Brennan Healing Science

1. Introduction

Version followed: Brennan Healing Science (BHS) as taught by the Barbara Brennan School of Healing (BBSH, Florida) in its four-year Professional Studies programme, with Barbara Ann Brennan's Hands of Light (Bantam, ©1987) as the base text and Light Emerging (Bantam, 1993) for the hara and core star dimensions. Brennan's third book, Core Light Healing (Hay House, 2017), completes the trilogy and covers the creative process, how blocks form and clear, High Sense Perception and the "fourth level" of relationships and cords [source: BBSH About Barbara; Hay House India book page; Arlington Public Library catalogue record]; it is used here only for those named topics, not as the base text.

What it is. The school describes BHS as "a system of healing that combines hands-on-healing techniques with spiritual and psychological processes" [source: BBSH Find a practitioner]. It is a hands-on (and, in current practice, also remote) energy-healing system, and a training tradition with its own school, credentials and practitioner directory. A psychotherapist uses it, if at all, as a separately consented complementary method alongside psychotherapy, not as psychotherapy. [source: BBSH Find a practitioner; Kripalu programme page]

Background. Brennan (died 3 October 2022) held a B.S. in physics and a master's in atmospheric physics, worked as a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, graduated from the Institute of Core Energetics and was a senior Pathwork Helper; she founded BBSH in 1982 [source: BBSH About Barbara]. The Core Energetics/bioenergetic lineage is visible in the books' use of character structure and defence-system language [source: Hands of Light, Google Books contents and index terms].

Core idea of how change happens (as BHS holds it). In Brennan's model, a person is described as having four dimensions: the physical body; the human energy field (aura), with seven levels and seven major chakras; the haric level of intention (the hara line, with points named the ID point, soul seat and tan tien); and the core star, the person's core essence [source: BBSH Professional Studies page; Light Emerging publisher description; Egli & Nunley]. Brennan holds that blocks and distortions in the energy field are linked to psychological defences and to illness, and that clearing, charging and restructuring the field, aligning the hara (intention) and letting core essence emerge supports healing on every level [source: Hands of Light contents: "From Energy Block to Physical Disease", "Energy Blocks and Defense Systems in the Aura"]. These are the method's own concepts, described here as BHS holds them, not as established physiology.

Evidence status (one line). No controlled outcome research on BHS appears in the sources cited here; the one study listed (Egli & Nunley) had 16 BBSH-trained healers assess the hara of 15 volunteers from photographs and found partial agreement between healers, not clinical outcomes [source: Egli & Nunley, SEEMJ extended abstract].

Scope warning. BHS is not presented here as a treatment for cancer or any physical disease, and the psychotherapist does not use it to diagnose illness. Hands of Light has a chapter titled "Diagnosis"; in a psychotherapy setting, any energetic "reading" stays a subjective impression, never a medical finding [synthesis]. "Chelation" in BHS means a hands-on energy-healing procedure, not medical or "alternative" chelation drug therapy (a separate, harmful practice covered elsewhere in this domain).

2. Framework

BHS is a training tradition and healing method rather than a manualised therapy. Two frameworks matter: the practitioner's training route and the structure of a healing session.

