A recommendation

My apologies -- I haven't written in a while. Not because there is nothing happening in the world of cancer and energy healing, but because my attention has been diverted. I now work with active young seniors who do not need treatment for cancer but have more immediate, movement related problems, such as painful knees and frozen shoulders, which, unlike cancer, can be relatively quickly fixed. I get a great deal of satisfaction from seeing immediate or almost immediate results.

Treating cancer in contrast requires both healer and client to make a long term commitment. There can be immediately noticeable benefits in the form of greater energy, increased peace of mind, and decreased levels of pain. Often there are clinical changes too, which can show up in lab test results. But regular treatments have to continue for a long time, and that requires a special degree of dedication and stamina on the part of the healer, who is dealing not only with the physical but also with the emotional and spiritual needs of a client who is facing a life-threatening illness.

Among the many people I met on my energy healing training journey, the one who has impressed me the most is my friend and colleague Ellen. I first met her twelve years ago in one of William Bengston's early trainings, and we both participated in workshops taught by Zoran Hochstatter, who now teaches PureBioenergy and back then was an authorized instructor of the Domancic Method. Unlike many of our fellow students, Ellen has kept up both her training and her practice. As she has a background in psychotherapy and social work, clients find her manner uniquely helpful and reassuring. Her energy is strong and pure, and when we work together, the synergy feels wonderful.

So I am pleased to post a recommendation from one of her clients, who writes

I first visited Ellen the week before my last round of chemo. I was low on my blood counts and had been delayed a week – my therapist recommended Ellen to help boost those counts. What I didn’t bargain for is how much Ellen’s approach would also boost my spirit. Three-plus cancer-free years later, I continue to visit Ellen monthly to maintain my physical and mental well being. Along the way, she completely healed my “clicking” shoulder from a 20 year old nagging injury and resolved other maladies such as eye floaties/dryness. Importantly, I am healthier than I have ever been and able to approach my visits to the oncologist with confidence because of Ellen’s work. Ellen has enriched my life in ways far beyond physical healing and has taught me about the critical connection between mind and body.

If I ever found myself seriously in need of healing, Ellen would be my first choice, and I don't say that lightly. Her website, worth a visit, is https://healingtransformation.ca.

Michael D'Alton in Toronto, Part 2 (Context)

Michael D'Alton was in Toronto to give Level 1 of his workshop May 3rd and 4th. People paid anywhere from approximately $500 to $1500 to attend, depending on when and where they purchased their tickets. Regardless of how much they paid, they all learned the same material and they were all likely invited to Vancouver to take more advanced levels of the method.

A friend of mine attended Mr. D'Alton's free preliminary evening and was impressed by his polished presentation. He spoke a lot about chakras and also about mind/body interaction. She read some of her notes out loud, and much of it reminded me of Louise Hay and The Secret. Some examples: if you have problems with your eyes, there is something you don't want to see; if you have problems with your ears, there is something you don't want to hear; if you have lower back problems, you feel unsupported; if you believe something, so it is. All solid New Age wisdom you can get free from your library or Youtube, and I honestly don't know anyone in my circle who doesn't already know it, but then that tells you more about who I hang around with than what the general population is aware of. I am sure the workshop itself goes into it in greater depth, and that I would find information in there that I didn't already know, but, really, $1500?

My friend and I started discussing the possibility of doing the training in Ireland with the Plexus Bioenergy folks who trained Michael D'Alton, on the grounds that a trip to Ireland would be more exotic and less expensive than a trip to Vancouver. Neither one of us has been to Ireland before, and Michael O'Doherty of Plexus Bioenergy only charges 350 euros for his Level 1, which is about US$485 or CDN$535. But then I found a webpage entitled "Plexus Bio-Energy Institute (The Domancic System) - Diploma Course Outline". The magic words here are "The Domancic System". I have already learned the Domancic Method (Level 1, US$600; Level 2, US$800) from Zdenko Domancic's authorized North American representative, Zoran Hochstatter, in Toronto and Sarasota. I imagine that the Plexus Bioenergy course is the Domancic Method plus what Michael O'Doherty added to it, and Michael D'Alton's course is the Plexus Bioenergy course plus what Michael D'Alton added to it. Since the Domancic Method is probably the most effective free-standing healing system I have encountered in all my studies (and since all healing methods are strongest at the source), I see no reason for anyone to add anything to it. So I guess there is no need for that trip to Ireland after all, unless I want to go as a tourist.

I am still puzzled about why Michael D'Alton charges 2 to 5 times more for his workshops than his peers and competitors, including the very people who taught him. Is it pure capitalism (what the market will bear)? Is it chutzpah? Or does he sincerely believe that what he offers is that much better? And if so, what are his reasons?

