English Version | The Untouchables

Just because it can't be touched, doesn't mean you don't feel it. There are therapies that make use of this exchange of human energy to promote one's well-being or to accelerate healing through treatments that sometimes even imply no contact whatsoever. The energy level to read this text? Highly palpable.

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I have little doubt that the eye roll was invented for certain individuals we interact with. Because there are people we avoid because they seem to pull us down, to test our limits, to drain our patience, to drain us—you guessed it—of our energy. “Oh no, I like everyone.” Don't deny it: you've canceled many lunches, coffees and outings with this or that acquaintance because, and I quote, "they have bad energy." But just maybe it's not an evil energy, it's just internal blockages that creates this "bad energy." But energy nonetheless — an important starting point for this reading. Let's move on to the following paragraphs with this premise: we flow, we encapsulate, we emanate energy — aura, attitude, predisposition, in short, whatever subterfuge you want to use to describe the mood and sensations that you detect in yourself and in others and that ends up influencing our physical and emotional balance. And the truth is that talking about good and bad energies has become an almost metaphorical commonplace to separate those who come in peace and those who don't, but energies, which are not always good nor always bad, do not define the character of a person, even though the expression has been popularized for that purpose. The truth is that the energy that flows within us can be blocked and interfere with our physical and emotional well-being, which is why many times the vibrations we emanate are not always positive. Energy therapies, such as Reiki (complementary therapy, within the scope of Bio-Energetic Field Therapies and Medicines, performed through a gentle touch or at a short distance from the patient's body, transferring Universal Energy - reiki - to the patient), Qi-gong (a term of Chinese origin referring to the work or exercise of energy cultivation whose purpose is to stimulate and promote a better circulation of Qi energy - vital energy - in the body, using, more commonly, the " laying on of hands” to channel energy from the therapist to the patient) or Therapeutic Touch (uses the therapist’s energy – biofield – to influence the patient’s biological field and, normally, contact is non-existent; they move their hands over the patient while maintaining some distance), among others, aim to restore this balance.

Energy therapies are a set of alternative and complementary medicinal forms, based on the premise of the vital energy that flows through the human body. The purpose of this type of treatments is to balance the flow of energy in the patient and, among its applications, it includes the relief of stress and anxiety, as well as the promotion of well-being. The connection between well-being and a medicinal purpose, albeit an alternative one, led, in the late 1980s, according to the National Library of Medicine (United States), three researchers in Boulder, Colorado, to coin the term Energy Medicine, understanding any informational or energetic interaction with a biological system to restore the organism's homeostasis. A decade later, the US National Health Service created subdivisions to these alternative and complementary medicines, but, in essence, this subtle energy remains as a common trait (an unquantifiable energy - at least, not within the traditional modern terminology -, as it happens with those enumerated by Physics), which seems to sustain and promote the vital processes in the biological system. “Energy-based therapies, centered on the person, seek to bring a complementary response so that the person is well with himself, with what surrounds him and with his own life”, explains João Magalhães, Reiki Master and Therapist, President of the Portuguese Reiki Association and co-founder of CENIF (Portuguese Center for Research and Training in Complementary Therapies). “Hence, they are methods that arise with philosophies of life and not just as a response to an effect.” Magalhães' area of ​​influence will undoubtedly be Reiki - he is the author of three books on the subject, Reiki Guide to a Happy Life, The Great Book of Reiki and Reiki - Raising Consciousness - but, as an energy therapy that it is, framework to make (and make) parallels with elaborations on other therapies of the kind. “All these therapies are aimed at the person's well-being, the return of balance and harmony, but the methods, philosophies and processes are unique, although at first glance they seem the same. And of course, each person has to identify itself with the method. I believe that this type of coverage is very important, as it truly empowers the person in their choices for the maintenance of well-being. And [that choice] could help increase the effectiveness of the treatment.” That will unblock the flow of energy. This is because, if there is energy that runs through the human being, this flow can suffer blockages or imbalances that, consequently, can trigger diseases, ailments, malaise. Unlocking it also unlocks physical and emotional stability. “I have observed good results in therapies such as Qi-Gong, Yogatherapy, Acupuncture, among others. They are therapies with very own methods and of great ancestry, where they mainly observe the person as the center of the issue and not the disease. In other words, the purpose of all these therapies, as well as Reiki, is the balance and harmony of the person, in the face of the condition they are going through", continues Magalhães, also emphasizing, about Reiki, that "it was an original method created by Mikao Usui in March 1922 which is based on a philosophy of life with five principles and techniques for self-treatment, treatment of others, techniques for cultivating positive thinking and changing habits, as well as detoxification, among others. The objective, we can understand from what the Usui Master wrote: 'the mission of Usui Reiki Ryoho is to guide to a peaceful and happy life, to heal others, to improve their happiness and our own'." In other words, this therapy is not onesided and this is also why the specialist talks about communication, when he talks about energy exchange.

