Unresolved, Not Unscientific – The Mind-Body Connection & Energy Healing
Energy healing has often been met with skepticism by mainstream science, frequently dismissed as a placebo or anecdotal. Yet, across cultures, many people report meaningful benefits from alternative healing practices, such as Reiki, therapeutic touch, and other forms of energy-based healing. While some of these effects may involve a placebo-like mechanism, this explanation alone does not fully account for some early findings, such as reports on long-distance healing or initial experiments performed on cells, plants, and animals, which are not influenced by belief or expectation. Additionally, in a recent paper, scientists have shown that Reiki and mindfulness significantly improved symptoms of knee osteoarthritis when compared to the placebo (‘fake Reiki’) and control (waitlist) groups.
Although some of these early studies may not have met the rigor of traditional scientific methodologies, there is growing scientific interest in the reported benefits of energy healing, including new clinical studies to further investigate its effects. The positive outcomes associated with energy healing have now been observed and reported across multiple contexts, suggesting that the topic warrants curiosity and careful inquiry rather than outright dismissal.
This leads to an important question: what exactly is the placebo effect, and how might the mind-body connection play a role in the outcomes people experience with energy healing?
What the placebo effect is and how it relates to the mind-body connection.
Definition of Energy healing and scientific perspective.
Personal perspective bridging energy healing and science.
“energy healing may initiate a cascade of effects similar to those observed in the placebo effect through the mind-body connection. However, a placebo alone does not appear to fully account for all reported outcomes of energy healing practices.”
“belief is not a prerequisite for existence. We do not need to believe in oxygen for it to sustain life, we only need to interact with it. In a similar way, certain effects may occur independently of personal belief, expectation, or interpretation.”
