INSTITUTE OF BIOENERGETIC AND INFORMATIONAL

HEALTHCARE

Diploma In

Bioenergetic

Health

Coaching

1st Semester

Module BIH 1

History and Scope of Bioenergetic Medicine

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(C) 2011

This document is part of IBIH’s Diploma Course and may not be quoted or reproduced, in whole or in

part, by electronic or any other means without the express written consent of IBIH.

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Content

1.0 Welcome and Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 4

2.0 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).................................................................................................................. 5

2.1 Yin and Yang ............................................................................................................................................................ 5

2.2 Meridians .................................................................................................................................................................. 6

2.21 Types of Meridian........................................................................................................................................... 7

2.3 Personality Types .................................................................................................................................................. 8

2.4 The Elements ........................................................................................................................................................... 9

2.5 Methods of Treatment in TCM ....................................................................................................................... 10

2.51 Acupuncture .................................................................................................................................................. 11

2.52 Treat the cause, not the symptoms ...................................................................................................... 11

2.6 The Relationship Between BIH and TCM .................................................................................................. 12

3.0 The Ayurvedic System ........................................................................................................................................... 13

4.0 Chakras and the Aura ............................................................................................................................................. 14

4.1 The Chakra System ............................................................................................................................................. 14

4.2 The Aura ................................................................................................................................................................. 15

5.0 BIH in the 20th and 21st Centuries ..................................................................................................................... 16

5.1 Nonlocality ............................................................................................................................................................. 16

5.2 Lakhovsy, Burr and Kirlian ............................................................................................................................. 17

5.3 Voll ............................................................................................................................................................................ 17

5.4 Bioresonance therapy ....................................................................................................................................... 18

5.5 Fritz-Albert Popp ................................................................................................................................................ 18

5.6 Recent decades .................................................................................................................................................... 18

5.7 Emerging Technologies .................................................................................................................................... 20

6.0 A Selection of BIH Healing Methods................................................................................................................. 21

6.1 Crystal healing ...................................................................................................................................................... 21

6.2 Dowsing .................................................................................................................................................................. 21

6.3 Flower essences................................................................................................................................................... 21

6.4 Hands-on healing ................................................................................................................................................ 21

6.5 Homeopathy .......................................................................................................................................................... 22

6.6 Kinesiology ............................................................................................................................................................ 23

6.7 Healing with light and colour ......................................................................................................................... 23

6.8 Magnets ................................................................................................................................................................... 23

6.9 Reflexology ............................................................................................................................................................ 24

6.10 Sound therapy ................................................................................................................................................... 24

7.0 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................................ 25

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1.0 Welcome and Introduction

Welcome to Module BIH1. In this module, you will learn that bioenergetic and informational healing

and healthcare (BIH) is nothing new. Many ancient cultures on every continent recognised an energy

field within and around the body, described, for example, as the aura, halos, chakras, meridians, chi,

the life force and so on. Nowadays, modern scientific methods – especially the insights gained from

quantum physics - are being applied to better understand the body’s energy field and the flow of

information that takes place throughout this field.

In reality, all medicine may be considered energy medicine, since it all alters the energetic makeup of

the body. If it does not do so, it is ineffective. As astrophysicist Milo Wolff points out:

‘Nothing happens in nature without an energy exchange. Communication or acquisition of

knowledge of any kind occurs only with an energetic transfer. There are no exceptions.’

This certainly applies to the human body, and the new direction in healthcare is going beyond how

cells communicate biochemically to the underlying quantum information fields that organise energy

and thus direct physiology.

The original keepers of bioenergetic knowledge were shamans. They can be traced back 120,000 years

– long before the beginnings of the ‘modern scientific’ approach which dates back only 2,600 years.

Through observation and experience, shamans gained insight into the guiding principles and forces of

nature and utilised the natural sciences to bring about healing. They guarded their secrets carefully to

prevent misuse.

Meanwhile, 4-5,000 years ago in the Orient, two great systems of healing developed – traditional

Chinese medicine (TCM) and the Ayurvedic system of India. Both have long explored the energies of

the body, as have many other native traditions around the world.

BIH is a huge subject built on solid foundations. A text such as this can serve as an introduction, but

does not claim to be all-inclusive. Further information on the history and scope of BIH will be offered

where relevant in future modules.

We can all feel the flow of energy though our bodies. Try this: sit in a comfortable

chair with your back and neck supported. Take a few deep breaths and close your

eyes. Relax. Be peaceful.

‘Sense’ the energy moving through your body. Move your hands up and down,

pausing a while over the groin, the belly button, solar plexus, heart, throat and

brow. Then hold your palm just above the crown of your head.

According to the tradition of ancient India, these are the locations of the chakras.

Can you feel them? ‘Visualise’ or ‘feel’ them energised and balanced and affirm

that it is so. After a few moments, open your eyes. How do you feel? If you found

this difficult, keep practising and it will get easier.

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2.0 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

TCM has played an important part in the history and development of modern BIH. It dates back at least

four thousand years, and is a radically different way of understanding human health, physical function,

and disease and its causes than its Western counterpart, and has a fundamentally different view of the

body and healing:

Whereas Western medicine sees the body as a stand-alone entity; in TCM, it has an

intimate relationship with its environment at all levels.

TCM is focussed on the person as a whole, rather than disease alone.

Western medicine tends to see the body as a collection of inter-dependent and inter-

related parts; to the Chinese, it is a small universe, a complete system, with a set of

complete and interconnected systems.

At the heart of the TCM healing model is the flow of energy, qi, through the meridians.

Disease is viewed as a lack of harmony or disruptions in ‘chi’ or qi. Practitioners try to

influence the delivery and control of this subtle energy (pronounced as in ‘cheese’)1.

Western physicians focus on the form and structure of the body and measurable,

observable organic changes; their Chinese counterparts are more concerned with

function than body parts. They apply treatment to improve the functioning of the

whole body, not just the impaired components.

Thus when Western practitioners speak of ‘blood’, they are referring to the physical

material that flow through the veins and arteries of the body; the Chinese concept of

‘blood’ relates to the flow of energy through the body associated with the

bloodstream.

2.1 Yin and Yang

Central to Chinese thinking is the notion of balance. Health is seen as a balance of two opposing forces,

Yin and Yang, complementary opposites within a greater whole. Yin is the female, inhibitory energy,

static, cool, calming and intuitive, while Yang is the male excitatory energy, dynamic, stimulating and

logical. It’s related to height, sky, heavens, while Yin is related to earth and underground, to low points

in land and nature.

1 Various forms of spelling and pronunciation exist for chi, including ‘qi’ (also pronounced as chi or - mostly in Korea and Japan - like ‘key’). ‘Chi’ is analogous to ‘prana’, ‘mana’, ‘maya’ or ‘orgon’ of other systems.

Before reading this section, write in

your reflective diary your

impressions of TCM and how you

think it differs from its modern

Western equivalent.

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The meridians (see below) are divided into Yin and Yang groups. Everything has Yin and Yang aspects

which interact and never achieve absolute stasis.

2.2 Meridians

Meridians are central to TCM. They are the energetic pathways along

which the body’s source energy, ‘qi’, flows. In TCM, illness is caused

by blockages or disturbances to the energy flow along the meridians,

and the aim of all treatment is to restore this flow. Qi can be

augmented by thoughtful living and depleted by adverse

environmental factors acting on the individual.

‘Meridian’ is the commonly used translation for the Chinese term

‘jing lu’ (ching lo), but it does not really capture the meaning. Jing luo

combines ‘to pass through’ (jing) and ‘to connect’ (luo), so ‘channel’

might be the better translation. Entry points to the meridians, known

as ‘xue’ (pronounced like hsye; ‘holes’) are better known as

acupuncture points (or acupoints).

Although meridians generally follow anatomic structures, the

meridian-based medical system is based less on anatomy than on a

holistic view of body, mind, spirit and emotions. The body has natural

patterns of qi that circulate through the meridians. Qi collects

primarily in the brain, lungs, and kidneys—all of which are made of

millions of microtubules.

There are twelve primary channels or main meridians. Each runs down the arms and legs, and bears

the name of, and roughly corresponds to, one of the twelve Zang Fu (organs).2,3 In addition, there are

eight ‘extraordinary’ meridians, which are considered to be storage vessels of reservoirs of energy not

associated directly with the Zang Fu.

TCM identifies the heart as the master organ, the ‘emperor of the body’ and ‘ruler’ of the five major

organ networks. The heart meridian is the master connector, holding all the energies of the body

together and linking them to the brain. It is the primary imprinter of information in the body.

Meridian-based therapy may be traced back to two famous books written around 5,000 BCE, the

Huang Di Nei Jing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic) and the Huang Di Bashiyi Nan Jing (Yellow

Emperor’s Classic of Eighty-one Difficult Issues). The Nan Jing in particular shows a highly systematic

outline of what has become TCM.

Buddhist priests and practitioners dispersed acupuncture and the knowledge of the five-phase-

theory to Japan and in other regions. The last to catch on were Westerners, primarily through French

Jesuits who came to China around the sixteenth century to perform missionary work. They

introduced Western ideas including anatomy, but took TCM with them back to Europe.

2 Zang are the solid organs; Fu the hollow organs. 3 The pericardium is a fluid-filled sac that surrounds the heart, keeps it contained in the chest cavity and prevents it from over-expanding when blood volume increases.

The Twelve Zang Fu (‘organs’) of Chinese Medicine

Lung Large intestine Stomach Spleen Heart Small intestine Bladder Kidney Pericardium Gall Bladder Liver San Jiao – the Triple

Burner (the only Zang Fu not named after a body part; concerned with metabolism)

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Even though meridians still cannot be ‘seen’, their existence has been demonstrated by many

researchers and there are a number of explanations for how they work. But a method – any method -

does not become better simply because science is able to explain it! Meridian-based therapies have

flourished for centuries because millions of people have found them effective.

Example: The bladder meridian

2.21 Types of Meridian

There are several types of meridian. The best known are those running under the skin: 12 paired

meridians and two unpaired meridians. They are classified as either excitatory (yang) or inhibitory (yin)

according to their polarity. A pair of meridians consists of a yang and a yin partner of the same element

or phase. The five-element or five-phases-theory contains the elements wood, fire (four meridians

instead of two), earth, metal and water (see the illustration overleaf), each element or phase

presenting particular properties including time of maximal energy flow, link to a season (spring,

summer, Indian summer, autumn, winter), to tissues, parts of the the sensory system, emotions and

personality patterns.

The figures left and right show parts of the bladder

meridian. Being the longest meridian in the body, it

has the highest number of points (67). Originating

from nose (Bl 1) and the inner eyebrow (Bl 2), the

meridian finds its way over head and neck (Bl 10, Bl

11) downwards crossing the back in two to three

lines (Bl 13 - 34, Bl 42 - 54) and ending up on the

lateral part of the tip of the fifth toe (Bl 67). The

meridian is used to treat - among others - back pain,

head ache, bladder issues and ankle injuries. So

issues related to the region crossed are addressed

as well as systemic issues related to the organs

connected to the meridian (bladder, vertebral

column, kidney).

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2.3 Personality Types

There are specific moods or emotions related to the elements, so

each element is related to a particular type of personality. E. g. wood

is related to a strong, dynamic person (left: liver type, yin) or to an

angry, impulsive and often exaggerating person (right: gallbladder

type, yang). When wood type individuals enter your office you’ll be

aware of them in the first second.

