HEALING AT HOME:
ENERGY COMBING
AN EASY TECHNIQUE FOR RELAXATION, PAIN RELIEF, AND MORE +
Dear Ones,
One of the reasons I do what I do is because I believe everyone deserves access to the healing support the want and need. Energy healing techniques can be complicated, at times, but there are also very simple yet profoundly effective techniques that everyone can learn. Today, I will be teaching you about one of my favorite and most versatile techniques: energy combing. This is a household staple and a tool I taught my children when they were very young. They use it on themselves, on me, on friends, and on pets when the need arises and you can too.
HOW ENERGY HEALING HELPS
Some of the ways energy healing can help…
Promotes deep relaxation and a sense of calm and wellbeing
Helps the parasympathetic nervous system reset from vigilance to safety
A calm parasympathetic nervous system allows the body to put energy towards healing instead of survival
Can improve focus and clarity, calm the mind and reduce anxiety
Clears energetic stagnation and density, promoting energetic flow which may reduced inflammation and pain
Elevates and stabilizes mood
Alleviates the results of energetic alterations caused by electronic devices, travel, trauma, stress, etc. bringing the human energy field into balance
I have used energy combing in many situations and scenarios. It is the first thing I do for myself when I suffer an injury and taught my children to do the same for themselves and for me. It is a great technique for immediate pain relief while you wait for someone to bring the ice pack or bandaid, on your way to the urgent care, etc. It is not a replacement for medical treatment, but it is a helpful tool to make you more comfortable. I also often used it with my children before sleep, to calm anxieties and smooth out the energetic ruffles from the day. They loved it and would ask for it when they needed it. these kids are now adults, and have this tool for life.
PREPARE YOURSELF FOR ENERGY WORK
Step one: Consent
Consent is absolutely essential in any healing work that is performed. It is a foundational part of the ethics of interacting intimately with another person’s energetic field and should never be skipped. For the purposes of this guide, refrain from encroaching on the energetic field and honor the agency of the individual if they cannot give full consent. This includes children.
Obtain direct consent from the individual: “May I do some energy work to help you through this?”, etc.
If the individual is your infant, your intimate partner, or elder parent, etc. and is unable to give clear consent (coma, etc.) there are two initial steps to take:
Ask the individual’s highest self. Asking highest self can be as simple as intending the question, “May I do some energy work to help you through this?”, remaining open to the answer in whatever form it takes, and honoring the answer. The is an intuitive practice.
If the answer is “Yes” then offer your healing work to their highest self. If the answer is “No” then honor this answer. Honoring a “No” can be challenging when one wants to help but is the only ethical option. If you feel you are “too close” to the person or situation to discern or be able to honor a “No”, ask someone else familiar with these practices and with more personal distance to ask one your behalf. if you cannot do this, you must assume the answer is No and not proceed. We do not have the right to decide for others what is best for them, even if we feel strongly that we can help.
Step two: Intention
Intention is a key of energy healing work. One of the largest schools of energy healing, Healing Touch Program, teaches that one need not have any other special qualifications for healing other than intention. Of course, students of the program are highly trained, however, the spirit of intention remains key. You need not be able to sense energy in any way, only hold intention for the healing work.
Intention can look like:
Hold in your mind the purpose of the healing work
Speak out loud the purpose of the work
Write the purpose of the work, etc.
Step three: Grounding, Centering, & Attuning
Grounding, centering, and attuning are the steps taken to safeguard one’s own energy system from outside influences, allowing one to support others without compromising one’s own energetic health. I perform these steps before every healing session and any time I am going to do energy work. Sometimes, I like to takes quite some time with these steps, savoring the experience and drawing it out, but this is not necessary. With practice, these processes can become incredibly quick and easy, taking no time at all.
Grounding
Connecting with the Earth and it’s energy.
There are many ways to ground. Here is a simple guided imagery that can help you do so.
Eyes open or closed.
Bring your attention to your hips and lower body.
Intend, imagine or experience strong, steady, rooted Earth energy moving up into your body from below. Continue this until you notice a shift in your system or for as long as feels good or “right” to you.
Follow your instincts and trust they will lead you with grace
Centering
Connecting with one's inner most self.
There are many ways to center. Here is a simple guided imagery that can help you do so.
Eyes open or closed
Breathe deeply, slowly, and steadily, without forcing. Allow breath to flow.
