The Foundations

Over 3,000 years ago, when Chinese seers perceived the profound relationship between the quality of our connection to Nature's energies ("Chi", electromagnetic energy or life-force) and our state of health, there began the development of a sophisticated set of integrated healing practices designed to allow us both to increase the influx of this energy into our bodies and to harmonise its flow within us, to create healing.

The deceptively simple premise was that the more uninhibited the flow of electromagnetic energy is within and around us, the greater is the fullness of our self-expression as human beings, physically, psychologically and spiritually.

It therefore followed from this, that the natural consequence of the dissolution of impediments to energy flow, either within our bodies, or in the energy field around us - whatever the cause, is improved health and vitality. This concept is directly analogous to the effects of a deficient blood flow to a particular part of the body. Impaired Chi flow causes disease in the same way that a compromised flow of blood within the cardiovascular system typically results in some degree of cellular dysfunction or death. The severity of the disease produced by such an occurrence, is directly proportional to the degree with which the circulation is compromised. The complete obstruction of a coronary artery, for example, will cause sudden, overt signs of a heart attack, whereas gradual narrowing of the heart's blood vessels over time will produce much more subtle signs - until a crisis point is reached. In this situation, the re-establishment of normal blood flow is a pre-requisite for healing of the damaged tissues to occur. In the same way, physical, emotional or psychological distress can be healed by promoting the increased flow of energy through the disrupted areas of our energy fields.

Elaborating on this principle, they then went on to describe in extraordinary detail the complex energetic architecture through which the dynamic exchange between Nature and ourselves occurs. The "invisible" channels that conduct this energy, the "meridians", were meticulously mapped out and great emphasis was placed on the importance of the major organs of the body in regulating, storing, distributing and transforming energies of differing emotional qualities.

The unveiling of this energetic "anatomy" and "physiology" gifted us with the potential for conscious manipulation of this energy flow for the purpose of healing, in a controlled and predictable manner. In acupuncture, for example, this is achieved by the placement of needles or other devices at strategic points along these pathways to direct energy towards areas of depletion and away from areas of stagnation, restoring balance.

Although each of the many practices that arose within this system to address healing at the different levels of our being have a particular focus of their own, they still share this central philosophy of enhancing and balancing energy flow. Traditional Chinese herbal medicine, Tao Yin, acupuncture, Chi Kung, Tai Chi and Chi Nei Tsang, for example, all rely on the strengthening and harmonising of energy flow in the body in accord with these principles.

The emergence of Energy Field Therapy (EFT)

Over the millennia, particularly powerful and effective "off the body" forms of healing were developed, which involved interacting with the electromagnetic energy field that extends away from our bodies for several feet.

By engaging with this field in such a manner, it is possible to access disruptions to energy flow at any location within and without the body and at any level, from that which is associated with cellular dysfunctioning and disease, through that which encodes our emotional patterns to that which retains the memories of our life experiences. This has enormous implications for our healing, as we will see later and explains how this approach can be such a powerful catalyst for personal transformation.

Since antiquity, it has been traditional for the knowledge of these Chi Kung practices (where Chi = energy and Kung = skilful management) to be transmitted orally from Master to student and it is only in the last few decades that this information has become available and accessible to the West. Initially the archaic form of the teachings and the starkly different cultural frameworks of ancient China and modern western civilisation, made it very difficult for the western mind to assimilate and experience the essence of these practices.

After a period of integration between the psyches of East and West, ancient and modern, the reliance on the formulaic application of these techniques became supplanted by an approach that cultivated the student's direct experience of energy. Students of Energy Field Therapy are now able to become therapists intuitively guided by the unique needs of each person's energy field, rather than practitioners following a set protocol of manoeuvres. The result of this is that the therapist is always responding "real time" to the fluctuations in electromagnetic flow during a treatment session, facilitating healing in the most appropriate manner for a particular person.

Modern research

There is a rapidly increasing body of evidence, which lends support to both the principles that underlie Energy Field Therapy and the vital role that our energy fields play in determining the level of our health.

A selection of this work clearly illustrates this.

