The popularity of New Age beliefs, yoga, mindfulness and alternative medicine over recent years has fueled a resurgence of interest in crystal healing. From crystal-infused water bottles and perfumes to gemstone healing necklaces, facials and massages, there’s no shortage of crystal applications.

Though crystal healing is still considered a pseudoscience, some sources estimate it existed as far back as 6,000 years ago with the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia. The amount of information available to the public on alternative medicines like crystal healing continues to grow, too. However, there aren’t any peer-reviewed studies that prove the efficacy of crystal healing. There isn’t any evidence to suggest that crystals do harm, either, so long as traditional treatments aren’t neglected. (For instance, crystals aren’t a replacement for prescription medications, cancer treatments or mental health therapy.)

What Are Healing Crystals?

Crystals are stones with physical characteristics, such as a specific formation or ordering of atoms, that affect light refraction, electrical charge and more. Crystal healing emphasizes these qualities and how they might affect the human body’s vibration, electrical charge and functionality. “These vibrations and frequencies can also be understood as qi, or vital energy that makes up any living entity,” explains Jenelle Kim, a doctor of Chinese medicine and founder and formulator of JBK Wellness Labs.

How Do Healing Crystals Work?

Crystal healing is believed to affect an individual in two possible ways: through vibration and through mindset.

Vibrational Medicine

In the 1970s, IBM researcher Marcel Vogel coined the term “vibrational medicine,” referring to the belief that crystal healing alters the vibration of the body’s molecules to match the vibrational energy of whatever crystal is being used. “Crystals have a similar wavelength to the human body, which means they vibrate at the same tone as humans and can enhance the body’s natural healing [process],” says Dr. Kim.

Los Angeles-based holistic chiropractor Alexandra Trevisan further explains, “As humans, we have the ability to operate within this energy scale, either ascending or descending. Think love and enthusiasm at the top, and fear and hate at the bottom of the scale. Healing crystals typically hold one or more of the frequencies at the high end of the energetic scale (love, clarity and/or hope) or repel energy from the low end of the energetic scale (anger, jealousy and/or despair).”

Mindset

Crystal healing can also harness the power of the mind in a way that’s perhaps even more potent than vibrational energy improvements. Throughout history, poets and religious leaders viewed crystals as symbols of purity, pleasure, faith and perfection. They used crystals as a source of inspiration, devotion and creativity.

Stanford researchers agree that mindset plays a significant role in health and healing. Practitioners believe the intention-based mindset of crystal healing—like what’s cultivated in mindfulness meditation—can help with immunity, focus, emotional processing, stress reduction and nervous system regulation.

How Do You Use Healing Crystals?

There are multiple ways to use healing crystals, from meditation to decoration and beyond.

Meditation

Holding or gazing at a crystal that represents a mantra, emotion or intention is a simple and effective way to return to your meditation practice when the mind wanders. “On a more practical level, they serve as a grounding tool,” says Trevisan.

Wearing

Many crystal healers recommend wearing crystals on your skin or in your clothes to benefit most from the vibrational medicine theory. Trevisan, for example, places crystals on her client’s body— “on a chakra, or energy center”—while she works with them.

Decor

Shanise Spruill, a certified holistic practitioner and founder of JOHARI and LOU Artisan Soul Stones, suggests adding crystals to your home decor to “maintain healthy feng shui within your home.”

Spa Treatments and Wellness

Many holistic health practitioners use crystals in facials, massages and even chiropractic adjustments.

Benefits of Healing Crystals, Supported By ScienceIs there data to suggest crystals offer any healing or restorative properties? Look a bit deeper, and skeptics might find a surprise or two.

Placebo Effect

The placebo effect is the most effective and identifiable result of crystal healing. Often unappreciated due to its ability to blur research results, this effect is a powerful tool when working in the medical and wellness fields. Closely related to mindset, there are countless benefits to believing that you’re healing, whether physically or emotionally.

Cross-Cultural Significance

Despite the lack of peer-reviewed studies to support crystal healing, the practice boasts an undeniably rich historical and cultural significance. “As a ninth-generation doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine, my expertise is rooted in the principles of qi, the connection and wavelength of the universe, and the human mind and body,” says Dr. Kim. “This knowledge has been passed down in my lineage from generation to generation for centuries.”

The Piezoelectric Effect

The piezoelectric effect is a scientific principle used, in part, to explain vibrational medicine. The piezoelectric effect enables crystals to transform a mechanical pressure into another form of energy, such as light, electricity or sound, and then amplify it. This technology is used in many materials, such as microchips and batteries. In crystal healing, this concept is applied, magnifying the potency of the energies in a person’s body or surroundings.

Where to Buy the Best Healing Crystals

Crystals can be found online, in a practitioner’s office or in local crystal shops. However, crystals take many years to develop or grow naturally, so sourcing may be an issue. Make sure that wherever you get your crystals from, the provider lists a source or even a sourcing process so you can buy with confidence. That due diligence can help you acquire a high-quality crystal and ensure you’re not contributing to environmental destruction.

Caring for Healing Crystals

Crystal believers suggest clearing new crystals of old energy, as well as physically cleaning them, upon purchase. Additionally, crystals may be cleansed ritually and regularly. One way to do so is under a full moon. “To help get the most out of your crystals, place them outside under the night of the full moon,” suggests Trevisan. “This will help them clear their old energy they have been picking up and revitalize them so they can work their full power.”

More practically, Spruill points out that some crystals are delicate and should be handled with care. “Not all crystals can be submerged in water, so be careful about the placement of your crystals and crystal jewellery,” she cautions.

Source: Forbes

Bibliography:

Crystal healing: Stone-cold facts about gemstone treatments. Live Science. Accessed 2/21/2022.

Who Was Marcel Vogel?. Medium. Accessed 2/21/2022.

Stanford scholar tackles the history of people’s obsession with crystals. Stanford News. Accessed 2/21/2022.

Patient mindset matters in healing and deserves more study, experts say. Stanford Medicine News Center. Accessed 2/21/2022.

Walach H, Jonas WB. Placebo research: the evidence base for harnessing self-healing capacities. J Altern Complement Med. 2004;10 Suppl 1:S103-12.

Schlitz M. Meditation, prayer and spiritual healing: the evidence. Perm J. 2005;9(3):63-66.
Piezoelectric Effect. Science Direct. Accessed 2/21/2022.
Crystal Encyclopedia. House of Intuition. Accessed 2/21/2022

Note: The information provided does not constitute a medical diagnosis or recommendation. Professional therapists operate strictly within the framework of their specialization providing therapeutic support and care. For any medical concerns clients should directly contact their physician.