There are also two opposing types in the earth element. One is calm,

content, likes to eat and drink, likes to rest and enjoy being, but also

tends to brood (left: spleen type, yin). The other one is full of sorrow,

too, but along with digestion issues he or she feels pain in the

intestine, feels cold and always in discomfort (stomach type, right).

The five elements and their meridians

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While the element fire (the heart type) incorporates the two

opposing attitudes (yin and yang) in one person, the elements metal

and kidney are presented by only one, the yin type, because there is

no real yang expression. The heart type (left) is sometimes over the

moon and sometimes down in the dumps showing high amplitudes

of mood swing possibly on one given day. The lung type (right) is

‘dry’, without humour, accurate and punctual: never arrives around

12 o’clock, always at 12 o’clock sharp.

Conversely the kidney type (left) is the permanent victim, taking over indefinitely all

burdens of a group or family, while staying silent or with only little complaints, likely to

burn out (or rust through).

Metal and water types are normally of lean build, while wood types are strong, robust (liver) or obese

(spleen). Every type reacts specifically to a given treatment regarding dosage, frequency and intensity

of application. For a therapist to find the appropriate treatment modality it is therefore crucial to

consider the type of a patient or client, too, prior to decide about any remedy or (in case of

acupuncture) about the number of needles and their locations used in one session. The therapist has

also to consider the gender of the client, because there are differences in the meridian system of males

and females. While chi flows faster and with greater intensity in males during hot and cold seasons, it

does so in the meridians of women during mild seasons.

2.4 The Elements

The 12 paired meridians are connected in a specific way, holding and using chi for two hours each and

delivering it to the next. The table on the next page shows this order and you see that always two

meridians belong to the same element (making them a pair), one being the yin partner, the other being

the yang partner. The neighbouring meridians of different pairs are of the same polarity.

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2.5 Methods of Treatment in TCM

Although Western and Chinese medicine are difficult to reconcile in principle, they may be used

concurrently; indeed, this is often the case in modern China. The most important treatment methods

in TCM are:

Herbal medicine: Chinese ‘herbs’ consist not only of plants4, but marine life (especially sea

horses), reptiles, insects and minerals. They may be taken in a variety of forms - teas, pills,

tinctures and so on. There are three broad types:

o Superior herbs – for multiple diseases

o Tonics and boosters

o Herbs for specific ailments

Acupuncture (see below).

4 About 80% of Chinese herbs are plant-based.

Name Abbrev. Element Polarity Max. Hour

Lung meridian LU Metal Yin 3:00 - 5:00

Large Intestine LI Metal Yang 5:00 - 7:00

Stomach ST Earth Yang 7:00 - 9:00

Spleen SP Earth Yin 9:00 - 11:00

Heart HE Fire Yin 11:00 - 13:00

Small Intestine SI Fire Yang 13:00 - 15:00

Bladder BL Water Yang 15:00 - 17:00

Kidney KI Water Yin 17:00 - 19:00

Circulation /

Sexualityicardium)

CS

(former PC)

Fire Yin 19:00 - 21:00

Triple Heater (Burner) TH (TB) Fire Yang 21:00 - 23:00

Gallbladder GB Wood Yang 23:00 - 1:00

Liver LR Wood Yin 1:00 - 3:00

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Dietary therapy: using natural foods for healing instead of medications. In TCM, foods are

classified by four groups, five tastes and by their natures and characteristics, including Yin

and Yang. For example, Yang foods are believed to raise the metabolism, and Yin foods to do

the opposite. Generally Yang foods tend to have higher calorific values, while Yin foods tend

to have high water content. The ideal is to eat both types of food to keep the body in

balance.

Other prescribed treatments may include:

Tui na massage – hands-on manipulative therapy based on the martial arts, which may

involve applying pressure using the fingers, palms and thumbs on points related to the

central and autonomic nervous systems.

Cupping – drawing out pathogenic factors from affected parts using a vacuum cup.

Moxabustion - applying heat to the acupuncture points.

Qigong exercises, which use slow graceful movements and controlled breathing techniques

to promote the circulation of qi.

2.51 Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been practiced in China for at least three thousand years. Fine needles are inserted

in the appropriate ‘acupuncture points’ along the meridians and stimulated (e.g. by gentle

movement and sometimes a weak electrical current) to stimulate and/or restore the flow of energy.

Acupressure has the same purpose, using finger pressure rather than needles.

Nowadays, lasers are also used instead of needles in acupuncture. We’ll return to this subject in

Module BIH 7.

Acupuncture is now practised world-wide, and many contemporary applications exist including their

use as analgesics. While the placebo effect works as analgesic in 30% of cases, acupuncture has

proven to work in 70 - 80%. A Canadian researcher, Dr. Bruce Pomeranz at the University of Toronto,

discovered how acupuncture works in this area. He identified the effects of stimulating acupuncture

points on the electrical and biochemical system in nerve fibres, especially of the central and

autonomous nervous system, the spinal cord, midbrain and hypothalamus-pituitary region.

2.52 Treat the cause, not the symptoms

One of the major principles of TCM is to treat the main root of a problem rather than focus on

symptoms. This root may be influenced by external energies, because every living organism is

interconnected within a universal matrix. ‘In here’ equals ‘out there.’ And inside the body every

system is linked to every other to maintain stability as well as the maximum ability to survive while

investing the least amount of energy.

The harmonious controlled permanent energy flow - shown in a system known as five-phase-theory -

is the essence of the meridian-based therapies. The focus is not on independent factors but on the

relationship and interdependence of all things - the core of ‘being-ness’.

For a long time Oriental Medicine was seen in the West as an esoteric theory, but now it is emerging

as verifiable science, as research explains the functions of meridians as channels of biochemical,

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electrical and subtle energies. Meridians have been mapped using thermal imaging, electronics,

radioactivity etc. and more and more they appear as high-speed highways for information carrying

and interchange.

