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Skeptical about Energy Work
Folks -
There previously was a discussion on this site in which a skeptical attitude toward energy work was being discussed, but that discussion eventually got deleted. The reason seems to be that it was judged not to belong in the location where it was taking place, which was inside one of the energy work groups.
I was the person who introduced the skepticism to the discussion. Some people did not appreciate that, but others did. Given how many participants there are on this site, and how many threads and groups are dedicated to discussing energy work with no skepticism, I thought maybe it was time to open a discussion where such skepticism is invited and welcomed.
I look forward to seeing how this discussion might develop. Is there interest?
-CM
There previously was a discussion on this site in which a skeptical attitude toward energy work was being discussed, but that discussion eventually got deleted. The reason seems to be that it was judged not to belong in the location where it was taking place, which was inside one of the energy work groups.
I was the person who introduced the skepticism to the discussion. Some people did not appreciate that, but others did. Given how many participants there are on this site, and how many threads and groups are dedicated to discussing energy work with no skepticism, I thought maybe it was time to open a discussion where such skepticism is invited and welcomed.
I look forward to seeing how this discussion might develop. Is there interest?
-CM
Views: 3090
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Travis Alligood on
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Julianna,
Hope you feel better I will be sending you positive energy this morning take care. Peace Travis
Julianna Holden Mohler said:I don't have time at the moment to read all the discussion since I last posted. I've been in the hospital, utilizing science to heal my freakin' gall bladder. =)
I just wanted everyone to know I have not backed off or down from this subject, I'm too drugged on codeine to make any rational sense of the continued comments.
But, I want to just throw this out there. Pseudoscience of psychology. Let's all study that while we're at it. Shock therapy, lobotomies, putting people in mental hospitals when they actually had syphilis, driving gay people into suicide by giving them hormonal therapy to steer them from homosexuality, shock therapy for people who had seizures, straight jackets to prohibit masturbation, cocaine, heroin and, well you get the picture.
I'd say that even if energy work didn't exist and it was merely a placebo effect, it couldn't possibly give anyone the kind of and amount of harm psychotherapy, in the name of "science based evidence" has done. Let's fix the big problems, folks. =)
Now, maybe I need to call some of my good friends and have them bring over their crystals, chant over me, pray, lay on of hands, dowse me, and whatever they wanna do to heal this freakin' pain I'm in cuz I'm telling ya, the scientific way isn't helping!
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Permalink Reply by Mike Hinkle on
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Don't let simple minds affect you right now, Julianna. Relax and heal.
Julianna Holden Mohler said:I don't have time at the moment to read all the discussion since I last posted. I've been in the hospital, utilizing science to heal my freakin' gall bladder. =)
I just wanted everyone to know I have not backed off or down from this subject, I'm too drugged on codeine to make any rational sense of the continued comments.
But, I want to just throw this out there. Pseudoscience of psychology. Let's all study that while we're at it. Shock therapy, lobotomies, putting people in mental hospitals when they actually had syphilis, driving gay people into suicide by giving them hormonal therapy to steer them from homosexuality, shock therapy for people who had seizures, straight jackets to prohibit masturbation, cocaine, heroin and, well you get the picture.
I'd say that even if energy work didn't exist and it was merely a placebo effect, it couldn't possibly give anyone the kind of and amount of harm psychotherapy, in the name of "science based evidence" has done. Let's fix the big problems, folks. =)
Now, maybe I need to call some of my good friends and have them bring over their crystals, chant over me, pray, lay on of hands, dowse me, and whatever they wanna do to heal this freakin' pain I'm in cuz I'm telling ya, the scientific way isn't helping!
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Permalink Reply by Darcy Neibaur on
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My thoughts and prayers are with you this day Julianna. I hope you feel much better before this day is over. Take care.
Julianna Holden Mohler said:I don't have time at the moment to read all the discussion since I last posted. I've been in the hospital, utilizing science to heal my freakin' gall bladder. =)
I just wanted everyone to know I have not backed off or down from this subject, I'm too drugged on codeine to make any rational sense of the continued comments.