In the early 20th century Semyon and Valentina Kirlian showed that illness in plants could be predicted by changes in the energy emissions from the leaves (detected photographically) long before there were physical signs of disease. They were able to do this for a wide variety of plants, with a considerable degree of accuracy and went on to demonstrate the same phenomenon in people.

Later, beginning in the 1940's, Dr Harold Saxton Burr (professor of anatomy and neuroanatomy at Yale University School of Medicine) began investigations into this field of enquiry, which were to span 30 years. He developed extremely sensitive equipment that enabled him to measure the energy fields of organisms ranging in size from the single cells of slime moulds to humans and trees! His work revealed that "all living things are moulded and controlled by electrodynamic fields."

Professor William A Tiller of Stanford University went on to use Kirlian photography to demonstrate the direct relationship between the energy field and the improved mental and emotional states of a group of successfully treated alcoholic and schizophrenic patients. As they recovered there were marked improvements in both the structure and the intensity of their fields.

The Qigong institute in USA (www.qigonginstitute.org) contains information on over 1600 scientific studies on the healing effects of improving energy flow in a wide range of diseases, including allergies, arthritis, asthma, cancer, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, hypertension, immune disorders and strokes, to name a few.

No Placebo effect in animals!

I have recently completed a two-year clinical trial of Energy Field Therapy, which was intended to assess its effectiveness in the treatment of a wide range of disease commonly encountered in veterinary practice. The study, involving 80 animals (which included dogs, cats, rabbits and horses) demonstrated that 79% of those taking part experienced either a significant improvement in their health, or a complete cure. This is a particularly remarkable statistic considering that most of these conditions were chronic and many had previously failed to respond either to conventional, or other forms of complementary medicine.

Particularly impressive responses were seen with musculo-skeletal pain (55% becoming pain-free, 45% showing a marked improvement), colitis (82% showing either a marked improvement or a complete cure) and allergic dermatitis (36% showing a marked improvement to a complete cure and 45.5% showing significant positive changes).

Although the following table details the grading of the responses in the various conditions treated during this trial, it does not give any indication of the profound changes in temperament that frequently accompanied the improvements in the animal's quality of life.

It was a consistent observation that anxious animals tended to become more relaxed, irritable animals became more social and less aggressive, timid animals became more confident, inquisitive and demonstrative, aloof animals became more affectionate, depressed animals seemed happier and older animals became more playful and interested in life as though rejuvenated.

This is not only a wonderful demonstration of the link between emotional states and physical disease, but also of the capacity of improved energy flow to create healing at different levels of being at the same time.

Healing with Energy Field Therapy

The healing that occurs with EFT is a beautifully organic process.

The creation of a safe, nourishing and empathic environment during each of the four 1-hourly treatment sessions (which span four consecutive days) encourages the progressive opening of the energy field and its conducting channels, as a flower opens to drink the sunlight.

This process, which reflects the trust developing as the person being treated and the therapist surrender to the healing process, is important in allowing trapped emotional energy to be spontaneously released from its energetic "enclaves" within and around the body. This discharge is greatly facilitated by the therapist's ability to communicate with the intelligence within the energy field, enabling a "moment to moment" intuitive response to the distortions within the electromagnetic flux as it constantly changes, supporting healing in the most rewarding manner and at the most appropriate time. This is achieved by the gentle yet powerful hand movements of the EFT therapist working several inches to several feet away from the surface of the body, whilst the person is relaxing with eyes closed, listening to soothing music.

At the same time, the training undertaken by the EFT therapist allows both participants to become increasingly connected to the transpersonal wisdom of both Nature's Universal and Earth energies, allowing healing to occur at the most profound level, entirely in accord with each individuals desires.

The result of this, is that the physical body is revitalised, outmoded, traumatic or distressing emotions or memories are released and very often "in-sight" emerges into how a new experience of life can be created - reflecting the improved levels of communication with inner and outer forces.

The momentum for change that is initiated by a course of Energy Field Therapy continues for 8 to 12 weeks following the treatment and it can be repeated at this stage for as long as enhanced healing is desired in any area.

