If you’re unfamiliar with energy work, it can be hard to imagine what happens when you’re lying on a Healing Touch table. You might know the basics - that you lie fully clothed, covered by a blanket if you wish, listening to calming music if you choose, in a comfortable space while a practitioner rests her hands on or slightly above your body to work with your energy field. But what can you expect to feel during your session? Although the sensations can be different with each session, clients often experience one or more of the following:
Deep relaxation. Typically your body relaxes, your mind gets quiet and you may be aware of the practitioner’s presence but with a calm, meditative awareness rather than sharp focus. Joan Borysenko, in her book It’s Not the End of the World, describes this state well. “Deep relaxation is a right-brain state of expanded awareness—a mindful immersion in the... moment. Past and future become irrelevant since you’re as firmly and flexibly anchored in the present as a sailboat rocking gently on its mooring. There’s nothing to resist and nothing to desire. You’re completely content and at home in yourself.”
Sleep. Sometimes clients fall asleep during sessions or come in and out of states of sleep and deep relaxation. Sleep is, of course, profoundly restorative.
Seeing colors. Many people see a kaleidoscope of colors swirling in the mind’s eye as they lie on the Healing Touch table with their eyes closed.
Seeing images. Some people go on imaginal journeys during sessions, encountering animals or visiting outer space. I once had a deeply healing session in which I saw dream images of leaves growing out of my body like a tree leafing out in spring.
Feeling additional hands on your body. Often people will report that at some point during the session they knew where my hands were resting on their body, but they felt as if additional hands were in other places, as well. I have this experience fairly often when I’m receiving a session and I find myself wondering how many arms the practitioner has.
Feeling heat or cold. One of the most common experiences clients notice is that the practitioner’s hands will become very warm, sometimes quite hot. When I’m on the table, I usually feel heat from a practitioner’s hands until they get to my knees, when it feels like their hands are ice packs. Then, as they move to the next position, their hands are hot again.
Twitches. Occasionally as the body relaxes, you may experience twitches, especially in the legs and arms, but sometimes in the torso, as your energy releases and your body lets go.
Stomach gurgling. Often, as people relax during a session, their stomachs and intestines will gurgle and settle. As a practitioner, I love this sound because it tells me that the client is settling into a relaxed state.
Energy. Some people can feel energy running into their bodies during a session. It may feel like waves or sometimes like pressure.
Pain. It doesn’t happen often, but a few clients have experienced pain during a session. Since Healing Touch involves no pressure, squeezing or manual manipulation, the only explanation I can offer is that the energy is moving into a place of long-standing tension or energy blockage and the release is causing pain.
Mental Clarity. As clients settle into deep relaxation, they sometimes have the solution to a work issue or personal situation pop into their minds.