The most well-known form of energy work is probably Reiki. But there are many other modalities that could fit under that umbrella — chakra and aura work, muscle testing, sound healing, breathwork, therapeutic qi gong, acupuncture, massage, homeopathy and some types of botanical treatment.

All of these share one central idea: one person seeks to shift or harmonize the energy of another.

And overall, I think these practices can be deeply helpful — in the right context. When someone finds a modality that truly resonates, it can open the door to real healing. In my view, what we often call “spiritual” work overlaps strongly with physiological safety: parasympathetic activation, emotional regulation, and the gentle processing of subconscious trauma.

Good energy work, at its best, helps us step back from who we think we are and see ourselves from a new lens.

But — as promised in the title — the problem is this: energy work is subtle work.
And subtle things are hard to measure.

I’ve met many so-called energy workers who are, frankly, not very good at what they do but believe themselves to be gifted healers. Because the results of energy work are often subjective and difficult to quantify, even the practitioners themselves may not know when they’re truly helping.

That doesn’t make it impossible to measure — just complicated.
And that complexity often gets bypassed by mutual good intentions.

A client wants to be healed.
A practitioner wants to help.
Both want to believe something meaningful happened.

But two people agreeing that something felt good is not a reliable measure of change.

In my opinion, the real challenge lies not in how to measure, but in who can bear to look. To evaluate your impact honestly, you have to face the possibility that you failed — or worse, that you might have unintentionally caused harm. That’s a serious ego check for anyone attached to being “the intuitive healer” or “the gifted empath.”

The attachment to being a great healer or savior is the biggest blocker to realistic self-evaluation.

Stepping back from that attachment helps you grow — both through more accurate self-assessment and through better client feedback. When clients sense that your self-esteem doesn’t depend on being told the treatment was a success, they’re far more likely to be honest about their experience. That honesty is what allows your work to improve.

For a well-trained dancer, graceful, effortless movements are the result of countless mistakes and long, grueling hours of practice. Similarly, effective energy workers must wrestle with uncertainty.

Since the results aren’t easily measured, a dedicated practitioner should be constantly asking: Did I do it right? That doesn’t mean second-guessing yourself mid-session — confidence is part of the art — but reflection afterward is essential. And the clearest sign you’re doing that well is that it feels uncomfortable.

To care deeply about others while consistently acknowledging uncertainty about your own impact is not an easy path. Real healing work demands that you cultivate a big enough inner container to hold both a passion for healing and uncompromising honesty with yourself.

When I reflect on my time at the National University of Natural Medicine, I saw both options firsthand.

The most popular naturopathic doctors and acupuncturists were often charismatic — near cult figures — utterly confident in their brilliance. Yet there were few, if any, consistent measures showing their “subtle” herbal or homeopathic treatments made a real difference.

The doctors who did make measurable improvements in patient outcomes were different. They were humble. Sometimes anxious. They cared enough to doubt themselves. That anxiety wasn’t weakness — it was evidence of integrity. It pushed them to research more, verify their results, and keep growing.

To sum up, energy work is subtle, and subtle work is inherently hard to measure. With outcomes that lack objective assessment metrics, we must rely on our own intuition, honest reflection, and the sometimes inconsistent feedback of clients. I believe the key—beyond years of study, practice, and hopefully quality mentorship—is cultivating a deeper curiosity for truth than attachment to our own sense of self.

It’s an absurdly large chasm between the sense of oneself as either a gifted healer or delusional quack.

“Energy work is subtle, and subtle work is inherently hard to measure. With outcomes that lack objective assessment metrics, we must rely on our own intuition, honest reflection, and the sometimes inconsistent feedback of clients. I believe the key […] is cultivating a deeper curiosity for truth than attachment to our own sense of self.”

That’s the too-long didn’t read version of today’s blog, “the problem with energy work – according to one energy worker”.

As someone who makes their living doing at least in part some form of energy work, obviously I don’t want the baby thrown out with the bath water, but there’s some junk energy work out there. Let’s talk about it.

Go to: DunbarAcu.com/blog to read more.