EXPERT SPEAK

From wearing crystal jewellery to placing cabochons on the body, more and more people around the world are trying out crystal healing. Intuitive energy healer Ajaykumar Parakkal says this metaphysical form of healing can alleviate anxiety.

What is crystal healing?

Every person has an aura. It’s known by different names—vibration, electricity, or heat-emitted. Any disease or issue in these vibrations can create imbalances. Crystals and semi-precious stones are known to restore vibration levels to their original frequencies, thus helping create an optimum balance of the aura.

How do crystals reduce stress or anxiety?

Crystals vibrate at frequencies that amplify humans’ inherent healing abilities. We have a physical body that can be seen and felt. But there are other layers that are less easily perceivable like the energy body, thought body, emotional body, and karmic body. Healing crystals work on these subtle levels and help the physical body recover. A few crystals help ground a [anxious] person by creating vibrations at the same frequency as the earth’s.

Which crystals are the most therapeutic ones?

Generally, I recommend stones like celestite, amethyst, rose quartz, clear quartz, blue lace agate, aquamarine, lepidolite, black tourmaline, or shungite. However, in most cases, these stones only target the symptoms of anxiety and serve as a starting point. A combination of stones—apart from these—help clear the entire path leading up to the anxiety.

How do you find the right crystal?

Research multiple trustworthy sources and educate yourself by consulting healers. When [you’re] at a crystal shop, follow your intuition and choose the one that calls out to you. Hold different crystals and feel their vibrations. Or consult the crystal shop owner or your metaphysical healer to guide you.

Crystal healing is often considered pseudoscientific. Your take?

There’s a widespread belief that stones are pseudoscientific. This assumption could be due to lack of research or understanding of the physical world. A few studies discuss the piezoelectric energy that radiates from crystals, while others talk about nature’s fifth force that may not have been discovered in Western sciences yet. With so much scope to learn and unlearn, I don’t believe that a person’s experience for their benefit should be taken for granted. If crystal healing doesn’t hurt the user or hamper treatments—instead benefits, even if anecdotally—I believe it’s worth it.

Can you suggest some other methods of boosting one’s mental well-being?

Professional diagnoses help with these issues faster, as mental health is not as easy to decipher as physical fitness. While awaiting professional help, I recommend channelled thinking, which requires taking note of negative thoughts, analysing them, and temporarily replacing them with positive thoughts. Meditating by chanting, painting, and reading are great activities too. moksa.in

Clockwise: Healer Ajaykumar Parakkal; crystals are said to restore one’s vibration levels to their original frequencies; Parakkal suggests holding them and feeling their vibrations before choosing one.