2a. Training and certification route

Introductory routes. Public workshops such as "Hands of Light: The Fundamentals of Brennan Healing Science" (a multi-day residential retreat run at Kripalu) introduce the model, energy self-care, grounding, energy hygiene, High Sense Perception, chakras, levels of the field, and ethics and energetic boundaries. These do not certify. [source: Kripalu programme page]
Professional Studies (four years). Each year is organised into five areas of growth: Healing Science, Psych-Spiritual Development, Creative Arts, Professional Practice and Integrative Care [source: BBSH Professional Studies page].
- Year 1: levels 1, 2 and 3 of the human energy field; the relationship with the self.
- Year 2: the 4th level; relationship with others, "ancient and modern maps of healthy relationships", personal work on blocks to expression.
- Year 3: the hara line ("the line of intention") and levels 5, 6 and 7, which the school calls Divine Will, Divine Love and Divine Mind.
- Year 4: the hara and core star levels; the emergence and expression of each healer's essence; integration into daily life.
Personal process requirement. Students must have personal process sessions during training, described as "a supportive adjunct to the training", with a therapist from a BBSH-approved list of modalities; the school encourages a Brennan Integration Practitioner where possible. Psychotherapists are among the professions in the student body. [source: BBSH FAQs]
Credentials. Graduates of the four-year programme are certified as Brennan Healing Science Practitioners (BHSP). Graduates of a further two-year Advanced Studies programme are certified as Brennan Integration Practitioners; the school's page also calls this a "6-year program". Older directory codes include Advanced Studies, Teacher Training and a former Bachelor of Science in Brennan Healing Science. [source: BBSH Find a practitioner]
Who certifies and regulation. BBSH certifies its own graduates. The school is licensed as an educational institution by the Florida Commission for Independent Education (License No. 2897) and states it "is not a licensing or governing body" for practitioners. [source: BBSH Professional Studies page; BBSH Find a practitioner]. There is no state licence for BHS practice as such [uncertain: not verified]. A psychotherapist's own licensing board governs everything they do with clients, including any BHS work [synthesis].
Principles of Practice. BBSH publishes 17 Principles of Practice for BHS Practitioners [source: BBSH Principles of Practice]. In summary: work within training and competence and refer on as appropriate; no medical diagnosis or prescription unless otherwise licensed, and no promised cures; informed consent covering the nature of services, fees and policies before work begins; no exploitation of power differences, and help clients avoid dependency; no romantic or sexual activity or "physical or energetic advances" with clients (and none with a former client for at least two years, and then only after a supervised good-faith review); avoid harmful dual relationships; respect client autonomy and beliefs without pressure; confidentiality with named exceptions (client authorisation, anonymised supervision, imminent danger, legal requirement); consult other providers only with written client request or approval; regular individual supervision; no impairment by alcohol, medication or other substances during sessions; end services when the client no longer benefits, with notice and help finding other services. The Principles do not set out touch rules, record-keeping or a complaints procedure [source: BBSH Principles of Practice].

2b. Structure of a BHS-informed episode of care in psychotherapy [synthesis]

The sources cited do not give a published session count, session length or stepwise protocol [uncertain: not verified]. The following structure is a synthesis for a licensed psychotherapist who holds the BHSP credential.

Phase 1: Assessment and decision. Usual psychotherapy assessment, then a separate discussion of whether BHS is wanted and suitable. Goal: an informed, freely given choice. Move on when the client has given written informed consent for the complementary method and touch (or chosen hands-off or no BHS), and contraindications and medical-care status are recorded.
Phase 2: Preparation. Grounding, practitioner self-preparation, agreements on touch, stop signals and remote options. Move on when the client can use a stop signal and a grounding skill.
Phase 3: Healing work within sessions. Energetic assessment as BHS teaches it (held as subjective impressions), hands-on or hands-off healing as trained (for example chelation in Brennan's sense, work on levels, hara and core star), then debrief. Move between foci according to the year-structure logic of the training: self (levels 1–3) before relationships (level 4) before intention and spiritual levels (hara, 5–7, core star).
Phase 4: Integration. Translate experiences into psychotherapy language: beliefs, defences, relationships, values and purpose; personal healing plan. Move on (or end) when the client's psychotherapy goals are met; BHS work is never a condition of continuing therapy.
Format. Individual, clothed, client usually lying on a treatment table for hands-on work [uncertain: not verified]; remote sessions by video or phone are offered by many listed practitioners [source: BBSH Find a practitioner]. Keep BHS sessions clearly marked in the record as distinct from psychotherapy sessions [synthesis].

3. Guiding principles

The person is multi-dimensional (physical, energy field, hara, core star). Practical meaning: listen for body, feeling, belief, relational, intention and spiritual material, and name which level the client is speaking from. [source: BBSH Professional Studies; Light Emerging description]
Energy blocks are linked to psychological defences and character structure. Practical meaning: treat an energetic impression as a hypothesis to explore in words, alongside the client's history and defences. [source: Hands of Light contents and index terms; Core Energetics lineage]
Hara is intention. Practical meaning: help the client clarify what they intend and what their life purpose feels like; misaligned intention is explored, not corrected by the therapist. [source: Egli & Nunley; BBSH Year 3]
Core essence is already there. Practical meaning: the work aims at uncovering what is healthy and essential, not fixing a defective person. [source: BBSH Year 4; Light Emerging terms "core essence"]
Self-healing and the client's participation. Practical meaning: the client is an active partner who can take part in every stage of healing and holds a personal healing plan. [source: Light Emerging publisher description and contents]
Cooperation with other health-care providers. Practical meaning: BHS is offered alongside, never instead of, medical and psychological care; coordinate with the client's doctor with consent. [source: Light Emerging description ("cooperative" approach; appendix on types of health-care professionals)]
The healer's own personal process is part of the work. Practical meaning: maintain your own therapy or personal process and supervision; your unresolved material affects the session. [source: BBSH FAQs]
Grounding and energy hygiene first. Practical meaning: begin and end each session grounded; do not work when depleted. [source: Kripalu programme page]
Energetic boundaries and ethics. Practical meaning: clear agreements, no dual relationships, no blurring of BHS and psychotherapy roles. [source: Kripalu programme page]
Perception is a skill, held lightly. Practical meaning: High Sense Perception impressions are offered tentatively or not at all, never as diagnosis or as fact about the client's past. [source: Kripalu; Hands of Light contents; synthesis for the caution]
Spiritual material is the client's to interpret. Practical meaning: Brennan describes guidance from a guide she named Heyoan and connection to guides and higher self; do not impose these beliefs; follow the client's own spiritual frame. [source: Hands of Light contents; Kripalu; synthesis for the stance]
Consent before and during any touch; the right to stop; never sexual. Practical meaning: ask before every new hand placement, check in during, stop at once on request, avoid intimate areas entirely, and offer hands-off work. [synthesis, required by this guide's touch standard]
The psychotherapist's licence comes first. Practical meaning: your profession's ethics code, scope and record-keeping rules apply to BHS work done in your practice. [synthesis]

