Energy (spirituality)

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Energy in spirituality refers to a putative all-pervasive spirit that is associated with positive and negative outcomes, similar to the traditional Chinese concept of qi. Spiritual energy is generally said to permeate and interpenetrate the universe and to be vital to life, though the specific attributes of each proposed energy may vary. Many complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices are predicated on its existence, its purported ability to affect human health and well-being, and the ability of practitioners to see, feel, and effect changes in it.

The proposed properties of spiritual energy are not those of physical energy; there is no scientific evidence for its existence. These fields have not been measured by reproducible methods, and the therapies that purport to use, modify, or manipulate energy are among the most controversial of all complementary and alternative medicines.

The concept of spiritual energy

Ideas that believers have connected to spiritual energy span a wide range of cultures where there are stories that assume the human body or the universe as a whole is awash with an energy which motivates or quickens.

Aether or quintessence in alchemy
Aura in parapsychology, spirituality, and New Age
Biofield in New Age
Chakra in Hinduism, Tantra, New Age, and Ayurveda
Doshas in Ayurveda
Fohat in Theosophy
Homeopathic resonance in homeopathy
L-field of Harold Saxton Burr
Holy Spirit in some branches of Christianity
Kundalini in Hinduism, Yoga, and New Age
Magical energy in various systems
Mana in Oceanic cultures
Mbec in Ghedee
Morphogenetic field of biologist Rupert Sheldrake
Odic force of chemist Carl von Reichenbach
Orgone energy of Wilhelm Reich
Prana in Ayurveda and Yoga
Putative energy
Qi or ch'i or ki in several Asian cultures, especially Chinese
Ruqeeyah is Islam
Shakti in Hinduism
Silap Inua in Inuit mythology
Vital energy

Premise of energy therapies

The various approaches known collectively as "energy therapies" vary widely in philosophy, approach, and origin, ranging from the ancient practice of acupuncture to the ultra-modern system of Quantum-Touch. All, however, are predicated on the existence of some form of putative energy which has to date defied measurement by reproducible means. This vital energy is called variously qi, prana, orgone energy, subtle energy, or sundry other names according to the precise nature of the corresponding therapy. The ways in which this energy is used, modified, or manipulated to effect healing also varies by modality. For example, acupressure involves manual stimulation to unblock meridians, and in Therapeutic Touch the practitioner's hands are immersed in the patient's energy field to effect rebalancing without making physical contact.

Scientific evaluation

Theories of spiritual energy are not validated by the scientific method, thus are dismissed as non-empirical beliefs by the scientific community. Claims of spiritual energy producing empirical results are therefore often considered to be pseudoscience or quackery.

Claims related to energy therapies are most often anecdotal, rather than being based on repeatable empirical evidence. The history of such claims about spiritual energy (most often dubbed as pseudoscientific) is long. Many people have attempted to gain credibility by associating with forms of energy that were poorly understood by scientists. In the 1800s, electricity and magnetism were in the "borderlands" of science and the subject of considerable electrical quackery. In the 2000s, quantum mechanics and grand unification theory provide similar opportunities for empirical claims of spiritual energy being physically manifest.

"Spiritual energy" is often equated with empirically understood forces. For example, some believers in the "aura" equate it with electromagnetism, claims that have not been supported by experiment or theory. Believers support their claims by arguing that electromagnetic fields are used in standard medical procedures, such as radiation therapy, electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation and magnetic resonance imaging. However, these techniques involve the use of large electrical and electronic devices to manipulate electric and magnetic fields and the physiological mechanisms by which these techniques affect the body are well-understood, quantified and have been supported by repeated experimentation. Scientists therefore dispute the claim that the body's electromagnetic fields can be affected by touch or psychic intervention in any clinically useful sense.

Where scientists and energy therapists come into conflict is with the idea that some energies are not measurable and can be manipulated psychically or unaided by technology. In order to distinguish between the energy used in techniques such as MRI and TMS (electromagnetism) and other unquantifiable "energy," the NIH has proposed the distinction between veritable (measurable) and putative (unmeasurable) energy. Some alternative therapies, such as electromagnetic therapy, use veritable energy, but make claims that are not supported by evidence.

Some acupuncturists say that acupuncture's mode of action is by virtue of manipulating the natural flow of energy through hypothesized meridians, scientists argue that any palliative effects are obtained physiologically by blocking or stimulating nerve cells and causing changes in the perception of pain in the brain.

Followers of scientology believe spiritual energy can be quantified using an e-meter; the legitimacy of such a claim is disputed outside of the church. The e-meter in fact measures the well-understood Galvanic skin response. Other proposed treatments, such as magnet therapy are considered ineffective until it is demonstrated that they beat the placebo effect (see Franz Mesmer).

The James Randi Educational Foundation has for many years (as of 2008) offered one million US dollars to any person capable of repeatably detecting psychic energy fields. No one has demonstrated this ability in a controlled situation.

Energy (spirituality)

The concept of spiritual energy

Premise of energy therapies

Scientific evaluation

References

See also