Some Thoughts on "Energy" and Holistic Health Care

To my holistic health care pals: Please, please, please! Before you go making qualitative judgments about others' "energy" check in with yourself first to: 

1) Be very, very clear about what is yours and what is theirs. What are your judgments? What is your history you are bringing to this? Does this person or situation remind you of someone or something from your past? 

2) Ask yourself: Is this person really putting out the sort of energy I think they are putting out? Or is my qualitative statement simply a reflection of how I feel about this person or situation? 

Am I offended or uncomfortable in some way? Does this person or situation make me feel scared or insecure? How can I learn to peacefully exist with this situation or person and not feel this way without feeling the need to change them or shut them out? How can I personally grow from doing so? 

3) Is it possible I am making this qualitative statement to avoid dealing with my own issues and feelings about this situation or person and addressing them as an evolved adult human being? 

4) Why do I feel the need to make a qualitative judgement or statement at all? If it is not my "stuff" and truly is theirs, why not just let it roll off my back and go about my business? Is it really my place to make this assessment? 

Seriously: if you consider yourself a "healer" (which I have never called myself)  you need to heal your own issues first--especially before you try to assess others' spiritual or energetic well-being. There are some very charismatic leaders in the San Francisco bodywork community that encourage this sort of thing, and I think it is very dangerous and destructive if used indiscriminately.