FAQs

ANSWER:
Tell me about the "Helping to Heal" clinic in Tracy, MN.

I would like to direct you to the "Clinic" page of this site. It explains in great detail the options and atmosphere of "Helping to Heal"
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ANSWER:
What are some of the benefits of massage?

Touching and stroking are not only important for adults, they also play a vital role in the healthy development of infants and young children. Those who care for babies born prematurely know that infants confined to incubators are more likely to thrive when gently stroked than when deprived of touch.

A regular body massage can enhance general health and vitality, while specialized methods can coax tension from muscles, ease stiff joints, promote healthy circulation of the blood and stimulate lymphatic drainage to encourage the elimination of wastes from the body. Massage brings a healthy glow to dull skin and keeps the body feeling firm and supple.

Massage is effective for almost any condition and is particularly helpful for tension headaches, back pain, hyperactivity and insomnia. You would benefit from having a massage at least once a month, more often if possible.
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ANSWER:
What therapies do your therapists practice?

Our staff work with massage, Shiatsu, Qigong, Reiki, Quantum Biofeedback, traditional naturopathy, EFT, hypnotherapy, meditation, visual imagery, detoxification, reverse cholesterol transport, and cancer prevention and treatment. We also teach smoking cessation, weight goal, and painfree childbirth classes, and assist with caregiver support training
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ANSWER:
I've tried to lose weight several times, but I usually gave up as too much hassle. Is there a better way?

In our weight goal program, we first teach proper nutrition and eating habits. We then help each client clear the emotional baggage which prevents them from making that weight change. Next, we provide training to help the client handle everyday life stresses. Finally, we use hypnosis to help them get OWNERSHIP of new ways of thinking and behaving about eating. When these four steps have been completed, we expect the client to be successful, but we also are prepared to stay in touch with them, should they require additional support later on.
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ANSWER:
Can I get rid of my anxiety problems with the use of EFT?

EFT has been shown to be useful for a wide range of ailments, both emotional and physical. Since we believe that this technique, like the other methods we use, is free from side effects, we use EFT, the most popular form of Energy Psychology, on a great many issues.
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ANSWER:
One of my friends drove to the Twin Cities to be treated by a Qigong master, for some condition that conventional medicine did not know how to treat. What is this "Qigong"?

Master Wu, one of our therapists and a Qigong master, learned Qigong as a very young man in China, many years ago. He has been helping clients to heal with this method for some 33 years. Qigong is the Chinese name for practice of working with the body's energies, to bring about healing. In using Qigong, the therapist seldom needs to physically touch the body. Rather, he or she will work within the region a few inches from the skin. Albert Einstein first recognized in 1905, and all scientists now know, that the body, like all supposedly 'solid' objects, is really composed of energy. Therefore, methods of healing which utilize energy are nicely suited to the healing of the body. It is probably safe to say that Qigong is in principle, capable of healing virtually any ailment of the body, subject of course, to the Will of our Creator.
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ANSWER:
Can healing be done "at a distance" from the patient?

Yes,  it can, just as prayer can work even when those who pray are many miles from one who is ill. One of our therapists does such healing work on a regular basis. Much work can also be done via the telephone. EFT is especially adaptable to phone work. Consequently, it is often not necessary for the client or patient to actually travel to the clinic for healing assistance.
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ANSWER:
What do energy workers do?

Surrounding and permeating the body is a bio-energetic field, similar to an electric field, sometimes called a "Life Field". Healers have long known that this field is affected by conditions within the body. By manipulating this field with the hands and the healer's intention, conditions within the body can be improved. Physical touch is often NOT required in order to create these changes.
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ANSWER:
Why use energetic medicine?

".. When learned in a competent setting, energy medicine is remarkably free of adverse effects. It interfaces wonderfully with traditional medicine. It requires no expensive technology, just a loving heart and a desire to help. These energies are subtle, but, like ripples in a pond, their effects may be far reaching, bringing us closer to our natural state of perfection.."(*1)
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ANSWER:
I have heard of these 'different' kinds of energy work: Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Meridian Therapy, Qigong, Bioenergy Therapy --What's the difference?

