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30 DAYSPA | JULY 2014 Paving the Way Energy therapies are integrative techniques for achieving mental, physical, psychogenic and spiri- tual wellness. "The easiest way to explain it," says Amy B. Scher (amybscher.com), a central California- based author and energy therapist, "is that our bodies operate on an intricate energy system that runs through all of our organs, muscles, glands and more. When our energies become sluggish or blocked, we can begin to experience both physical and emotional symptoms." Many philosophies embrace the concept of the body as a system of energy channels, from the merid- ians described in Traditional Chinese Medicine to the tantric chakra points cited in Hinduism to the sephi- rot, or tree of life, included in the teachings of Kab- balah. Scher explains that when the fl ow of this energy is restricted, a variety of problems can mani- fest, such as pain, fear, excessive worry, allergies and the inability to heal or recover from injury. "In my ex- perience," says Scher, "energy therapy often works when nothing else has." There are dozens, if not hundreds, of so-called en- ergy therapies, most of which combine bio-energetic philosophies with modern practices. Some are based on prescribed theories, but have many different ap- plications—color and sound therapies, for instance. Others are more specifi c, such as the highly respected Callahan Techniques Thought Field Therapy (TFT), based on a trademarked method that calls for a pre- cise protocol of "meridian tapping". The Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP, energy psych.org) helps practitioners and consumers fi nd techniques that work for them. Energy therapies are valued for their ability to quickly address trauma or unrest that has been known to take years to uncover and resolve with "talk" therapy, if indeed it's resolved via that method at all. "Take tapping, for example," says Ardmore, Pennsylvania-based Robert Schwarz, PsyD, executive director of ACEP. "Let's say someone has low self- esteem that goes back to issues from childhood: they got bad grades, were told they were stupid, maybe they were teased or bullied. When they call on that memory and apply a tapping therapy to it, it takes all the juice out of it. Old beliefs can just crumble, and people instantly feel better." Hearing a term like "energy fi eld disturbance" could send clients, not to mention spa owners and staff, running for underground bunkers. So the ques- tion still remains, which therapies produce real results? Schwarz suggests that spa owners contemplating REIKI Named from two Japanese words— rei (God or higher power) and ki (life force energy)—reiki is a spiritual method of healing in which the "teacher" or "master" lays hands gently upon, or above, specifi c areas of the recipient's body in order to transfer healing energy. For more info: reiki.org TAPPING Using meridians and acupressure points, tapping releases blocked energy and stored emotions. During a typical tapping sequence, the client's or practitioner's fi ngers are used to tap specifi c areas of the hands, head, face and upper body. Therapies include Callahan Techniques Thought Field Therapy (TFT), Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT). For more info: rogercallahan .com, theenergytherapycentre .co.uk, tatlife.com FAR LEFT: © DEAN MITCHELL/GETTY; ABOVE, LEFT: CALLAHAN TECHNIQUE This chart illustrates Callahan's designated "tapping points." continued on page 34 E n e r g y F e a t u r e . i n d d 3 0 Energy Feature.indd 30 6 / 1 0 / 1 4 8 : 1 9 A M 6/10/14 8:19 AM