energetic hygiene
Something feels ‘off’ but I just can’t put my finger on it?
My healing room seems ‘dense?’
How can I stay cleansed from the energies I work with?
How can I keep my clients clean from energy?
I get asked these questions a lot and my answer always is:
it is imperative to instill an energetic hygienic practice into your energy healing practice
& luckily for you there are a bunch of different ways to do this! Regardless if you’re just curious how to keep your living space’s energy clean, or your a client receiving sessions or a practitioner working with people, you’ll find this blog helpful!
What the heck do I mean by Energetic Hygiene?
I’m glad you asked. Just like body hygiene is important, so is energetic hygiene. You’ve probably experienced this before if a person emotionally dumped all their “stuff” on you without your permission, sometimes you walk away feeling ‘icky.’ This is because of an energetic transfer - nothing happened physically - but you can feel that something is off.
Practitioners
If your client is off-gassing a lot of energy:
You’ll know this because of the constant pressure changes in the air around you, temperature fluctuations and need to constantly dragon-breathe.
You can place a bowl of salt water underneath the massage table and set an intention for the wild energy that is flying around to be pulled into the vortex where it will be cleansed, dissolved and disintegrated safely.
Pro tip! Grounding is an absolute essential part of doing healing work. Practice this by going outside and standing barefoot in the grass, in the sand or in the dirt. Feel yourself dropping a line of energy down through your legs out the sols of your feet into the earth, releasing excess energy into the earth, while receiving negative ions from the earth that have good health indicators!
If the session is crazy intense and you feel like you need some ‘divine’ help:
I have found that using an intentional salt circle around the session and St Germain’s Violet Flame ‘inside’ the session can help cleanse whatever is ‘other.’ By ‘other’ I mean:
not your clients
old stuff that is really dense
energy that came ‘before’ your client (literally or cosmically)
If you’re noticing that you leave with what the client brought in:
This means you need to work on grounding your energy and their energy a bit better. Remember as you breathe you are grounding that energy all the way down, out the soles of your feet into the earth to be grounded.
This could also mean you need to clean your hands. Cleaning your hands can look like
washing them with soap and water
spraying them with a alcohol + water + essential oil potion
you can put your hand in the geode of a crystal (without touching the sides) and allow all the focused energy of the crystalline points to cleanse your hands.
remember whatever instrument you work with needs to be cleansed after sessions:
Your pendulum needs to be cleansed, your tuning forks can be cleansed with other forks, smoke, crystals or sounds. If you’re working with bowls, gong or chimes they generally clean each other throughout group sessions.
It is a great idea to have a little ‘cleansing station’ that can look very much like an altar, or a crystal grid that you can place your instruments in for cleansing after sessions.
If your practitioner says they don’t need to clean their crystals this is a red flag.
People / clients / practitioner
BREATHE
Breathing deeply and activating your diaphragm and vagus nerve is so incredibly important. When you breathe shallow the breath stays in the upper chest; this is not where the breath is supposed to stay!
The breath wants to be breathed all the way down to your low belly! Why? Your lungs act as a great bellows to PUMP your diaphragm and STIMULATE your vagus nerve.
Activating the diaphragm and vagus nerve helps:
digestion
the nervous system
your chakral system
stress reduction
heart health
digestion
mood regulation
& more!
Pro Tip! As a client, practitioner, or living breathing person. Please work on deepening your breath!
seriously, please.
protect your energy:
Keep your energy yours and your client’s energy theirs. I like working with the tuning forks because it provides a soft barrier between us (rather than using my hands) and the vibration on the fork cleanses any energy before it gets to my hand.
You can also create shields, but make sure you’re using elemental energy to do so. Otherwise you’re just taking your energy and putting it outside yourself, which personally doesn’t seem like a good idea due to mass and density.
Perceiving myself as an Alchemist: I use a form of Tonglen meditation in my ‘energetic boundaries’ where I breathe it all in, and ground out the good, learning from the ‘dark,’ and recycling the beauty back into the world.