4. Intervention inventory

How to read this inventory: the named BHS components come from the school's curriculum pages, the Kripalu programme description and the contents and index terms of Brennan's two books. Detailed hand positions, sequences and perceptual techniques are taught in BBSH training and are not reproduced here; where a step is BHS-specific but its detail is not verified, it is marked [uncertain: not verified]. The surrounding clinical steps (consent, safety, debrief, integration) are [synthesis] for a licensed psychotherapist holding the BHSP credential. Do not perform hands-on BHS techniques without completing BBSH training in them.

4.1 Suitability screening and informed consent (including touch)

Purpose. Make sure BHS is a free, informed, revocable choice, separate from consent to psychotherapy. BBSH's Principles of Practice require informed consent covering the general nature of services, fees and policies before work begins, and respect for the client's beliefs without pressure [source: BBSH Principles of Practice]. Use before any BHS work and again when the type of work changes (for example from hands-off to hands-on, or to remote) [synthesis].
Steps. (1) Explain that BHS is a complementary energy-healing method, not psychotherapy and not medical treatment, and that the client can have psychotherapy without it. (2) Describe what it involves: lying or sitting fully clothed; the practitioner's hands resting on or held above the body; possible remote work by video or phone; what the client might feel (often warmth, tingling, relaxation, emotion, or nothing). (3) Give the one-line evidence status (Section 1). (4) Ask about medical care: confirm that any physical condition is under medical care and that BHS will not replace it. (5) Screen for trauma history involving touch, dissociation, psychosis or mania, a current crisis, and strong spiritual or religious objections. (6) Agree touch rules: where hands may and may not go (never intimate areas; many practitioners avoid the chest and pelvis entirely and work hands-off there), consent before each new placement, a verbal and non-verbal stop signal, and the client's right to stop at any time without explanation. (7) Offer hands-off-only work as an equal option. (8) Record written consent, the agreed areas, and the stop signal; state fees for BHS sessions separately. (9) Chaperone: offer the option of a chaperone or an open-door arrangement where your professional body or setting requires it [uncertain: not verified for any named body].
Example language (illustrative). "This is an energy-healing method I trained in separately. It isn't psychotherapy and it doesn't treat physical illness, and research hasn't shown that it does. You can say no now, or stop at any point, and our therapy continues exactly the same." "Before I place my hands anywhere I'll tell you where, and you can say no. If you raise your hand or say 'stop', I stop immediately."
Watch for. Agreement given to please you; a client who hopes BHS will cure a medical illness or replace medication; trauma history where touch could be re-traumatising; signs of idealising you as a healer. It is working when the client can say what they are agreeing to, names their own limits, and declines parts of it without discomfort.

4.2 Practitioner grounding, centring and energy hygiene

Purpose. BHS teaches grounding and energy hygiene as core practices for the healer's own stability and clarity before, during and after healing work. [source: Kripalu programme page]
Steps. (1) Before the session, take time to settle your own body and attention (the specific BHS grounding exercises are taught in training [uncertain: not verified]). (2) Check your own state: if you are depleted, distressed or preoccupied with the client, postpone BHS work and do ordinary psychotherapy instead [synthesis]. (3) After the session, repeat grounding and note any carry-over (feelings, images) for supervision rather than acting on it. [synthesis]
Example language (illustrative). To yourself, not the client: "Feet on the floor; my reactions are information, not instructions."
Watch for. Fatigue, merging with the client's distress, a pull to "do more". It is working when you can stay present without becoming over-involved and can name your countertransference afterwards.

