St. Catherine University SOPHIA Master of Arts in Holistic Health Studies Research Papers Holistic Health Studies 5-2019 Interviews with Energy Healers: Perspectives on Trauma and Practice Dawn Ebeling St. Catherine University, [email protected] Allison Runchey St. Catherine University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://sophia.stkate.edu/ma_hhs Part of the Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons Recommended Citation Ebeling, Dawn and Runchey, Allison. (2019). Interviews with Energy Healers: Perspectives on Trauma and Practice. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/ma_hhs/22 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Holistic Health Studies at SOPHIA. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master of Arts in Holistic Health Studies Research Papers by an authorized administrator of SOPHIA. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Running head: PERSPECTIVES ON TRAUMA AND PRACTICE Interviews with Energy Healers: Perspectives on Trauma and Practice Dawn Ebeling and Allison Runchey St. Catherine University May 15, 2019 PERSPECTIVES ON TRAUMA AND PRACTICE ii Acknowledgements Thank you to our research mentor Dr. Carol Geisler and all those who shared their perspectives as part of the development of our project, especially Laure Schwartz, Pamela Searles, and each of our research classmates. We gratefully acknowledge the support and love of our families and friends who encouraged us at every step along the winding path of this research journey. We also want to express incredible gratitude to all of the participants for sharing their time, experiences, and wisdom. PERSPECTIVES ON TRAUMA AND PRACTICE iii Dedication In honor of those who have experienced trauma and the energy healers who hold them in the light, that they may each find wholeness and resilience within. Photo by Max Pixel PERSPECTIVES ON TRAUMA AND PRACTICE iv Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Overview of Trauma ................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction to a Trauma-Informed (TI) Approach .................................................................... 3 Overview of Energy Healing ...................................................................................................... 4 Research Purpose ........................................................................................................................ 5 Literature Review............................................................................................................................ 7 Trauma ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Trauma related diagnoses ....................................................................................................... 8 Prevalence of trauma and the ACEs study ............................................................................ 11 Brain structure, function, and change related to trauma. ...................................................... 12 The nervous system and Polyvagal Theory .......................................................................... 14 Trauma treatment recommendations ..................................................................................... 16 Trauma-Informed (TI) Approach .............................................................................................. 18 Assumptions and principles of a Trauma-Informed (TI) approach ...................................... 18 Holistic health and a TI approach ......................................................................................... 20 Energy Medicine ....................................................................................................................... 21 Definition of energy medicine .............................................................................................. 21 Energy medicine for trauma .................................................................................................. 21 Energy Healing ......................................................................................................................... 23 Definition of energy healing ................................................................................................. 23 Effects of energy healing ...................................................................................................... 24 Energy healing as an adjunctive therapy in the treatment of trauma .................................... 32 Comparison of the Principles of Energy Healing and a Trauma-Informed Approach ............. 35 Ethics and principles of energy healing ................................................................................ 35 Similarities between the ethics and principles of energy healing and a TI approach ........... 49 Gaps between energy healing and a TI approach ................................................................. 51 Practical applications of a TI approach by energy healing practitioners .............................. 52 Summary ................................................................................................................................... 53 Lenses ........................................................................................................................................... 55 Research Paradigm and Culture of Inquiry ............................................................................... 55 Theoretical Lenses .................................................................................................................... 57 Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) ........................................................................................... 58 PERSPECTIVES ON TRAUMA AND PRACTICE v Theory of Caring Science ..................................................................................................... 58 Trauma-Informed (TI) Approach .......................................................................................... 60 Professional Lenses ................................................................................................................... 61 Allison ................................................................................................................................... 61 Dawn ..................................................................................................................................... 63 Personal Lenses ......................................................................................................................... 64 Allison ................................................................................................................................... 65 Dawn ..................................................................................................................................... 66 Method .......................................................................................................................................... 68 Rationale for Research Design.................................................................................................. 68 Rationale for critical paradigm ............................................................................................. 68 Rationale for action research as a culture of inquiry ............................................................ 69 Rationale for interview method ............................................................................................ 71 Sampling ................................................................................................................................... 73 Non-probability convenience sample ................................................................................... 73 Target population and sample ............................................................................................... 74 Recruitment and enrollment .................................................................................................. 76 Instrumentation ......................................................................................................................... 77 Interview schedule ................................................................................................................ 77 Researcher as instrument ...................................................................................................... 82 Data Collection ......................................................................................................................... 84 Pre-interview ......................................................................................................................... 84 Interview ............................................................................................................................... 85 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 85 Preparation of data 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