Kelly Neff – Despite the plethora of anecdotal evidence that exists on the healing powers of stones and crystals, the debate continues to rage in the scientific community over whether crystals actually have any real healing power. For example, a basic internet search reveals many articles claiming crystal healing to be pseudoscience. In fact, one recent study argues that crystals have absolutely no healing power and that the placebo effect accounts for people’s healing experiences with them.

As a trained research scientist, I am naturally critical and curious about everything in my life. Despite having a fascination with rocks and crystals in childhood, I forgot about them and was drawn away from them during my time in school and doctoral training. Then in my late 20?s, during a highly tumultuous time in my life, I began meditating, and during my meditations I began to see visions of crystals. I didn’t know why, but I wanted to touch them and hold them. But I brushed it aside, still new to listening to my intuition, and figured I was just having random hallucinations.

About six months later my boyfriend Jimmy Ohm took me to a crystal healing course taught by a Reiki Master, Thao Le, who walked us through a bunch of different stones, allowing us to hold them and perceive their energies. In what was very much a “blind” experiment, I found that even with my eyes closed, I could feel how each stone was different, and how it resonated and vibrated in my hand. I felt something real that I could not explain or ignore. Continue reading →