4.3 Grounding the client

Purpose. Help the client stay present in the body before, during and after energy work; a first-line skill for anxious, dissociative or trauma-affected clients. Grounding is part of the BHS fundamentals curriculum [source: Kripalu programme page]; the clinical use below is [synthesis].
Steps. (1) Teach a simple grounding practice the client can do alone: feeling the feet and the support beneath them, slow breathing, naming things seen and heard. (2) Agree that the client will use it if they feel spacey or overwhelmed. (3) Begin and end every BHS session with it. (4) Return to it immediately if the client shows signs of dissociation.
Example language (illustrative). "Let's start by feeling the weight of your body on the table and your heels where they rest. Notice your breath without changing it. Tell me when you feel here."
Watch for. Glazed eyes, delayed answers, numbness, feeling far away. Working: the client reports feeling present and can return to grounding by themselves.

4.4 Hara alignment and intention-setting

Purpose. In BHS the hara is the dimension of intentionality, holding the person in physical form toward their life purpose. Its named points are the ID point (knowledge of purpose), the soul seat (desire to fulfil purpose) and the tan tien (focused intention to stay alive). Healers align their own hara before healing, and hara healing is held to be especially powerful for the field and body. [source: Egli & Nunley; BBSH Year 3–4 curriculum; Light Emerging terms "hara line", "tan tien"]
Steps. (1) The practitioner aligns their own hara using the method taught in training; BBSH publishes a guided video meditation "to align, strengthen and brighten your hara", presented as connecting will and "heart's longing" to life purpose [source: BBSH Hara Meditation page]; its written steps are not published [uncertain]. (2) Invite the client to state an intention for the session in their own words. (3) In psychotherapy terms, explore the intention: what matters, what they long for, what gets in the way [synthesis]. (4) Note mixed or split intentions (the BHS literature names "splits" in the hara) as material for exploration, not as a fault [source: Egli & Nunley for the term; synthesis for use].
Example language (illustrative). "What would you like today's session to be for?" "Part of you wants to rest and part of you wants to push through. Can we hear from both?"
Watch for. Intentions that are really another person's wishes; intentions tied to curing a disease (reframe to wellbeing and coping, and check medical care). Working: the client's intention becomes clearer, more personal and more realistic over sessions.

4.5 High Sense Perception (perceiving the field)

Purpose. BHS trains High Sense Perception (HSP), which Brennan describes as perceiving the energy field and receiving information visually, aurally and kinaesthetically, including "Direct Access of Information" and "High Auditory Perception". It is used to assess the field and guide healing. [source: Kripalu; Hands of Light contents; Light Emerging description]
Steps. (1) Use HSP only as trained [uncertain: not verified for technique]. (2) Hold every impression as your own subjective experience. (3) If you share it, offer it tentatively, as an image or a felt sense, and ask what it means to the client. (4) Never present an impression as a diagnosis, as fact about past events (including abuse), or as knowledge the client must accept. [synthesis]
Example language (illustrative). "As my hands were there, an image of a closed door came to me. Does that mean anything to you, or not at all?"
Watch for. Clients who treat your impressions as authoritative; suggestion of memories; your own wishes appearing as "perceptions". Working: impressions open the client's own exploration and the client feels free to reject them.

4.6 Chakra assessment and the psychological function of the chakras

Purpose. Hands of Light describes seven major chakras with a psychological function for each, and aura and chakra patterns; the index terms include "pendulum" and "clockwise"/"counterclockwise", indicating an assessment of chakra function [source: Hands of Light contents and index terms]. The procedure itself is [uncertain: not verified]. Workshops teach strengthening and balancing the chakras [source: Kripalu].
Steps. (1) Perform the chakra assessment only as taught in BBSH training, with consent for any hands-on or near-body work. (2) Translate findings into the psychological themes the client is already working on, as possibilities [synthesis]. (3) Record findings as practitioner impressions, not clinical data [synthesis].
Example language (illustrative). "In this approach the heart area is associated with love and connection. Does that fit anything you're working on right now?"
Watch for. Labelling the client ("your third chakra is closed") in a way that becomes a fixed identity or a reason for shame. Working: the frame helps the client name feelings and themes, not a new label.

