Statement on energy healing by church

[bsjkki]

42 minutes ago, bluebell said:

Does this have an connection to Julie Rowe and her involvement with the "emotion Code" which is supposed to heal people?  Does she still have a big following?

My friends/family discovered energy healing through Julie Rowe who follows the teachings of Bradly Nelson.  From what I can tell, he is the main salesman of this to Mormon audiences.  I think the emotion code and energy healing are the same thing but the emotion code is targeted to LDS audiences. 

Also, in their eyes, I'm the heretic and faithless one for being so skeptical and thinking it is in no way compatible with the gospel.

Edited September 23, 2016 by bsjkki

[Eek!]

2 hours ago, Duncan said:

a sister missionary from my mission is big into this energy healing scene

http://www.energyhealingconference.com/

 

In my opinion it is completely normal for someone who is a sincere follower of Christ to desire to be a healer, whether they be male or female (and the desire to heal may well be more innate in women than in men).  This desire can be very strong, and it is not evil.  If the opportunity to develop this side of oneself and to be of service as a healer is effectively denied to women within the church, then it is not surprising that some of them seek it without.  

Edited September 23, 2016 by Eek!

[Duncan]

22 minutes ago, Eek! said:

In my opinion it is completely normal for someone who is a sincere follower of Christ to desire to be a healer, whether they be male or female (and the desire to heal may well be more innate in women than in men).  This desire can be very strong, and it is not evil.  If the opportunity to develop this side of oneself and to be of service as a healer is effectively denied to women within the church, then it is not surprising that some of them seek it without.  

and women can't become nurses or doctors? or take care of sick loved ones?

[Eek!]

26 minutes ago, Duncan said:

and women can't become nurses or doctors? or take care of sick loved ones?

Yes they can, and so can a man, but it's not the same thing as laying your hands on someone and blessing them.  

Note that laying hands on the sick and blessing them is a privilege of the followers of Christ, if we are to believe Mark 16:17-18 and Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, page 223.  Why should any follower of Christ be denied this privilege, just because he or she could theoretically become a nurse or doctor or otherwise take care of a sick loved one?  

 

Edited September 23, 2016 by Eek!

[Duncan]

5 minutes ago, Eek! said:

Yes they can, and so can a man, but it's not the same thing as laying your hands on someone and blessing them.  

Note that laying hands on the sick and blessing them is a privilege of the followers of Christ, if we are to believe Mark 16:17-18 and Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, page 223.  Why should any follower of Christ be denied this privilege, just because he or she could theoretically become a nurse or doctor or otherwise take care of a sick loved one?  

 

I don't know what energy healers do in terms of healing but we believe that worthy man holding the priesthood can perform a healing blessing coupled with his, the recipient's faith and the will of God plus proper medical science. You can't pray away a broken arm. I know a lady here years ago who had a form of cancer and tried to heal herself and surprises surprise it didn't work and she died. Another lady here is trying the a holistic approach but she is also asking for money to pay for a healer when the cancer society is willing to pay for all the visits and meds and transportation, without this holistic healer but a doctor.

[Eek!]

1 hour ago, Duncan said:

I don't know what energy healers do in terms of healing but we believe that worthy man holding the priesthood can perform a healing blessing coupled with his, the recipient's faith and the will of God plus proper medical science. 

Briefly, my understanding is that energy healers attempt to be an effective conduit for God's healing power, much the same as a priesthood holder does.  The terminology is different but ime the feeling is identical.

1 hour ago, Duncan said:

You can't pray away a broken arm. 

Hopefully you go to a doctor to get the bones set properly.  But then I believe you can facilitate healing, if you so choose.  Priesthood blessings and energy healing are two ways that can be done, and having participated in both, I do not think they are tapping into different sources.

1 hour ago, Duncan said:

I know a lady here years ago who had a form of cancer and tried to heal herself and surprises surprise it didn't work and she died. Another lady here is trying the a holistic approach but she is also asking for money to pay for a healer when the cancer society is willing to pay for all the visits and meds and transportation, without this holistic healer but a doctor.

Well to be fair, priesthood blessings and/or traditional medicine are not a sure bet either.  I'm not sure what the best choice would be in a given situation.  I think the odds of remission generally favor traditional medicine, but would not want to impose that choice on someone who felt differently, and in many cases different approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive.  We're all going to die anyway, so if "success" is defined as "the patient survives and recovers", eventually any treatment will "fail".  

But maybe that's not the best definition of "success".  

