How to Restore Balance Through the Human Energy Field
Linda Lee Smith and Richard Schmelke are authors and transformational coaches who believe the most meaningful chapter of life can begin at any age. Through their writing and teaching, they empower others to reconnect with themselves, embrace new possibilities, and live with greater purpose and vitality.
Have you ever reached the end of a day feeling depleted, even though you cannot point to anything particularly demanding? Perhaps you have been caring for others, absorbing difficult news, or moving from one responsibility to another without pausing to notice yourself. Maybe you were fine until you had to drive home in rush-hour traffic.
We often describe these experiences in terms of energy. We feel drained, scattered, heavy, or out of balance. These words capture something meaningful about our experience, even when we cannot easily explain what has changed.
As a holistic nurse and Healing Touch practitioner and teacher for more than three decades, I have long been interested in how we care for the whole person. Physical needs matter, as do our emotions, relationships, thoughts, and spiritual lives. Healing Touch offers one way to explore that larger picture.
Understanding the human energy field
Healing Touch is based on the belief that an energy field surrounds and permeates the body and that working with this field can support balance and well-being. Practitioners use their hands lightly on or above the body to support the person’s healing process. The physical body is simply the most solid part of who we are, but not the whole of us.
Long before researchers in the West discovered “energy fields,” cultures worldwide recognized a subtle force animating life. Call it qi, prana, ruach, or pneuma. They all refer to what modern science now calls the biofield.
Dr. Joe Dispenza describes the electromagnetic energy our cells emit and absorb as part of our life force. His work reflects a growing interest in the relationship among energy, consciousness, and the physical body.
To an energy practitioner, the human energy field is something to be experienced directly with one’s hands. Clairvoyants see the energy surrounding a person, sometimes in living color. Sensing imbalances may feel like unevenness in the flow or warmth around the body, or even areas of absence or congestion. These observations are considered alongside conversation, intuition, and the client’s experience. No single observation tells the whole story.
What does balance versus imbalance feel like?
Physical illness influences emotions, and emotional stress affects the body. Every aspect of our lives continually interacts with the others. An imbalance occurs when we are out of balance anywhere in our being. Psychoneuroimmunology and mitochondrial psychobiology are examining how stress, emotions, social connection, purpose, and biology continually influence one another and are reflected in one’s energy.
So, what does it feel like? Most of us can tell when we are out of balance. We feel “off,” “scattered,” or “fatigued” without a clear reason. Or maybe we know why we are out of balance when relationships run amok or we have lost a sense of hope, purpose, and meaning.
How to get back in balance
One of the most useful places to begin is with a simple question: “What am I noticing?” Before seeking a technique, pause long enough to hear your answer. Is your jaw clenched? Are your shoulders raised? Have you been ignoring hunger, postponing rest, or agreeing to something you cannot do?
Try sitting comfortably with your feet supported. Let your breathing remain easy and natural. Notice the contact between your body and the chair. Allow yourself a few quiet moments without trying to create a particular experience.
Then ask, “What would feel supportive right now?” The answer may be simple: a meal, a walk, a conversation, or an earlier bedtime. Caring for ourselves often begins by responding to needs we have learned to overlook.
Explore gentle touch with awareness
For those who find touch comforting, resting a hand over the upper chest or placing both hands loosely in the lap can be a simple gesture of self-care.
There is nothing you must feel. Warmth, tingling, emotion, or a lack of sensation does not prove that energy is moving or that healing has occurred. The invitation is to spend a few moments attending to yourself with kindness.
If touch feels uncomfortable, choose another point of focus, such as the support under your feet or the sounds around you. Your comfort and choices belong at the center of any practice.
These quiet pauses are opportunities to notice how you feel. They do not need to become another task you must complete correctly.
What to expect from Healing Touch
During a Healing Touch session, a practitioner typically begins by listening to your concerns and intentions. You generally remain clothed while sitting or lying comfortably. With your permission, the practitioner may place their hands lightly on your body or work with their hands above it.
A practitioner explains the process, welcomes questions, and respects your boundaries. You can decline touch, request a different position, or end the session at any time. Always remember that energy healing should complement appropriate medical and psychological care.
Make room for everyday renewal
A session may provide dedicated time for care, but the way we live between sessions also deserves attention. Consider where your days leave room for renewal. Are there moments of quiet? Relationships where you can speak honestly? Activities you enjoy without needing to accomplish anything?
Rest, nourishment, movement within your abilities, and meaningful connection are practical foundations of self-care. Boundaries matter, too. Sometimes the most caring choice is to say, “I cannot take that on today.”
You might start with five minutes each morning to notice how you feel and choose one supportive action. Over time, this can become a familiar way to check in with yourself.
Returning to the whole person
While coauthoring Healing Touch with Lisa Mentgen-Gordon, I repeatedly returned to the importance of seeing the person beyond the symptom. People need competent treatment and need to feel heard, respected, and included in their care. That perspective continues to guide my work.
Exploring the human energy field can invite meaningful questions about how we experience ourselves and how we receive support. We can hold those questions openly while remaining honest about what science has and has not established.
Restoring balance begins with attention: listening to your body, honoring your needs, seeking appropriate care, and allowing yourself to receive kindness. These are choices we can return to throughout our lives.
Read more from Linda Lee Smith and Richard Schmelke
Linda Lee Smith and Richard Schmelke, Transformational Wellness Services LLC
Linda Lee Smith and Richard Schmelke are authors, coaches, and TEDx speakers dedicated to helping people rediscover purpose, vitality, and joy. Linda brings decades of experience in holistic healing and has trained thousands worldwide in integrative practices. Rich’s background in leadership and personal development inspires others to think bigger and live more intentionally. Together, they create transformational programs that blend inner healing with practical life guidance. Their work is grounded in both professional expertise and their own experience of creating a vibrant new chapter later in life.