Living or healing spaces
for overall cleansing your healing space:
You can sage your healing space, you can play “om” in your space while you’re not there (low volume works), you can use a tuning fork or whatever your craft uses to harmonize the space - especially the corners of the room, doors, windows, and mirrors.
Pro Tip! If you forget, you’ll notice your attention being drawn away during sessions and pulled into an area of the room. There is a collection of energy in this area that is creating a vacuum.
energetic hygiene for life:
Make sure you are walking in alignment with your truth. If you’re preaching health and wellness your life should really reflect that. If not there is a discoherence between body and mind that will increase and become apparent over time.
the basics:
Eat well, drink lots of water, salt bath, self care, and journal.
Practice Mindfulness, cultivate compassion toward yourself and your fellow man.
Meditate, reflect and visualize.
nature, nature nature
expert level:
Take care of yourself by setting good boundaries, this is imperative as an energy healer. If you are leaking energy it’s irresponsible to ‘heal’ from an empty cup.
Forgive, yes you, yes. Forgive. Trust me, I didn’t want to either. I wanted to hold onto all that delicious resentment, and then I forgave. There is medicine here.
Be a good person, like really actually good. Not just in public. Karma is real and what goes around comes around, what you do to others will be done to you, what you reap you will eventually sow.
Keep learning: there is no end to what you can learn when you fall down the “sound healing” wormhole. It is vast and endless. You owe it to yourself and your clients.
~
I hope this blog gave you some extra tips and pointers! If you have any questions or feedback please let me know.
Comment, email, share, like: I would love to hear from you.
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Sharla Snow & Jess discuss Thermography & Breast Health
The following tale is shared with Sharla's permission, of course.
Sharla & Jess talk Thermography!
Sharla Snow is a client of mine for Medical Thermal Imaging (Thermography). Medical Thermal Imaging is a way to scan the physiology/ blood flow of the body (as opposed to structure). This differs from mammography in the sense that Thermography is looking for PRE-disease patterns, or in other terms, Thermography is a preventive scan. By the time you realize you have a tumor (structure) the disease has gone from it's infancy stage (inflammation) all the way to it's end stage: a tumor.
Sharla came to see me in the fall of 2016 after she found a lump in her breast but didn't feel comfortable getting a mammogram due to the radiation, compression and pain. We performed her Thermogram and a week later her Medical Thermal Imaging Report came back abnormal due to a large asymmetry in the heat, distribution, and intensity of the thermal patterns in her left breast. The doctor who wrote Sharla's report recommended proactive and holistic protocols: that she do lymphatic drainage, dry brushing, perhaps introduce Vitamin D3, selenium and other healthy supplements into her diet with various other lifestyle changes.
Sharla responded quickly and rose to the occasion to help her situation. She is a distributor of essential oils and extremely holistically minded, so by the time she came back for her follow-up in February of 2017 she had enacted many natural protocols into her life and her report came back noting the improvements; specifically, the thermal patterns in her left breast had decreased!
Sharla posted her story & images on facebook and it went viral. Everyone asked Sharla what she did, what the pictures meant, what Thermography was, etc etc.
Sharla asked if her and I could give a talk to help educate and empower women - so we did!
The following is our talk; if you have any questions please feel free to contact me :) <3
What is thermography? Is it safe? Why have you never heard of it before? How is it helpful? What are the benefits?
Thermography: A Safe Breast Health Assessment
The following article, written by me, was published in the Gerson Institute's Spring 2016 magazine.
For years, new research has been calling into question the effectiveness of mammography. As a result, the American Cancer Society (ACS) changed their stance on mammograms in October 2015. ACS previously recommended that annual mammograms begin at 40 years of age. But now with increased knowledge of the limitations and potential harms of mammography, the ACS recommends that annual screening shouldn’t start until age 45 and should change to every two years starting at 55(1)!
