Is it okay to be involved with energy healing?

Question

Gramps,

I saw a thread on a social media page about energy healing or therapy. I just wondered if there is a legitimate church policy or stance on its use or involvement?

 Dave

Answer

Dave,

Energy healing encompasses a wide range of practices, but at its core, it posits the existence of subtle energies within and around the human body. Practitioners claim to manipulate, balance, or align these energies to foster mental, emotional, and even physical well-being. Among the most recognizable forms are:

Reiki: Originating in Japan, Reiki involves a practitioner channeling (or “laying on”) hands to transfer universal life energy to a recipient.

Chakra Balancing: Drawn from Eastern traditions, this technique seeks to clear blockages in the body’s energy centers, known as chakras.

Crystal Healing: Involves placing or meditating with crystals believed to emit healing vibrations.

Third Eye Meditation: Often associated with spiritual insight, this practice intends to open a mystical “third eye” for perception beyond physical sight.

Many adherents are drawn to energy healing for holistic wellness, personal empowerment, or curiosity about spiritual phenomena. For Latter-day Saints, the appeal may also include a longing for enhanced spiritual gifts or alternative approaches to health that incorporate faith and mindfulness.

However, energy healing is also closely associated with the New Age movement—a term for a broad, eclectic mix of spiritual practices often based in Eastern philosophies, neo-paganism, and modern occultism. Many New Age beliefs are not only incompatible with the restored gospel but also actively contradict core Christian doctrines about the nature of God, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the means by which spiritual power is accessed and manifest.

In the Church’s general handbook 38.7.8, it states:

Church members are discouraged from seeking miraculous or supernatural healing from an individual or group that claims to have special methods for accessing healing power outside of prayer and properly performed priesthood blessings. These practices are often referred to as “energy healing.” Other names are also used. Such promises for healing are often given in exchange for money.

Central to the faith is the doctrine of the gift of the Holy Ghost, bestowed upon baptism and intended to guide members in truth and righteousness. When confronted with unfamiliar practices like energy healing—and especially when feelings of discomfort or unease arise—Church leaders have counseled to rely on the witness and promptings of the Holy Ghost. The discomfort you felt after a session could be due to the Holy Ghost telling you that you shouldn’t get too involved with further sessions. … Use [your spiritual tools] and trust what the Holy Spirit gives you in answer. I suppose any official church statement would pretty much say the same thing.

Members are thus encouraged to evaluate new practices, not solely on their popularity or even seeming harmlessness, but through prayerful consideration, scriptural study, and openness to the Spirit’s promptings. Brigham Young’s counsel, as recorded by Joseph Smith, “I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves,” is often invoked to remind Latter-day Saints of the importance of agency and discernment in their spiritual journey.

A common concern among Latter-day Saints regards the appropriateness of seeking physical and spiritual healing outside of priesthood administration. The Church teaches that healing through priesthood blessings is a fundamental gift in the restored gospel. Yet it also acknowledges that the gift of healing is a very real spiritual gift that operates independently of the priesthood at times. Even then, it operates on faith. The full power of faith is something I feel we barely understand in this life, and these non-priesthood healing events are indicators of what may well be the love of God operating in the lives of his faithful children.

This means that while the priesthood remains the scripturally sanctioned means for performing official ordinances and blessings, God’s grace and the power of faith can—and often does—operate beyond institutional boundaries. However, the purpose and source of such healing must always align with Christ and His teachings.

The Church’s official policies draw sharp boundaries regarding practices considered occult. According to section 38.6.12 of the Church’s General Handbook, “Members should avoid anything occult like the plague it is.” Occult practices are “those associated with sorcery, witchcraft, or seeking supernatural power independent of God.” Many energy healing traditions, especially those invoking spiritual forces or mystical wisdom outside of Christ, may fall under this category.

Practices such as channeling, spirit communication, and certain forms of meditation (those intended to open supernatural faculties or powers) are explicitly discouraged. The guiding principle is clear: Latter-day Saints are counseled to “seek God in all that we do,” and to be wary of philosophies or rituals that may lead them away from Christ into counterfeit spirituality.

Given the popularity of energy healing modalities—from Reiki and chakras to crystal healing—members are wise to be inquisitive about potential benefits and pitfalls, especially as these practices often blur the line between harmless self-care and spiritually risky activity.

Questions about using healing crystals, opening the “third eye,” or working with chakras are now commonplace among many members. While some propose a scientific basis for the vibrational properties of crystals, experts note that any perceived benefit is likely a placebo effect rather than a true energetic change. The greater concern, however, is when such practices become a spiritual focal point, distracting from—or even replacing—reliance on Christ.

If you believe in [crystal healing] so strongly that you center upon a crystal rather than Christ,” the risk is spiritual misdirection. Latter-day Saints are reminded that gifts such as the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost are genuine spiritual guides, always preferable to “counterfeit” spiritual sources or manifestations.

When it comes to practices invoking third eyes or higher consciousness, church guidance is particularly clear. The pursuit of supernatural power outside of priesthood authority and the companionship of the Holy Ghost is to be avoided, as these paths are deeply rooted in occult and New Age traditions. Members are instead encouraged to focus on the actual gifts of the light of Christ and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The real thing is always better than the counterfeit.

Reiki and related forms of healing often involve ritualized laying-on of hands, a practice with close echoes in priesthood blessing traditions. However, important differences exist. Reiki teaches that anyone can channel universal life force energy through attunement from a master—regardless of their faith or ordination by divine authority.

Some have expressed concern that these rituals, especially when invoking spirits or claiming to manipulate unseen energies, border on the occult or are a form of witchcraft. Others note that tools—whether Reiki, crystals, or even media—are less inherently dangerous than the intent with which they are used; what matters is whether they draw one closer to or away from Jesus Christ. Ultimately, church members are counseled to exercise Christlike love, gentle persuasion, and respect for agency when interacting with family or friends who practice such arts, rather than succumbing to fear or condemnation.

A key truth undergirds the conversation about energy healing, miracles, and the possibility of being healed without priesthood authority. Even among the early disciples, there were questions about who could perform miracles in Jesus’s name. In Mark 9:38-40, Jesus declares that “he that is not against us is on our part,” recognizing that faith itself carries great spiritual power—even among those outside His immediate circle.

The Church thus acknowledges that healing miracles can occur among those of other faiths, or even those who lack priesthood ordination, as manifestations of God’s love and the operation of faith. However, Church teachings consistently emphasize that seeking healing through approved priesthood channels—not through esoteric rituals or alternative spiritualists—best preserves the doctrinal integrity and Christ-centered focus of the restored gospel.

Members are invited to recognize and appreciate God’s hand wherever it may be found, but to remain vigilant about maintaining their faith in Jesus Christ as the ultimate source of real healing and spiritual power.

Gramps