a session either buzzing from excitement, suspiciously calm or even easily triggered.

If you're someone who leads with logic, that vagueness might be exactly what's putting you off.

Let's explore what is energy healing.

Energy healing is a broad term for practices that work with the body's energy field. It links to the concept that physical, emotional, mental and energetic well-being are all connected to how energy moves (or doesn't move) through you.

We can think of our body as not just bone and muscle. It has a nervous system, an energy pathway. A whole invisible infrastructure that Western medicine is only beginning to map. In Chinese medicine there is the principal of meridian system that links to our QI (vital energy).

Is it magic or a religion? No. It's a set of practices that work on the energetic level of the body, complementing (not replacing) conventional medical care.

Here's a look at the three modalities I find most accessible and most effective:

Usui Reiki Healing

What is it?

Reiki is a Japanese healing practice re-discovered in the early 1900s by a japanese monk, Mikao Usui. Reiki energy is the universal life force utilised to clear blockages and even replenish energies if required.

What a session looks like: You lie fully clothed on a treatment table. The practitioner places their hands at various points on or near your body. Normally they start from the top of your head and move down according to the chakra points or they may even focus on the area of pain that the client has highlighted. They hold each position for a few minutes. Most people feel warmth, tingling, or deep relaxation. Some drift off to sleep. Some notice emotional releases they weren't expecting. Some even see colors or have visions.

What it's good for: Stress and anxiety reduction, emotional processing, recovering from burnout, supporting grief or big life transitions. It's one of the gentlest modalities. low-stimulation, deeply calming.

The skeptic's entry point: Even if you're not sold on the "energy" piece, Reiki sessions are essentially guided rest. And most of us are chronically hypervigilant and overstimulated. At minimum, you get 60 minutes of lying still with no phone. That alone has a lot of value.

Sound healing

What is it?

Sound healing (also called sound therapy or sound bath) uses instruments. Most commonly, Tibetan singing bowls, crystal bowls, gongs, or tuning forks are used to produce frequencies that interact with the body's own vibration. The science behind it points to concepts like entrainment, where your brainwaves naturally synchronise with external rhythms.

What a session looks like: You lie on a mat, eyes closed, while the practitioner plays instruments around you. The sound washes over and through you. Sessions can range from deeply meditative and still to physically intense; certain frequencies like the usage of shamanic drums, produce noticeable sensations in the chest or skull.

What it's good for: Sleep issues, chronic stress, anxiety, difficulty meditating, mental chatter. Sound is particularly good for people who struggle to "switch off" with focus on audio simulation.

The skeptic's entry point: Sound affecting the body is genuinely well-documented. We know music changes heart rate, brainwave states, cortisol levels. Sound healing is a more intentional application of the same principle.

Crystal healing

What is it?

Crystal healing uses gemstones and minerals placed on the body, held, or positioned in the space around you with the intention that each crystal carries a specific energetic frequency that interacts with your own field and nervous system.

What a session looks like: Crystals are placed on or around the body, often corresponding to the chakra system (energy centres in the body). Some practitioners combine crystal work with Reiki or meditation. Sessions are quiet and still.

What it's good for: Often used for emotional clarity, energetic protection, intention-setting, and supporting specific areas of life (heart, intuition, grounding). It's commonly integrated into other healing sessions rather than used in isolation.

The skeptic's entry point: The piezoelectric (generating electrical charge) properties of crystals. Their ability to hold and transmit electrical charge is a form of measurable science. And it reacts with the electrical activity within the human nerves and tissue.

Whether that translates directly to the healing claims is still debated. But many people find that working with crystals gives them a tangible, physical anchor for intention and focus.

Other Modalities

The healing types stated above are some I tried and/or practised myself! There are many other forms of energy healing you can look up if you're curious.