My experience with EFT allows me to concur with that of Brent Baum, who's work with over 8000 trauma victims in the USA has caused him to conclude that the basis for the vast majority of destructive, restrictive and addictive behaviours, together with most physical ailments, has been the presence of unresolved "trauma fragments" held in and around the body (encoded in disrupted energy patterns). Healing these memories has invariably produced a dramatic improvement at the emotional and all other levels.

Which conditions have been helped by EFT?

Healing embraces many different experiences and is given meaning in the context of each of our unique experiences of life, which places it outside of the removal of a particular set of symptoms or signs of disease, although they can and often do go hand in hand.

Having said this EFT has been found to helpful in the following conditions:

Some human and animal experiences of EFT

"Ruth" is a 39-year-old director of a large company, which she runs jointly with her husband. When she first came for EFT at the end of March 2001, she had been suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome for the last 15 years (with attacks occurring approximately every 3 weeks) and from recurrent bouts of depression since being 13 years old. These problems had been interspersed with episodes of tonsillitis and swelling of the glands in her throat, which had tended to flare up after any emotional upsets. Ruth had also had to have two fibroadenomas removed from one of her breasts in 1995. She was currently having reflexology and physiotherapy for "a trapped nerve" in her neck and shoulder.

In addition to her physical symptoms, Ruth felt that her emotional life was very problematical as a result of childhood experiences, which had had a profound effect on her in many ways:

She was afraid of her father, who had always been verbally abuse towards her. Even now when he became confrontational she could feel herself trembling. Because of this she felt unable to speak "about anything remotely connected to feelings" within the family. She also felt labelled as a "trouble maker", "totally uncared for, used and neglected." "My whole life can be mapped out from one argumentative blow-up / crisis centred around my family or my reaction to it, to another." As a result she did not love or respect her father and detested the bullying tactics he used to make people listen to him. She longed for him to know how he makes people feel when he behaves like this.

Ruth felt "undermined" and "invalidated" in her relationship with her mother-in law and "inferior and inadequate" next to her sister. She saw herself as always "being on the outside of everything and everybody" and important to nobody except her animal companions. As a result of counselling 2 years previously Ruth felt that she fully understood where and how these feelings had arisen, but had "no idea how to rub out 38 years of them."

Over the 4 days of the treatment Ruth was able to release an extraordinary amount of stagnant energy from many areas of both her body and her field. Particularly prominent were the lungs (where we hold feelings of grief and sadness) and her large intestine (where we let go of what we no longer need in our lives). To a lesser, though significant degree, there was clearing of the congestion around her neck and lumbosacral spine. In one session Ruth felt "large troughs of cold" moving out of her lower back. Later that night when she was at home she felt more "lumps" of energy being released, and one of these "was large and black like a person, which felt horrible." By the final day Ruth felt "lighter," more energized and her neck pain had disappeared.

By the time Ruth came for her second treatment at the beginning of June 2001, she had already experienced many changes in her life. She was much more energetic, positive, focused and had no feelings of "depressive numbness" - which had always tended to be just below the surface, even when she was feeling relatively well in herself. She felt much more confident about making decisions based on her "gut instinct" and had been free of any physical problems. The most dramatic change had been in her relationship to her father. She no longer felt intimidated by him and found that his behaviour had changed towards her as a result. He wanted to spend more time with Ruth and her husband and she felt very comfortable about this. Ruth was starting to feel very angry about some of the incidents in her youth and was ready to see this as a healthy response, important in supporting the positive changes that she had already made in her emotional life.

When we spoke at the end of October 2001, Ruth told me that she had "never been as well as this in all my life". In the months following her treatment she had realised that she had been attracted to a verbally abusive husband, whom she had decided to divorce, feeling that for the first time in her life she was "able to stand 100% on my own two feet". Despite the potentially stressful nature of these changes, Ruth had not developed any throat problems, was feeling extraordinarily optimistic for the future and had not had any further bowel problems.

"Laura" is a young lady who came for EFT in August 2000 suffering from a number of very distressing complaints. She had suffered from eczema for 10 years, predominantly on her hands, but it could appear anywhere on her body. Three years previously she had also started to experience severe panic attacks, which caused her doctor to suspect thyroid problems, although blood tests had failed to confirm this.