Imo in the long run it is the health of the spirit, not the health of the mortal body, that matters most because the spirit is eternal and the mortal body is temporary.  I can see how a holistic approach that helps to heal a person's spirit could be more beneficial from an eternal perspective than a more traditional approach which includes no effort to heal a person's spirit.  But again, the one does not necessarily exclude the other.  

Edited September 23, 2016 by Eek!

[Duncan]

11 minutes ago, Eek! said:

Briefly, my understanding is that energy healers attempt to be an effective conduit for God's healing power, much the same as a priesthood holder does.  The terminology is different but ime the feeling is identical.

Hopefully you go to a doctor to get the bones set properly.  But then I believe you can facilitate healing, if you so choose.  Priesthood blessings and energy healing are two ways that can be done, and having participated in both, I do not think they are tapping into different sources.

Well to be fair, priesthood blessings and/or traditional medicine are not a sure bet either.  I'm not sure what the best choice would be in a given situation.  I think the odds of remission generally favor traditional medicine, but would not want to impose that choice on someone who felt differently, and in many cases different approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive.  We're all going to die anyway, so if "success" is defined as "the patient survives and recovers", eventually any treatment will "fail".  

But maybe that's not the best definition of "success".  

Imo in the long run it is the health of the spirit, not the health of the mortal body, that matters most because the spirit is eternal and the mortal body is temporary.  I can see how a holistic approach that helps to heal a person's spirit could be more beneficial from an eternal perspective than a more traditional approach which includes no effort to heal a person's spirit.  But again, the one does not necessarily exclude the other.  

fair enough!

[Eek!]

9 minutes ago, Duncan said:

fair enough!

Thank you Duncan for listening so open-mindedly to someone coming from left field!  

[Duncan]

Just now, Eek! said:

Thank you Duncan for listening so open-mindedly to someone coming from left field!  

Well, I live in Canada! So, we have nothing but open air and open minds and Tim Hortons donuts!

[Eek!]

 

5 minutes ago, Duncan said:

Well, I live in Canada! So, we have nothing but open air and open minds and Tim Hortons donuts!

Canada, eh?

I've heard about you guys.  We invaded you twice and you beat us both times.  I think you lulled us into over-confidence with your open minds and your donuts.  

[Duncan]

Just now, Eek! said:

 

Canada, eh?

I've heard about you guys.  We invaded you twice and you beat us both times.  I think you lulled us into over-confidence with your open minds and your donuts.  

and for that we gave you William Shatner and dare I speak his name Alex Trebek

[Calm]

Don't forget Keanu Reeves and Paul Anka.

[Tacenda]

13 hours ago, Calm said:

Don't forget Keanu Reeves and Paul Anka.

My favorite...Michael J. Fox.

[Calm]

I thought we were talking about our less favorite ones...I will have to consider for a few more moments now.

[boblloyd91]

I don't want to sound paranoid or judgmental, but this sounds at best like a sham, at worst deception from the dark side (I say that because of the request for money and what to me seems to be a lack of focus on Christ). 

[Jeanne]

On 9/24/2016 at 4:47 AM, Tacenda said:

My favorite...Michael J. Fox.

I love Michael!!

[sunstoned]

On 9/23/2016 at 1:20 PM, Eek! said:

Briefly, my understanding is that energy healers attempt to be an effective conduit for God's healing power, much the same as a priesthood holder does.  The terminology is different but ime the feeling is identical.

Hopefully you go to a doctor to get the bones set properly.  But then I believe you can facilitate healing, if you so choose.  Priesthood blessings and energy healing are two ways that can be done, and having participated in both, I do not think they are tapping into different sources.

Well to be fair, priesthood blessings and/or traditional medicine are not a sure bet either.  I'm not sure what the best choice would be in a given situation.  I think the odds of remission generally favor traditional medicine, but would not want to impose that choice on someone who felt differently, and in many cases different approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive.  We're all going to die anyway, so if "success" is defined as "the patient survives and recovers", eventually any treatment will "fail".  

But maybe that's not the best definition of "success".  

Imo in the long run it is the health of the spirit, not the health of the mortal body, that matters most because the spirit is eternal and the mortal body is temporary.  I can see how a holistic approach that helps to heal a person's spirit could be more beneficial from an eternal perspective than a more traditional approach which includes no effort to heal a person's spirit.  But again, the one does not necessarily exclude the other.  

 

[Rain]

Interesting. I didn't know it was called Reiki.

About 12 years ago my husbands anxiety and panic attacks got so bad that his boss sent him home from work and told him not to come back till he could deal with it.  It was really bad. (Fortunately he had 6 weeks of vacation time built up.)

A doctor had him on medication.  A therapist was working with him. He had a blessing. Things were not getting better and we were running out of vacation time. Our neighbor suggested to us a different kind of therapist. We figured why not. What we were doing wasn't working.

