Ever wondered what healing is all about and what exactly healers do? Learn more here.

Literally put, healing means alleviating some kind of discomfort and/or helping someone to improve their well-being. Healers work with different natural, holistic tools and practices to support the healing process. Which tools they use will depend on their skills, training and preferences. Such healing can work at many levels, be it physical, spiritual or emotional. It's a joined up process that involves mind, body and spirit, since these are recognised as fundamentally connected.

What's the difference between a doctor and a healer?

Healers are very different to medical doctors! Modern medicine is fantastic and, in many nations, we can be grateful for access to our local GP and hospitals. At which point you choose to see a healer is entirely your own choice, but if you have a physical ailment that creates physical discomfort or poor health, then it's always advisable to see a doctor.

A healer's role is to use natural methods to support your well-being and promote healing (e.g. for pain relief, to speed up healing, to help break negative habits and behavioural patterns, to reduce anxiety and many other issues, or just for simple relaxation and fun!). My view is that healing isn't something the healer passes from them to you, but that the healer's role is to start up or boost your own inner healing process, a bit like a mechanic jump-starting an engine. Healers use different methods to do that, as mentioned. In my case, that means using different forms of vibrational energy via Reiki, crystals and Tibetan singing bowls, and through breath work, yoga and meditation. Every living being, infact the whole Universe, is made up of energy, vibrating at different frequencies. It may sound weird and out there, but quantum physics backs this up (though it can be quite hard to read for non scientists!).As Einstein said, "Everything in life is vibration". Techniques such at Reiki can be used to help to raise the vibration of the body and kick start the inner healing process, by helping the Chi or life energy to flow better, working at the level of subtle energies that we can't see, but we can certainly feel the effect. Our bodies are amazing machines, with a strong self-healing ability. However, we ourselves often stand in the way - most times unwittingly - of that healing process. How many times have you realised that your mind is telling you something different to your body or at times, let's face it, your soul? The mind and the ego are really, really good at sabotaging good, healthy practices and reactions, helping to build insecurities, anxieties and issues that we just can't seem to let go of (see Ekhart Tolle for more on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA14g5vaIPE). Studies are increasingly suggesting what the ancients knew - many of the physical ailments we suffer from can be linked back to issues that occur at the emotional, mental and spiritual level (today so many people suffer from stress, IBS, insomnia etc.). We can hold on to negative experiences and events in our lives, or suffer due to lack of connection with people and nature, creating blockages at the emotional, mental and spiritual level. These can eventually express themselves as physical discomfort and pain and eventually illness.

Let's look briefly at stress, as an example. The human body is designed to cope with short bursts of high-intensity stress, via our in-built survival mechanisms, which helped us thrive as early humans. A stressful situation will trigger certain reactions in our body, via the sympathetic nervous system, that are meant to help us with a fight or flight situation. When you experienced a high level of stress, did you ever feel like you had palpitations? Did you get stomach ache and need to make a quick dash to the toilet? Did your body feel tense? That's no surprise really. Physiologically, a high-stress situation triggers various things, including a massive burst of cortisol and adrenalin (leading to a raised heart beat, blood pressure and sugar levels to increase energy) and encourages the body to do other things like clear our bowels. Those helped the early human run away from a predator to safety. But imagine what that's doing to to us now, in modern life, if we're experiencing high levels of stress in the long term? Physiologically, we can deal with this for a short period of time, and then return to a normal state. However, when we experience prolonged levels of stress, this inevitably will take its toll on our body and can hamper normal bodily functions as a result (read more here http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx). Medications can be used to control blood pressure, reduce anxiety and so on, but does that really get to the underlying issues? Holistic therapies can be really beneficial here. Medical Doctor John Kabatt-Zinn, for example, realised that meditation could have amazing benefits for those suffering stress and other medical issues. He set up a now famous clinic to train patients in meditation, so that they could control their reaction to stress. If we can control our reaction (the process of turning thought and emotion into action), then the lowered impact of stress on the body could well help us avoid the stress-induced conditions and, in turn, the needing for long-term medical help.

Holistic techniques such a meditation can help us develop healthier responses to the things life throws at us, whilst healing aims to release subtle, energetic blockages through different means (including meditation). These alternative approaches can help to boost the healing process. Healing can often be used alongside medical treatment, though if you have any on-going health issues do check with your doctor that you are fit to engage in whichever therapies you are thinking of trying.

What is the healing process like?

