Red Dirt Medicine - Healing Touch and Biofield Therapy Information

Healing Touch / Biofield Therapy

Healing Touch is a form of Energy Therapy, also
referred to as Biofield Therapy. Nearly all ancient
peoples practiced some form of this technique in their
cultures. The Native Americans practiced forms of
Kolaimni. Eastern cultures practice it Reiki, Prana and
Tantra. In Hawaii it is known as Huna Healing and in
Europe various forms of laying on of hands have
been practiced for centuries.

As a combination of emerging science, modern
anatomy and fear of witches came to the forefront in
the 1600's, this form of healing was squelched. Since
it could not be explained, measured or proven, it was
associated with witchcraft. Therapeutic Touch,
another form of Biofield Therapy, began to regain its
popularity when Oskar Estebany, a colonel in the
Hungarian calvary, was discovered using the
technique in the 1930's. Since then, Therapeutic
Touch, and many other modalities of Biofield
Therapy, have begun to regain their place in health
and medicine. Over the past 20 years, scientists have
been able to actually measure the energy and
physiological effects of treatment!

THE SCIENCE

Scientific data on Biofield Therapy is still emerging.
While research has documented repeatable results,
the precise scientific explanation for what is
happening on a molecular level has yet to be
discovered. Quantum physics made great strides in
the field, pointing to an "intelligence" that cells in our
bodies actually respond to. Here are some examples
of what studies have shown so far:

Stress and Anxiety

Biofield Therapy, specifically Therapeutic Touch, is
very effective in relieving stress and anxiety. During a
Therapeutic Touch treatment, a physiologic response
occurs in which the heart rate decreases, breathing
rate slows, pupils constrict and skeletal muscles relax.
This is known as the Relaxation Response and it is
important for health because it serves as an antidote
to the fight- or-flight response that occurs when we
are under stress.

The Immune System

immunoglobulins Ig-A, Ig-G and Ig-M, all of which
play immunoglobulins Ig-A, Ig-G and Ig-M, all of
which play specific roles in fighting infection. The
Relaxation Response has also been known to trigger
emotional release, which also stimulates the immune
system. Studies have demonstrated that the
expression of emotion, whether positive or negative,
results in the temporary increase of natural killer cells
in the bloodstream.
bloodstream.

The Nervous System

Imbalance in the autonomic nervous system can
cause a variety of ailments. Cardiac arrhythmias,
asthma, irritable bowel syndrome and some forms of
high blood pressure are all examples of problems
caused by imbalance between the sympathetic and
parasympathetic functions of the autonomic nervous
system. Biofield Therapy has been found to bring
relief to many of these imbalance related ailments.

Just lay back and relax! As
hands are placed on you, you
may feel heat, or you may feel
the energy as a soft warmth,
almost like a gentle stream of
water during a session.

In areas of heavy energy flow,
the sensation may become hot.
Feelings of "static charge",
tingling and buzzing or humming
have also been used to describe
what one might feel during a
session.

Your might see pictures or a
movie play in your "mind's eye".
Your body might feel weightless,
or even very heavy. The
sensations are not limited to
what has been listed, but in any
case, you can expect very deep,
meditative relaxation.