Thermography is a non-invasive way to study the physiology of the human body (as differentiated from ultrasound and mammograms, which study the structure of the body). Thermography simply detects subtle variations in skin temperature using an infrared camera in a temperature-controlled room, which can provide clues to what is going on beneath the surface of the skin. Humans are infrared beings that give off energy in the form of heat. An infrared camera (think night-vision) is heat-sensitive. Whereas a mammogram emits ionizing radiation through your compressed breast tissue, on a thermogram you radiate your energy toward the camera. Thus, nothing is passed through your body. Another very common example of using heat to detect illness is getting your temperature checked at a doctor’s visit, because fever (excess heat) implies infection or dis-ease.
Hippocrates is considered the “father of modern medicine” as we know it. You may have heard of the Hippocratic Oath that present-day doctors still take, promising to “do no harm.” Something less well-known is that Hippocrates is also the “father of thermography.” In 400 AD, Hippocrates smeared wet clay over his patients’ bodies looking for patterns in the clay as it dried. He noticed that some areas dried more quickly than others, because of excess internal heat. He is quoted as saying “in whatever part of the body excess heat or cold is felt, there is disease to be discovered.” (2)
Left photo – A slurry of wet clay on a patient the way that Hippocrates would have used it, quickly dried around the umbilicus (belly button) indicating excess heat.
Right photo – Thermogram showing excess heat in the exact same area around the umbilicus.
Cancer is fed by the body’s own blood supply. Thermography can detect the increased heat that results from the early development of vascularity (angiogenesis) to feed the cancer. Cancer occurs in our body when the normal cell-death mechanism (called apoptosis or regulated cell death) turns off. The cell “forgets” to die and continues growing, untamed and unchecked. (3) Because this process begins on a cellular level, no solid mass forms right away, only a small gathering of cells. Only after growing for a certain number of years does a cancerous tumor become large enough to finally be seen on a mammogram.
The chart below was developed from Dr. Michael Retsky’s cancer-growth research showing that the possible observation times for a mammogram to find a tumor are near the end of the tumor’s growth, which is not early detection. His research found that breast cancer typically doubles in volume in about 100 days. Since mammography is usually able to find breast tumors at approximately 1 cm, he estimates the usual time to detect breast cancer is at 30 doublings (of 100 days each) -- a total of 8 years. He concludes that “the possible observation times in breast cancer is limited to between the 30th and 40th doublings or at most the last 25% of the growth history of a tumor.” (4)
90 days 2 cells
1 year 16 cells
2 years 256 cells
3 years 4,896 cells
5 years 1,048,576 cells
6 years 16,772,216 cells
7 years 268,435,456 cells
8 years 4,294,967,296 cells
Mammography
Mammograms were called into question because of their large number of false positives, as well as the issue of overdiagnosis and overtreatment: if mammograms were truly helping diagnose cancer early they should improve overall breast cancer mortality rates - but there are some studies showing that they don’t. (5) Most often breast cancers are found in the upper outer area of the breasts, in between the breast tissue and the armpit (6) which cannot be visualized on a mammogram.
Mammograms have an average sensitivity of 80% in women over 50, which drops to 60% in women under 50. (7) Hormone usage decreases the sensitivity of mammograms. In addition, women who have scar tissue or dense or fibrocystic breasts have a tendency to get recalled for a repeat mammogram (resulting in more radiation exposure) because of difficulties reading the scans, since mammograms are not able to differentiate between a solid tumor and fluid-filled cyst or calcification. In spite of all of this, there is a strong commitment by the National Cancer Institute to reassure women that the benefits of mammography outweigh the risks, but repeated X-ray exposure can cause cancer. (8)
Thermography
Thermography is a reasonable alternative for women who want to avoid the radiation of a mammogram, for those who have implants (since it does not damage them) or for women who have had other breast surgeries resulting in scar tissue. It is also a great option for women who are considered high risk, are taking hormones, are younger or have dense breasts. Additionally, thermography has no harmful side effects so it can be used as often as desired.