Perhaps place a hand on your chest or solar plexus
Become aware of any energetic sensations that come up (expanding, sinking down, buzzing, buoying…)
Intend, imagine or experience a glowing ember or star at the center of your being. Allow your awareness to move close to that central, glowing point until you and the point are the same. Once you arrive there, notice the light increase and expand so that it illuminates your entire being. It's center remains while the light expands.
Alternatively, intend, imagine or experience a portal at the center of yourself. It can be a door, gateway, tunnel, whatever feels right for you. Allow your awareness to move into that portal space. Beyond the threshold there is a chamber or room. It can be a cave, a clearing in the thicket, a cozy cottage with a glowing hearth fire. In this space there is a place prepared for you to sit comfortably. From this resting place you still have access to the portal and you can leave at any time. You are within your center. From here you can commune with guides and ancestors, you can seek safety to heal and rest, you can work magic or prayers. It is completely safe and only you and those you invite can enter. Your inner self can remain here while your outer self moves in the world.
Follow your instincts and trust they will lead you with grace
Attuning
Connecting with another’s energetic field.
Some ways you might attune to another being.
Allow yourself to effortlessly be.
Quietly close your eyes or gently focus (soft gaze) on the individual
Breathe deeply, slowly, and steadily, without forcing. Allow breath to flow.
Set the intention for safe, healthy, temporary connection to the other person’s energetic field.
Invite awareness of any energetic sensations or experiences that come up (expanding, sinking down, density, buzzing, buoying, temperature changes, emotions, pressure, color, knowledge or images…). You may notice a lot or nothing at all. Both are valid.
Follow your instincts and trust they will lead you with grace
HOW TO COMB THE ENERGY FIELD
There are a variety of ways to comb through the energy field. Here is a basic method.
Hold your hands above their body, fingers slightly apart
Gently move your hands in a long sweeping motion
Intend, imagine, or experience your fingers combing through the person’s energy field as you sweep them down and out, following the length of the body from head to toe, the limb from trunk to digits, the finger or toe from root to tip, or away and down or out from an injury site.
You may feel no sensations or have no unusual perceptions or you may notice density, temperatures, textures, emotions, etc.
Continue slowly sweeping through the field 10 x or more, unless the person asks you to stop.
Notice if your perception changes during the course of sweeping. If you do notice changes it will likely be something akin to more ease, lightness, flow, calm, peace, etc.
The person whose energy you are combing may notice some of the things mentioned above.
AFTER PERFORMING ENERGY WORK
Important steps to take after using energy healing
Disconnect from the other person’s energetic field by intending, imagining, or experiencing a separation of the fields and a complete return of each person’s energy to themselves. Ways to do this may include…
Envisioning one circle or sphere becoming two distinct circles, each belonging to a single individual.
Sweeping your hand or arm down between your body and theirs, intending the fields to separate and return to their owners
Spinning in place once or twice, winding your energy back into yourself.
Speaking a phrase of intention like, “My energy returns to me and your energy returns to you. We are separate and complete”
Ensure both you and the other person are grounded.
You may use the original way you grounded yourself (and guide them through it, too) or try something new. Grounding after sessions helps you return to function, refocuses your mind and attention on the necessary physical aspects of life. Remaining ungrounded after a session may result in “spaciness”, difficulty focusing and being productive, clumsiness, etc. When I work with clients I make certain they are grounded before they leave to drive. Grounding is usually fairly simple and most people can do it with ease once given some simple tools or instructions. If they are having difficulty grounding you might try
Having them stomp their feet or jump up and down a few times, allowing heels to thump
Rub their bare feet on something scratchy like a door mat or sisal rug
Put their bare feet on the grass or dirt
Hug or place their back against a tree
Drink water or eat something, especially a carrot or other root vegetables, grains and pulses.
Squeeze hands into fists and release or clench whole body and release
If you have explicit and informed consent to touch, compressing the major joints of their body or a firm but not uncomfortable bear hug (if you are close with this person) can be used. Consent for anything involving touch and the other person’s complete and total agency to stop it are essential.
I hope that you, too, find this technique straightforward and helpful. Like everything, it becomes easier with practice. You can do it for yourself when you stub a toe or for your friend when they are feeling nervous about an upcoming interview. You can teach your children and your neighbors this basic technique (most kids are quick to learn) so they can take care of themselves and their families. The next time there is a skinned knee at the playground or you feel out of sorts, remember that you have a simple and effective tool at your fingertips.