When it comes to perfect diet and exercise habits…a honed mind, body, and spirit...work-life balance… SLEEP...it can seem like an uphill battle sometimes.
Today’s focus of our new series "Living a Better Life" is on an ancient practice some metro Detroiters are turning to for everything from stress relief...to healing.
You might sayElaine Grohman’s touch is electric. She is an Energy Healer.
“My job is to be a jumper cable. I don't give somebody my energy. My body needs that. I allow the energy of the living earth to move through me to help somebody else's battery get charged,” said Grohman.
Basically, every neurological experience is an electrical experience.
So, if you’ve been using too much energy because of stress, strain, or illness -- considering the laws of physics – if her energy is higher than yours… a touch with her higher vibration will affect those with a lower vibration.
She tried it on me at her Farmington office.
“A warmth. Almost feather-like,” I said describing what I felt over my hand.
Grohman responded, “It's interesting because so many people say it actually is a tingle."
That’s how Robert Piepenburg of Ann Arbor described it.
"I think I owe my life to her in many ways," Piepenburg said.
Piepenburg started seeing Grohman 18 years ago after a leukemia diagnosis. He was given 2 to 3 weeks to live.
“After so many treatments, I could just feel that this was working. And it's hard to say how I knew that or why I knew that or why it works. But it does. It did for me,” he said.
It also worked for Carrol Falberg. She started Reiki sessions seven years ago when the stress of caring for her terminally ill husband became too much.
"The whole body was just at peace, energized, stress-free,” she explained.
“Do you feel like it's a spiritual healing, too?” I asked.
She responded, “Oh, absolutely!"
Frank Ruprich of Sterling Heights is a Reiki Master and teacher who includes his Christian faith in his practice.
"When I lay hands on somebody, I'm asking for the energy to come through my body into my hands into this individual for stress relief and relaxation,” said Ruprich.
He's been practicing Reiki for years and volunteered her services at Beaumont Hospital for 18 months two years ago.
His wall is covered with Reiki training certifications.
What does he say to the skeptics?
“Be open minded,” he answered.
Dr. Ryan Gauthier said being open minded is key.
“Having that intention of healing, you can help the body heal itself,” said Gauthier.
Dr. Gauthier is a Reiki Master and teacher with Henry Ford Health System Integrative Medicine.
He said 39-percent of hospitals in the U.S. have some form of alternative medicine.
But he said people should make sure their practitioners are trained.
“Energy healing is not regulated unless somebody is practicing under another license such as nursing, acupuncture, or massage therapy,” said Dr. Gauthier.
Reiki – or energy healing – is not covered under most insurance, unless you have a policy where massage therapy is covered and you find a licensed massage therapist to perform the practice.
Sessions run anywhere from $75 to $145 an hour depending on the practitioner.
Reiki Membership Association includes practitioners who have completed a required course of study, agree to abide by a code of ethics and standards of practice, and use approved class manuals when teaching.
Reiki Master Frank Ruprich is an affiliate member of that organization. He can be reached at dsr41@outlook.com.
You can learn more about Henry Ford Center for Integrative Medicine at henryford.com/CIM.
To learn more about Elaine Grohman's energy healing practice, you can visit www.elainegrohman.com.
If you have found a way to Live a Better Life, we'd like to hear from you to share your success story. Please email Alicia Smith at alicia.smith@wxyz.com and include in the subject line "Live a Better Life" Success Story.