In March 1998 her periods stopped and for the next two and a half years she menstruated for only a short period between October 1999 and February 2000. Blood tests showed that her oestrogen levels were very low, but did not explain why this was happening.

In May 2000 Laura's hair started to fall out and she began to feel that something was "stuck" in her throat. Blood tests again showed normal thyroid hormone levels, so an appointment was made for Laura to have a barium swallow and ultrasound investigations.

Laura also described feeling "stuck" in her life. She sensed that she had the inner resources to get better physically and mentally, but didn't know "how to make it all work."

During the treatments there were many profound energetic releases from many different locations in Laura's field. She felt a deep sense of "letting go" and was able to vocalize many important insights about both her familial relationships and other significant events in her life.

Almost immediately after the course of therapy had finished, Laura's throat started to feel much better. Her barium swallow turned out to be normal and the discomfort in this area continued to fade over the next couple of months until it became "almost a memory of it". The "lump" disappeared completely and Laura only feels a slight constriction here whenever she feels stressed. Laura's periods started 6 weeks after finishing the EFT and have been regular (every 28 days) ever since! There were no more panic attacks and Laura felt "very bright, positive and liberated" with no sense of being "stuck, as though things were never going to change".

"David" (age 9) had been asthmatic since he was a baby and had suffered with severe eczema for about six months. His mother was extremely worried by both the amount of drugs David had to take (three for his asthma) and by the quantity of topical medication he had to smear on his eczema (which covered approximately 65% of his body). His general health was deteriorating and when David arrived for his treatment he had a hacking cough that was getting progressively worse.

During the first day of treatment David began to cry as he expressed how upset he felt about his parents divorce (a year or so earlier). Although the divorce had been amicable and David appeared to be very well adjusted to the new situation, he had in fact been suppressing the grief and pain he was feeling. In these situations, it is common for children to try and protect their parents from more pain by being strong and suppressing their own. However, as a result of David's tears both he and his mum realised how much grief was there and that there was much to talk about.

On the second day of treatment David came bouncing happily into the treatment room and his mother reported that his cough had almost completely disappeared. By the third day of the treatment David's eczema, which had covered his back and the front of his body on the first day, had faded so much it could hardly been seen. David received his treatment in February 2001, his mother telephoned in August 2001 to say that since that time David's skin had been eczema free and "absolutely beautiful".

"Molly" is young Domestic Short Haired cat who was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex in July 1999. This distressing condition, reflecting a serious disturbance in the immune system, causes a variety of painful skin and oral problems. "Incurable" by conventional standards, control of the disease is usually by the use of life-long steroids to suppress the severe inflammation that can develop in these areas. Molly had developed itching eruptions on her face, and very uncomfortable cord-like swellings down the back of both her hind legs.

She received 3 courses of EFT between August and October 1999 and has been completely free of all problems since. She has also become much more affectionate with people, is more relaxed and contented generally, and is socialising more easily with the other pets in the house.

"Lizzie" is a very lively, 6-year-old Yorkshire terrier. Each summer and autumn between 1995 and 1999 she developed the distressingly itching eruptions of a typical allergic dermatitis (atopy). Her rash was so bad that it had to be controlled with steroids to stop her immune system from reacting in this way. By August 1999 she had been on the steroids for 5 years, and yet the problem was still surfacing as soon as the dose of her medication was reduced. For 2 months homeopathic remedies were used, and these helped to reduce the amount of drugs she needed, but she was still itchy and was developing new spots.

Lizzie initially had two courses of EFT, one in December 1999, the second in January 2000. For a couple of months she had quite a severe cleansing reaction, her body clearing out the toxins she had accumulated as a result of both the disease and the drugs she had received. She was much itchier than normal for a while and also had a cough for a brief period, both of which reflected the detoxification that was occurring. By the beginning of April 2000, all her itching had ceased and the rash had gone. She had not had any drugs since the beginning of the year and was much happier than she had been for a long time.

Lizzie started to become a little itchy again in August 2000, which is the time of the year her condition has reached its peak intensity in previous years. The EFT was repeated at this stage and she quickly returned to normal and has stayed so ever since.

