How Energy Healing Can Complement Talk Therapy for Deeper Healing
- vibealchemynz
- Mar 18
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 19
The Limitations of Talk Therapy Alone
Talk therapy is a powerful tool for self-awareness, emotional processing, and cognitive reframing. However, as trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk explains in The Body Keeps the Score, "trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind." This means that while therapy can help clients intellectually process experiences, it often does not fully address the somatic and energetic imprints of trauma, and can be the reason for articles that have appeared in recent years like this one from the New York Times that have highlighted the overstated effectiveness of talk therapy.
This of course makes sense when you investigate the advances being made in Trauma Science by professionals like Dr van der Kolk, Dr Stephen Porges and Dr Peter Levine, who have shed light on the fact that Trauma is a physical expression within the body and nervous system that require a physical discharge in order to be released along with the mental understanding and remapping of the situation that are the focus of traditional forms of talk therapy.
This is where energy healing—such as Reiki and sound healing—can be a valuable complement. By working directly with the body’s energy field, these modalities support the release of stored emotional patterns and facilitate deeper healing beyond cognitive understanding.
How Energy Healing Supports the Therapeutic Process
Many clients find that adding energy healing to their therapy regimen allows them to move through emotional blocks more effectively, the ones that stay stored in the body following traumatic events as is described by Dr Van Der Kolk in the below clip.
Reiki, in particular, is a gentle, trauma-informed approach that helps calm the nervous system and release stagnant energy associated with past experiences. Sound healing works similarly by using vibrational frequencies to shift stored emotional patterns.
There are a number of modalities, of course, available for Somatic processing, and any modality that speaks to you is likely to be a good option to help you on your journey. Reiki and Sound Healing have the benefit of being incredibly gentle and non-invasive, something I found to be important in my own healing journey as my nervous system started to come alive and crave the gentleness it had been previously denied.
Vibe Alchemy offers sessions for both these modalities over online Zoom calls, making them great to book in for a day where you will have a therapy session and can then experience the somatic processing support in the comfort of your own home.
See here to learn more about reiki and sound healing session options.
When to Consider Adding Energy Healing
If you’re in therapy, you might wonder when it’s the right time to introduce energy healing. Based on my experience, many clients seek energy healing after 3-4 therapy sessions—at the point where they have begun identifying core patterns but feel stuck in moving beyond them. At this stage, energy healing helps surface and clear the energetic residue of these experiences, allowing clients to integrate insights from therapy more effectively.
This is something you can discuss with your therapist. Many professionals are open to complementary modalities, especially those who take a holistic approach to mental health.
What to Look for in a Therapist When Incorporating Energy Healing
If you are considering integrating energy work into your therapeutic process, it can be helpful to work with a therapist who is open to holistic modalities. Here are a few things to look for:
Therapists who mention holistic or integrative approaches – Many therapists incorporate mind-body techniques, mindfulness, or somatic therapy, making them more likely to be supportive of energy healing.
Jungian or depth-oriented therapists – Jungian psychology often incorporates symbolism, archetypal exploration, and modalities like tarot, making these therapists more likely to value energy work as part of a deeper self-exploration process, and may be a good options if you want to explore the information that surfaces as part of energy readings also offered by Vibe Alchemy if you are interested in investigating more in-depth spiritual concepts like past-life sources of blocks or identifying deeper subconscious patterns and complexes that may be the source of issues like anxiety, unexplained depression or self-sabotaging patterns.
Therapists experienced with complementary practices – Some therapists actively work alongside energy healers, acupuncturists, or bodyworkers. You can email prospective therapists and ask if they have worked with clients incorporating energy healing into their treatment.
Openness to discussing the benefits – A therapist doesn’t need to specialize in energy work to be supportive. If they are willing to discuss how Reiki or sound healing might fit into your healing journey, they are likely to be a good fit.
Struggling to find a therapist? – Directory sites like Talkingworks are a great resource for finding a therapist in New Zealand. You can search by a huge range of filters, including therapy type, finding someone with ACC coverage, location and can be a great way to identify a therapist's openness to complementary energy work as this is often listed in therapist profiles (and makes it is easy to contact and inquire as to openness if you've found someone you connect with who has not mentioned integrative therapies).
What to Expect in a Distance Energy Healing Session
A 60-minute Reiki or sound healing session provides a safe space for energetic release. You’ll have a few minutes to share any concerns you’re currently working through—this does not need to be in-depth, as your body’s innate intelligence will guide the process. During the session, you may feel warmth, tingling, or emotional shifts as energy is moved and released. Afterward, you’ll receive post-session notes highlighting the areas where blocks were cleared and any energetic patterns that surfaced.
If you prefer a more in-depth exploration, a 90-minute session allows for deeper discussion and more detailed post-session insights. In either case, I encourage clients to bring any themes or emotions that emerge back into their therapy sessions for further integration.
In my experience, 2-3 sessions are often enough to address the energetic component of a specific emotional block, creating significant shifts in how clients feel and process their experiences.
Energy Healing and Therapy: A Powerful Partnership
By combining talk therapy with energy healing, you can address both the cognitive and energetic aspects of your healing journey. This holistic approach allows for deeper emotional release, greater self-awareness, and a more profound sense of well-being. If you’re interested in exploring how energy work can support your therapy process, feel free to reach out and ask any questions at vibealchemynz@gmail.com.
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