Energy healing is now being scientifically validated

It's only fair that I post Ms. Dionne-Dickson's guest editorial from todays ADE. It's in response to my letter published last week. I'm working on a response. Ms. Dionne-Dickson's website is here. Notice the $10 discount for "distance healing". Also, visit the Institute of Healing Arts and Sciences.

It was such a pleasure to be invited to the first Wellness Day held at Saranac High this past week.

The fact that Tricia Preston was open to and excited about having an energy healer there was a reflection of the times we are now living in. I also commend the Adirondack Daily Enterprise for publishing the picture it did, showing one of hundreds of teenagers and adults who received chakra readings that day.

I was struck with how open and serious the young emerging adults were. Nearly everyone who lay on the table that day was eager to understand what they were witnessing, asking very honest questions, trying to take in the information as I was providing it and place it into a new frame of reference for how they perceived themselves and their world.

It’s too bad that Mr. Sayles could not bring forward his questions with the same kind of openness, for all of his questions and concerns were valid ones. It’s always difficult to provide a satisfying answer when there is such energy of judgment within the question itself. Dr. Larry Dossey, who has written a fabulous book bringing together the information of hundreds of scientific studies that have been done proving the positive effects of prayer and energy healing, says, “A body of knowledge that does not fit with prevailing ideas can be ignored as if it does not exist, no matter how scientifically valid it may be.” (“Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine,” Larry Dossey, M.D.)

This is the dilemma. There is a vast body of knowledge, scientifically based, that is now available verifying the validity of the energetic body and the many forms of what is now being called Energy Medicine. The school in which I was trained, The Institute of Healing Arts & Sciences LLC, is accredited by the Connecticut State Department of Education and works with five of the local hospitals, incorporating energy healers into the treatment plans for patients. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Saranac Lake, with its well-known history of being on the cutting edge of blending alternative and traditional medicine, could begin taking some serious steps in this direction? There are a significant number of professional practitioners of complementary medicine in this town — many of whom are afraid of being too public simply because of the judgment they can run into. And yet, people do seem to be finding us, working with us and experiencing positive results. It’s very fulfilling to be bringing this body of information to a younger population, such as with the high school Wellness Day.

Just to clarify a few things: “Chakra” is a Sanskrit word literally meaning “wheel or disk” and refers to the centers of energy, mostly along the spine, that help us organize, receive, assimilate and express our life force. I was not “dangling a charm” but using a crystal as a pendulum, to hook into the spinning rotation of each energy center to give a visual representation of the activity of the energy center. For someone trained in interpreting how the energy flows, this can provide a wealth of information regarding how we are functioning on all levels: physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. In my healing practice, I offer everyone a free, half-hour private session, which can include a chakra reading, and I invite Mr. Sayles to contact me so he can have a firsthand experience and also have the opportunity to ask further questions. He may be pleased to find out that we are not as far apart as he perceives us to be and that we all have the same intention — to help bring health and healing to people in a professional, ethical and legitimate manner.

Pat Dionne-Dickson, of Saranac Lake, is a spiritual healer, counselor and minister at Healing Adventures in Saranac Lake.