Energy Empowerment

We are all made of energy and working with the energy within and around us can have a profound effect. When we empower ourselves through energy work, we can improve our mental and physical wellbeing. When we understand how energy aligns within and around us, we can make changes to our inner and outer world.

For International Stress Awareness, my guest for today’s episode was Kate Ikert. Kate is a former Registered Nurse, passionate energy practitioner, and Shaman-in-training. Kate’s journey began as a child with persistent, severe chest pains. An explanation of “heartburn” or “anxiety” did not resonate with her, as she kept looking for answers to her health problems.

Throughout nursing school, she continued to deal with these unexplained symptoms. Kate ended up on several medications and the simple goal of wanting to know what was wrong, turned into a profound journey of self-discovery. She discovered her pains stemmed from the fact that she was not living life in alignment with who she was and her body had attempted to communicate with her through her chest pains.

Research has shown that trauma is stored in the body and can manifest into physical pains, if it is not resolved and healed. This kind of communication from your unconscious mind can be an indicator that you are not living in alignment with your purpose. It could also point toward unresolved issues or traumatic experiences your mind is asking you to heal. Often, it takes a physical pain for us to start listening.

The idea of energy empowerment rests on the premise that we work with our own energy to improve and maintain our wellbeing. Being out of alignment, either physically or mentally, can result in various symptoms and issues throughout your body. It can also present as emotional distress or anxiety without an obvious cause or source. In these cases, our energy becomes misaligned or disturbed in some way, which can have negative effects for our wellbeing.

Stress and trauma can affect our physical health in profound ways. For example, persistent migraines may be the result of a job you dislike and have to go to every day. Back pain could be pointing to a traumatic experience you have not addressed. Misalignment could be as simple as doing things for other people without looking after what you need and want. Eventually, your mind and body will signal to you that something is not working for you.

It is important to mention here that all physical symptoms should first be checked out by your doctor. You need to rule out any underlying physical causes that could be causing your symptoms; however, for many people, years of doctor visits, tests, and exams do not produce any medical answers as to what is happening. When medical causes have been ruled out, diving into psychosomatic causes could be the answer.

Psychosomatic is not to say that you are imagining your symptoms. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It means your unconscious mind has been signaling distress in increasingly obvious ways to get you to take action. Figuring out what your mind is trying to communicate and using energy work to support healing and alignment could resolve those unexplained physical symptoms.

Working with holistic energy healing techniques like Reiki or Shamanism can have positive benefits for the mind and body. Reiki is an ancient Japanese form of energy healing. The Reiki practitioner channels the universal life energy for the recipient, whose body guides the energy to where it is needed for healing.

Reiki can help with relaxation, and in turn reduce stress and anxiety. Many people use Reiki for a range of physical and emotional healing. Reiki can also be sent over distance, so the recipient of the healing energy does not need to be physically present. And the Reiki practitioner can also use Reiki on themselves, supporting their own healing journey. Body scans are very common for self-healing and help the practitioner discover where healing and energy work may be needed in their body.

Shamanism has many different meanings in the modern world. In its original form, shamanism describes a sense of universal spiritual wisdom all indigenous tribes possess. Shamans use ancient spiritual practices to connect with nature and the spirit world. This can include working with alternate states of consciousness, to access these dimensions.

Part of a shaman's work includes healing and energy work. Shamanic healing can be facilitated through journey work, for example, which could be similar to hypnosis. These journeys can help you explore root issues blocking your healing and ways to remove these blockages and restore energy flow. Often, we are not consciously aware of what might be causing our physical symptoms. Journey work can be extremely helpful in discovering causes, resolving trauma, and improving our physical and mental wellbeing.

Holistic healing practitioners work with their clients in a variety of ways to help them become more present and better understand who they are. Creating awareness and fostering acceptance can help with the healing journey and with discovering root causes of problems. This type of healing work is an individualized approach and may look different for every client. An energy practitioner considers the needs of each client and explores their emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual needs. Based on each person’s unique situation, the practitioner can then guide and direct energy to best facilitate healing.

Energy empowerment can help with resolving distress, such as anxiety, stress, and chronic pain. Energy work supports and encourages the body's natural healing processes, which can result in deep relaxation, pain reduction, and a feeling of overall well-being. This approach may also include yoga and meditation to help clients become more conscious of their bodies and minds and provide techniques for improved stress management. All of the energy healing techniques can be combined or used individually, depending on the practitioner and the client’s preferences.

As mentioned above, inner misalignment can often lead to physical or emotional symptoms. This can happen when we live life in a way that does not align with what we believe or want. Energy work can help you discover and explore this misalignment, especially through journey work. And it can help you find ways to live more authentically and aligned.

Research has shown that energy healing can improve your physical and mental well-being. Some physical effects of Reiki included lowering blood pressure, resting heart rate, and cortisol levels. Mental effects included a sense of deep relaxation, which helped with reducing feelings of anxiety and stress and improving self-esteem and sense of personal control.

Although it might sound a bit hokey, living in alignment with your beliefs and values is essential for mental and physical well-being. If the discrepancy between who you truly are and who you are to the outside world becomes too great, you may start experiencing discomfort and distress. When you make too many compromises or give up the things that fulfil you, your unconscious mind might pull the emergency break. That could mean you experience unexplained physical or emotional symptoms.

Energy healing can support you in your healing journey in a variety of ways. Reiki can affect positive physical and mental changes, for example. You can also use Reiki on yourself regularly, to maintain your well-being. And Shamanism could provide some insight into what the root cause of the problem might be. Energy work can also help you re-align and find ways to live more in line with your authentic self.

So, if you have any unexplained physical symptoms and medical causes have been ruled out, a look into energy healing might be a good option. Trauma can remain stuck in the body for many years and we might not always be aware that it could be causing physical and mental distress.

Your body might start with subtle little hints to show you something is wrong. If you don’t respond or change anything, these hints might become more obvious and intense. 

Take the time to listen to your body and to find out where you might need to start your healing journey.

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