Different techniques. All energy work comes from the same basic principles -- gentle adjustment of the body's energy field. For example, "Homeopathy", the use of tiny doses of natural substances, is a form of energy therapy, as is "EFT", which is used to assist emotional changes.
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ANSWER:
How long will a session last?

The length of a therapy session will depend upon the therapy, and the need. For example, massage therapy typically lasts 30 minutes or an hour. EFT work may be as little as 30 minutes, or may take an hour or a bit more per session. Qigong work typically takes 30 minutes, plus an equal or greater amount of rest following the Qigong. Hypnosis work may involve several sessions, each 60 to 90 minutes long, depending upon what needs to be done.
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ANSWER:
When I have Qigong or Reiki energy work, will I feel anything?

This depends upon the individual. Sometimes clients feel a great deal, even with work at a distance. At other times, there is simply a gradual improvement over 48 hours or so. Our sense is that beneficial changes happen, whether or not the client notices anything while the therapist is working.
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ANSWER:
With medications, I expect a long list of side effects. Do your therapies have side effects?

Side effects seem to be minimal or almost nonexistent with our work. Occasionally, you may feel a little tired after massage or a Qigong session. You may well feel energized following Quantum Biofeedback, EFT, Shiatsu or Reiki sessions. We honestly virtually never have client complaints about side effects for any of our work.
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ANSWER:
What kinds of conditions can energy therapy help?

2*..Norman Shealy MD, PhD writes, "Energy healing can help with any problem, mental, physical, or emotional. Chronic and potentially fatal illnesses have been alleviated with 'energy' healing."
3*..Physicist/healer Barbara Brennan has helped reproductive disorders, circulatory problems, glandular dysfunctions, psychological problems, shoulder injuries and organ dysfunctions.
4* ..A colleague recently reported on her role in using energy work to help prevent spina bifida condition in a newborn.
..We don't know the limits of what energy therapy is able to accomplish.
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ANSWER:
If I have energy work, what happens when the sessions are done? Will I go back to the way I was?
Does this 'human energy field' have a relationship to emotions?

The body is like an automobile. After repairs, regular maintenance helps it stay "well", but we often do some of the maintenance ourselves. When energy work has helped you heal, the therapist may suggest "homework" exercises to help you stay that way. The goal is "self care" as much as possible.
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ANSWER:
If emotional issues are causing me discomfort (anxiety, sleepless nights), how can I rid myself of them?

Release of emotional blocks can often be achieved quickly with energy methods. "EFT" (Emotional Freedom Technology) is helpful for a wide range of emotional such as anxiety, PTSD and addictions. It is also useful for some "physical" issues such as chronic pain and allergies. Issues of weight loss or gain usually involve both physical and emotional issues, so energy methods are a 'natural' way to adjust weight and physical condition.
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ANSWER:
I would like to work with Helping to Heal staff, but my budget is limited. Do you work with insurance companies?

Our hourly charges tend to be much less than those of MDs, and we believe we get much more work done per hour. Despite the EXCELLENT safety record of natural therapies, most insurance companies do not yet cover the work we do. It is sometimes possible for us to work with you "by referral" from an MD, and in this way to have some of the fees covered by insurance. This is a matter worth discussing with your licensed physician. Actually, there is a very positive aspect of NOT working with insurance companies, and that is that your work with us will be strictly confidential, and cannot affect insurance coverage rates or other such issues.

NOW, that being said, we feel your pain, especially in these perilous financial times, when folks are losing their jobs or having their hours restricted. Here's what we are able to do: We do a percentage of our work "pro bono", without charge, when the help is really needed and the client just does not have the funds. We also have a special fund, to which our past clients have contributed, called PAY IT FORWARD. When a client needs help, but is without the funds, we can sometimes have the charges paid out of this PAY IT FORWARD fund. When the client is once again healthy, we ask that her or she reimburse this fund and just a bit extra, so that others may take advantage of these monies in the future.
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ANSWER:
I really don't want my information available for anyone to see, how confidential are my sessions?

Only if requested by you or ordered by court can any information be released about the work which an energy therapist has helped you accomplish.
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ANSWER:
I've heard that you can heal physical problems with energy methods, and without side effects. I don't have any "physical" problems, but my family has a bushel of emotional problems that we'd like to get rid of. Can EFT help?

Usually they can. One type of energy work, "Emotional Freedom Technique", is very successful at eliminating such problems. As with other kinds of energy work, "EFT" is generally free of side effects, so you aren't likely to walk out with more problems than you came in with.
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ANSWER:
Medications are expensive and have side effects. So if we would use "EFT" what would I do? Sit like a yogi?

A chair is usually more comfortable. If the EFT work is with a child, they may sit on the parent's lap. EFT work by phone is also very effective, so that you can remain in the privacy of your own home or workplace to do the work.
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ANSWER:
Do you do hypnotherapy?

Yes, hypnotherapy is often useful for issues such as smoking, weight loss, painfree childbirth, panic attacks, chronic abuse and other situations that have been long term issues. Hypnosis can be used to help a client rediscover and remove past issues which have been lurking beneath the surface and causing trauma. It can also be used to help the client put "new programs" into her long term memory, so that she can change her behavior quite quickly. Our SMOKE FREE & STRESS FREE EZ WITH HYPNOSIS program takes only 5 hours to change a smoker into a NON smoker.
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ANSWER:
What about anxiety? Can anything be done about that?

Anxiety can usually be cleared with EFT, as well as with hypnotherapy. "Generalized anxiety" (anxiety in general, rather than about very specific things) may stem from several different incidents in the past; we may then use EFT on each specific incident, and in the process, the generalized anxiety tends to disappear.
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ANSWER:
Could I use these methods to lose weight?

We use a combination of good nutrition, EFT, stress reduction, and hypnosis to help our clients achieve their weight goals. Permanent weight changes are possible and have been achieved with our methods.
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ANSWER:
Do you have any reports from your clients?

Please see our Testimonials page for feedback from our clients.
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ANSWER:
What you SHOULD know!

Our therapists are not medical doctors. They do not diagnose, nor do they prescribe medications. Their work is not subject to licensure by the state of Minnesota. They work with the human bioenergy field and do Naturopathic medicine, nutrition, hypnosis, and subtle energy medicine, which are not the same as what is practiced by medical doctors. They STRONGLY recommend that before you work with them, you should consult other health care practitioners, among them those whose work needs to be licensed by the state of Minnesota. For more about "What you SHOULD know" please review the "Terms of Service"
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ANSWER:
If what you do is not licensed, how do I know that I can trust your work?

Hmmm.. Sounds risky, does it? Here’s another way to think about it: In the state of Minnesota, it seems that when a therapy or practice is considered to be capable of causing harm to an individual, it tends to be licensed. Thus plumbers, electricians, and medical doctors are licensed because the work they can cause injury, illness or death to people. However, those who do massage, energy work, hypnosis, nutrition, Qigong and other safe, time tested therapies are NOT required to be licensed. We take this to mean that the state of Minnesota considers that our therapies are so time tested and so safe that it’s not necessary to spend the state’s time and money looking over our shoulders. (Massage dates back at least to the time of Hippocrates. Qigong is a Chinese therapy that goes back to perhaps 2,000 BC! Therapies which have withstood the test of time are inclined to be very effective, AND very safe.
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REFERENCES CITED:
1* -- Dailey, Brian MD, "Energy Doctor", Massage & Bodywork, 62ff, Oct/Nov 2002
2* -- Shealy, C. Norman PhD, MD, ed, The Complete Family Guide to Alternative Medicine, Barnes & Noble, 1996
3* -- Brennan, Barbara, Hands of Light, Bantam, 1988
4* -- E. Stewart, personal communication, 2000

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