And he does because, when dealing with energy therapies, it's addressed in the most common sense of the term therapy: a Reiki session, for example, which usually lasts between 30 to 60 minutes, begins with a dialogue between therapist and patient so that they understand each other a little about the motivations and complaints of those seeking this type of treatment. And that, in itself, already triggers a kind of purging or unblocking and, in a way, prepares both parties for the Reiki practice session, allowing the therapist to focus on areas of the body that require more attention: “We have several types of energy. For example, every organ has a type of energy, every thought and memory also has a type of energy. Reiki is another type of energy”, points out the therapist. “Everything that composes us is radiated from our body, the energetic condition of the body, thoughts and emotions, is always around us, so it is very natural that all this energy is in communication with the energy of other people”. Among which, that of the Reiki Master, who applies his own energy on the patient's body. And he applies it through actual contact, although, in certain situations and practices, the hand just hovers over the silhouette: “In creating the Reiki method, the idea was that all practitioners should touch the body. The absence of touch was something created in the West, but it doesn't have a written justification left by whoever may have originated it. The idea of ​​touch has to do with a very important concept that is called byosen, that is, the 'radiation of disease'. This byosen is like a pulse of energy that, when well studied and understood, allows us to perceive how the energy is in that part of the person's body. When someone applies Reiki with their hands a little away from the body, they are radiating the energy to that part of the body and, according to the original concepts, it was important to treat the energy of the body because that is where everything is 'stored'. Nowadays, it is also important to comply with mandatory ethical aspects — never touching a lady's chest, for example, if the therapist is a man. And even if it's a woman treating a woman, you should always indicate the places to treat, even if you don't touch the patient's body.” As far as results are concerned, João says they can be immediate. “Of course, we're not talking about a broken leg having the bone restored, but about the feeling of pain relief, or even inner well-being. Under certain conditions, the person actually feels good about the ailment it presented, but this is only possible because the body has reacted positively to the treatment. It is not the therapist who heals”, adding that the consequences are not always positive, which does not mean that they are not beneficial: “Although I almost always have good feedback, it doesn't mean this has to happen. For example, let's imagine that someone has been under too much emotional tension and this could represent something like a build-up of energy in the belly. After the session, the person feels good, but uncomfortable. When he gets home, he vomits and feels totally fine. It was the process of homeostasis. That is, the body accelerated the process so that it returned to balance and harmony. This is what happens in all Reiki sessions, but most of the time the person just says 'I feel lighter', 'the pain is gone', 'I no longer have the discomfort', 'the impression has diminished', among other things…".

In the case of this journalist's experience, there is an undeniable sense of improvement in mood, as a result of the preliminary conversation as well as the exchange of energy. The sensation is not transcendent, but that does not mean that it is non-existent: prolonged contact ends up triggering a sensation of heat that seems to spread internally, diluting all the organs in that warm and inviting wave. These effects that promote the feeling of serenity explain why many cases of cancer also seek here a complement in pain relief. Energy therapies have, in fact, been studied in patients receiving cancer treatment, in order to understand whether these therapies can improve quality of life, boost the immune system and reduce side effects, in a kind of complementary energy cure. “Over the years, there have been many people with oncological disease who seek Reiki in a complementary and integrative way, as well as cases of depression, anxiety, exhaustion, stress. What we do is a therapeutic process, that is, a path done together with the person, step by step. We must always bear in mind that the person should never abandon medical or psychological treatment”, warns João Magalhães, underlining this complementary aspect of energy therapies.

An area that deals with immeasurable and invisible elements has, of course, its dose of criticism, questioning and skepticism, above all because it is an area that, despite having been proliferating, has a long way to go in terms of research.  The Reiki therapist assures that “there is more and more openness”, but doesn't deny that there is “also some resistance, which is natural. What is really important, whether in the practice of Reiki or other services, is to be done honestly and within one's skills. An effort that has been made is to present the benefits of Reiki in academic studies. At the moment, we have more than 400 studies cataloged, however the sample is always very small because you cannot obtain large samples without funding. As much as studies indicate positive parts, their sample amount is less than what is considered acceptable. If you want health more focused on the person and their well-being, even as a prophylaxis, then it will be worth investing in this type of studies. Above all, we must respect each other, know the competences of each part and that, above all, we must all be for the person”. Especially because this mutual respect brings benefits when walking hand in hand: Forbes tells, in a recently published article, that Rachel Lambert, physician and professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, studied, with her colleagues, 37 patients who had suffered a heart attack, dividing them into three groups — one in which patients simply rested; another in which they received a single Reiki session given by a nurse trained in this therapy; and another in which they listened to relaxing music. Then, they measured the activity of the autonomic nervous system (which regulates heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and digestion), realizing that the patients who enjoyed the Reiki session had a higher heart rate variability than the rest, which is what is intended for a positive prognosis, and improvement of their emotional state. Forbes also cited other studies: one from Harvard Medical School which analyzed the effects of a Reiki session on 99 patients, finding significant improvements in symptoms of anxiety and depression, such as pain and nausea; and another led by the Portuguese researcher Zilda Alarcão, on the impact of Reiki versus a “pseudo-reiki” in two groups of 58 blood cancer patients. Each received a one-hour treatment once a week for four weeks, demonstrating that those given Reiki by a trained practitioner rather than a fake therapist experienced significantly more improvements overall than the other group which was given a placebo version.

There is also some historical framework in these therapies: many of the techniques used in energy therapies come from practices with roots in ancient oriental traditions. For example, over two thousand years ago, Asian healers believed that the flow and balance of vital energies were important in maintaining health, with diseases being the result of energy imbalances. They have developed therapies and practices such as Acupuncture, Yoga and Qi-Gong to correct these imbalances and modern energy therapies such as Reiki are based on the same principles. This is also why, when talking about energy, one can also talk about Chi or Prana, which are synonymous with energy in other types of therapies, such as traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic, respectively. Of course, skeptical or not, we can talk about a placebo effect here, because, as João Magalhães says, “almost everything in life can be a response to the placebo effect”, but even the study by Zilda Alarcão shows that this is not quite the case. — the patients who received the placebo did not share the more positive results of the Reiki group. In any case, it is natural that if the body is predisposed to find its harmony, it will do so more easily than someone who resists therapy. You don't need to share these energetic philosophies to know that the reaction to any situation affects the course and consequences of that situation.

It's more or less what happens with the energies that come from our surroundings. Which brings us to other questions: does energy generate energy? “Yes, it does, so we have to be very careful with the type of energy we are generating. For example, if I'm too focused on concerns, my energy will be very confused and weak. The longer I have this energy in me, the more it will promote the creation of identical energy, which will make it more and more difficult for me to improve. Let's imagine someone who is very distressed by a situation and begins to feel a tightness in the stomach. If you let that condition stay in you and you don't resolve this process of inconsistency, also letting that energy stay more and more in you, then you will start to feel more and more stimulated whenever there is a situation that meets that type of energy. Whenever this happens, it feels like a ball of yarn that gets more and more confused, restricting the person's ability to respond and making them worse. It is simple to observe these situations: when we are feeling a little down and we decide to stay in a dark room, or on the contrary, we go to nature and feel revitalized.” Or we read this article, for example. This text full of good energy may not have generated the balance you are looking for, but perhaps it has shed some light on the scale of energy therapies.

Translated from the original on the Sunny Vibes issue of Vogue Portugal, published July 2022.Full credits and stories on the print issue.