But, I want to just throw this out there. Pseudoscience of psychology. Let's all study that while we're at it. Shock therapy, lobotomies, putting people in mental hospitals when they actually had syphilis, driving gay people into suicide by giving them hormonal therapy to steer them from homosexuality, shock therapy for people who had seizures, straight jackets to prohibit masturbation, cocaine, heroin and, well you get the picture.
I'd say that even if energy work didn't exist and it was merely a placebo effect, it couldn't possibly give anyone the kind of and amount of harm psychotherapy, in the name of "science based evidence" has done. Let's fix the big problems, folks. =)
Now, maybe I need to call some of my good friends and have them bring over their crystals, chant over me, pray, lay on of hands, dowse me, and whatever they wanna do to heal this freakin' pain I'm in cuz I'm telling ya, the scientific way isn't helping!
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Permalink Reply by Robin Byler Thomas on
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Feel better soon Julianna.
Julianna Holden Mohler said:I don't have time at the moment to read all the discussion since I last posted. I've been in the hospital, utilizing science to heal my freakin' gall bladder. =)
I just wanted everyone to know I have not backed off or down from this subject, I'm too drugged on codeine to make any rational sense of the continued comments.
But, I want to just throw this out there. Pseudoscience of psychology. Let's all study that while we're at it. Shock therapy, lobotomies, putting people in mental hospitals when they actually had syphilis, driving gay people into suicide by giving them hormonal therapy to steer them from homosexuality, shock therapy for people who had seizures, straight jackets to prohibit masturbation, cocaine, heroin and, well you get the picture.
I'd say that even if energy work didn't exist and it was merely a placebo effect, it couldn't possibly give anyone the kind of and amount of harm psychotherapy, in the name of "science based evidence" has done. Let's fix the big problems, folks. =)
Now, maybe I need to call some of my good friends and have them bring over their crystals, chant over me, pray, lay on of hands, dowse me, and whatever they wanna do to heal this freakin' pain I'm in cuz I'm telling ya, the scientific way isn't helping!
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Permalink Reply by Bert Davich on
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Hi Julianna,
Hope you feel better soon. Don't worry about this mega-discussion, it will be here.
Namaste'
Bert
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Permalink Reply by Christopher A. Moyer on
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To be energetic? Depends on the context of course, and we have been talking about this for some time. It does seem to me to have a lot of psychology behind it. In other words, we MT's can effect change in a client by our own affect. When a client feels anxiety our calm presence will decrease their anxiety. When a client is depressed we effect change simply by not being depressed.
But this isn't limited to energy work; nor is it what most people seem to mean when the mention energy work. Yes, we can certainly have an effect on another person's emotions by means of the way we communicate our own emotions, even in ways that are quite subtle. But we all do this, all the time, and there is no reason at all to associate it with biofields or any such thing. Would you agree?
In another example, sometimes I feel my energy is low; I might more accurately say my immunity is low, and vice versa.
Sure, we all know what it feels like to be tired. Energy, in this way, can refer to our subjective sense of well being and vitality.
I also feel, like Stephanie, we all have the innate ability to heal from within, and we guide our clients to also feel this sense of empowerment. This exchange might be considered energetic by some and psychological by others.
To the first part of this I ask - is there anyone who could disagree with that? Is there any reasonable person who could assert that, no, we have no ability to heal from within? I don't think so. People heal from most of the injuries and illnesses that will ever happen to them. What part of that is 'energetic'?
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Get well soon, Julianna.
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I recently asked what it means to say we are "energetic beings". I can think of at least three ways this could be interpreted.
1. Humans, just like all living things, are metabolic systems. Life is maintained by (we might even say life *is*) the process of capturing energy from our environment, in the form of food, and using it to sustain our bodies.
