Energy Medicine in Bodywork

Editor’s note: This article is the first in a new column for energy work. Author Lynn Teachworth will lean on his 35 years of experience in writing about how he uses energy work to complement his bodywork. 

Energy medicine is a topic that tends to polarize therapists and health professionals. Some are strongly opposed to it, believing it to be too unfounded or woo-woo, while others fully embrace its use without much critical consideration. Over the past 35 years, I have pursued extensive training in bodywork, human performance, and complementary therapies to better understand the body and help clients optimize their health. I have trained in a wide range of manual therapy approaches and completed advanced education through the Gray Institute, focusing on functional biomechanics and movement. 

Exploring energy-based modalities has been, for me, another way of stepping outside a single framework and expanding how I approach the body. Each new lens has added depth to my work and improved my ability to understand and help clients. Based on my professional and personal experience, I’d like to offer a perspective that enables us to appreciate and integrate energetic modalities in the context of a grounded therapeutic practice.

A Holistic View of the Body

Many of us consider ourselves holistic practitioners. By definition, holistic implies that we are working with the whole person. But what does “whole” include? At a simple level, we could view the human system as having three primary aspects:

• The structural body (tissues, joints, organs, and physical form)

• The functional body (movement, physiology, and systems performance)

• The energetic or informational body (chakras, meridians, consciousness patterns, belief systems)

These three aspects are not separate; they are interconnected. We could go so far as to say they are reflections of each other or different expressions of the same nature. For example, energy centers (such as chakras) and energy lines (such as nadis) are concepts found across multiple ancient healing traditions. Practitioners developed these concepts as a shared language to describe similar phenomena they experienced. This was obviously before our current understanding of nerves and nerve plexuses, and yet there are major nerve plexuses in the areas where the major chakras are said to be. Is it possible these ancient practitioners were attuned to the energetic signature of structures we identify in modern anatomy and physiology?

The energetic layer has been described and mapped in many healing systems, with striking similarities appearing in systems from different cultures and times. The map often includes some sort of energetic biofield, energy centers within and/or around the body, energetic pathways throughout the body, and some sort of animating life force, an innate intelligence guiding development and adaptation throughout life. 

Through our modern framework, we are coming to appreciate the bioelectrical activity of neural signaling; ion channel and membrane potential changes; and fluctuations in biochemical and bioelectrical activity associated with different thoughts and emotional patterns. Even though the lenses and explanations may vary, these practitioners may be attempting to describe and affect the same elemental dynamics as those in the ancient traditions.

Different Approaches, Different Entry Points

All modalities use a particular lens based on certain assumptions about the three aspects of the body. At one end of the spectrum, materialists assume that the physical building blocks are primary, and if we address those, they can affect emergent properties such as physiology, emotions, and consciousness. At the other end of the spectrum, nonmaterialists or idealists assume that consciousness/energy is fundamental and that change at the energetic level ripples into the physical aspects. 

Whatever your assumptions are, they shape your approach, including what you learn and how you integrate and apply that learning. You will assess and treat your clients and their concerns through that particular lens. Exercise and movement therapies primarily target function. Manual therapies primarily target tissues and structure. Energetic approaches work with the informational or regulatory systems of the body. When we work primarily with one level, we influence the others—but often not intentionally.

All three levels are important, however, and when we focus exclusively on one, we may limit what is possible for our clients. An integrated approach—where structural, functional, and energetic aspects are all considered—can often lead to more efficient, comprehensive, and lasting results.

Addressing Skepticism and Science

One of the most common critiques of energy medicine is the perceived lack of scientific support. While this is a valid concern, the conversation is evolving, and though not all energy-based therapies are fully understood or validated, it’s overly simplistic to dismiss the entire field outright.

At a fundamental level, the body is an electrochemical system. Cells communicate through electrical gradients, ion exchange, and signaling pathways that are inherently energetic in nature. Many technologies used in conventional medicine—such as electrocardiograms, MRIs, and ultrasounds—rely on detecting electrical activity, frequency, or vibration within the body. These tools provide measurable insight into physiological processes through energetic signals. 

Researchers such as James Oschman have explored these concepts in depth, particularly in relation to connective tissue and bioelectrical communication. (For more information about Oschman and his work, see the resources at the end of this article). As technology advances, our ability to measure and understand these processes continues to grow. 

Energy Medicine in Practice

There are many forms of energy-based work practiced around the world. Some have roots in ancient traditions, while others are more modern developments. I have trained in several modalities, including BodyTalk, SourcePoint Therapy, the Yuen Method, and Pranic Healing. Each offers a different set of tools and perspectives, and I often integrate elements of them depending on the client and situation.

Rather than replacing manual therapy, I typically incorporate energy work in small, targeted ways throughout a session. For example, when structural patterns are dominant, I may incorporate energy-based approaches that help the body reorganize at a deeper level. When the nervous system is highly reactive, I may use techniques that support regulation and safety before doing specific tissue work. When clients feel “stuck” or plateaued, subtle energetic approaches can help shift the system in ways that allow other therapies to become more effective.

