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What is Bioenergy?

Karyn Maier
Karyn Maier
Karyn Maier
Karyn Maier

Bioenergy refers to the bio-currents that reside in all sentient beings. In short, it is the vital force of life. It is believed that this energy force envelops every cell of the body and serves as the "hard wiring" of the individual that channels information between energy points and fields. This energy also exists outside the body as an electromagnetic field, an extension of bioenergy commonly thought of as the astral body or aura.

Bioenergy therapy embraces the importance of maintaining a balanced flow between energy points within the body as well as the external energy field. Through the use of various forms of bodywork, or energy healing, a bioenergy practitioner strives to correct or improve impaired energy flow in order to promote wellness. This type of mind-body approach to healing recognizes the connection between the body and the brain, and endeavors to trigger physiological changes by manipulating the energy fields between them.

Bioenergy may refer to an electromagnetic field, which is often thought of as the aura.
Bioenergy may refer to an electromagnetic field, which is often thought of as the aura.

While the concept existed in many cultures for quite some time, Mietek Wirkus is credited as being the pioneer of bioenergy therapy. According to many first-hand accounts, the Polish born healer seemed to possess an innate understanding of bioenergy from an early age. In fact, he reputedly used this knowledge to ease his sister’s asthma when he was just four years old in 1943. It would be many years, however, before Wirkus would fully develop his theory of bioenergy as a therapeutic tool and dedicate his life to the practice of it. Eventually, Mietek Wirkus, together with his wife, Margaret, would establish The Wirkus Bioenergy Foundation and provide training classes and workshops to medical professionals and bodywork therapists.

The method of energy healing taught by Wirkus includes Tibetan breathing and meditation exercises, as well as a focus on khorlo, or the series of chakras that serve as distribution points between energy fields. It is within this system that Wirkus believes the ‘binding matter’ that stems from the mind to exist. In other words, the mind essence or imprint that connects the physical, emotional, mental, astral and spiritual aspects of a living being. According to Wirkus, without this integration of bioenergy death and decomposition of the whole being would occur (i.e., clinical death).

The Wirkus Bioenergy Foundation continues to promote further research and education on this type of healing and its therapeutic applications. Since Mietek Wirkus' increased the popularity of bioenergy therapy in the Western medical community in 1985, interest in it has continued to grow. In fact, bioenergy therapy is now being studied and taught in numerous countries throughout the world.

Karyn Maier
Karyn Maier

Contributing articles to WiseGEEK is just one of Karyn’s many professional endeavors. She is also a magazine writer and columnist, mainly for health-related publications, as well as the author of four books. Karyn lives in New York’s Catskill Mountain region and specializes in topics about green living and botanical medicine.

Learn more...
Karyn Maier
Karyn Maier

Contributing articles to WiseGEEK is just one of Karyn’s many professional endeavors. She is also a magazine writer and columnist, mainly for health-related publications, as well as the author of four books. Karyn lives in New York’s Catskill Mountain region and specializes in topics about green living and botanical medicine.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon64220

Michael Dalton is a non-assuming natural bioenergy healer. Check him out first if you want to learn bioenergy healing. Michael Nudel's book is also gret resource that demysitifies all these bioenergy healing techniques.

anon64213

Yes indeed. Barbara Brenon is one of the best bioenergy healers in the US and she has nothing to do with the healer mentioned here. Barbara Brenon was born a healer. She is a natural healer.

Check out the Barbara Brennan School of Healing. She teaches healing in a four year program.

anon52290

No one but his wife (for obvious reasons) and this site (for unknown reasons) credit Mietek Wirkus for being the pioneer of bioenergy healing. Bioenergy healing is another name for Mesmerism, used for healing mostly in Europe. And mesmerism is another name for Hindu Magnetic Healing - an age old occult method. All rely on strokes, breath or gaze, or any combination of these 'inductors'.

There are many such healers and have been in the past millennia. All pranic healers are doing the same thing with passes, gaze, and breath. Mesmer did the same thing. The Domancic method does the same thing with passes and gaze. Rasputin used bioenergy to stop the bleeding from hemophilia of Alexis son of Tsarina Alexandra in Russia. This is old stuff everywhere, except apparently in the US.

cavadesoi

Bioenergy existed long before Mr Wirkus was born. There are (and have been) many Bioenergy practitioners. Zdenko Domancic is one famous contemporary example; another is Mikhail Fadkin. There are many in all countries of the former Soviet block, and have been over the centuries.

There are close to 50 cultures around the world that have been identified as understanding the concept of 'life energy' in one form or another; e.g., Ki (Japanese), Chi (Chinese), Prana (Sanskrit), Neyatoneyah (Lakota Sioux), Num (Kalahari Kung), Ruach or Roohah (Hebrew), Rooh (Persian), Lung (Tibetan), and so forth. All of these cultures have their energy healing modalities. Bioenergy healing is one such modality.

Bioenergy healing (of Eastern European origin) Chi Gong healing (Chinese), Sufi healing (Middle East, North African and to some extent Asian origin), Prana Healing (India/South Asian),and so forth as all broadly practiced modalities.

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    • Bioenergy may refer to an electromagnetic field, which is often thought of as the aura.
      By: Nikki Zalewski
      Bioenergy may refer to an electromagnetic field, which is often thought of as the aura.