State of the Science: What does science tell us about energy healing?

CLINICAL RESEARCH                    

Does energy healing work? For what diseases, conditions, and symptoms does it work best? 

Clinical research helps determine how well a healing therapies works in real-world settings and also examines its efficacy under controlled conditions. Many subtle energy and biofield-based therapies are already offered in hospitals and clinics, and people often seek them to support chronic mental and physical health concerns. Highlights of the current evidence include:

BIOFIELD PHYSIOLOGY       

How does energy healing work on the healee’s biology? Are there measurable changes? What systems are involved? 

Energy healers report they facilitate healing through a person’s biofields or a collective biofield. Living organisms produce many kinds of electrical, electromagnetic and light based activity, and some of this activity creates measurable fields in and around the body. Scientists often call these fields biofields, referring to the patterns of electrical signals, weak electromagnetic emissions and tiny flashes of light known as biophotons that arise from normal cellular and tissue processes. These patterns may help the body stay organized, communicate internally and guide healing and development. Researchers are studying whether these signals contain useful diagnostic information and how they might help cells coordinate with each other through processes such as bioelectric voltage patterns, mechanical signaling or biophotonic communication, and some studies suggest that cells can exchange information even without direct chemical contact. Altogether, this work offers a way of understanding the biofield as part of the body’s natural communication and regulation system. Highlights of the current evidence include:

PHYSICS                   

What can physics tell us about how energy healing works? What is happening between a healer and healee?

New research in physics and biophysics suggests that the body may be organized in ways that are more interconnected and information rich than traditional biochemical models fully capture. Work in quantum biology, including studies of quantum tunneling in enzymes, coordinated light emission in certain molecules, radical pair mechanisms in sensitive biological detection and the remarkable precision of protein folding, indicates that living systems can manage energy and information with exceptional efficiency. Research on non-classical brain activity and quantum-inspired models of perception adds another layer, proposing that the brain may use forms of coherence or coordination that extend beyond standard neural signaling. This science does not yet explain how energy healing works, but it broadens our understanding of how biological order is sustained and how the body adapts to changing conditions. It raises the possibility that small physical or informational effects in the body, not currently well understood, could play a role in the healing process. 

Highlights of the current evidence include:

BIOLOGICALLY-BASED MECHANISMS                    

How does energy healing work on the healee’s biology? Are there measurable changes? What systems are involved? 

Biologically-based mechanism research focuses on what happens to the body when someone is experiencing an energy healing. Research in this area looks at patterns such as shifts in autonomic function, changes in inflammation, alterations in neural or electrophysiological activity, and cellular responses that may occur during biofield or energy based practices. Some studies explore how cells communicate through light or electromagnetic signals, how tissue structures like the interstitium may help distribute mechanical or fluid based information throughout the body, and how gene expression can shift in response to certain energy healing methods. Other research examines correlations in brain or physiological activity between individuals, including healer recipient pairs, even at a distance. Although these findings do not point to a single explanation for how healing occurs in the recipient’s biology, they help outline the many ways the body may adapt, reorganize, or move toward balance during healing.  Highlights of the current evidence include:

PHENOMENOLOGY  

What does someone experience during energy healing? What can we learn across cultures about energy healing? How do people describe the felt experience of energy? 

People who receive energy healing often describe a wide range of personal experiences that influence not only their physical or emotional symptoms but also their sense of self and their understanding of the world. These experiences are diverse and can feel deeply meaningful or even transformative. Many individuals report unusual bodily sensations or shifts in awareness that they interpret as forms of energy. While such reports do not explain how energy healing works, they offer insight into the inner experiences that shape how people engage with these practices. Researchers have begun to document and compare these accounts, noting recurring themes across different traditions and methods. Together, these traditions and emerging studies contribute to the broader idea of the biofield by linking ancient concepts of subtle energy with contemporary interest in the body’s informational and energetic processes

Highlights of the current evidence include: