ABSTRACT
Bioenergetic therapies have come to attention in modern medicine as non-invasive therapies that are low cost, technology free, and useful in offering comfort and reducing pain and anxiety in patients with a wide variety of conditions. Some of the oldest types of bioenergetic therapies are shamanism and spiritual healing, which reach dimensions far beyond the boundaries of the typical biopsychosocial healthcare model, causing many to view them with skepticism. The underlying premise in the bioenergetic therapies is that a healthy individual is considered to have an energy field that supports balanced and unobstructed flow, whereas a patient with an imbalanced or obstructed energy field may present with physical or emotional symptoms. The common goal of the bioenergetic therapies is opening of the mind, body, and spirit to encourage the potential for deep healing to occur (Engebretson and Wardell 2012).
