Why I’m Proud to Be an Energy Medicine Practitioner
Has anyone ever questioned you about your energy-healing work? Have you had to deal with people’s preconceived notions about what energy medicine actually is? Energy healing will always prompt conversations, but sometimes, they are magnified when the media covers alternative healing.
Recently, Netflix released Apple Cider Vinegar, a show about a woman who claimed to have terminal brain cancer and cured it using alternative medicine alone, without any Western medical treatment. Because it was based on a true story and certainly embellished and dramatized for entertainment value, I wasn’t planning on watching it. However, knowing that people might ask my opinion about it or the authenticity of energy healing, I decided to sit down and watch it, even if it was a little bit begrudgingly.
Fortunately, what I found was not a deep dive into alternative medicine and techniques themselves but rather a portrayal of individuals who chose extreme reliance on alternative cures while rejecting chemotherapy and radiation. The main character, in my opinion, is narcissistic and unethical, taking advantage of many people along her journey. Her actions stood in stark contrast to the professionalism and integrity we uphold as energy medicine practitioners.
If people watch this show, they may ask you about it. They may even use it to question your work. When we get these questions, it’s easy to see them as challenges, but I encourage us all to use them as moments to share what we know to be true. So how do we respond?
Stand confidently in your work.
I am proud to be an energy medicine practitioner. I have worked hard to gain confidence and experience in this field, which has become my life’s passion. I know that the foundation of all my work is rooted in scientific principles, experiential wisdom, and ancestral healing traditions.
One of the most important lessons this show reaffirmed for me is that energy medicine should work in collaboration with modern medicine, not in opposition to it.
Professionalism, ethics, and integrity must always be at the forefront of what we do.
When people ask me what energy medicine is, I emphasize that it’s holistic care for overall well-being integrated with primary medical care. I explain that before I ever formally studied energy healing a decade ago, I was intuitively using its principles in my 40 years as a nurse. When I discovered formal education in this field, it was an exciting validation of what I already knew: the human body is an energetic system that can be supported through intentional, ethical healing practices.
Rather than seeing this show or other similar stories as something that undermines our work, we can use it as a tool to educate our communities.
How to Use These Conversations as a Teaching Opportunity
Reaffirm the Ethics of Energy Medicine - Our role is to promote balance in physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. One of the 12 EMS concepts we integrate into all our teachings is that we support self-healing. We don’t claim cures.
Clarify Our Collaborative Approach - We promote working alongside primary care physicians to fully support and encourage healing for our clients.
Engage with Your Community - I live and work in Southeast Kansas, where energy healing is still unfamiliar to many. Through my work, I’ve started to be invited to speak about my work to local clubs. I start with self-care techniques and then introduce energy healing principles. Education leads to understanding, and understanding leads to acceptance.
Skepticism will always exist, but it doesn’t take away the power of our work. This is why, at EMS, we prioritize ethical, collaborative, and well-informed energy medicine. This means that when these conversations arise, we can confidently educate and advocate for our work and turn misconceptions into meaningful conversations.
Stay strong in your work, uphold your values, and continue bringing the benefits of energy healing to those who seek well-being. Let’s use this as an opportunity to advocate for ethical and professional energy medicine practices.
Cindy Parsons,
RN, BSN, MS-HCA, SEM
With warmth and healing energy,
Cindy Parsons and the EMS Team
Holistic Nurse
Energy Medicine Practitioner
Instructor—Energy Medicine Specialists
(Read more about Cindy here).