2.6 The Relationship Between BIH and TCM

Today there is growing interest in TCM around the world because science is beginning to acknowledge

that chemistry, although successful at explaining many of the mechanisms of the body, does not

adequately explain its integrative workings. Both TCM and BIH are integrative in the truest sense: they

combine physics, chemistry and biology to activate the body’s own healing capabilities, and use the

information network in the body that conventional biology knows next to nothing about. Both BIH and

TCM help explain why complementary modalities such as acupuncture and homeopathy work.

However, many scientists are still not convinced that TCM has any valid basis. They insist that there is

no physical evidence for the existence of meridians, and cast doubt on the efficacy of acupuncture.

Indeed, the empirical evidence is somewhat contradictory: some studies show that it is beneficial for

some conditions; others suggest that ‘sham’ acupuncture5 is just as successful, in which case the

healing benefits, if there are any, are due to the placebo effect. The problem is, acupuncture is not

susceptible to the usual double-blind research methods used to test allopathic medicines6.

Research into BIH and TCM is ongoing. The next few years should witness significant breakthroughs

and compelling evidence that shows why TCM works, and provides lessons that can be applied to BIH.

5 Where needles are inserted into the ‘wrong’ places, or are inserted superficially. 6 See the paper, ‘Old medicine, New Medicine,’ that accompanies this text.

Now look at what you wrote before reading Section 2. Do you still agree with everything written? What would you like to add? What, if anything, has changed?

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3.0 The Ayurvedic System

Ayurveda is the Indian version of ancient oriental medicine which views disease as an imbalance in the

vital energy called prana (the Ayurvedic equivalent of chi). It is based on the five great elements of

which the universe is made – earth, water, fire, wood and fire.

In Ayurveda, individuals are characterised by their body types – vata, pitta or kapha - each a result of

certain body defects or ‘doshas’.

Vata7 Pitta Kapha

Tall, long, slender limbs.

Variable appetite

Poor stamina.

Light sleeper.

Anxious personality.

Changeable.

Medium, balanced build.

Good appetite.

Good stamina unless

overheated.

Angry, forceful.

Incisive, impatient.

Heavy build.

Steady, stable appetite.

Large eyes and mouth.

Disinclined to activity.

Cool, calm personality.

Complacent.

Each dosha is associated with the way the individual processes vital energy. Each individual has a

unique combination of doshas. Disease arises from an imbalance of one or more of the doshas

compared to homeostasis, and treatments designed to restore this balance. Herbs, dietary therapy,

mineral extracts, surgery, exercise, massage, sweating, meditation and yoga are among the treatment

methods applied.

Ayurvedic medicine continues to prosper in India alongside allopathy and, despite the scepticism of

the mainstream medical community, has attracted greater interest in the West as a result of the works

of authors such as Dr Deepak Chopra and Dr Amit Goswami.

7 Table summarised from Amit Goswami, The Quantum Doctor, page 117

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4.0 Chakras and the Aura

4.1 The Chakra System

Chakra means ‘wheel of light.’ A chakra is a circular-shaped energy body that directs life energy for

physical and spiritual wellbeing. They are subtle energy centres located at the main branches of the

nervous system. They absorb subtle life-energy from sunlight and distribute it to the tissues and organs

of the body. According to the many healing traditions that recognise them, anything that causes a

blockage or disturbance of the flow of energy through one or more of the chakras can lead to illness.

There are many chakra systems around the world (China, Mexico, Egypt and so on) and most are

similar. However, the best known and most widely practised is the Indian or Ayurvedic system, which

is at least 4,000 years old. Here there are seven major chakras, each with different qualities. (Other

traditions identify more chakras, some of which are located outside the body.) Each is associated

with a colour, function and set of organs.

The first five are situated along the spine.

1. The Base Chakra (colour: red) at the base of the spine, relates to the adrenal glands, spinal

column, rectum and anus. It controls the excretory, reproductive and immunity functions.

2. The Sacral Chakra (colour: orange) at the top of the triangular bone which forms the keystone

of the pelvic arch relates to the bladder, intestines, reproductive system and legs.

3. The Solar Plexus Chakra (colour: yellow) in the lower back governs the nervous system, stomach

and spleen, liver, gallbladder and regulates blood sugar.

4. The Heart Chakra (colour: green), related to the Thymus Gland. It controls the immune system,

heart, lungs and circulation.

5. The Throat Chakra (colour: blue), situated in the neck, relates to the thyroid gland (which

controls the metabolism) and governs the bronchial and vocal apparatus and alimentary canal.

The sixth and seventh chakras are located in the head:

6. The Brow Chakra (colour: indigo) is found in the middle of the forehead between the eyes. It

links to the pituitary gland, which governs maturation and growth, and controls the autonomic

nervous system. This is the seat of the mind, knowledge, wisdom and vision.

7. The Crown Chakra (colour: violet) at the top of the head governs the other six. It relates to the

pineal gland, which is responsible for the production of melatonin, a powerful antioxidant

which strengthens the immune system, and controls the central nervous system. The Crown

Centre is the seat of the highest frequency of energy vibration in the body.

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4.2 The Aura

The aura has long been recognised as a field that extends beyond the body, consisting of multiple

bands of energy (auric layers or auric fields). It extends beyond the physical form as a magnetic field

radiates from a magnet. Each person’s field is unbounded, i.e. extends indefinitely into space.

Many healers believe that the aura expands, contracts and changes hue according to the physical

health of the individual and their mental and emotional state. When a person is well, it expands and

glows brightly; when unwell or cut off from their inner peace, it closes in and turns dreary grey.

Although most of us cannot see them with the naked eye, we are aware of others’ auras at a

subconscious level. A healthy aura attracts and energises us, whereas a dull aura has the opposite

effect.

Long ago in India and China it was understood that the body is subject not only to the energies in its

environment (such as loud noises and the fields generated by electrical equipment) but also other

people’s auras. The strongest influences, however, are energies created from within. The state of these

internal energies dramatically affects our physical state. We can manage this energy field, for example,

by being aware of the energy of people we mix with, our thoughts and the language we use, seeking

out places with high energy (e.g. the natural environment, sacred sites) and distancing ourselves from

anything that weakens our energy field, including negative ideas.

The traditional concept of the aura must not, however, be confused with the human bodyfield/biofield

identified and described by today’s researchers:

The aura is external to the body, a reflection of what is happening in the body. It is like the

exhaust fumes coming off an engine. They can tell you something about the engine, but they

are not the engine.

The biofield/bodyfield is the engine itself, the structure of energy and information patterns

that govern what happens in the physical body.

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5.0 BIH in the 20th and 21st Centuries

For the past few centuries, most scientists have rejected the existence of the non-observable, believing

that anything that cannot be observed and measured belongs in the realms of the weird and wacky.

And yet, ironically, it was 19th century physicists who first researched the paranormal. Then

psychologists and physicians joined them in the study of telepathy, clairvoyance, telekinesis, spoon

bending, near death experiences, extrasensory and extracorporeal perception, distant healing and

shamanic phenomena using scientific methodology, and discovered that it was not possible to refute

anything of them!

From the beginning of the 20th century, astonishing developments took place in physics. Max Plank

discovered the quartation of energy, the young Einstein acknowledged the double nature of quanta as

wave-particle effects, and Werner Heisenberg challenged the supremacy of cause and effect in the

subatomic realms.

5.1 Nonlocality

The 1920’s saw the rise of quantum physics and the first inklings of what would come to be known as

the ‘nonlocal’ effect. Nonlocality is ‘action at a distance,’ where measuring an inherent characteristic

of one of a quantum pair, such as one electron of a pair of electrons, instantaneously imparts

information about or affects the other particle of the pair. In later decades, when nonlocality was more

deeply explored and verified, it came to include consciousness and ‘intention’. Experiments showed

that the well-focused intention of an individual or group can have a material effect on another person,

substance or process thousands of miles away.

None of this would have surprised the subtle energy healers who had been practising distance healing

for centuries, nor the religious healers who use prayer to invite healing for people not in their physical

presence. There is considerable evidence for their effectiveness. Theorists suggest that it works

through fields connecting individuals through ‘nonlocal reality.’ Dr Daniel Benor, a respected medical

doctor, concluded a paper reviewing sixty one studies that, ’distance, even thousands of miles, does

not appear to limit the effects of healing.’8

Radiesthesia is a healing methodology that serves as an example of this non-local effect. It aims to

detect ’radiation’ within the body and to then interact with this radiation to exert a beneficial effect.

According to the theory, all human bodies give off unique or characteristic ’radiations’, often termed

‘auras,’ which are based on the Chinese view of energy fields around the body. Radiesthesia is cited as

the explanation of such phenomena as dowsing by rods and pendulums in order to locate buried

substances, diagnose illnesses, and the like.

Following on from Radiesthesia, at the beginning of the 20th Century, Dr Albert Abrams developed the

method of ‘radionics’. He showed that healthy subjects have certain energy rates moving through their

bodies, whereas unhealthy people exhibit different energy rates that define disorders. Radionic

8 Daniel J. Benor, ‘Distant Healing, Personal Spirituality Workbook,’ Subtle Energies, 11, no. 3 (2000):249-264,

www.WholisticHealingResearch.com

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devices are used to diagnose rate distortions and send the body the appropriate radionic ‘frequencies’

to balance the discordant frequencies, thereby helping to return the body to health.

5.2 Lakhovsy, Burr and Kirlian

In 1925, a Russian engineer, Georges Lakhovsky (1896-1942)9 showed that every living thing

emits electro/magnetic signals, and that a cell's nucleus acts as an electrical oscillating circuit

similar to a radio transmitter and receiver. He was, in time honoured fashion, vilified by his

fellow scientists, but their attitude slowly changed. When Professor Harold Saxton Burr of Yale

University concluded from a five-year research project in 1945 that ‘all living organisms possess

complex electromagnetic fields,’ the scientific community was somewhat more willing to accept

his findings.

In his book, ‘The Secret of Life,’ published in 1929, Lakhovsky showed that all protoplasm (the living

content of a cell that is surrounded by a plasma membrane) emanates radiation which oscillates

throughout the body. He invented a healing device, a multiple wave oscillator, which used

electromagnetic waves produced by a short wave radio circuit.

During the 1930’s, Professor Burr postulated that an electro-dynamic field is responsible for the

organisation of a biological system. He began to experiment with electrical recordings of what he

assumed were the energy fields in humans. Burr was able to obtain information regarding such diverse

measures as emotion, ovulation cycles and pre-cancerous cells. By demonstrating that these readings

could be obtained at a distance from the body he successfully showed a field effect, which he named

the L-Field (Life Field). The L-Field was a precursor to today’s more sophisticated theories of the human

bio-information field.

In 1939, Semyon Kirlian, a Russian scientist, accidentally discovered that if an object on a photographic

plate is connected to a source of high voltage, small corona discharges (created by the strong electric

field at the edges of the object) create an image on the photographic plate. He developed a technique

which later bore his name, in which a subject is in direct contact with a film placed upon a metal plate

charged with high voltage, high frequency electricity. Kirlian claimed that the resulting image was

comparable to the human aura (although scientists such as James Randl, strongly dispute this). Some

practitioners use Kirlian photography to show (according to them) how the aura responds to different

emotional and mental states, and even to diagnose illness and other problems.

5.3 Voll

In the early 1950s, Dr Reinhold Voll, a German medical doctor, and his collaborator Helmut Schimmel,

developed a device for finding acupuncture points electronically. He then began a search to identify

correlations between disease states and changes in the electrical resistance of acupuncture points. His

discoveries led to the EAV - Electro-acupuncture According to Voll. The EAV evolved in the 1970s into

the Vega machine, widely used for diagnosing nutritional and health issues and allergy testing.

9 His book, ‘The Secret of Life,’ is available on-line through Google Books.

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5.4 Bioresonance therapy

A technique developed in the 1970s, called bioresonance therapy, continued in the tradition of

Radiesthesia, but used the body’s own information instead of generated rates, and then fed this

information back to the body, sometimes in the reverse order so that undesirable effects could be

negated. The most famous bioresonance device was marketed as MORA-therapy, in which electrodes

that emit alternating currents are applied to the patient’s skin in order to affect the information in the

cells.

5.5 Fritz-Albert Popp

The study of bioenergetics was further advanced by the discovery of biophotonic emissions — light

emitted by living cells, including human cells. This major advance was made in the 1970s by Fritz-Albert

Popp, who demonstrated that the light from living cells covered a wide range of wavelengths. He

theorised that these ‘biophoton emissions’ provided a communication system for the transfer of

information among the trillions of cells in an organism. Ultimately, Popp came to think of biophoton

emissions as a sort of corrective mechanism used by living systems to respond to the fluctuations of

the zero-point field, the vast, core field of electromagnetic energy that fills the vacuum of space and

represents matter at its lowest possible energetic state at absolute zero.

5.6 Recent decades

The pace of new learning and discovery continues unabated. The 1980s saw major advances in field-

based biotechnologies, one of the most successful being the SQUID (Superconducting Quantum

Interference Device) magnetometer. The SQUID is a highly sensitive imaging technology that maps the

biomagnetic fields produced by physiological processes within the body. SQUID was the first practical

electronic instrument to detect quantum interference among the energy waves of matter. It is used

widely by researchers in many fields, including conventional medicine.

In the past three decades:

Rupert Sheldrake, an English biologist, hypothesised the existence of morphogenetic fields.

These non-local, non-physical fields exist outside space and time, and explain where the

blueprints that direct the formation of cells, embryos and all living things come from. They are

said to contain the information necessary to shape the exact form of a living being and may

also shape its behaviour and coordination with other beings (e.g. a flock of birds in flight, or a

shoal of fish swimming in formation).

In 1988, Professor Valerie Hunt recorded the frequency of low voltage signals emanating from

the body during Rolfing10 sessions. It was found that the body does indeed emanate radiation

at sites associated with the chakras, and that certain levels of consciousness were linked to

specific frequencies. For example, mystics had an energy field of 800-900Hz compared with

250Hz for the average person when engaged in normal daily activities.

10 Rolfing is a method of hands-on body work and movement training that helps people to have better posture, fewer aches and pains, more flexibility and more energy. Named after US biochemist Dr Ida Rolf who developed the method in the 1960’s.

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Nobel Prize winner in Medicine John Eccles laid the foundation for investigating neuro-

independent consciousness (astonishing since Eccles is a neuroscientist!)

Engineering Professor William Tiller postulated the existence of subtle energies in his 1997

book, Science and Human Transformation. He claimed they act in concert with human

consciousness and also manifest themselves in the practices of healers and other paranormal

practitioners. He sees a connection between both physical and nonphysical consciousness and

the natural phenomena. (These findings are not presently accepted by the mainstream

scientific community.)

Dr Robert Becker, an orthopaedic surgeon, looked into the relationship between human

physiology and electricity. He used electricity and electro-magnetic fields to stimulate the

mending of broken bones. He also determined the presence of a direct current electrical

control system within the body. This system transmitted information through membranes of

the glial cells (part of the support system for the nerves and central nervous system).

Amit Goswami studied the consciousness of the universe and

coined the phrase ‘Quantum Doctor’. His work explains the

relationship between the quantum concepts of non-locality (i.e. we are

all interconnected, even without a signal), discontinuity (insight in

quantum leaps), tangled hierarchies (and downward causation and

healing.

Information physicist Ervin Laszlo proposed the psi-force as a

fifth force, additional to the known force fields (gravitation,

electromagnetism, weak and strong force) to explain all existence.

Basically, it all comes to oscillation and information exchange. So what

has been passed on for millennia as secret esoteric knowledge has

suddenly become the subject of respectable scientific academic work.

There are no longer any boundaries.

One recent experiment into telepathy/PSI stands out. It was conducted against strict NASA rules by

Apollo 14 astronaut and nuclear physicist, Dr Edgar Mitchell, on the way back from the moon. He

attempted to guess the sequence of playing cards drawn by his friends. Not only did he guess correctly,

but he did it two hours before the cards were drawn and revealed! The odds against this were 5000:1!

Mitchell went on to found the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS)11, which was featured in the Dan

Brown novel, ‘The Lost Symbol.’

Science has brought us to the point where transcendence is no longer considered superstition.

Everything is taken into consideration, from the smallest to the biggest, from the subatomic to the

cosmic. The young disciplines of quantum biology and biophysics now embrace the study of quantum

processes that underlie chemistry, but they are still on the fringe of the conventional medical/scientific

community. In this new view of the world, everything has its place, and those who continue to

subscribe to a narrow materialistic view to the exclusion of all else are becoming hopelessly obsolete.

11 www.noetic.org

Niels Bohr, the father of quantum physics, mounted a horse shoe for good luck above the entrance of his institute in Copenhagen. When asked whether he believed in that he supposedly said: ‘Of course not! But it’s supposed to help anyway!’

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5.7 Emerging Technologies

Nowadays there are many devices on the market which demonstrate the use of energy fields in

medicine; they are found in clinics and hospitals all over the world. But increasingly the greatest

breakthroughs in modern healthcare are coming from devices that are able to directly measure and

influence information fields. One example is the computer-based EPFX/SCIO (Electro Physiological

Frequency Xrroid/Scientific Consciousness Interface Operating) system developed by former US space

scientist, Bill Nelson.

At the leading edge of this technological revolution is former acupuncture professor, Peter Fraser,

Chief Scientific Officer for the UK-based company, NES Health. NES has developed a method of

scanning the human body-field based on his theories, using his unique ‘matching’ technique. Fraser

has adapted traditional Chinese medicine and refined its correlations of meridians with physical organs

and body structures to an extraordinary level of detail. NES ‘Provision’ software identifies distortions

in energy and information in the body-field and recommends corrective measures (more of this in

Module BIH 6).

Professor Thomas Kuhn wrote in his groundbreaking book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions12 that

usually a crisis is needed, such as the plagues of the nineteenth century, for scientists to open their

minds to new perspectives of inquiry to emerge. There is no area in which this may be more applicable

than in the fields of healthcare and medicine today. Decoding the human genome was hailed as the

breakthrough that would answer many of the perennial questions about the human body, but that has

turned out to be not the case.

Bioenergetic and informational healthcare stands at the frontiers of science. It encapsulates biology

(the study of life) and physics (as in energy, the underlying animating force of life). It explains how

these two disciplines interact. It is concerned with the flow and interaction of information fields within

and between living organisms and between living organisms and their environment. This is quantum

biology, a developing science, and it is moving in exciting new directions.

12 University of Chicago Press, 1996

How do you see the future of bioenergetic and

informational healthcare and healing in the

medium term (10-20 years) and longer term

(50-100 years)? Write your ideas in your

reflective diary.

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6.0 A Selection of BIH Healing Methods

6.1 Crystal healing

Crystals (or gemstones) have been used to help clear, infuse and balance the chakras for thousands of

years. Every stone vibrates at a different frequency, so there are ideal crystals for use with each chakra.

In addition, they appear to respond to the intention of the user, i.e. can be ‘programmed’ by holding

it in one’s hands and meditating or visualising an intention, although there is no widely accepted

scientific evidence to verify this.

6.2 Dowsing

The most common form of dowsing employed by energy healers uses a pendulum. When held and

allowed to swing freely, a pendulum will respond to the electro-magnetic frequency of a chakra. In

skilled hands, it may be used to diagnose energy weaknesses and distortions.

6.3 Flower essences

The best known flower essence remedies are those developed by Dr Edward Bach in the 1920s. Bach

‘attuned’ himself to the subtle vibrations of plants, picking up on their unique characteristics, which

he then used for healing. His first book, ‘The Twelve Healers and Other Remedies,’ offered twelve, but

by the time of his death in 1936, he had produced thirty-eight remedies. Later, others produced flower

essences of their own, e.g. Australian Bush Flower Essences and California Essences.

Bach’s flower remedies are bio-information medicines par excellence, but they do not enjoy universal

approval. This is because they include no part of the plant, but simply what Bach claimed to be the

pattern of energy/vibrational essence of the flower. He wrote, ‘The action of the flower essences raises

the vibration of the being.... They cure by flooding the body with the beautiful vibrations of the highest

nature - in whose presence there is the opportunity for disease to melt away like snow in sunshine’.

Many have found plant remedies to be effective. There’s nothing strange about healing with plants.

Herbal medicine relies on them, and even most pharmaceuticals are plant-based.

6.4 Hands-on healing

There are many types of hands-on healing. The laying on of hands has been used as a form of energy

transfer throughout recorded history, and is often associated with religious practice. In recent years a

variety of forms, such as ‘Therapeutic Touch13’ and ‘Quantum Touch14’ have been developed, many

demonstrating positive results, including pain relief (e.g. from arthritis) and the reduction of stress and

anxiety. Critics are fond of suggesting that nothing is happening beyond the placebo effect, but

experiments with plants and animals (which, it is supposed, are not influenced by the power of belief)

suggest that the energetic effect is real.

13 Therapeutic Touch is an energy therapy claimed to promote healing and reduce pain and anxiety. Practitioners claim that by placing their hands on, or near, a patient, they are able to detect and manipulate the patient's energy field. 14 Founded by Richard Gordon, Quantum-Touch is a method of natural healing that works with the ‘chi’ or ‘prana’. It teaches how to focus, amplify, and direct this energy by combining breathing and body awareness exercises.

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It appears that all humans are capable of healing each other through touch, and this is magnified when

the giver intentionally ‘channels’ healing energy into the recipient. However, there are many different

ways of doing this, some more effective than others. Also, the more ‘centred’, ‘grounded’ and

‘protected’ the giver (i.e. mentally protected from adverse energies), and the more ‘connected’ the

giver feels to the receiver.

A popular form of hands-on healing is Reiki. Reiki is an energy healing system which involves the

channelling and delivery of ‘universal life energy’ through the practitioner into the body of the patient.

It works at the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels, and claims to balance bodily functions,

release blockages and suppressed emotions, strengthen the immune system, clear toxins and release

pain.

Reiki draws on chakra knowledge. It uses certain symbols which are considered sacred, as they open

the doors to the ‘higher mind’, triggering an intention or belief to bring about desired results.

In Reiki – crucially – the energy doesn’t come from the healer, but passes through him or her. It is

thousands of years old, but was revived and popularised by the Japanese physician, Dr Mikao Usui at

the beginning of the last century. Instruction in Reiki is widely available.

Like many energy treatments, Reiki can be delivered at a distance, can be used for self-healing or

treating others, and also claims to work with animals.

6.5 Homeopathy

Although reviled by the allopathic community, homeopathy has been practised for over 200 years and

has a solid track record. Homeopathy can be viewed as an early form of information medicine as its

remedies are prescribed according to the classical Greek Law of Similars, namely ‘that which makes

sick shall heal.’ This means that the symptoms caused by an overabundance of a substance can be

cured with a small dose of that substance as the body is able to make a ‘match’ between the two pieces

of Information.

Homeopathic remedies are so greatly diluted that only the energetic imprint — the information — of

the healing agent is left behind, and this is partly why the conventional medical establishment is so

hostile. To a biochemist, the chemical composition of a medicine or drug is what counts; in BIH what

matters is the correction of energy and information weakness and distortions.

Try this:

Rub your palms together. Pass them over your face. Feel

the tingling.

When you pass your energised palms over a weak or

diseased organ, it gets a dose of your vitality, which has

healing power. This is the basis of Therapeutic Touch.

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6.6 Kinesiology

Kinesiology is an energy-based healing system using the principles of TCM. The practitioner tests the

strength in various muscles to identify problem areas, then restores balance within the body, relieves

energy blockages and helps the body to cleanse itself of toxins and heal naturally.

6.7 Healing with light and colour

We are literally beings of light. Nobel Prize winner Albert Szent-Györgyi concluded that light striking

the body alters the basic biological functions involved in digestive processing, enzymatic and hormonal

interactions. Dr Jacob Liberman, a pioneer in the therapeutic use of colour and light, says we are living

photocells. The body gives off light of all colours, takes it in through our physical being and emits and

receives light through the subtle energy bodies. He also believes that colours present in the body

indicate our state of consciousness.

Light has used for healing for several thousand years, e.g. the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians were

well acquainted with it. Recent research has demonstrated the power of light for healing, for example,

sunlight has been shown to stimulate the pineal gland (which acts as the body’s light filter) to produce

melatonin, which promotes sleep, rest and happiness. Light is known to stimulate a number of brain

centres, such as the cerebral cortex, limbic system and hypothalamus.

In recent times, light therapy has proved effective for conditions such as SAD – seasonal affective

disorder – a form of depression sometimes referred to as the ‘winter blues’.

One aspect of light healing is colour therapy, which has also been used for several thousand years.

Different colours have different wavelengths, so choosing the right colour is crucial. For instance, red

light helps wounds heal more quickly, blue light can kill bacteria and ultraviolet light can sterilise air

and water. Author Richard Gerber (a pioneer in this field) concludes, ‘While colour energy cannot heal

everything, it appears that colour healing may ultimately prove to be of great benefit in treating a wide

variety of physical, psychological and even spiritual problems.

6.8 Magnets

Magnets15 were used in healing by the Ancient Chinese, Egyptians and Greeks, among others, and their

use has continued ever since.

The great physician Paracelsus (1493-1541) was one of the first to suggest that the Earth itself is a

giant magnet. Later, Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), best known as a flamboyant hypnotist,

agreed. He used magnetic passes over his patients to correct imbalances in the body’s ‘magnetic

fluids’ and bring about healing. Samuel Hahnemann and Louis Pasteur also experimented with them,

and in the mid 19th century, Chicago doctor C.J. Thacher claimed that magnetotherapy could cure

virtually all chronic diseases. However, none of this was taken seriously by the medical establishment

at the time.

15 There’s an excellent discussion on magnet therapy by Dr Roger Macklis entitled ‘Magnetic Healing, Quackery, and the Debate about the Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields’ at http://www.annals.org/content/118/5/376.full.pdf

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In the modern era, research continues in countries such as Russia, India and Japan, and there has

been a resurgence in the use of magnetic therapies in recent years in the West.

6.9 Reflexology

Reflexology involves applying pressure or acupuncture to specific zones on the feet, hands, scalp or

ears to influence the various organs and systems of the body through the meridians. It has been known

about for several thousand years in Africa and the East. Increasingly practitioners are using

‘colourpuncture’ (concentrated coloured light) and laser pens applied to the reflexology points.

6.10 Sound therapy

Sound waves are ever present in the universe. Every movement produces sound waves, some

detectable to humans, some not; human hearing can detect frequencies from 20-20,000 Hz.

The science behind sound therapy is well established and detailed. Sound delivers vibrations faster

than many other methods and is frequently used alongside other modalities. There are many forms of

sound therapy – music, toning, mantric chanting, tuning forks applied directly or indirectly to the

patient’s body, vibro-acoustic beds and chairs, and so on.

Resonance occurs when an object vibrating at its own unique frequency begins to vibrate at the same

frequency as another object, and entrainment occurs when multiple systems resonate together. When

the body entrains to positive thoughts, studies show that overall health improves.

Every individual generates his or her own personal harmonic (vibratory range). People respond to

other people, ideas and substances that vibrate within their personal range and resist those that do

not. If a stronger vibration overrules the personal one, such as a pathogen or negative opinion from

someone else, disease can set in.

Some notes or tones can be harmful, while others can heal. For example, low infrasonic frequencies

can collapse internal organs, and ultrasonic energy can decalcify and soften bones. On the other hand,

sounding a tuning fork has been shown to dissolve cancer cells.

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7.0 Conclusions

BIH is as old as civilisation itself. However, modern methods are improving its scope and effectiveness.

The new direction in medicine towards this pioneering form of medicine represents a real challenge

for many, because it is so far removed from conventional thinking. Even so, the shift is unstoppable.

Biological field concepts were part of the mainstream for the first half of the 20th century, then, as

molecular biology grew more dominant from 1950 onward and became big business, a field

perspective of life became taboo in academic science.

Allopathic medicine has its place, but is inevitably limited because it is based on traditional biology and

chemistry which simply do not adequately explain many of the workings of the body. Why? Because

they fail to recognise that the senior science, which underpins even biology and chemistry, is physics.

Physics can explain why healing modalities that activate the body’s subtle energies and use the

information network in the body can be effective, a subject about which conventional biology knows

next to nothing.

Research into BIH and TCM is ongoing. Just as astronomers refused to accept the existence of the

planet Pluto because nobody had actually seen it, the next few years will doubtless see significant

progress. We are on the cusp of witnessing the pharmaceutically-led Western mainstream, at last,

realising that our ancestors were not fools, and that BIH needs to be taken seriously.

As Victor Hugo famously

remarked, ‘Nothing is as

powerful as an idea whose time

has come.’

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