2. 'Energy' is really just a stand-in for, or another way to refer to, psychological processes such as social contagion, communication of emotion, the placebo effect, and others. How we feel about ourselves, our lives, and our patients is likely to have an effect on our patients, and to interact with the (other) treatments we are conducting for their benefit.
3. Humans, and perhaps other living things, have some kind of vital force; the concept of chi or ki would be an example of this. Attuned therapists can alter, channel, or direct their own vital force and/or influence the vital force of another person. (This viewpoint would be an example of dualism, in contrast to the predominant modern scientific view of
.)
Do these three categories cover the topic well?
To which do you yourself subscribe? I suspect everyone (apart from a couple of charlatans who claim not to eat, and the people who believe them) agree with #1. Number 2 seems to me to be a fallback position some energy work proponents use when they are at a loss to give evidence of number 3, which would appear to be the basis of energy work practices in theory.
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Permalink Reply by Julianna Holden Mohler on
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Thanks everyone for all the healing energy. Some of my friends have also sent, and it has helped. Let me relate what's happened since I returned home from the hospital yesterday afternoon, because if has relevance to the discussion of energy work, and energy medicine.
On Saturday, January 2, I had a gall bladder attack. When it didn't subside after 2 days, I went to a clinic. Spilling bilirubin, so there was a plugged bile duct. Went to the ER a few days later because I was turning yellow (eyes too) and was admitted into the hospital on January 9-14. They did a procedure to unblock the bile ducts and remove the stones but left my gall bladder intact. I developed that 5% chance from that procedure of getting pancreatitis, which is even more painful than the gall stone attack. Doc sent me home with a Codeine with Tylenol prescription, some anti-nausea medication to keep it down (it makes me vomit, yes, so pleasant), and 2 antibiotics. I started having some side effects from the codeine - tremors, shaking, nodding off for 10 minutes, then waking up gasping for air and I was not only still in pain but not getting any rest. So I said, forget this.
Got my regular strength Tylenol, even though I don't like it either. My homeopathic remedy, "Traumed" for inflammation, and my Bach Flower Rescue Remedy and Rescue Cream. So I took all these things and I was really surprised that plain Tylenol seems to barely even be needed now. This, from having 5-6/10 pain levels.
I also had a long red streak on my arm from when a nurse blew out a vein trying to unblock my IV, and the fluids were in the interstitial space, and it was hot to the touch. I had my husband touch different spots on my arms with his eyes closed, and sure enough, heat there, not my imagination. It worried me. I applied the Rescue Cream there. Within a couple minutes, the red color and all the heat disappeared throughout most of it. There's still a small red spot there and it feels slightly bruised, but that cream alone was very useful.
I then rubbed my solar plexus with the Rescue Cream, as well as taking the Rescue Remedy orally. My pain in my abdomen subsided quite noticeably. I was able to get sleep finally, at 4 am, for 4 solid hours! That never happened with morphine in the hospital, or any other time.
This is not another personal related story for the purpose of empirical or any other evidence. I just know that in telling my story, many people know others that this may help if they have similar problems. =)
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I'd like to suggest that the people who are benefiting from energy work are the ones not believing nor disbelieving. They're not waiting until scientific evidence catches up with what some of us already know and utilize. Thank goodness. It could remain theoretical in concept indefinitely.
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I think we need to ask ourselves: In our quest to be scientific, is it ethical, but moreover, is it humane?
I learned the Hippocratic oath, as a member of the health profession. First, do no harm.
Until we can approach science this way, we have a lot to learn. Energy work is gentle and humane and to the best of my knowledge, has not caused anyone any harm. It takes a sensitive person to be gentle to oneself and to others.
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Julianna Holden Mohler said:I'd like to suggest that the people who are benefiting from energy work are the ones not believing nor disbelieving. They're not waiting until scientific evidence catches up with what some of us already know and utilize. Thank goodness. It could remain theoretical in concept indefinitely.
You're entitled to your opinion, of course. But this discussion is about a skeptical perspective. It is easy for us to assert that we 'know' something, but without evidence, that assertion does not mean much.
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