The Healing Flow of Energy

Bioenergetic wellness is a healing modality that channels energy into and through the body to relieve mental and bodily stress while promoting overall wellness.

BY SARAH DIMURO

The stress of a cancer diagnosis can wreak havoc on an already vulnerable body. Invasive surgeries and grueling treatments cause many to search for ways to curb side effects and help with overall healing — this is where the field of bioenergetic wellness can help. According to the Holistic Chamber of Commerce, bioenergetic wellness is defined as “a holistic and natural way to access the body’s innate and inner wisdom so it can reveal what it needs for optimal health and wellbeing.” This type of wellness therapy insists that in order to truly heal the ailments of the body, one must also address any areas of the body and mind holding tension.

People in treatment for cancer, or anyone interested in this alternative healing modality, should not abandon or substitute bioenergetic therapy practices for conventional medicine, but employing some of the techniques of this therapy can improve overall quality of life, leading to better survival rates and lower risks of recurrence, according to the International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis (IIBA).

The body’s innate healing potential is optimized when its major systems are in a state of homeostasis, or balance, according to the Canadian Association of Bioenergetic

Wellness (CANBEWELL). Their website states that employing these practices can help “promote, restore and maintain a clear, balanced flow of energy in the body systems.”

Targeting areas of the body that are holding tension, and releasing this stress, is one way to help energy flow more easily. CANBEWELL lists the following as examples of bioenergetic wellness techniques: “holding, massaging or tracing the acupressure points or meridian lines in the body,” with examples of the “stomach channel” located on the front of the leg, or the “lung channel” located above the wrist; “massaging neurolymphatic trigger points,” which run along the spine, ribs, sternum and collar bone; or “holding neurovascular trigger points on the head,” such as the forehead and the very top of the head. CANBEWELL says these techniques channel the flow of energy “into and through” the organs, nervous system, muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia, supporting healing and long-term health. With a focus on the intricate connection of bodily systems, it comes as no surprise that many of the ideas associated with bioenergetic wellness originate from the science of kinesiology and how your body moves and operates.

What To Expect During A Bioenergetic Wellness Appointment

Once you have located a bioenergetic wellness practitioner in your area — either through your own research or by contacting an integrative medical doctor for a referral — you can expect your practitioner to take a very personalized approach during your first visit.

Dr. Jonathan Fields, clinic director and founder of Florida’s Integrative Medicine US, explains that each appointment is tailored around the needs and issues of each patient. Fields says the initial appointment focuses on educating the patient about the systems of the body, then doing a deep dive into their medical history, diet and lifestyle, while discussing emotional stress and any past trauma. A focus on nutrition is especially important when it comes to bioenergetic modalities, according to Dr. Michelle Greenwell, who holds a doctorate in Complementary and Integrative Health and is the president of CANBEWELL. “It’s important to identify which foods raise your energy up and which foods drop the energy down, and that will not be the same foods for each person,” Greenwell says.

Collecting all of this information from new patients is critical for practitioners to best individualize treatment protocol. According to Fields, practitioners may prescribe some of the following modalities that utilize bioenergetic techniques: reiki, mantras, EFT tapping (which stands for emotional freedom technique), Qigong, hypnosis, meditation, visualizations, shaking, breathwork and psychotherapy.

Fields explains that bioenergetic wellness practices have a long history. “Since ancient times, it was believed that blockages of energy would lead to pain and disease,” he says. “Science has confirmed this. You need only look at a condition like atherosclerosis — a buildup of fat on arterial walls that impedes circulation — to see how this makes sense.” Decades ago, Fields was introduced to practices such as Qigong and acupuncture, which he says would later be keys in his recovery from a chronic illness.

According to Ron Baker, bestselling author and bioenergetic wellness practitioner, the philosophy behind this modality has been essential in healing many of his wellness coaching clients. “It is focused on moving energy through the body, which creates flow. That, in turn, promotes health and wellbeing,” Baker says. “It also focuses on releasing charged emotional energy that most people collect in their bodies. That is what is often responsible for creating energetic blocks and inflammation in the body. To release those energies has had a profound impact on all types of illnesses,” he says.

Fields echoes Baker, noting that bioenergetic wellness can also be paramount in helping cancer patients survive and thrive during and after treatment. “These practices make for wonderful complementary therapies while undergoing cancer treatments,” says Fields. “By releasing unwanted tension from the body and ensuring that blood and energy are flowing unobstructed, you can potentially speed up the healing process, as well as improve your mental [and] emotional health throughout.”

“BIOENERGETICS” IS DIFFERENT THAN BIOENERGETIC WELLNESS

Greenwell says it’s important to not confuse bioenergetics with bioenergetic wellness. Bioenergetics uses tools and electronics to help patients get better, “but with bioenergetic wellness, you energize yourself in activities that increase the energy and vitality that you live with; it doesn’t require extra things,” Greenwell says. She herself saw firsthand the role of bioenergetic wellness in cancer care and recovery. When her daughter was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 15, Greenwell called upon her wellness training to support her daughter during treatment, employing touch and movement therapies. “During her chemo treatments, my focus was to energetically bring her body into flow with the chemicals going into her body,” Greenwell explains. She says that when you focus on balance and flow you are able to help the medication go right where it needs to for the best results. “Chemo, radiation, whatever cancer treatment you have to undergo, we have the ability to take stress out of it so your body can optimize its wellness,” Greenwell says.

She also says the bioenergetic wellness philosophies are valuable for cancer survivors post-treatment. “Anyone who has had cancer knows that any little ache or pain you experience afterwards can cause you to wonder, Oh no, is the cancer back? But bioenergetic wellness is about bringing balance and flow in so those thoughts don’t have to be there,” Greenwell says. “Very simple techniques [help] bring everything back into flow, and those stressful thoughts disappear.”

Try It Out

Greenwell uses a simple exercise to describe how bioenergetic wellness actually works: Turn your head and look over your shoulder, noticing how far you are able to move your head and what it feels like. Then take your hand and gently rub your ear from top to bottom three times. Then turn your head again and you’ll notice your range of motion has changed. Greenwell says this is the crux of bioenergetic wellness. “It’s all about engaging with the body so you can get the signals going in the right way,” Greenwell says.

Bioenergetic wellness, particularly for cancer patients and survivors, is another tool that can be added to the care arsenal. Greenwell says that unlike going to a clinician for a massage or acupuncture treatment, where you lie back and let them do the work, bioenergetic wellness requires patients to participate in their own treatment. You set your own goals for your wellness and as a result feel incredibly empowered. Even years after diagnosis and treatment, patients can be triggered by routine checkups and follow-up scans, but with the practice of bioenergetic wellness, you can arm yourself with tools to help better navigate those necessary visits.