For many millennia, crystals have been used in cultures around the world for healing purposes. The Ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all used crystals ceremoniously. In China, crystals have been used in acupuncture sessions for more than 5,000 years. In Japan, crystal spheres known as the "heart of the dragon" were used for scrying. Vedic texts from India refer to the origin and healing powers of various gemstones.1 Crystals are believed to heal physical, spiritual and emotional imbalances. There are references to crystal use documented in every world religion.
Crystal therapy is commonly used today as a form of complementary / alternative medicine.1 In recent years, crystal therapy has been gaining momentum in the U.S. among acupuncturists, massage therapists, Reiki practitioners and other integrative health care professionals.
Crystals are believed have the ability to shift and alter other frequencies that occupy the same space.2 Each crystal vibrates at a specific frequency that is used to balance the physical, emotional, spiritual or astral bodies (collectively referred to as the electromagnetic field surrounding one's body). These bodies are referred to in detail in esoteric acupuncture styles.
When a crystal is placed in one's electromagnetic field, it simply creates a larger electromagnetic field that interacts with our own. Information from the crystal is transmitted into the nervous system and brain. Biochemical shifts are then created as a healing frequency that balances the body.3
In Japanese acupuncture styles, a touching needle or teishin can be used to stimulate acupoints.4 During a treatment, a crystal point may be used as a teishin. Crystal points may be used for entire treatments, such as pediatric non-insertive treatments; or as an adjunctive therapy to a traditional treatment.
Certain types of crystals and crystal shapes may be beneficial for different uses. For example, smoky quartz is dispersive, fluorite is cooling, and selenite moves qi very quickly. Due to its iron content, hematite can be used to magnetically regulate blood flow and ease pain.5 Clear quartz may be used for any purpose, as it depends on the focused intention of the practitioner. Stones such as black tourmaline are useful at points such as KD 1 to center and ground patients.
I have found that using crystals during acupuncture treatments is especially helpful with pediatric and needle-sensitive patients. When in doubt, have several crystals available for your patients and let them choose which one they would like to be used. The subconscious mind is a powerful tool and will automatically select the crystal with the appropriate vibration for the treatment.
Remember to trust, have an open mind, and center yourself with the intention of achieving the greatest good for you and your patient. Happy healing!
References
Chronic pain afflicts over 20% of the adult population. Sadly, most MDs have essentially no education in treating pain, beyond offering a few toxic medications. Then they tend to steer people with pain away from those health practitioners who are trained. This puts the acupuncture community on the front lines for addressing this epidemic.
When the body is going through a stressful event, the sympathetic system is activated. This activation will help the body with a life-threatening situation. If this state is activated for prolonged periods of time, it starts to consume energy. These traumatic events that generate stressors in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) will eventually become internalized.
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One of the things that makes acupuncture so difficult to measure is that the medicine actually does contain some esoteric aspects. There have been numerous studies that demonstrate the neurochemical reasoning behind why acupuncture points stimulate the autonomic nervous system to enact change However, not all the benefits of TCM can easily be measured by randomized, controlled trials. But does that make them fundamentally and definitively untrue?
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