I went with my husband.  She had him lay down. I don't think she ever touched him.  She just slowly moved her hands a few inches from his body "balancing the energy". When he was balanced she asked him some questions and they talked a little. She discovered he was hanging on to "guilt" - not guilt really. He once went past a house for sale and started worrying that someone would buy the house, lose their job and then the house and it would all be his fault. So his anxiety mascaraded as guilt.

Anyway, she had him imagine taking all the things like this he felt guilty for and placing it in a box that Christ held. While Christ was a part of it, it was very different than a priesthood healing. I never felt that it was trying to mimic the priesthood.

I had not realized how much those things had weighed down on my husband till we were walking out the door and his countenance had changed visably. He looked so different.

I wasn't so sure of the energy part, but things had changed so much in his anxiety that I was grateful. My husband, an electrical engineer, says he has an easier time with that part because of his understanding of energy. I'm still skeptical of that part. I think on it more like a yoga thing where you are breathing deep and bringing oxygen into your body.

Later, I went to her for myself. It was not the same for me. Something had changed and I felt very uncomfortable. I don't know what it was.

Still today when my husband gets over anxious he will sometimes "balance" himself as she taught him. When he has done that he can focus on other things that will help him. 

With our two experiences and other things I have heard over the years I can understand the caution urged and not a statement totally against it. I believe there is some truth in it that helps people, but it can definitely be taken in ways it shouldn't go. 

Edited October 4, 2016 by Rain

[JLHPROF]

52 minutes ago, Rain said:

Interesting. I didn't know it was called Reiki.

About 12 years ago my husbands anxiety and panic attacks got so bad that his boss sent him home from work and told him not to come back till he could deal with it.  It was really bad. (Fortunately he had 6 weeks of vacation time built up.)

A doctor or him on medication.  A therapist was working with him. He had a blessing. Things were not getting better and we were running out of vacation time. Our neighbor suggested to us a different kind of therapist. We figured why not. What we were doing wasn't working.

I went with my husband.  She had him lay down. I don't think she ever touched him.  She just slowly moved her hands a few inches from his body "balancing the energy". When he was balanced she asked him some questions and they talked a little. She discovered he was hanging on to "guilt" - not guilt really. He once went past a house for sale and started worrying that someone would buy the house, lose their job and then the house and it would all be his fault. So his anxiety mascaraded as guilt.

Anyway, she had him imagine taking all the things like this he felt guilty for and placing it in a box that Christ held. While Christ was a part of it, it was very different than a priesthood healing. I never felt that it was trying to mimic the priesthood.

I had not realized how much those things had weighed down on my husband till we were walking out the door and his countenance had changed visably. He looked so different.

I wasn't so sure of the energy part, but things had changed so much in his anxiety that I was grateful. My husband, an electrical engineer, says he has an eaiser time with that part because of his understanding of energy. I'm still skeptical of that part. I think on it more like a yoga thing where you are breathing deep and bringing oxygen into your body.

Later, I went to her for myself. It was not the same for me. Something had changed and I felt very uncomfortable. I don't know what it was.

Still today when my husband gets over anxious he will sometimes "balance" himself as she taught him. When he has done that he can focus on other things that will help him.

With our two experiences and other things I have heard over the years I can understand the caution urged and not a statement totally against it. I believe there is some truth in it that helps people, but it can definitely be taken in ways it shouldn't go.

I have serious doubts about energy healing having any validity.
But as someone who suffers from severe anxiety and panic I found your husband's story both interesting and encouraging.
Thanks!

[Rain]

9 hours ago, JLHPROF said:

I have serious doubts about energy healing having any validity.
But as someone who suffers from severe anxiety and panic I found your husband's story both interesting and encouraging.
Thanks!

Believe me, I have doubts about it as well. I have no idea what the difference was between his session and mine later, but there was a definite difference.

I just looked it up and they talk about some kind of "non-physical" energy rather than electricity and that doesn't work for me. I think if there is some kind of energy thing going on it has more to do with the body's electricity like I think my husband thinks.

And he wasn't healed. She just helped get him to a place where he could handle things. He stayed on meds for some time after that, but now is off. He has found exercise, scripture study and good sleep the best helps at the moment. 

I hope you find what works for you to keep it manageable.

 

Edited October 5, 2016 by Rain

[sunstoned]

I do try to keep an open mind about these kind of things.  However, a real litmus test for me is what the motivation is.  Many of these types of movements are promoted for financial gain.

[VideoGameJunkie]

Is this statement knocking essential oils that so many mormons use?