5 Alternative Healing Modalities and my experience with each
Alternative and holistic healing modalities are becoming more and more popular. Thanks to media and the internet, there’s an abundance of information on alternative medicine, how to find such clinicians, and wider acceptance of turning to such practices. I may be a bit sheltered here in California, but I do believe that there’s more curiosity around, less stigma attached to , and a greater acceptance of using alternative methods on one’s journey to wellness. I would not consider Matt and I adventurous, but we are always interested in holistic methods towards health and enlightenment and we have tried a few of these methods.
In case you’ve been curious about venturing out, and trying anything new in the way of alternative medicine, below are 5 such modalities I’ve tried:
Sound Healing. Sound healing is an alternative medicine method of using various sounds to heal the body, mind and/or Spirit. Crystal singing bowls, didgeridoos, gongs, drums, rainsticks, and bells make up only a small portion of the instruments you could encounter at a sound healing session. The participant typically lies down with eyes closed during a session while various instruments may be played around, or even on their body. In short, the concept is that sound is vibration, and vibration can be felt throughout the entire body. It is believed that sound healing can lower heart rate variability, relax the nervous system, lower blood pressure, affect brainwave pattern, and bring the body back into balance. Matt and I have participated in a few sound healing sessions in the US, Bali, and Tulum and we have enjoyed every one. They are at the very least, always relaxing. Our favorites have incorporated aromatherapy and included instruments played over our bodies so that the sound vibrations can literally be felt physically. Sound healing is incredibly non-invasive, relaxing, and a great modality to try out for anyone just curious about dipping their toe in the alternative medicine realm.
Acupuncture. Acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles into your skin in specific places throughout the body with the goal of using the energy meridians in the body to bring your chi energy into balance. Once the needles are inserted, the needles typically need to remain inserted for sometime before removal. Some of the ailments acupuncture is said to help with include pain, stress and anxiety, hormonal or fertility issues, and headaches. I originally went to an acupuncturist for hormonal imbalance and felt the treatments were effective. Over the years I’ve sought acupuncture for stress, and pain as well with positive results. My mother suffers from chronic pain and swears that acupuncture is the only thing that gives her relief so I am a believer in the power of this alternative medicine modality. During insertion, very little discomfort is felt if any. Most needles I couldn’t even feel. I know it sounds like it would be a strange experience, and at first it was, but I noticed my entire body would relax when I went in for acupuncture which makes be believe there was something about it that my body was loving.
Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini yoga is very different than any yoga you’ve experienced at your typical neighborhood yoga class. Kundalini yoga, in short. uses the methods of devotion and chanting, meditation, and physical asana to prepare the body and spirit for and then awaken your spiritual life force energy. Every kundalini class we’ve taken has been different. Some have included breathwork, some have been based mainly on chanting paired with movement, and others have included a series of repetitive movements like none we’ve ever practiced before. It is usually a bizarre experience, but one that leaves me feeling better afterwards in a way very different from traditional yoga asana classes do. I would say that Kundalini yoga can be along the higher woo woo scale so if you do attend a kundalini class, keep an open mind and be prepared to experience something completely new.
Past Life Regression. Past life regression includes either hypnosis or meditation to support you in accessing the memories from past lives. It is believed that some of our deep fears, neurosis, and emotional baggage, could be carried over from a past life and affecting us in this one, and that when we can recall these past experiences, we can also move past them. Matt and I both did a past life regression in back-to-back 1.5 hour sessions in which we weren’t able to talk with one another until both of us had finished. The crazy part was that we both had recalled the same past life in which we were married to one another, adults in the 30’s or 40’s. Both of us had a surprisingly emotional experience in which we felt like we were feeling the emotions recalled in the past life. We both had moments where we were crying mainly from gratitude and we were able to “recall” and experience our deaths including the immense gratitude we felt for the life we had lived. We were conscious and in control the entire time, much like being in a meditation and had a positive, transformative experience. I plan on dedicating an entire post simply to writing about this experience because there’s so much to share about it.
Breathwork. Breathwork simply involves the practice of various breathing techniques. I’ve taken classes which were an entire hour dedicated to one breathing technique and others which included multiple breathing techniques. It is said that the breath can be a very effective way of affecting the autonomic nervous system, meaning that with the right breathing technique, you may be able to lower heart rate, decrease blood pressure, decrease stress, improve digestion and improve sleep. There are breathing techniques for increasing energy, decreasing anxiety, cooling the body down and/or heating the body up. I’m a firm believer in the power of the breath and highly recommend that everybody learn some breathing techniques, even if only for meditative practices.
The aforementioned methods are only a few offered by alternative medicine. It’s always important to find a responsible, knowledgable clinician and to use your own judgement. Matt and I have walked out of some classes that just didn’t feel right and unfortunately, in the alternative/holistic world, especially in other countries, there just aren’t the regulations to ensure clinician responsibility like you would find in the medical field. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t so always listen to your intuition and don’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings. Just like in every profession, there are going to be good clinicians and bad ones. Thankfully Matt and I have had positive experiences with the techniques mentioned above. If you have any questions about any of the mentioned experiences please reach out in the comments below or through Instagram.