The way I like to work is to explore how a client is feeling at different levels and the issues that they wish to work on. Then we discuss what techniques could be effective, depending on the kinds of issues the client wants to work on. Depending on which treatment is decided upon, the client may be laid down, sitting or moving through different standing postures. After the treatment, the client is given crystal activated water or herbal tea to rehydrate, and has a chance to give feedback on what they got from the treatment, or they may prefer to just sit quietly before moving on with their day.

What do you feel like after healing?

Healing techniques can bring a deep sense of peace and calm to a client. You may feel quite elated and light. However, if that's what's needed by the body, then the techniques may also release deep-seated blockages from the past (on the emotional and even karmic level). It is not uncommon for clients to feel emotional, tired and to cry immediately or a few hours after treatment. This is generally a good sign that the healing process has started and something has begun to shift and release. As such, healing is not a one-off or quick fix, and a number of sessions are likely to be required for the full benefits to be experienced. Imagine if you have held on to an emotional, mental or physical blockage for a long period of time, it will be - and indeed needs to be - a gradual process to release that. It's vital to drink plenty of water after any healing treatment and you may well feel very thirsty for a few days. Funnily enough, the healer also has to drink lots of water after giving a healing treatment! Water is a key component of our physical bodies, so keeping hydrated helps to keep our vibration high too. Try not to take a heavy meal after a healing treatment, plenty of fluids and light, fresh foods are best on the day of treatment. Again, this helps raise the vibrational levels of the body and lessens the burden on your system compared to a heavy meal.

If you ever have any adverse reactions after healing treatments, do contact your healer immediately for advice. For example, a first Reiki treatment might release deep emotions and could leave some clients feeling unsettled. This is why a course of treatments is always recommended, and your healer should be able to advise you what you can do. It's good to get grounded if you feel "odd" after a treatment. Some simple grounding techniques are to simply be in nature, get outside, stand barefoot on the grass, be around animals or children, go for a walk, sit by a river or the sea, sit down somewhere comfortable on the floor and breath deeply into your stomach area.

The best way to understand healing is to experience some healing techniques for yourself. Different practices suit different people and it might just be the right or wrong time too for you energetically, so you may need to try a few before you find the ones that work for you. My first experience of Reiki with an experienced practitioner didn't really do anything for me, but my second experience years later with a trainee Reiki practitioner blew me away, and I immediately knew I had to learn more!

What kind of person is a healer?

Let's not go into the names that healers get called ... hippy and flower child being the nicer versions! Healers come in all styles and characters, but do tend to be people who have a deep need to help others and feel a calling to do so. Many healers feel it's their soul purpose. They are likely to be empathic and intuitive. It is said that healers are often re-discovering what they did in their past lives. In centuries past, perhaps they were the village medicine woman or man, the herbalist, the white witch, the shaman, all doing "light" work (positive healing) to help support people's well-being. Many healers will go through a very deep and painful experience before their connection to healing is "awakened". Lord Chiron, the first great healer in mythology, suffered greatly. As a result, though, he learned to help others (http://www.crystalinks.com/woundedhealer.html). It's also said that some healers are Starseeds and Lightworkers, here to help raise the vibration of Mother Earth and connect us to our divine being (http://www.siriusascension.com/what%20is.htm). Many healers will resist their calling (as I did), which can be linked to having been punished or ostracised in a past life for their healing work. Makes sense right?! If you've suffered due to this calling in past lives, you're going to struggle to do it over again and potentially face the same reactions! Thankfully, the collective vibration is changing slowly, and healing and healers are becoming more recognised and accepted.

Choosing a healer to work with

When choosing your healer, above all, find someone you feel is authentic and that you can relate to and feel at ease with. If you get freaked out by airy fairy types, then find someone you feel is down to earth and speaks your language. If you love someone with a more mystical presence, then seek them out. Not only might you be sharing personal issues with this individual, but you will share the energy field for a short period of time too. So it's vital to feel comfortable working with your healer. I say "working with" because it's likely and advisable that you'd see the healer for at least a few sessions over a period of time, but you will also need to be open to the healing process so that your body and spirit can do their amazing work. Similarly, don't forget that you're not going to be healing any time soon if you're not willing to work at this and put some effort in to be part of the process. Turning up is the first step but ,equally, go with an open heart and mind, as far as you can, and you're likely to feel great benefits, even from the first session. If you just can't decide who to work with, then take a look at their photo to see if you get a good vibe, read their website and testimonials, meet them and get a sense of how you get on, ask if you can speak to one of their past clients, ask your friends for suggestions, etc. Your instincts (and the Universe) will often lead you to the right person at the right time.

Love, light and healing

Arwen :)