" (Fuller 242) Crystal therapy is therefore based on the control and manipulation of these energies so that there is the "correct" or appropriate and balanced amount of this energy in each of the chakras.
The most touted of New Age healing techniques has been the use of crystals. Enthusiasts claim that because rock crystal is almost entirely devoid of color, it is an almost perfect capacitor of divine white light. Explanations of exactly how crystals wield their healing powers vary from practitioner to practitioner. Some maintain that the unique properties of crystals make them excellent receptors of metaphysical energies.
Fuller 242/3)
Brief history of crystal therapy
As has already been mentioned, the history of this form of therapy is to be found in many historical documents and in myths, stories and records from the distant past.
Some of these earlier records of crystal healing come for ancient Egypt and India. For example, "Primitive paintings dating back to 25,000 BC show that the ancient Egyptians used crystals for therapeutic purposes. " (What is crystal healing) There are many references to India and crystal healing in the East. " India's Ayurvedic records and traditional Chinese medicine also claim healing with the use of crystals, dating back to 5000 years ago." (Crystal Healing: Medindia. Com) There are also references to the use of crystals in ancient Shamanic cultures, such as the Inuit of Canada.
In a more modern context, crystal as an alternative therapy emerged in Los Angeles in the 1980's as part of the alternative medicine movement. "New Age and holistic health magazines, such as Van Nuys-based Meditation Age, began to include stories on crystals. " (Flores) Crystal healing gathered momentum and popularity in the more "fringe" section of modern alternative and complementary therapies and practices.
There was of course a reaction from the scientifically orientated allopathic medical community. Crystal therapy and the way that crystals affect the body are not easily accessible to scientific investigation. As one medical practitioner states: "There is no medical evidence of an imbalance of energy in the body...." (Flores)
The future of the history of crystal therapy is marked by a difficult battle for medical acceptance "Complementary therapists should face tougher regulation and more rigorous tests to prove the treatments they offer are effective." (Crackdown on alternative therapy)
4. Demographics and statistics
At present there is a relative paucity in terms of a comprehensive quantitative overview of the demographics and statistical parameters of crystal healing, in terms of its breakdown by gender, age, number of practitioners and other variables. It can be assumed from various reports that the consensus is that this therapy is most popular and used more extensively among younger people who have more tolerance for and more acceptance of alternative therapies than older people. This is due to the fact that older people have become used to the more formal and allopathic forms of healthcare and this fact is borne out to certain extent in the following discussion.
One of the quantitative studies that have been done on crystal healing indicates that there is conclusive proof that there has been a "substantial increase in the popularity of alternative medicine for a variety of illnesses and symptoms, as well as for preventive health practices and general self-care." (Blanchard) an indication of the increasing acceptance of crystal therapy is that it is included in many formal assessments and definitions of CAM or Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Therefore the demographics and acceptance of crystal therapy can also be ascertained from the more extensive data on alternative therapies in general. In this light one study reported, "...widespread use of CAM using nationally representative random household phone surveys. In 1991, 33.8% of American adults had used at least 1 in 16 CAM therapies, and a follow-up study in 1998 found that number had increased substantially to 42.1%." (Blanchard)
In a survey of U.S. university students, measuring the percentage use of various alternative Medicine (AM) practices over a twelve month period, it was found that while crystal therapy was featured it was at the lower end of the table.
Percentage Use of Different Alternative
Medicine (AM) Practices in Past 12 Months
I am practice
Massage therapy
Yoga
Relaxation
Aromatherapy
Megavitamins
Chiropractic
Lifestyle diet
Folk remedies
Spiritual healing
Homeopathy
Bodywork
Light therapy
Magnets
Energy healing
Reflexology
Crystal therapy
Acupuncture
Ayurvedic medicine
Reiki
Qigong
Iridology
Note. N = 506.
Blanchard)
The above table illustrates the fact also seen in other report and statistics, that crystal therapy is not as popular or as well accepted as many other better-known alternative health therapies.
On the other hand it has also been found that in certain areas and regions there has been an increase in the number of practitioners and acceptance of crystal therapy. For example one study shows that that while there have been a measured decline in conventional religious practices in Britain, there has been a concomitant...
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