4.7 Reading energy blocks, defence systems and character structure

Purpose. Hands of Light links energy blocks to defence systems in the aura and to character structure, the body-psychotherapy typology from bioenergetics and Core Energetics; it also describes observing auras in therapy sessions and growth and development in the aura. This is the clearest bridge from BHS into psychotherapy. [source: Hands of Light contents and index terms "character structure", "Core Energetics", "body psychotherapy"]
Steps. (1) Notice body posture, breath, tension and the client's typical defensive moves in session. (2) Link these to the client's history and relational patterns using your usual psychotherapy formulation. (3) Where you hold a BHS impression of a block, use it only to generate a question. (4) Work with the defence respectfully: name its protective function before inviting change. [synthesis on steps 2–4; the character-structure typology itself is as taught]
Example language (illustrative). "When we touch on your father, your breath goes high and your shoulders lift. What happens inside if you let the breath drop a little?"
Watch for. Typology used to pigeonhole; pushing past defences too fast. Working: the client becomes curious about the pattern and has more choice in it.

4.8 Chelation (in Brennan's sense)

Purpose. Chelation is a named hands-on BHS healing procedure in Hands of Light, used to clear and charge the energy field; "running energy", "spine" and "restructuring" also appear among the book's terms [source: Hands of Light index terms]. It has nothing to do with medical or "alternative" chelation drug therapy. Hand positions, order and the healer's inner process are taught in BBSH training [uncertain: not verified].
Steps (clinical frame) [synthesis]. (1) Confirm consent for this session's hands-on work, the agreed areas and the stop signal. (2) Client fully clothed, lying comfortably; offer a blanket and a support under the knees. (3) Ground the client (4.3). (4) Announce each hand placement before making it and ask for a yes; avoid intimate areas entirely, and work hands-off wherever the client prefers. (5) Carry out chelation as trained [uncertain: not verified]. (6) Check in at intervals in a few words ("Still okay?") and watch non-verbal signs. (7) Stop at once on any stop signal, distress or dissociation, and return to grounding. (8) Close and debrief (4.18).
Example language (illustrative). "I'm going to rest my hands on your feet now. Is that okay?" "How is this for you right now? We can pause or switch to my hands just above you."
Watch for. Freezing, holding the breath, going quiet, tears without words, sexual or attachment feelings toward the practitioner (stop touch, discuss in psychotherapy, consult supervision). Working: the client reports feeling settled, safe and in control, and can say what they noticed.

4.9 Full Spectrum Healing and work on the levels of the field

Purpose. "Full Spectrum Healing" is a chapter of Hands of Light; the school's curriculum works through levels 1–3 (relationship with the self), level 4 (relationship with others) and levels 5–7 (named Divine Will, Divine Love, Divine Mind), then hara and core star. Brennan presents healing across all levels of the field. [source: Hands of Light contents; BBSH Professional Studies]
Steps. (1) Use the level structure as a map for pacing: self-regulation and self-relationship first, then relationships, then meaning, intention and spirituality [synthesis, following the curriculum order]. (2) Perform level-specific healing only as trained [uncertain: not verified]. (3) After each session, ask which level of experience was most alive (body sensation, emotion, thought, relationship, meaning) and take that into psychotherapy [synthesis].
Example language (illustrative). "Was today more about your body, your feelings, how you think about yourself, or the people in your life?"
Watch for. Moving into spiritual levels to bypass painful personal or relational material (spiritual bypassing) [synthesis]. Working: change appears in daily functioning and relationships, not only in session experiences.

4.10 Healing with colour and sound

Purpose. Hands of Light has a chapter "Healing with Color and Sound"; colour and "frequency"/"vibration" are part of Brennan's model of the field [source: Hands of Light contents and index terms]. These are attributed concepts; physical-health claims for them are not established. The method's detail is [uncertain: not verified].
Steps. (1) Use only as trained and with consent. (2) If you tone or use sound, explain it first and check comfort with volume and closeness. (3) Do not present colour or sound as treating disease. [synthesis for 2–3]
Example language (illustrative). "Part of this approach uses sound. Some people find it soothing and some find it odd. Would you like to try it, or leave it out?"
Watch for. Startle, sensory overload, embarrassment. Working: the client finds it calming or simply neutral and feels free to decline.

