Energy Healing between Sense-Making and Sense-Experience

Contents of the Research Project Energy healing involves the idea that personal well-being i.e., the harmony of body, soul, and mind depends on the undisrupted flow of subtle energies. The human energy system is thought of as an invisible structure of channels, centres, and layers of energy. Imbalance, blockades, deficiencies, or excesses within that system may lead to mental or physical disorders. Practitioners of energy healing regard it their task to restore the optimal balance of these energies by applying specific methods. Nowadays, the various techniques of energy healing rank among the most widespread practices of the holistic milieu or New Age-spirituality, thus forming an integral part of contemporary religious culture. This project builds on previous studies that conceive the holistic milieu as a religious market characterised by an increasing degree of professionalisation. In Austria, the number of energy healing practitioners has risen steadily within the past 20 years. In the first quarter of 2017, a total number of 17,481 human energy practitioners held an active trade license issued by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO). By comparison, only 13,834 general practitioners (medical doctors) were registered in Austria in the same period. Despite the outstanding significance of energy healing within the holistic milieu, empirical research on this area is scarce. Only few approaches to systematise the field have been made thus far. Research Objective The central aim of the project is to identify the key concepts and ritual elements of the basic strands of energy healing by examining four cases of Viennese practitioners. In that process, the project will highlight themes that are widespread throughout the holistic field, such as energy, subtle energy bodies, or healing rituals. A special focus will be put on the role played by imagination in the conceptual, material, and performative aspects of energy healing. Furthermore, typical strategies of reacting to disenchanted or secularized scientific medicine will be reconstructed. Finally, quality assurance measures and the structure of Viennese institutions that offer training courses in energy healing will be investigated to gain a deeper understanding of the professionalised, market-oriented dimension of the field. Methods The data is acquired through conducting 50 interviews with professional providers of energy healing techniques. Moreover, concrete ritual settings, the aesthetic features of the therapy rooms, as well as the steps of healing rituals will be documented. Following a detailed description of the selected case studies, the results will be discussed in a comparative analysis.

Imagining Energy - The Practice of Energy Healing between Sense-Experience and Sense-Making In recent decades, energy healing has grown to become a major force among complementary therapeutic practices. Energy healing involves rituals that aim to reinforce self-healing powers and improve wellbeing. Central to these practices is the notion of a subtle, non-physical agency that supposedly functions as the healing principle. Alone in Austria, more than 18,000 energy healing practitioners (Energetiker) are currently registered, a number that already surpasses that of general practitioners (Allgemeinärzte). Funded by the FWF from 2019 to 2022, this research project focused on two major themes related to energy healing. The first research objective was to investigate how discursive strategies of energy healing evolved in contrast to biomedical and scientific thought. Exploring this question led to a deeper understanding of the historical links between energy healing, its ideological precursors, and its popularisation through the alternative therapeutic-spiritual milieu. The second objective addressed the globalisation of kualin. Kualin is a concept of subtle energy that originated in the South Asian tantric discourse and inspired innovative psychotherapeutic methods in the USA. These themes were investigated by means of historical discourse and network analysis. This project made vital contributions to advance the systematic and historical investigation of rituals that apply a notion of subtle energies. Its research findings exemplify how this discourse was substantially impacted by globalisation. Furthermore, it illustrates how science, religion, and therapy are intertwined; how ideas and practices were transformed by cross-cultural transfers between Asia and the West; and how female practitioners came to dominate the field of energy healing. Research output includes three monographies, seven peer-reviewed papers, and several conference contributions. The project's results are expected to have interdisciplinary impact. They provide valuable reference points for related research fields including ritual studies, gender studies, mind-body medicine, and psychotherapy. Keywords: Holistic milieu, energy healing, kundalini, mesmerism, intercultural currents, global history of religion and spirituality, global history of alternative medicine, history of psychotherapy