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In parts of the world where basic needs are met and therapeutic support has become less taboo, our understanding of wellness has evolved to acknowledge the mind-body connection. We recognise that good nutrition, regular movement and stress management are essential to mental health. We understand that emotional pain left unexpressed does not simply evaporate but can find its voice in the body. Stress, for example, is fluent in the language of cardiovascular issues, autoimmune disorders and digestive problems.¹

Even grief can be so profound that a body will shut down entirely. This is the intelligence that dances between body and mind. This is the reality of interconnectedness – of a self not split into compartments but experienced as a whole and fully functioning system. And yet, even within progressive approaches to mental and emotional health, the idea of integrating energetic wellness is – in my experience – often met with scepticism. The very mention of energy work can be enough to elicit raised eyebrows and quizzical expressions. If it is true, however, that no part of us is an island, what might happen if more therapists considered it an ally within the therapeutic process?

Listening differently 

Energy is a measurable property of matter as well as a fundamental aspect of the universe. It’s what makes things move, change or function. In physics there are laws, equations and forms – kinetic, thermal, electrical and so on. But energy is also something we experience long before we define it. You walk into a room and feel tension before a word has been said. A stranger’s presence either soothes or unsettles you. This is energy too, and it is already present within the therapeutic alliance. 

Energy work begins with the premise that human beings are more than flesh and thought – we are also subtle systems of information, fields of vibration and living expressions of something unseen but deeply felt. This doesn’t cancel out the cognitive or emotional – it complements them and adds a layer that operates beneath language. While it might sound esoteric to some, energy work is slowly becoming more visible within scientific exploration. Research from the HeartMath Institute has shown that the heart emits a measurable electromagnetic field – one that shifts with our emotional state and can influence those around us.² Biofield science, a growing interdisciplinary field, is examining how subtle energetic patterns impact physical and psychological health. Their findings echo what many Indigenous and Eastern systems have always understood: that energy health is not a fringe concept but an essential part of the healing equation.^3Ìý

In practice

This type of work can be as simple as tuning into a person’s field enough to notice tension, fragmentation or emotional congestion. That might be through sensing vibration, colour, sound or inner vision, and then actively working with it. Traditions like reiki have long used these senses to shift imbalance and restore flow. Ayurveda treats physical illness by first addressing energetic and spiritual imbalance. Traditional Chinese medicine works with the movement of qi, using practices like acupuncture or tai chi to restore balance. In these systems, energy is not an abstract theory – it’s practical and treated with respect. When we look at the body through these lenses, we’re not asking ‘What’s wrong with you?’ We’re asking ‘What’s blocked, what’s unspoken, what’s ready to be seen?’ These are powerful questions in any healing space. None of this is about mysticism for mysticism’s sake – it’s about expanding our frameworks for how healing can occur. There’s also nothing elite or unreachable about it. The capacity to perceive and work with energy is not reserved for a gifted few. These are human abilities – just often forgotten or untrained. They live in the same realm as intuition, gut instinct and body-knowing.

In good talking therapy, a form of energy work is already happening. A therapist who is truly present, who listens not just to words but to shifts in breath, subtle movements or silence, is engaging with the client’s physical field. An energy-aware therapist, however, might also feel fear in the room before it’s named or reflected in the physical body. They might sense when a client is going to dissociate or shut down even before the client does. The decision can then be made to slow the session down, return to grounding or simply sit in stillness for a moment. This is a response to energy as much as it is to words or body language. This kind of unspoken communication can create safety, containment and trust. For clients whose trauma is stored in the body or held in preverbal memory, energy work can be more healing than any perfectly constructed talking intervention.⁴ It’s not a technique – it’s a quality of being that’s already part of the therapeutic landscape. And if it’s already there, quietly guiding the process, great things may be possible if we bring it forward more consciously.

Passive to active 

Energetic awareness doesn’t have to stay passive. It can become a more active, integrated part of the healing journey, for both therapists and clients. This might look like offering different types of sessions. Some practitioners, after training in energy modalities like Tera Mai™ or Usui reiki, might provide energy-specific work as a separate service. Others may prefer to make referrals, or integrate visualisation, breathwork or somatic sensing into their regular sessions, especially when words start to fall short. It is possible to borrow from and enhance Gestalt or somatic approaches, guiding a client to notice where blocks are sitting in the body, to track sensation, or to give attention to a part of themselves that holds a specific energetic charge. Suddenly their energy isn’t abstract – it’s something the client can feel and interact with in real time. It becomes a tool for presence, insight and movement. 

Importantly, inclusion of energy work requires training, supervision and clarity of scope. This isn’t about merging practices carelessly, or culturally appropriating techniques that belong to others – it’s about expanding our ability to meet the client in multiple dimensions. If we accept that healing isn’t always linear, we can offer multiple routes in. 

Energetic awareness 

Energetic awareness also deepens self-understanding. Let’s say you encounter someone who irritates you. A typical response might be to label them annoying. A more emotionally aware person might pause and recognise a personal trigger – maybe they remind you of someone who hurt you. But energetic awareness takes it further. You might feel something isn’t quite right, even though this person is warm and charming. That sense could be an intuitive flag, a quiet alarm from your system. Energetic perception helps us feel what’s beneath the surface and respond accordingly. This kind of nuance matters in therapy. Clients often have insights that don’t come through logic but through sensation. They may not know why they feel off, but when given permission to explore energetic signals, a deeper self-knowledge can emerge. Energy work invites more truths into the room. 

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Not everyone arrives to therapy wanting to speak. Some clients are exhausted by their own story. Others are cautious, guarded or overwhelmed. Words are a barrier. But energy work doesn’t need narrative. It works through presence, intention and resonance. I’ve worked with clients who couldn’t articulate their pain but through energy work could feel the relief of something shifting – a long-held breath, a sudden tear, a wave of warmth or grief. The body releases when it feels safe. Sometimes energy work helps to create that safety. Many healthcare settings are beginning to recognise this. Some hospitals now include energy healing in palliative care, and cancer centres are offering reiki alongside chemotherapy. As long as it’s offered ethically, consensually and not as a replacement but as a complement, it can be deeply supportive. And for therapists working within traditional models, even a gentle awareness of energetic fields – yours and your client’s – can open new doors for understanding and connection. 

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None of this is a call to abandon clinical rigour. It’s an invitation to widen the lens. Talking therapy and energy work aren’t in opposition – they’re different dialects of the same language. Both aim to increase self-awareness and restore connection. Energy work helps clients engage in a fuller conversation with their body, their emotions and their deeper knowing. For some it provides a path towards self-trust. For others it’s a bridge when talking modalities feel difficult. As practitioners, developing energetic sensitivity can also support us in our own regulation and responsiveness. With the right training and boundaries it becomes another tool in the toolbox – not to diagnose but to bear witness more fully.

For clients who want a more integrated, soul-aware experience of therapy, this work matters. For those who are curious about energy but unsure where it fits, we need to be able to meet them with both open minds and grounded skill. Energetic awareness, when held with integrity, doesn’t confuse the process – it clarifies it. It helps us honour the many ways humans heal, and it respects the parts of self that don’t communicate verbally. It creates space for intuitive intelligence and a relationship to life that is felt, not just thought. And that’s the heart of it really. When we acknowledge the interplay of mind, body, emotion and energy, we offer clients not just strategies but sovereignty. A chance to know themselves beyond words.