4.11 Healing transtemporal traumas

Purpose. Hands of Light includes a chapter "Healing Transtemporal Traumas", and "past-life" appears among its terms; Brennan describes trauma held in the field across time, including what she regards as past lives [source: Hands of Light contents and index terms]. This is an attributed spiritual concept.
Steps [synthesis]. (1) Work at the client's pace and within a trauma-informed frame: stabilisation and grounding before any trauma focus. (2) Do not suggest, search for or confirm specific past events, abuse or past lives; let the client bring material and interpret it in their own frame. (3) Titrate: brief contact with distressing material, then return to grounding. (4) If the client has PTSD or complex trauma, use an evidence-based trauma therapy as the main treatment and BHS, if at all, as an adjunct for relaxation and resourcing.
Example language (illustrative). "You said an image came up of a battlefield. What matters to me is what it's like for you now. Do you want to stay with it for a moment, or come back to the room?"
Watch for. Memory contamination, flooding, dissociation, a new fixed belief about an unverifiable past that increases distress. Working: distress reduces, the client feels more in charge of their own story.

4.12 Fourth-level relational work: chakra cords and negative contracts

Purpose. Year 2 of BHS training focuses on the 4th level, relationship with others, using "ancient and modern maps of healthy relationships" [source: BBSH Professional Studies]. Light Emerging has a part "Healing and Relationships" and uses the terms "chakra cords" and "negative contract" [source: Light Emerging contents and terms]. The energetic procedures are [uncertain: not verified].
Steps [synthesis]. (1) Explore a significant relationship: what the client gives, expects, fears and repeats. (2) Use the BHS idea of a "negative contract" as a metaphor for an unspoken relational bargain (for example, "I won't challenge you if you don't leave me"). (3) Help the client state the bargain in words, see its cost, and decide what they want instead. (4) Link to attachment history and current behaviour change.
Example language (illustrative). "If there were an unspoken deal between you and your mother, what would it say?"
Watch for. Using "cords" language to blame or cut off others impulsively; family estrangement decided in a heightened state. Working: clearer boundaries and more honest communication.

4.13 Negative beliefs, self-judgments and the inner child

Purpose. Light Emerging uses the terms "negative belief", "self-judgments", "inner child", "denial" and "defense" [source: Light Emerging terms]. Workshops teach how beliefs affect the levels of the field [source: Kripalu]. This links naturally to cognitive and schema work.
Steps [synthesis]. (1) Identify a recurring self-judgment. (2) Trace when the client first learnt it. (3) Explore what the younger self needed. (4) Develop a kinder, more accurate statement and practise it between sessions.
Example language (illustrative). "When you call yourself lazy, whose voice is that? How old do you feel when you hear it?"
Watch for. Self-blame turning into "I made myself ill" (gently challenge any idea that beliefs cause disease). Working: less harsh self-talk and more self-care.

4.14 Core star meditation and core essence

Purpose. In BHS the core star is the deepest dimension, the person's core essence; Year 4 aims at each person's essence emerging and being expressed in daily life [source: BBSH Professional Studies; Light Emerging description and terms]. Specific core star meditations are [uncertain: not verified].
Steps [synthesis]. (1) Invite the client, if they want, to recall moments when they felt most themselves. (2) Explore the qualities present in those moments. (3) Plan small ways to express those qualities this week. Use any BHS core-star meditation only as trained.
Example language (illustrative). "When have you felt most like yourself? What was that like in your body?"
Watch for. Spiritual experience used to avoid grief or anger; grandiosity in clients with bipolar disorder. Working: a steadier sense of self and values-led action.

4.15 Personal healing plan

Purpose. Light Emerging includes "Creating Your Personal Healing Plan" and proposes a cooperative effort between healer, patient and other health-care providers, with an appendix on types of health-care professionals [source: Light Emerging contents and description]. The plan's published structure is [uncertain: not verified].
Steps [synthesis]. (1) List the client's current care: doctor, medication, therapy, other supports. (2) Add self-care, relationships, rest, meaning and any BHS sessions. (3) Make sure medical care stays in place and is not reduced. (4) Review the plan regularly.
Example language (illustrative). "Let's put everything that supports you on one page: your GP, your medication, our sessions, the things you do for yourself."
Watch for. A plan that edges out medical treatment. Working: more coordinated care and the client's sense of agency.

4.16 Hara assessment, including at a distance

Purpose. BHS healers assess the hara's three points (ID point, soul seat, tan tien) and splits. In the one published study, BBSH-trained healers used intuitive perception and a standardised 12-question multiple-choice form, working from a full-length photograph, name, city and the photo's date and time; agreement was largest for tan tien questions and medium for soul seat and ID point questions [source: Egli & Nunley]. The perceptual procedure itself is taught in training [uncertain].
Steps [synthesis]. (1) Do not assess anyone without their explicit consent, including at a distance. (2) Treat findings as impressions. (3) Do not use hara assessment for any medical, risk or fitness-to-work judgement.
Example language (illustrative). "In this approach I'd tune in to your sense of purpose and intention. It's my impression only. Would you like that?"
Watch for. Consent drift (assessing family members or third parties at the client's request). Working: the client finds the discussion useful for purpose and values.

4.17 Remote (distance) sessions

Purpose. Many BHS practitioners list remote sessions by Zoom, phone, WhatsApp or FaceTime [source: BBSH Find a practitioner]. Useful when touch is unwanted or travel is not possible.
Steps [synthesis]. (1) Use the same consent, fee and record-keeping as in person. (2) Agree what the client will do during the session (lying down in a private space), how they will signal stop, and an emergency plan. (3) Check the client's jurisdiction and your licence for cross-border work. (4) Debrief by voice before ending.
Example language (illustrative). "Please lie down somewhere private and keep the phone close. If you want to stop, just say so and I'll stop straight away."
Watch for. Unclear boundaries, sessions blurring into psychotherapy without notice, privacy breaches. Working: the client feels as safe as in person.

4.18 Closing, grounding and debrief

Purpose. End every BHS session with the client grounded and the experience put into words. [synthesis; grounding as in source: Kripalu]
Steps. (1) Tell the client the hands-on part is ending. (2) Ground (4.3). (3) Allow the client to sit up slowly. (4) Ask what they noticed. (5) Note anything to bring into psychotherapy. (6) Check they are fit to leave or drive. (7) Record the session.
Example language (illustrative). "We're coming to the end. Take your time sitting up. What stood out for you?"
Watch for. Light-headedness, spaciness, emotional opening that needs containment. Working: the client leaves calm, oriented and clear about what happened.

4.19 Brennan Integration Work (advanced credential only)

Purpose. The school describes Brennan Integration Work as "a form of energetic body-centered personal process", practised by Brennan Integration Practitioners after Advanced Studies; it is among the personal-process options for students [source: BBSH Find a practitioner; BBSH FAQs]. Its method is [uncertain: not verified].
Steps. Use only if you hold that credential; otherwise refer. Integrate it with your psychotherapy formulation and keep roles clear. [synthesis]
Example language (illustrative). "This is a body-centred way of working on what we talk about. Would you like to hear more before deciding?"
Watch for. Role confusion between psychotherapist and healer. Working: body and verbal work reinforce each other.

4.20 Coordination with medical care and documentation

Purpose. Keep BHS within a cooperative model of care [source: Light Emerging description]; the details below are [synthesis].
Steps. (1) Ask routinely about medical conditions, medication and other complementary care. (2) With consent, tell the client's doctor that BHS is complementary and not replacing treatment, when relevant. (3) Never advise starting, stopping or changing medicines; refer to the prescriber or pharmacist. (4) Record consent, areas touched, stop signals used and any adverse reactions.
Example language (illustrative). "Would it be okay for me to let your doctor know we're also doing some relaxation-based energy work, so everyone's in the picture?"
Watch for. A client stopping or delaying medical care. Working: the client's medical team is informed and medical care continues.

4.21 Practitioner personal process, ethics and supervision

Purpose. BBSH requires personal process sessions during training and teaches ethics and energetic boundaries [source: BBSH FAQs; Kripalu]. Its Principles of Practice commit practitioners to their own healing, regular individual supervision with a qualified professional, and seeking help for countertransference or strong emotional reactions that could impair the work [source: BBSH Principles of Practice].
Steps. (1) Keep your own therapy or personal process going. (2) Take BHS cases to supervision with someone who understands both psychotherapy and body-based work. (3) Do not sell BBSH courses, books or products to clients, and do not recruit clients into trainings [synthesis].
Example language (illustrative). To a supervisor: "I noticed I wanted this client to have a big experience. I want to look at that."
Watch for. Rescuing, specialness, dual relationships. Working: clear boundaries and steady, unhurried practice.

5. Handling problems

The sources cited here do not set out a problem-handling protocol. Everything in this section is [synthesis] unless a source is named.

