While historically at odds with each other, conventional medicine and holistic healing approaches are increasingly intertwined in the healthcare arena. Integrative Energetic Medicine (IEM) is an energy healing practice encompassing aspects of ancient healing techniques while sustaining a basic scientific understanding of the body’s systems and processes. While it focuses primarily on the body’s energy systems that influence our spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health, IEM doesn’t ignore the science behind health. 

Developed by Fernand Poulin, D.C., who founded WhiteWinds Institute of Integrative Energetic Medicine in Atlanta 40 years ago, IEM offers a transformative path to wellness that fuses a holistic understanding of human health with the healing practices of traditional energy-field-based modalities.

According to Poulin, who has graduated more than 600 people in IEM internationally, integrative energetic medicine works on both physical pain and trauma as well as mental and emotional pain and trauma. Addressing both in tandem “harnesses pathways to healing, moving beyond the spoken word into non-lingual, implicit processes,” says Poulin. IEM practitioners use “felt sensing” to work with their clients’ energy fields, chakras, organs, and body systems. And they hold space for whatever needs to unfold.

Most energy healing practitioners assert that there is an electromagnetic sphere of energy around the physical body. Science concurs, as a study published in 2015 by the National Library of Medicine, a research arm of the National Institute of Health, pointed to evidence of a biofield, an energetic field that surrounds and permeates the human body, affecting the biological, emotional and mental processes of the body. IEM practitioners work with four of these energetic layers: the soul body, which is the outermost layer, followed by the mental body, the emotional body, and the etheric body, which is the innermost layer. The layers act as a communication conduit between the environment and our bodies, as they are influenced by our thoughts, emotions, traumas, joys, experiences and perceptions.

With this approach, IEM helps people with a wide variety of concerns and issues, including stress, anxiety and depression, sleeplessness, pre-and post-operative support, loss and grief, pain and physical trauma, loss of vitality, increased self-awareness and more. After a session, people often experience a feeling of deep relaxation and peace, and some clients find that their sleep quality improves. However, energy healing should never be used as a substitute for regular medical care.

Embracing Science and Energy Medicine 

To receive certification in IEM, practitioners must have completed a two-year intensive course combining scientific knowledge of the body, energy psychology and body processes. In addition to learning energy healing, they receive a working knowledge of anatomy, neurology, kinesiology, physiology, body systems and processes, and disease and illness progression. They also acquire a basic knowledge of energy psychology, meditation, shamanism, Native American medicine, and other healing practices to learn to regulate a variety of imbalances. 

Throughout their training, IEM students develop presence and intuition through psycho-spiritual practices and personal healing. They also get experience in energetic coaching of others and learn hands-on energetic protocols.

 

“There is a universally intelligent and loving field that our biofield is always in contact with,” says Bhuvana Krishnan, an IEM practitioner in Gwinnett. “When we are open to healing, this field responds, and the results can be both subtle and drastic—always for the Highest Good.” 

Thus, the ability of the practitioner to respond to the client’s energy field can further the healing. “The art of IEM, while teachable, ultimately depends on the presence, awareness and focus of the practitioner—skills refined through meditation and self-work,” Krishnan continues. “It is this deep listening and intuitive abilities that facilitate shifts in the client’s energy field, leading to wholeness and healing and deep inner peace of the client.” 

No IEM trainings are available at this time, and there are no plans in the works to resume them.

What To Expect in an IEM Healing Session 

While most IEM sessions are done in silence, practitioners usually encourage clients to verbalize feelings, sensations or emotions that arise. Sometimes clients experience visions, colors, tingling, warmth, coolness or a general feeling that something is “moving,” too.

An emotional reaction is one of the most profound elements that can surface during a session. Laughter, crying, grief and sudden insights are demonstrations of energy moving through the body, signaling the beginning of a healing process. Since IEM practitioners are trained to hold space for clients in a loving and compassionate way, they are there to help them move through their grief or pain or whatever comes up. 

