Energy and the human body: what does modern science tell us about energy therapies?

The idea of “energy” has appeared for centuries in different therapeutic and philosophical traditions. Today, though, we know that energy is not merely an abstract or spiritual notion. It is a fundamental element of the workings of life itself.

The human body is an extraordinarily complex and dynamic system. At every moment countless biochemical, electrical and electromagnetic processes are taking place within it. Neurons communicate through electrochemical signals, the heart produces measurable electrical activity, and the brain shows different patterns of electrical activity that can be recorded.

Modern science, therefore, no longer sees the human body simply as a collection of independent organs, but as a complex system of constant communication, interaction and regulation.

From matter to energy: what did quantum physics change?

Quantum physics radically changed the way we understand matter at the atomic and subatomic level.

Matter is no longer described simply as a set of tiny, solid “particles”. Modern physics describes a world in which matter, energy, fields and the interactions between them are far more complex than the classical picture of reality allowed.

Out of this development a particularly interesting scientific field has emerged: quantum biology.

Quantum biology examines the role quantum phenomena may play within biological systems themselves. Phenomena such as quantum coherence, quantum tunnelling and spin-dependent processes are studied today in functions related, among others, to photosynthesis, enzymatic reactions and the magnetoreception of certain animals.

The very existence of this field reminds us how complex life is, and how much we still have to understand about the way energy and information are organised and carried within living systems.

The human body as a dynamic system

One of the most significant shifts in the modern understanding of biology is that the body is not examined through its chemistry alone.

Electrical activity is an inseparable part of how the human organism works. Cell membranes maintain electrical potentials, the nervous system relies on electrochemical communication, and the functioning of the heart and brain is accompanied by electrical and electromagnetic phenomena.

At the same time, current research increasingly highlights the interaction between different levels of the organism: biological, neurological, psychological and environmental.

A person, then, can be understood as a continually changing and self-regulating system, in which body, brain, environment and psychological state are in constant interaction.

What is the biofield?

It is precisely here that the concept of the biofield appears in the international literature.

The term was created in the 1990s, in discussions organised by what was then the Office of Alternative Medicine at the American National Institutes of Health, as a broader term for studying therapeutic approaches that referred to energetic interactions of the human organism.

In the relevant research literature, the biofield has been proposed as a wider model for understanding the flow of energy and information associated with living systems.

There is in fact now a distinct research literature on biofield therapies, which includes practices such as Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Healing Touch and External Qigong. These practices have been the subject of clinical studies in areas such as stress, anxiety, pain and subjective wellbeing.

That research is not complete; it is, however, an interesting meeting point between practices with a long history and the modern attempt to investigate them with scientific methods.

And where do the aura and the energy body come in?

Long before the modern term biofield was created, different cultures described the human being as something more than the visible physical body.

We find concepts such as qi in the Chinese tradition, prana in Indian philosophical traditions and, in various esoteric systems, terms such as the energy or etheric body and the aura.

Despite the significant differences between these traditions, there is a common core: the idea that life is connected to a form of vital energy, and that the balance of that energy is related to a person's overall condition.

The modern concept of the biofield is not scientifically identical to the traditional idea of the aura or the etheric body. Even so, it is interesting that both the older energy traditions and certain modern research approaches attempt — in entirely different language and methodology — to look at the human being beyond a purely mechanistic model.

Where do science and energy therapies meet?

Here, perhaps, is the most interesting point.

Modern physics has shown us that matter and energy at a fundamental level have a far more complex relationship than we once took for granted.

Biophysics and neuroscience study the electrical and electromagnetic processes of the human organism.

Quantum biology examines genuine quantum phenomena within living systems.

And biofield research attempts to investigate whether there are still broader mechanisms of energetic and informational interaction that could contribute to our understanding of how living organisms work.

Energy therapies approach this question from a different direction. They see the person holistically and work from the idea that physical, psychological and energetic states are different dimensions of one system.

For someone interested in exploring this approach, energy practices can be a different kind of space for relaxation, personal exploration, self-observation and care for their wellbeing, alongside the conventional forms of care they may need.

A conversation that continues

Perhaps the most fascinating element is not the need to choose between science and a more holistic understanding of the person.

It lies in the way knowledge evolves.

A few decades ago, the idea that quantum phenomena might have a functional role inside warm and complex biological systems was met with considerable scepticism. Today quantum biology is a real research field, with studies on photosynthesis, enzymatic processes, magnetoreception and other biological mechanisms.

In the same way, biofield therapies are the subject of published research and clinical trials, and specific guidelines have even been developed for reporting their clinical studies more systematically.

This does not mean that quantum physics has “proved” the aura or the mechanism of energy therapies. It does mean that the scientific investigation of life, energy and information is far more open and multidimensional than we often imagine.

And perhaps that is where the real bridge lies: in being able to stay open to exploration, without confusing what we already know with what we are still trying to understand.

This text is informational and psychoeducational. It is not a diagnosis and does not replace a session with a mental health professional.