Client feels nothing, or doubts the method. Normalise it; experiences vary and the method is optional. Do not try harder or interpret doubt as "resistance" or a block. Offer to drop BHS and continue psychotherapy. Example (illustrative): "Feeling nothing is a perfectly fine result. We don't need to keep doing this."
Overwhelm or dissociation during hands-on work. Stop touch immediately, remove your hands, ground the client (4.3), orient to the room, then talk about what happened only when they are steady. Return to hands-off work or none, and slow the pace. If dissociation recurs, prioritise trauma-focused stabilisation in psychotherapy.
Touch feels unsafe, or trauma memories surface. Stop; ask what would feel safer; offer hands-off work, a different position, or ending BHS altogether. Never coax the client back into touch. Document the event.
Sexual feelings, arousal or romantic attachment. Stop hands-on work, discuss it calmly in psychotherapy as understandable and not shameful, consult supervision, and consider whether BHS should end. The practitioner's own sexual or romantic feelings toward a client are taken to supervision; touch is never sexual and intimate areas are never touched.
Ruptures (client feels misread, judged or exposed by an energetic impression). Acknowledge it directly, take responsibility for the impression, and invite the client's view. Example (illustrative): "I offered that image as if it meant something, and it didn't fit. I'm sorry. What was that like for you?"
Idealisation of the healer or of the method. Watch for the client crediting you with special powers. Point back to the client's own capacities and to ordinary therapeutic factors; consider reducing BHS sessions.
Client wants BHS to treat cancer or another physical illness, or to replace medicine. Do not agree. Say plainly that BHS is not a treatment for disease and is offered only alongside medical care. Explore hopes and fears about the illness and treatment; with consent, involve the doctor. If the client is delaying or refusing medical treatment, explore the reasons without coercion, respect capacity, and follow your safeguarding duties where a child or a person lacking capacity is affected. Example (illustrative): "I can't offer this as a cure, and I'd be worried if it led to stopping treatment. Can we talk about what's making the medical side so hard?"
Client asks you to stop or change medication. Never advise; refer to the prescriber or pharmacist.
Spiritual emergence, intense spiritual experiences or psychotic features. Stop BHS; assess mental state; arrange psychiatric assessment if there are signs of psychosis or mania. Do not frame perceptual disturbances as "opening" or "gifts". Do not use energy-perception work with clients who have active psychosis or mania.
Spiritual or religious conflict. Some clients' faith communities object to energy healing. Respect the client's frame and offer psychotherapy without BHS.
"Past-life" or recovered-memory material. Do not confirm, elaborate or encourage searching. Keep the focus on present functioning and meaning. Avoid court-relevant memory work entirely.
Non-adherence to self-practice. Shrink the practice to a short grounding exercise linked to an existing daily habit; explore what gets in the way; never imply that lack of practice causes illness.
Stuck therapy. Check whether BHS has become a way to feel better in session while avoiding difficult conversations. Return to the formulation and goals; consider pausing BHS.
Client wants to train at BBSH or attend workshops. Explore the wish in therapy. Do not recruit, refer for profit, or sell books, courses or products. Help the client weigh time, cost (multi-year residential training) and the effect on current commitments. If you teach or have a financial tie to BBSH or its workshops, disclose it and refer elsewhere.
Children and adolescents. Get parental consent and the young person's own assent, keep sessions short and fully clothed, ensure a parent or chaperone is present or nearby, and never let BHS replace medical care for a child. Follow safeguarding procedures if a child is being deprived of medical care.
Complaints or boundary concerns about another BHS practitioner. BBSH states it "is not a licensing or governing body" [source: BBSH Find a practitioner]. Its Principles of Practice bar sexual or romantic activity and "physical or energetic advances" with clients, but publish no complaints procedure [source: BBSH Principles of Practice]. Help the client report concerns about a licensed professional to that professional's licensing board, and report sexual or criminal conduct through police and safeguarding routes. Whether BBSH acts on concerns under its Principles is [uncertain].
Insurance, records and scope. Check that your professional indemnity and licensing board allow complementary hands-on work within your practice before you start; keep separate, clear records; do not bill BHS as psychotherapy.
Ending. End BHS whenever the client wants, without penalty to psychotherapy. Review what helped in plain psychological language so gains do not depend on you or the method.

Sources

Web sources:

Books cited:

Brennan, B. A. (1987). Hands of Light: A Guide to Healing Through the Human Energy Field. Bantam Books (1988 printing, Toronto/New York; Random House ebook 2011).
Brennan, B. A. (1993). Light Emerging: The Journey of Personal Healing. Bantam Books (Random House ebook 2011).
Brennan, B. A. (2017). Core Light Healing: My Personal Journey and Advanced Healing Concepts for Creating the Life You Long to Live. Carlsbad: Hay House.

Not covered by the sources above [uncertain]: written steps for BHS hand positions, chelation, High Sense Perception, hara alignment and core star meditations (taught in training); any professional-body position on BHS or on chaperones for hands-on complementary work.

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