Soothes the Spirit: Energy Healer

KIM WEEKS, 33

JOB: Energy healer at Boundless Yoga, which she also owns

SALARY: $65 per 45-minute session, one to 10 sessions per week. Weeks devotes the rest of her time to teaching yoga and running the business.

EDUCATION: Bachelor's in English literature from the University of Virginia

WHAT SHE DOES: Weeks helps patients clear out built-up emotional clutter that's blocking the healthy flow of energy, which she said could manifest as "anything from ulcers to emotions like grief and anxiety." It's like psychoanalysis for the body, she said: "In the same way talk therapy helps patients understand their patterns more quickly than if they tried doing it alone, energy work uncovers dysfunctional energetic patterns."

The actual process is quiet and meditative. As her client lies on a massage table, Weeks burns sage to cleanse the room's energy, as she said Native American shamans have been doing for thousands of years. She then enters a meditative state and feels the energy at the client's seven energy centers, or chakras. She'll touch the patient with one to three fingers, with each touch lasting as long as she feels a block. She might also swirl her hand as if stirring the energy, then flick it as if banishing the negativity.

WOULD YOU WANT HER JOB? The most difficult aspect, said Weeks, is "feeling how intensely in pain some people are," which can even cause her to become nauseated. The work is also quite draining, and she's often hungry for tofu and beans afterward.

HOW YOU CAN GET HER JOB: Aspiring healers should be highly intuitive, with a strong mind/body practice such as yoga, said Weeks, who was introduced to energy healing by her yoga teacher. She recommends workshops and seminars by The Four Winds Society or the Barbara Brennan School of Healing for further exposure. Most important, she said, "You must be certain that your intention is to heal."

This article originally appeared in the Express on October 31, 2005.