What Is Energy Healing — And Can It Really Help with Grief?

If you have been curious about energy healing but are not quite sure what it involves — whether it is real, whether it is for you, or what you would actually experience — you are in the right place.

I hear this kind of uncertainty a lot. People arrive at Sacred Earth Healings having heard about energy healing from a friend, or having reached a point where conventional approaches have not given them the relief they are looking for. They are open — but they want to understand what they are saying yes to.

This post is for those people. A plain-language, honest explanation of what energy healing is, how it works, and what you can expect if you choose to try it.

What is energy healing?

Energy healing is a broad term for a range of gentle, non-invasive practices that work with the body's natural energy systems to restore balance, reduce stress, and support emotional and physical wellbeing.

The underlying principle is that the human body is not just a physical structure — it is also an energy system. This energy (known in various traditions as chi, prana, life force, or simply the biofield) flows through and around the body in patterns that respond to everything we experience: stress, illness, trauma, grief, joy, connection.

When this energy flows freely, we tend to feel well — physically, emotionally and mentally. When it becomes blocked, congested or depleted — often as a result of prolonged stress, trauma or loss — we begin to feel the effects. Fatigue, emotional numbness, physical tension, anxiety, a sense of disconnection from ourselves.

Energy healing works directly with these patterns — clearing what is blocked, restoring what is depleted, and supporting the body's own natural capacity to heal.

What modalities does Tracey use?

Healing Touch

Healing Touch is a professionally credentialled energy therapy that uses gentle touch and intentional energy techniques to clear, energise and balance the human energy field. It was developed by a nurse — Barbara Brennan — and has been studied in clinical settings for its effects on pain, anxiety, fatigue and emotional wellbeing. Tracey is a Certified Healing Touch Practitioner at Level 5, the highest certification level.

Energy Medicine

Energy Medicine, developed by Donna Eden, is a practical, body-centred approach to working with the body's own energy systems — including meridians, chakras and the biofield. It uses techniques such as tapping, tracing, holding and movement to activate the body's natural healing capacity.

How they work together

In practice, Tracey draws on both modalities — and on her background in nursing, Reiki, Spiritual Coaching and Spiritual Alchemy — to create a session that is completely tailored to what you need in that moment. There is no formula. There is only presence, intention, and a deep respect for your body's own intelligence.

What does an energy healing session feel like?

Most people find energy healing deeply relaxing — often more deeply relaxing than anything they have experienced before. You remain fully clothed throughout, lying or sitting comfortably. Tracey works with her hands either on or just above the body, moving through the energy field with intention.

Common experiences include:

•       A wave of warmth, tingling or gentle movement in the body

•       A feeling of heaviness lifting

•       Emotional release — tears, a sense of relief, or simply a quiet settling

•       A deep sense of peace and stillness

•       Falling into a light, restful state somewhere between waking and sleep

After the session, most people feel lighter, calmer and more themselves. Some feel emotional in the following days as the body continues to process what was released — this is normal and healthy.

"Energy healing does not tell your body what to do. It simply reminds it of what it already knows how to do."

— Tracey Bonanno, Sacred Earth Healings

Can energy healing really help with grief?

Yes — and this is one of the areas where I have seen the most profound results in my practice.

Grief, as I have written about elsewhere, is not just a mental experience. It lives in the body — in the chest, the throat, the gut. It disrupts the nervous system and embeds itself in the energy field as a kind of heaviness or blockage that does not resolve on its own simply with the passage of time.

Energy healing works directly at this level. It does not ask you to talk about your grief, analyse it, or understand it intellectually. It simply creates the conditions for what is held in the body to begin to move.

Many of my clients who come to sessions specifically to process grief describe the experience as the most significant relief they have found — not because the grief disappears, but because it begins to flow again, rather than being stuck.

Is energy healing safe?

Yes. Energy healing as practised by Tracey is gentle, non-invasive and safe for most people. It is not a substitute for medical treatment, and Tracey does not diagnose or treat medical conditions. If you have a medical concern, please consult your GP.

Energy healing is most powerfully used as a complement to conventional medical and psychological care — not a replacement for it. Tracey works alongside, not instead of, your existing support.

Key takeaways

•       Energy healing works with the body's natural energy systems to restore balance and support wellbeing

•       Tracey uses Healing Touch (Level 5 certified) and Energy Medicine (Donna Eden Method)

•       Sessions are gentle, non-invasive and deeply relaxing — you remain fully clothed throughout

•       Energy healing is particularly effective for grief, loss, anxiety, stress and emotional disconnection

•       It works as a complement to — not a replacement for — conventional medical and psychological support

Frequently asked questions

Is energy healing the same as Reiki?

Reiki and Healing Touch both work with the body's energy field, and Tracey is trained in both. The key differences are in methodology and training standards. Healing Touch has a more structured clinical framework and a professional certification pathway. Reiki uses specific hand positions and symbols. In practice, the experiences can feel similar — deeply relaxing, gentle and restorative.

Do I need to believe in energy healing for it to work?

No. Many of Tracey's clients come with healthy scepticism and still experience significant results. The body responds to energy work regardless of what the mind thinks about it. What helps is simply being open — willing to try and to notice what you experience.

How is energy healing different from massage?

Massage works primarily with the physical body — muscles, fascia, circulation. Energy healing works with the energy field — the non-physical aspect of your being that surrounds and interpenetrates the physical body. While both can be deeply relaxing, they are working at different levels. Energy healing often produces emotional and psychological effects that go beyond what physical touch alone can achieve.

Book an energy healing session in Taree or Pampoolah

Tracey offers energy healing sessions at Anandamaya Wellness Centre in Taree every Tuesday from 9am to 1pm, from her home practice in Pampoolah throughout the week, and online via phone or video for clients across Australia.

Sessions are $150. Gift vouchers are available.

Call or text Tracey on 0493 961 398 to book your session.