Know Your “Vibes”

Never in my wildest dreams did I think that subtle energy – “vibes” – would become a common term for people when talking about their sense of themselves and others. But thanks to Taylor Swift (I know she didn’t start it, but she helped) here we are. So, I thought I would take a moment to briefly talk about the relationship between “vibes,” mental health, and the work that I do. This way, if you’re interested in learning more about “vibes” perhaps this can be a place to start.

I’ve been studying subtle energy for nearly 20 years. I first met my energy teacher, Jim Kreider, in graduate school at the University of Kansas. I studied under Jim for a number of years before also working with his teacher, Rene Brown, who was teaching in Minnesota. Over the years I also met a few times with Jim and Renes’ teacher, Donna Tayor, the source of much these teachings. And I worked with another developing teacher, Andrea Lindo. Through this whole process of learning, I became a teacher myself. I say all of this to say, I know “vibes” pretty well. But I am also certainly still learning.

What are “Vibes?”

One online definition of “vibes” is: “A person’s emotional state or the atmosphere of a place as communicated to or felt by others.” Basically, it’s what we feel within ourselves, others, or in certain places that gives us information about what might be going on at a more subtle level. And that’s just it – energy is essentially information. But its information that is received and felt in the body, not the mind. Our mind can certainly interpret that information, but my experience is it doesn’t usually do a good job of it without some training, hence all my studying.

But hold on – what exactly are “vibes?” What is subtle energy really?

I used to explain subtle energy as having to do with the concept of matter itself – molecules bouncing off one another at various speeds creating various vibrations. The slower the vibration the more solid the thing, the higher the vibration, the less solid. I used to explain how some things like our emotions, thoughts, and beliefs have their own energies too. But because they have such high vibrations they can’t be measured by our current physical instruments. We humans can sense these things energetically, however, because our bodies have an energy anatomy that enables us to sense subtle energy. But I don’t use this explanation anymore because it doesn’t feel quite right.

Subtle energy can’t be proven. It’s largely considered a pseudoscience. And any attempt to make it appear scientific, I feel, is misleading. Instead, subtle energy is a belief in an unseen aspect of all living things.

If it’s merely a belief, then why would I include it as a core aspect of my form of therapy and spend nearly two decades studying it? Because, when I engage in this belief both personally and professionally, things happen.

And if we’re honest, all therapies are based on beliefs. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) believes that our thoughts control our feelings. EMDR believes that eye-movement changes the brain. Relational Psychoanalysis believes that unpacking in-the-moment relational dynamics changes us. Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) believes that we have different parts inside of us. None of these beliefs, themselves, can be proven but still all these therapies point to their outcomes as evidence that they’re helpful. And they are, even though they’re based on beliefs.

It's no different with my therapy approach, Somatic Energy Therapy. Engaging with the belief in subtle energy helps me know myself deeper and sense what’s happening for others more clearly. The people that I help in my therapy practice seem to get better more often and faster. My life also makes more sense, as does the world around me. I feel better. I’m a better person; kinder, more accepting, more curious.  It makes a big difference.

My belief in subtle energy also helps me understand what might be happening for my clients when it comes to their mental health concerns. And it helps my clients understand and work with experiences that are often otherwise too abstract and intangible to do much with.

Out of my study of energy I’ve also developed a new perspective of mental health called the Adaption, Suppression, Habituation Theory – the ASH Theory. This theory brings together different ideas about mental health for a more comprehensive and holistic picture of what causes many mental health problems.

Briefly, the ASH Theory explains the possibility that our body learns to automatically suppress its emotions due to certain attachment dynamics in childhood. This results in mental health “symptoms” later in life, that are actually signs of suppression. This process, however, is only made possible when we let the concept of subtle energy – “vibes” – in the room.

Healing, then, is about learning to work with our body to cultivate a safe internal ecosystem where those suppressed emotions can be felt in ways that don’t overwhelm us or shut us down. When we do that, we get better.

The psychological jargon here, “bottom-up processing,” and it just means that when we focus on resolving our physical experience of a psychological problem, the psychology takes care of itself. And for Somatic Energy Therapy, part of that physical experience is energy.

How to Learn?

So, if you’re interested in learning how to perceive and work with energy yourself, how do you it? Well, you probably know that you’re not going to learn everything by reading this article. It takes learning through lots of guided experiences. At the same time, you certainly can start the process now.

At its core, perceiving energy is about learning to be present in your physical body. This means feeling the physicality of your body – your arms, legs, torso, head – your body. Being present is also about consciously breathing – feeling your breath, in and out, in each moment that passes. It’s also about being able to hang out there – feeling your body, feeling your breathing – without really doing anything. Sound boring? It can be. But you might also be surprised. A lot can happen when stop distracting ourselves and start feeling our physical existence.

Learning to perceive energy is also a lot about grounding. Now, the term “grounding” is everywhere these days, but it’s not always referring to the same thing. For our purposes, grounding means learning to open your body to receiving energy from the Earth. It is beyond the scope of this article to go much further into grounding than that, but I’ll try to write more about it in future articles.

You can also learn more from my upcoming book about Somatic Energy Therapy or reach out to me about upcoming educational therapy groups I offer, where I teach about energy related to improving mental health.

Is It Real?

But, of course, even if you learn how to perceive energy, how do you know if what you’re experiencing is real? And if “real” is too big a leap, let’s just say “useful.”

We all have our own experiences and when it comes to the vibes we feel, those experiences are highly subjective. One person’s good vibes are another person’s bad. If this is the case, what’s even the point?

The point is the impact opening to energy has on us. When we open ourselves to perceiving subtle energy we show up more. We become more present, more connected with ourselves, more alive. In this way, perceiving energy is not necessarily about what we find, but the looking that makes a difference. As we look to see what’s happening energetically within ourselves, others, or the room, we engage with our life much more deeply.

Now, what we find might also be useful, but it might not. The litmus test is whether it makes a difference in your life choices. Do your energy experiences help you make choices that resonate with your highest values, or do they just make you feel special?

I think about people who claim to have been famous people in their past lives. It may make for a good story, but it likely doesn’t change how they live. But if what you find or feel changes you, perhaps helps you be kinder, or clearer about what’s right for you, or more compassionate towards others, then your energy perceptions are useful. But are they real? Who knows. If they help you, good enough.

Where can the practice of perceiving subtle energy go? All kinds of places. Energy is weird and unpredictable. That’s what I love about it. Just when I think I’ve seen it all, something else shows up that amazes me. From different symbols, objects, or words in or around myself or others, current or past people showing up and hanging around, cords or wires or ropes connecting people, animals of all kinds inside and outside of us – very, very weird.

But again, the point is not about trying to have amazing experiences. In fact, I’ve found that more cool things happen when I don’t try than when I do. The point is also not about being special. Unfortunately, many people get involved with energy practices to feel and be seen as magical, powerful, or special and that’s not helpful at all. It’s just using fantasy to feel good

Instead, getting to know how you experience energy – your “vibes” – is, again, about cultivating a deeper relationship with yourself and your relationships, looking within and asking questions. So, we might learn from our experiences in ways that helps us make better choices.

I hope you found this little article helpful. Please reach out with questions. And as always, take only from it what feels right and true for you and leave the rest.

Be well,

Jake

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