"Chanel" was a 10-year-old, grey, Arab cross mare. She was perfectly healthy until her Mum was euthanased in the yard outside her stable in October 1996. In April 1997 she started suffering from an allergic dermatitis, which continued throughout the year. She received treatment from a veterinary dermatologist, who prescribed a course of injections to try and desensitise her against a number of allergens, but unfortunately this did not help.

In May 1998 Chanel had laminitis. Fortunately she recovered, but later on in the year in September, she started to behave erratically. She would scratch intensely if she was left alone in the stable. On three occasions she broke stable doors and twice demolished walls separating her from the adjacent stall! In a desperate attempt to help her settle again, she was transferred to a different livery yard.

By January 1999 Chanel was starting to object to being tacked up, trying to bolt as soon as the saddle was put on. For the next 6 months, her owner tried to re-school her, but this was extremely difficult as she still had little tolerance to tack. By August she was having panic attacks as soon as her saddle was put on and on one occasion she slipped in the yard, falling badly. Luckily there were no serious injuries, but she was obviously becoming dangerous not only to herself, but also to her handlers.

Her owner persevered with her between September and December and managed to get a saddle on her if she was tacked up in the stable. She would still lunge forward during this procedure, trying to bite. She would also do this during grooming! She had previously been an affectionate horse and could be left tied up and tacked up. When I saw Chanel for the first day of her treatment, her owner had not been able to ride her for four and a half months and felt she had no other option but to consider getting rid of her.

The treatment sessions went very well, with Chanel visibly responding more and more each day. Within 48 hours of the treatment finishing she was standing to have her rug put on and was also waiting patiently in the passageway without a head collar. She also began to appear at the front of her stable, happily greeting people and allowing them into her stall.

Within a week her owner was able to lunge her and saddle her up. Shortly after that she was back riding her and has not had any problems since.

About the Author

Vincent MacNally qualified as a Veterinary surgeon in 1983. In the early 1990's, dissatisfied with the limits of this approach to healing his patients and spurred on to find both solutions to and an understanding of my own physical and emotional problems, he began to explore alternative approaches.

This led to his completion of three degrees of Reiki between 1995 & 1997, to qualify in Veterinary Homeopathy (VetMFHom) in 1998 and to become a certified Matrix Field Therapist in 1999.

In 2001 he spent four weeks studying with the internationally renowned Taoist healer and author Master Mantak Chia. two weeks of which were spent at the Healing Tao University in USA and two at the Universal Tao Garden in Thailand.

Over the last 3 years he has focused more and more on working with people and animals using Energy Field Therapy to catalyse their healing. He is currently developing a healing centre in North Hampshire as a venue for this therapy, which is founded on the Buddhist principles of compassion and equality for all sentient beings.

He will be on retreat in Thailand during February, but will be available for treatments or enquiries from 11th March 2002 onwards. He can be contacted either by:

Telephone: 07949 304898 or 01420 563198
Email: vcgmacnally@care4free.net
Web site: www.energyfieldtherapy.net

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Mark Caldwell, and express the deep gratitude he feels for his teaching, which nourished him in so many ways. He is without doubt the most inspiring teacher he has ever met, with a remarkable ability to re-awaken an awareness of the source of healing in his students and the confidence to be instructed and led by this intelligence.

The author would also like to thank Yvette Richards, a fellow Energy Field Therapist for supplying "Davids" story and for all the support and encouragement she has given him. Yvette can be contacted on 01276 500940.

Bibliography

Baum Brent. The Healing Dimensions: Resolving Trauma in BodyMind and Spirit. Healing Dimensions. Tucson, Arizona. ISBN 0-9661990-0-6. 1997.

Burr Harold Saxton. Blueprint for Immortality: The Electric Patterns of Life. Neville Spearman Publishers. Essex. ISBN 0-85435-281-3. 1972.

Chia Mantak & Maneewan. Awaken Healing Light of the Tao. International Healing Tao Publications. Thailand. ISBN 0-935621-46-6. 1993.

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note: Thanks to Positive Health Magazine for permission to reproduce the magazine title.