As is typical of energy healing modalities, people can continue to experience the effects of the healing session for a few days afterward. Some might not feel much at first, but emotions can bubble up later, or pain can sometimes become worse before it gets better. While this is normal, practitioners recommend reaching out for additional support if it becomes bothersome.

How Many Sessions Are Needed? 

The number of sessions needed to achieve the best outcomes can vary depending on the degree of support and healing the client needs. Generally, IEM practitioners recommend at least three to five sessions, although long-held trauma can require a longer healing path. Some clients feel it is helpful to have an energy session on a regular, perhaps monthly, basis.

Similarities and Differences with Other Energy Healing Modalities

Reiki 

As energy healing modalities, IEM and reiki healing techniques share the goal of working with the biofield so the body is in the best place to self-heal; however, IEM sessions typically deeply focus on specific ailments, traumas, pain, emotional or mental strife, or areas of the body and not the biofield alone.

Reiki practitioners also use specific patterns of hand placement corresponding to chakras, or energy centers, and meridians, the channels of energy that correspond to organs in the body. IEM practitioners, on the other hand, tend to be open to what arises during a session without a specific pattern of hand movements. Reiki sessions might also incorporate mantras that are designed to enhance a healing session, while IEM sessions might include soft music in the background for relaxation or a singing bowl or chime to move energy, but practitioners mostly work in silence.

Sessions with both reiki practitioners and IEM practitioners help clients with stress reduction, pain relief and recovery from injuries and can help alleviate symptoms of chronic conditions.

While both practices share the ultimate goal of overall well-being, their methods differ significantly. The reiki practitioner intentionally transfers reiki energy to the client during a session, facilitating the client’s self-healing. On the other hand, IEM healers work with intuition, focus and intention to locate an area of energetic distortion to influence the energy of that area and the areas surrounding the trauma. The healing results can be more focused than with a reiki session.

Acupuncture and Acupressure 

Both acupuncture and acupressure are part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and come from the principle that balancing the flow of chi through the body’s meridian system promotes health. In acupuncture, tiny needles are inserted into the skin at acupoints along the body’s meridians and manually manipulated by the practitioner. Unlike IEM, acupuncture is considered an invasive therapy, and while rare, infections or complications sometimes arise. Practitioners claim it works best for alleviating physical pain, nausea and vomiting, reproductive disorders, and respiratory and digestive issues. It can also help with anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. Some clients get quick relief in one or two sessions; others may require months of treatment.

Acupressure works under the same principle as acupuncture but uses finger or hand pressure to accomplish its goals. It is non-invasive, but some pressure on points on the body may cause bruising and tenderness and can exacerbate other conditions. For relief of tightness and referred pain, it can be an effective choice for healing. While acupuncture requires years of study, acupressure can be learned more easily and safely practiced by anyone. 

Healing Touch 

Healing Touch surfaced in the United States in the 1980s as a continuing education program for nurses and other health professionals. Because of its strong connection to the nursing community, it is often provided as complementary care within medical environments such as hospitals and private medical practices as well as alongside hospice care. Like other forms of energy healing techniques, practitioners use their hands to clear and move energetic imbalances.

Perhaps more than other energy healing forms, Healing Touch focuses more on healing physical wounds or pain than IEM. The Healing Touch organization, Healing Touch International, asserts that Healing Touch is beneficial in calming anxiety, reducing symptoms of depression, decreasing pain, strengthening the immune system, aiding in post-operative surgery recovery and creating an overall sense of well-being.

While Healing Touch typically works alongside traditional medical treatments, IEM practitioners are usually independent healers offering services in an office of holistic health. However, IEM is finding increasing interest as a complementary therapy in medical establishments. 

It’s important to research and get references before beginning sessions with energy healers of any kind. Some energy healers offer free or low-cost phone consultations to help people learn if the practice and practitioner are right for them. However, in all its forms, energy healing is a gentle yet powerful way to take care of your body, mind and spirit. ❧

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Lisa Watson is a teacher, writer and experienced IEM practitioner in Sandy Springs. Contact Lisa at LisaHWatson.com or 770-617-3001.