Postscript: Just for fun, here is Level 2 Domancic therapist Alex doing psychokinesis. He would look a lot more impressive if he weren't chewing gum, but maybe he is saying "look, I can do psychokinesis and chew gum at the same time".



Psychokinesis is one of the first things taught in the Domancic Method. Its chief purpose seems to be the wow factor it introduces, giving the client incontrovertible proof that the therapist can affect his or her energy field. It's an interesting question what it adds to healing, as many modalities manage without it.

Here is Michael D'Alton doing his version, with a cool light effect and the wow factor in full evidence. He seems to be adding a second technique we were taught called "take-out" that is also part of Pranic Healing:



And for further reference, here is psychokinesis in Zagreb:



And since I'm on a roll, I can't leave out this gem I just found, a 1986 video of Zdenko Domancic himself doing psychokinesis. Start watching at 24:18.

Dr. Oz and the new bioenergy therapies

On January 6, 2010, Dr. Oz endorsed Reiki on his show as something all Americans should try in the coming year as part of their health care regimen. And now he is endorsing Dr. Issam Nemeh, a former anasthesiologist turned acupuncturist who helps people heal by praying over them.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the show on Reiki caused a fellow doctor to write that Dr. Oz has "gone over to the dark side", abandoning sound medical principles in favour of promoting woo-woo. But has he really?

Reiki and its cousin Therapeutic Touch have been gaining increasing acceptance in hospitals as "adjunctive therapies", or as therapies that can help patients navigate their hospital experience with greater ease and comfort. Reiki and TT have been shown to reduce pain and anxiety and to speed recovery from surgery and other hospital procedures. In current practice Reiki and Therapeutic Touch complement orthodox medicine as nurses complement doctors.

Healers such as Dr. Issam Nemeh who pray over patients also complement medical practice by adding a spiritual element and offering comfort. And if it so happens that in a number of these cases a miracle, or a spontaneous remission, occurs, in what way can that be construed as harmful, either to the patient or to the medical profession? You could say that Dr. Nemeh complements the work of other physicians as a chaplain would, although he seems to be rather more successful at healing than your average chaplain.

In a radio interview on WDOK radio Dr. Oz spoke of being impressed with Dr. Nemeh's sincerity, and of considering that sincerity as being more important than results. Dr. Oz is eminently practical: from this practical perspective if something can help a patient along a healing journey, as for instance Reiki in the operating room, then that something should be made available and not be discounted because it's not part of the orthodox or accepted medical route. At the same time, his position is that he would not send a patient with lung cancer to Dr. Nemeh to be cured solely by prayer. Prayer, like Reiki, is adjunctive.

But now there are energy therapies coming up on the horizon that go beyond being merely adjunctive to orthodox medicine and its standardized toolkit of drugs, surgery and radiation.

Dr. Larry Dossey, author of numerous books on alternative medicine, speaks of there being three "Eras" in medicine. Era I is "mechanical medicine", or the traditional medical practices that treat the body as a biochemical machine. Era II is "mind-body medicine" that recognizes the importance of psychology and practices such as meditation in creating well-being. Era III medicine is "non-local" or "consciousness based", which would be where Reiki and Dr. Nemeh fit in.

In describing Era III medicine Dr. Dossey proposes that

consciousness is not confined to one's individual body. Nonlocal mind -- mind that is boundless and unlimited -- is the hallmark of Era III. An individual's mind may affect not just his or her body, but the body of another person at a distance, even when that distant individual is unaware of the effort. You can think of Era II as illustrating the personal effects of consciousness and Era III as illustrating the transpersonal effects of the mind.

In Era III medicine the mind or consciousness of one person can heal the body of another.

In Dr. Dossey's view these three "medicines" will coexist peacefully for the benefit of patients and humankind. But it is my opinion that in this future of peaceful coexistence doctors may have stop relegating energy medicine into an adjunctive role to drugs and surgery. The new energy therapies are on their way to being powerful enough entirely on their own. Dr. Bengston, for instance, insists on patients being under a doctor's care while receiving energy treatment, but sees his therapy as a stand-alone proposition and speaks of chemotherapy and radiation as being hindrances to its effectiveness. The Domancic Method also works with physicians, and views them as being essential for the diagnosis and monitoring of patients, but sees their chief role as providing diagnosis, not treatment. In Era III medicine doctor and energy healer work as equal partners.

I wonder how the doctors critical of Dr. Oz's endorsement of Reiki would feel about that proposition. Here is my message to some of them: An Open Letter to Oncologists.

Postscript: Here is a video on the Domancic Method: