Have you ever seen crystals around, such as in a yoga class, in a local boutique, on jewelry, or in a friend’s windowsill, and wondered what they were all about?
Crystals don’t just look pretty, and they also aren’t just a popular trend in new-age, alternative, and spiritual-based practices. Crystals are believed to have healing qualities, and crystal healing is a practice that has been around for thousands of years.
Let’s learn a little bit more about what crystal healing is, what some of the benefits might be, and how to experiment with healing crystals for yourself.
What is crystal healing?
Crystals are different types of semi-rare stones. These gemstones can come in a wide variety of colors and textures. Many people believe that crystals have unique properties that can influence our health, well-being, emotional state, and more.
The use of crystals in healing traditions dates back thousands of years. Crystals played important roles in healing ceremonies and religious rituals in ancient Egyptian, Indian, Chinese, and Greek and Roman civilizations for example.1
Today, crystals are a popular element of many different healing modalities and spiritual practices and can often be seen used in settings like yoga studios, meditation practices, energy healing sessions, and more.
How does crystal healing work?
The idea of crystal healing is rooted in traditional medicine concepts that describe life-force energy in the body, such as traditional Chinese medicine or the chakra system. In these traditional healing practices, it is thought that bringing the body’s life-force energy into balance and alignment is essential to health and wellbeing. Many people believe that different crystals and stones can interact with that energy, helping to correct imbalances and clear blockages in the energy field.
Crystals are also thought to emit different energies and vibrations that can help you to achieve specific outcomes like greater clarity, happiness, energy, or calm, for example.1
Crystal healing may be used for a wide variety of health and wellness-related concerns ranging from stress relief to improving digestion. Along with enhancing physical and psychological well-being, crystals are also often thought to influence things like finances, luck, sexuality, and more.1
Types of crystals and their potential benefits
In crystal healing, different types of stones are said to have different properties and different benefits. Here are a few types of stones and their touted potential benefits:
- Clear quartz. Known as the “master healer.” Clears the mind and aids in concentration and memory. Amplifies energy and balances out the entire body.
- Rose quartz. Encourages love, respect, forgiveness, and trust. Supports harmony in relationships and supports self-love as well.
- Obsidian. Protects against physical and emotional negativity. Promotes strength and helps you get grounded.
- Malachite. Offers energetic support and is especially helpful during times of change and transformation. Promotes strength, courage, and abundance.
- Moonstone. Promotes inner growth and soothes stress and other strong emotions. Known to be a supportive stone for new beginnings.
- Turquoise. Supports the chakras and can help to balance emotions and promote feelings of peace. Said to benefit the respiratory system along with the immune system.
- Citrine. A crystal of happiness, helping to bring joy, wonder, and enthusiasm to your life. Also helps release negative traits while enhancing qualities of mindfulness and creativity.
- Black tourmaline. Known as “the master” of removing negativity. Serves as a protective shield against negative energies and is thought to help reduce the negative effects of electromagnetic fields on the body.2 3 4
Do healing crystals really work?
Aside from a very old study conducted in 1880 by two French physicists showing that heating and putting pressure on crystals could create electricity,5 there is currently a lack of scientific evidence supporting the health benefits of crystal healing.
But the absence of peer-reviewed medical studies doesn’t mean that people don’t have positive experiences with crystals, and that there aren’t countless anecdotal reports of the power of healing crystals.
At least part of the power of crystals may be in the mind, and it may involve the placebo effect. While the placebo effect can get a bad rap, experts actually believe it to be a very powerful and important effect that can provide real benefits to us physically and mentally.6 So the belief in the power of crystals may be at least partly responsible for the positive effects reported by so many proponents of crystal healing.
If you believe that crystal healing might help you, then it just might actually help you.
And perhaps there are other things going on, too, that scientists just don’t know how to study yet. Just because we haven’t been able to see the benefits of healing crystals confirmed by any studies doesn’t mean they don’t have a place and can’t be of benefit.
Even without scientific evidence, there are many ways that healing crystals can offer support for both physical and mental well-being. For example, they may:
- Provide a symbol of support for you when you are feeling down, stressed, or overwhelmed.
- Serve as a reminder to you to slow down and pause regularly.
- Give you something to center in on to feel more grounded, such as during a meditation practice.
- Serve as a physical reminder of your intentions and goals.
- Help you connect to nature.
- Fulfill a spiritual need.7
All of these can be very important factors that can influence your health and well-being and support you in feeling your best.
A crystal healing session: what to expect
One way to dive into the world of crystal healing to see how they work for you is to set up a session with a trained crystal healing practitioner.
There are several different types of practitioners who use healing crystals in their practices. These can include energy healers, Reiki practitioners, or massage therapists, for example, or individuals who specialize in crystal healing specifically.
A crystal healing session may look a little bit different from provider to provider, as many people’s approach will be unique. The practitioner may ask you to hold certain stones, or they may place stones on different parts of your body. The placement of stones may or may not correspond to different chakra points. They may also perform other services alongside the crystal healing such as Reiki, massage, aromatherapy, and more.
Your crystal healing practitioner will likely design an individualized wellness plan based on your concerns and symptoms, which will result in a unique selection of stones, placements, and modalities.
You may also be instructed on how to use crystals after the session is over, such as wearing them on your body, placing them under your pillow, and so on.
Using crystal healing at home
If you are interested in trying out crystal healing, another way to do so is to experiment with different crystals yourself and use them at home and in your daily life.
There are many different books and online guides that can help you to learn about all of the different crystal varieties and their potential uses and benefits.
Before you begin, get clear on your intentions and goals. What kind of support are you looking for? Are you looking for more clarity? Stress relief? Balanced energy? Then look for crystals that may be able to support you in the areas you are looking to be supported in.
There may be a local shop in your area that sells crystals, gems, and stones; these types of shops can be a great resource to both learn about and purchase the crystals you want. You can also search online. Just be careful to find a quality brand to purchase from to ensure that you’re getting the real thing.
Here are just a few of the different ways to use crystal healing in your daily life:
- Wear them on your body, in pockets of clothing, or as jewelry.
- Place them in areas of your house, like on your desk, bedside table, or windowsill.
- Put them in your purse or work bag to bring with you on the go.
- Hold them in your hand for a few minutes a day, or before a particular event or situation.
- Put them in your bathwater during a relaxing bath.
- Use them during meditation, by placing them around your space or holding them as you meditate.
Cleansing and recharging your crystals
An important part of crystal use for many people is cleansing and recharging the stones. It is thought that crystals absorb the energies that they are exposed to—which can include negative energies that you may not want. For that reason, many people choose to cleanse their crystals to release any negative energy they may be holding and “recharge” them so they can be filled back up with healing energy. This is usually done when you first get a new crystal, and then every so often afterwards.
Some common methods of cleansing and recharging crystals include:
- Rinsing them under running water, ideally in a natural source like a river or stream
- Submerging them in saltwater
- Putting them in a bowl with brown rice for a day
- Smudging them with a sage stick
- Putting them outside overnight during a full moon
- Using tuning forks, chimes, or singing bowls near them to bathe them in the vibrations of sound
- Putting them on or in the soil for 24 hours
- Using breathwork or visualization
The method you use should depend on the type of stone and its specific properties. For example, solid, hard crystals may do well submerged in water while porous, soft stones may not tolerate getting wet.
Is crystal healing right for you?
Crystals can be a wonderful, supportive healing modality to add to your toolkit. They are safe, easy to use, and can be incorporated into enjoyable, positive daily routines and habits.
While there isn’t any direct risk of using crystal healing modalities, it’s important to consult with your doctor or other qualified healthcare practitioner to receive medical advice for any health concern that you may have. Crystal healing is best used as a complementary healing practice, as part of a comprehensive medical plan overseen by your healthcare team.
Another thing to consider with crystal healing is that it can get expensive. So be sure to choose stones within your budget; there is no need to break the bank and drain the pocketbook. And you may not need an entire collection—just a few carefully chosen pieces that are right for you and your needs.
So, are crystals right for you?
Ultimately, it comes down to this: if you believe that there may be some power in healing crystals and that they could benefit you, then they may well be worth a try as a complementary healing tool. And if you already use crystals and feel that they’re helping you, then it’s definitely worth continuing your crystal healing practice.
Play around with it, and have fun incorporating these healing gemstones into your life!
Crystal Healing balancer Virtual Item
A digital signature representing crystal healing can be scanned as a wellness service in the ZYTO Balance, Select, or Elite software. By looking at the Services Report, you can see whether the response was positive and how positive it was. If Crystal Healing was one of the top 5 wellness services, it will also show up in the ZYTO Balance Wellness Report. Other reports in the Select and Elite display the top 5 wellness services as well.
About Chelsea Clark
Chelsea Clark is a writer and certified health and wellness coach who is passionate about supporting others along their own health journeys. She enjoys helping people make positive, lasting changes so that they can live the happiest, healthiest life possible.
Sources:
Ishaque, S., T. Saleem, & W. Qidwai. “Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding gemstone therapeutics in a selected adult population in Pakistan.” BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9, no. 32 (2009).
Estrada, Jessica. “10 Types of Crystals for Healing, Self-Love, Energy Clearing, and Positivity.” Well+Good LLC. Wellandgood.com.
Regan, Sarah. “A Beginner’s Guide to 10 Types of Crystals & How to Use Each of Them.” Mindbodygreen. Mindbodygreen.com.
Rekstis, Emily. “Healing Crystals 101.” Healthline Media. Healthline.com.
Curie, J., and P. Curie. “Développement par compression de l’électricité polaire dans les cristaux hémièdres à faces inclines.” Bulletin de Mineralogie (1880): 90-93.
Heid, Markham. “You Asked: Do Healing Crystals Actually Work?” Time USA LLC. Time.com.
Shashkevich, A. “Stanford scholar tackles the history of people’s obsession with crystals.” Stanford University. News.stanford.com.
