Crystals are naturally occurring arrangements of minerals forming unique, geometric shapes. The beauty of crystals have always fascinated people and has been associated with magical powers in many cultures. In recent years, knowledge about the healing powers of crystals have been reintroduced by the ‘New Age Healers’, who believe that crystals give out energies that exert subtle influences on the body and mind.
Crystal healing is an alternative medical technique in which crystals and stones are used to cure ailments and protect against disease. Crystal healing has seen an upsurge in popularity in recent years, but it is not popular with doctors and scientists who call it a pseudoscience, as there is no evidence that crystals can be used to cure diseases.
In fact, one recent study says that crystals have absolutely no healing power and that the placebo effect explains people’s healing experiences with them. Lifescience.com reports that, “The researchers found that the effects reported by those who held fake crystals while meditating were no different than the effects reported by those who held real crystals during the study. Many participants in both groups reported feeling a warm sensation in the hand holding the crystal or fake crystal, as well as an increased feeling of overall well being. Those who had been primed to feel these effects reported stronger effects than those who had not been primed.”
The proponents of this technique however, believe that crystals act as channels for healing by allowing positive, healing energy to flow into the body, while negative energy is released. They believe that crystals are powerful psychic tools, which act as powerful amplifiers of positive energy, and have great healing powers. Crystals, they say, are known to enhance and protect the environment they are in – be it the workplace or home. People who heal with crystals say that crystals radiate joy and healing. They are also used to connect with higher beings and guides.
Most believers and practitioners consider crystals to be very powerful healing tools, which activate our self-healing powers. They can ease the side effects of a medical treatment, speed up recovery and give relief from pain and anxiety. Crystals are not only used to heal the body, but can also be used for higher purposes like meditation. The practitioners believe that crystals helps you to focus better while meditating and certain stones with higher vibrations are also used to develop psychic ability.
So coming back to crystal healing being a pseudoscience, the proponents try to defeat the skeptics who believe that it is nothing but the power of suggestion, by drawing attention to the fact that, silicon which is derived from silicon minerals and hence a crystal, is used in every computer and cell phone processor. They also refer to the report on how a clear quartz crystal can be used to store data for 300 million years. This they say, is proof that crystals can transmit energy into the body, just like a battery does.
The proponents also believe that, when the crystal comes into our electromagnetic field, the electromagnetic frequencies carried by the stone vibrates with related frequencies in our own energy field. Crystals are known to oscillate at their own frequencies, and even respond to the input of vibrations. The cells in the human body also vibrate at certain frequencies, so when we come into contact with a crystal, its vibration interacts with the vibration of the cells in our body.
Crystals are millions of years old, created during the early days of the formation of earth. The practitioners say that crystals are the most orderly structure that exists in nature, and are structured in a way to respond to the inputs of all different energies around them, leading them to oscillate and emit specific vibratory frequencies.
In spite of many detailed studies, scientists have not identified energies in crystals that could cause healing. They claim that the crystal healers use the term ‘energy’ to describe anything that cannot be explained. Some healers connect this healing energy to the Piezoelectric Effect, which is based on science. Piezoelectric Effect is the ability of certain materials to generate an electric charge in response to applied mechanical stress. But science does not agree with these claims. This is because the Piezoelectric effect can be produced only under specific conditions, and the crystals that healers use cannot generate the said effect. Moreover, this effect is not a common property of crystals, which is the reason most of the crystals that the healers use, can’t generate a piezoelectric effect. Quartz and tourmaline are two gems that show this effect.
For most people who believe, they don’t care about the naysayers. They believe that crystals have healed and helped them in their spiritual growth. It is like energy healing. You don’t know how it works but it does work, as all the Reiki practitioners will tell you. It is ultimately a question of faith, and many believe that they may not cure, but they do support the body’s healing capacity. After all, faith and belief cannot be proved scientifically.
For those who believe in alternative methods of healing and would like to know more about crystal healing, please read The Power of Crystal Healing.