Discover the healing powers of ancient therapies to help realign, rebalance and restore body, mind and soul
LAURA COPPOCK
Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it,” Albert Einstein famously said. So it comes as no surprise to know that there are a number of different holistic treatments that work on our energy to help improve our health and wellbeing. “Energy therapy is a form of complementary and alternative medicine based on the belief that a vital energy flows through the human body,” says traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner and co-founder of Escapada Health Maeve O’Sullivan (escapadahealth.com). “The goal of energy therapy is to balance the energy flow in the patient. It is used to reduce stress and anxiety and promote wellbeing.”
Whether originating from TCM, ayurveda or elsewhere, energy may mean slightly different things to different practitioners but one thing they agree on is that enabling energy to flow freely is beneficial to physical, mental and spiritual health. Some energy-based therapies involve touch or body movement, while others require little or no physical contact. As well as helping to relieve stress, these treatments are also said to help with everything from hormone imbalance and digestive health to insomnia and pain relief. Some cancer patients are recommended energy therapies to treat symptoms. And, even though according to the NHS website there is no medical evidence to prove their effectiveness, there are energy-based treatments available in NHS hospitals.
Wondering how energy therapies work or what to expect from a session? Let’s take a closer look at some of the different types of energy therapies and what they can do.
Acupressure
“Acupressure is an ancient form of massage that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years and is a method of sending a signal to the body through pressure to turn on its own self-healing mechanisms,” Maeve says. “In TCM, qi (known as our vital life energy) circulates through 14 natural pathways in the body called meridians, but this qi can often be blocked due to an imbalance in the body, in our yin and yang, which is seen as illness or pain. Acupressure helps correct these imbalances and restore flow to bring you back to a state of wellness and wellbeing.”
What can you expect from a treatment? Namely deep relaxation. Maeve tells us that acupressure is usually used as part of an acupuncture session (more on this next) rather than a standalone treatment. “You will feel gentle pressure on specific points on the body, these ca