In many cases, these additions of energetic modalities are brief but extremely meaningful. Clients often report feeling:

• More relaxed and grounded

• Less reactive and more regulated

• Lighter or clearer

• More responsive to treatment overall

The different perspectives offered by these modalities can also provide a client with new, valuable insight into their own functioning, often leading to a sense of empowerment and hope, which in and of itself promotes healing. From a practitioner perspective, the body can become more receptive to manual work; progress that previously felt stalled may begin to move again. While outcomes vary and are not always predictable, these modalities can offer another avenue for supporting change.

Energy work is not a replacement for medical care, nor is it necessary in every session. Like any modality, its effectiveness depends on the skill, training, and discernment of the practitioner. It’s also an area where clear thinking and good boundaries are important. Not every approach or claim in this field is equally grounded or useful. However, for those willing to explore it thoughtfully, energy-based work can become a valuable complement to structural and functional approaches.

Closing Thoughts

It’s important to recognize that every system or modality we study is a story told from a certain perspective. Even our modern anatomy and physiology are limited by the constraints of our current understanding based in the materialist scientific method, which has prevailed for only about 400 years. We should assume we have not reached the pinnacle of understanding and that there are aspects of how we function for which our explanations totally miss the mark; in 500 years, they may look back at our understanding as quaint and archaic.

Often what hinders energetic modalities is the attempt to explain them. Understandably, practitioners want their work to be accepted as legitimate, so they attempt to explain effects and processes through the current lens. But the story doesn’t always match current anatomical or physiological understanding, so it gets filed away as pseudoscience. This doesn’t mean that effects and results aren’t happening. It just means that the current understanding or available explanation does not yet adequately describe the phenomena. 

We’re at an exciting juncture in science, particularly in the field of consciousness studies and biofield sciences. As much as the reductionist model in science has enabled us to understand, it has yet to explain how neural activity becomes thought and conscious experience. There are many different theories that attempt to explain consciousness, but it’s truly an area that, thus far, is beyond the paradigm of materialist science. 

In other words, there is not an agreed-upon explanation for our fundamental experience of existence. Even though humans have been exploring this for thousands of years through different lenses, we don’t yet know how we know what it’s like to be us. Recognizing this should promote humility and curiosity. This leading edge of inquiry is where ancient healers, modern physicists, and everyone in between can meet. 

You don’t have to fully understand energy medicine—or even believe in it—to begin exploring its role in your work. I encourage people to not get too attached to particular stories or explanations and to know that our understanding will continue to evolve. We can still be methodical and apply critical clinical reasoning in our application of these modalities, including thorough intake, assessment, treatment planning, reassessment, and follow-up.

As therapists, our role is to observe, learn, and refine our ability to help clients achieve meaningful outcomes. For me, integrating structural, functional, and energetic perspectives has expanded what is possible in practice. It has provided additional tools for working through challenges, supporting clients more fully, and continuing to grow as a practitioner. 

 Lynn Teachworth has been a licensed massage therapist for over 35 years. He specializes in pain, sports injuries, and sports performance. One of only a few therapists in the world with advanced training in structural bodywork, biomechanics, movement, and energy medicine, Teachworth can address a variety of acute and chronic injuries. Learn more at trunamics.com.

Resources

Dale, C. The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy. Sounds True, 2009.

Oschman, J. L. Energy Medicine in Therapeutics and Human Performance. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2003.

Oschman, J. L. Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis. 2nd ed. Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone, 2016.

Siegel, D. J. Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence. TarcherPerigee, 2018.

A Deeper Dive—My Personal Introduction to Energy Work

I had already been doing massage and structural integration for more than 10 years when I was first introduced to energy work in 2004, after my son had a significant reaction following his vaccinations at birth. Regardless of one’s stance on that topic, his body clearly reacted, and for several years, he struggled with severe eczema, food sensitivities, and environmental allergies. We consulted a wide range of practitioners—medical doctors, specialists, and acupuncturists—with limited success. 

Eventually, someone recommended a modality called BodyTalk. I located a practitioner and scheduled a session. I approached the experience with an open mind but also with healthy skepticism. The practitioner was professional, explained the process clearly, and used gentle, noninvasive techniques. While some aspects—like tapping protocols and forms of biofeedback—were unfamiliar, the overall approach felt structured and intentional.

What stood out most was the accuracy of the assessment. The practitioner identified patterns—both physical and emotional—that closely matched my son’s experience. She seemed to have clear insight into his condition, integrating multiple perspectives: physiological, anatomical, emotional, and energetic. While there was no dramatic immediate change, in the following days his symptoms began to shift. Over the course of a week, his skin improved significantly and his sensitivities decreased.

That experience was a turning point for me. It led me to explore this field more deeply, eventually training in multiple energy-based modalities, integrating them into my practice, and even teaching around the world.