According to the American College of Clinical Thermography, thermography can detect abnormalities of the female breast and can also examine breast tissue in men. Another advantage is that the entire chest is observed, neck to abdomen and armpit to armpit, and there is no compression of tissue, which can sometimes spread cancer cells. (9) Thermography can monitor treatment effectiveness and can distinguish between benign and malignant tissue in women with fibrocystic breasts.
There are over 800 peer-reviewed articles supporting the effectiveness of thermography (10) and there are many well-known supporters of thermography including Dr. Christiane Northrup, Dr. Joseph Mercola and Dr. Veronique Desaulniers. Thermography was also most recently featured in Episode 2 of The Truth About Cancer! (an online documentary series). Thermography was even approved by the FDA as an adjunctive test to mammography in 1982.
Thermographic image of breast cancer in the right breast diagnosed via biopsy. Hyperthermia/inflammation follows the lymphatic system to branch from the axillary lymph node into the breast tissue.
A 2003 study indicated “Thermography offers a safe, noninvasive procedure that would be valuable as an adjunct to mammography in determining whether a lesion is benign or malignant with a 99% predictive value.” (11)
A study published in 2008 by The American Society of Breast Surgeons concluded that DITI (digital infrared thermal imaging, or thermography) was a valuable adjunct to mammography and ultrasound especially in women with dense breast parenchyma [tissue] because of its 97% sensitivity. (12)
The American College of Clinical Thermography also describes the benefit of doing thermography along with mammography, citing the results of Canadian research: The 84% sensitivity rate of mammography alone was increased to 95% when infrared imaging was added.13
In 2013, researchers Kolaric et.al. found thermography to have the probability of a correct finding in 92% of cases . They concluded that “breast cancer remains the most prevalent cancer in women and thermography exhibited superior sensitivity. We believe that thermography should immediately find its place in the screening programs for early detection of breast carcinoma, in order to reduce the sufferings from this devastating disease.” (14)
Thermographic image of a patient with implants
According to women’s health specialist, Dr. Christine Horner, thermography can “detect breast cancers much earlier than any other available technology. Because blood vessels ordinarily start to grow before any other significant changes and tumor growth, a thermogram can ‘see’ these abnormal physiological processes as early as 5-10 years before a cancer can be seen by a mammogram, MRI, or ultrasound or felt by a physical exam. What is most exciting is that when these abnormal processes are caught this early they are reversible.” (15) This gives time for natural interventions such as diet, supplementation and lifestyle changes like stress management to heal the body.
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Jessica Luibrand attended Grand Valley State University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences with a double minor in Biology and Sociology. She is currently employed as Chief Clinical Thermographer and Subtle Energy Researcher at Psy-Tek Subtle Energy Laboratory. Her mission is to combine her love of health and wellness with her love of people.
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Editor’s note: According to the American College of Clinical Thermography (ACCT), “One day there may be a single method for the early detection of breast cancer. Until then, using a combination of methods will increase your chances of detecting cancer in an early state.”16 The ACCT suggests an annual thermography screening, mammography when appropriate, and regular breast exams.
The ACCT explains that most women use thermography in addition to mammography and/or ultrasound. They believe thermal imaging should be “viewed as a complementary, not competitive, tool to mammography and ultrasound” that can increase the effectiveness of those two structural tests by identifying patients having the highest risk level.17
The International Academy of Clinical Thermography says that thermography is not a replacement for mammography because “there is no one test that can detect 99-100% of all cancers.” In addition, thermography and mammography “are ‘looking’ for completely different pathological processes” because one tests physiology and the other tests anatomy. Lastly, they explain that “thermography is far more sensitive than mammography; however, some slow growing non-aggressive cancers will only be detected by mammography.”18
Breast cancer detection is a multifaceted issue that requires an individualized approach. Each person must make their own decision and stay aware of the most current research. Because cancer screening is a billion dollar industry, it can be difficult to obtain unbiased information.19
Screening measures such as mammography and thermography can be beneficial tools for detection, depending on the circumstances. Use of one or the other, or both, depends on a variety of factors, such as age, history of disease, disease status, type of cancer, density of breast tissue and more. Remember that thermography or mammograms or breast exams cannot diagnose cancer. In the end, if something suspicious is found on a mammogram, or by ultrasound, breast exam or thermography, the definitive diagnosis can only be done by biopsy.
Sources:
1. “American Cancer Society Releases New Breast Cancer Guideline,” American Cancer Society, accessed February 20, 2016, http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/news/american-cancer-society-releases-new-breast-cancer-guidelines.
2. “Aphorisms by Hippocrates,” The Internet Classics Archives, accessed February 21, 2016, http://classics.mit.edu/Hippocrates/aphorisms.4.iv.html.
3. Rebecca SY Wong, “Apoptosis in cancer: from pathogenesis to treatment,” Journal ofExperimental and Clinical Cancer Research, 30(1) (2011): 87.
4. “M. Retsky, PhD. Cancer Growth Implication for Medicine and Malpractice White Paper,” Technical Assistance Bureau, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.lectlaw.com/filesh/tabtumo.htm.
5. “Screening for Breast Cancer with Mammography,” Cochrane, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.cochrane.org/CD001877/BREASTCA_screening-for-breast-cancer-with-mammography.
6. AH Lee, “Why is carcinoma of the breast more frequent in the upper outer quadrant? A case series based on needle core biopsy diagnoses,” Breast, 14(2) (2005): 151-2.
7. “Accuracy of Mammograms,” Susan G. Koman, accessed February 21, 2016, http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/AccuracyofMammograms.html.
8. “Mammograms Fact Sheet,” National Cancer Institute, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.cancer.gov/types/breast/mammograms-fact-sheet.
9. Johannes P. van Netten, Stephen A. Cann and James G. Hall,“Mammography Controversies: Time for Informed Consent?”Oxford Journals Medicine & Health: Journal of National Cancer Institute, 89 (15) (1997): 1164-1165.
10. “Breast Screening Questions and Answers,” American College of Clinical Thermography, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.thermologyonline.org/Breast/breast_q_a/bqa_clinicaltests.htm.
11. Y.R. Parisky, A. Sardi, R. Hamm, K. Hughes, L. Esserman, S. Rust and K.Callahan, “Efficacy of Computerized Infrared Imaging Analysis to Evaluate Mammographically Suspicious Lesions.” American Journal of Roentgenolgy 180 (January 2003).
12. N. Arora, "Effectiveness of a Noninvasive Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging System in the Detection of Breast Cancer," The American Journal of Surgery (October 1, 2008): 523-26.
13. “Breast Screening Questions and Answers,” American College of Clinical Thermography, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.thermologyonline.org/Breast/breast_q_a/bqa_accurate.htm.
14. D. Kolaric et al. “Thermography- A Feasible Method for Breast Cancer Screening?” Collegium Anthropologicum 37 (2013): 583-588.
15. Christine Horner, Waking the Warrior Goddess: Dr. Christine Horner's Program to Protect Against and Fight Breast Cancer, (New Jersey: Basic Health Publications, 2005), 21.
16. “Early Detection Guidelines,” American College of Clinical Thermography, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.thermologyonline.org/Breast/breast_thermography_detection.htm.
17. “Mammography vs. Thermography,” International Academy of Clinical Thermography, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.iact-rg.org/patients/breastthermography/mammography-vs-therm.html.
18. “Breast Screening Questions and Answers,” American College of Clinical Thermography, accessed February 21, 2016, http://www.thermologyonline.org/Breast/breast_q_a/bqa_replacement.htm.
19. ”Largest, Longest Study on Mammograms Finds No Benefit, “Mercola.com, accessed February 21, 2016, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/26/mammograms.aspx.