Have you ever heard of the term aura? Have you seen or felt someone else’s aura? Or have you ever felt the “energy” of someone as they entered or left the room? Have you ever felt a bad “vibe” regarding a person, place or situation? If so, you are not alone. In fact, you may be perceiving or sensing another person’s biofield! Science has proven that the human biofield, or the human energy field, exists. But it has wildly ranging interpretations and applications. “Vibes” and “auras” are definitely part of it, but there’s more to it than that!
There is no precise consensus of what constitutes a biofield. Some scientists state that it consists of multiple fields interacting and communicating with each other at the quantum level and sharing information instantly. This affects the physical body and underlies all physiology. They also believe that it is a part of a morphogenetic field, created by morphic resonance, which serves for the self-organization of species and individuals. The discussion of what it is is a part of the dilemma on the origins and mechanisms of consciousness, which is difficult for mainstream science to agree upon. Biofield therapies have proved to have undeniable benefits (for stress, anxiety, pain, etc.) which scientists cannot explain with the argument of a placebo effect. And they have no side effects. The current problem is developing sensitive equipment and techniques to measure the small changes in the body’s energy.
Table of Contents
1.0 The History of Biofields and Relationships with Chakras
2.0 What is the human biofield?
3.0 The Biofield as a built in Wi-Fi system
4.0 The Biofield as a Morphogenetic Field
5.0 The Biofield in Quantum Field Theory
6.0 Integrating the Biofield into Mainstream Medicine and Science
7.0 Conclusion
9.0 Sources
1.0 The History of Biofields and Relationships with Chakras
In Eastern cultures, many energy healers believe the energy contained in biofields is synonymous with “universal life force energy”. Multiple ancient and contemporary Eastern traditions around the world described life force energy. And it goes by many names. Chi in China, Prana in India, Ki in Japan, Ka by the Egyptians. And many more indigenous tribes around the globe have their own names for it.
We’ve written a whole post about different types of pranayama that can move your energy around in the ways best for you here. Take a look, it might help to alleviate all sorts of problems, such as anxiety, stress, depression, memory and sleep difficulties, and more.
Chakras, which are the spinning disc shaped wheels of energy points, are also highly correlated and connected to biofields. Similarly, they both share a rich and diverse history of practice, therapies, and techniques. These span millennia in Eastern cultures and nations and are still strong today.
To learn more about the real science behind chakras, not the woo-woo stuff, go here. And to understand more about the connection between the root chakra and adrenal gland, check this post.
However, there is still much we do not know about biofields
There is STILL a lack of consensus as to exactly what it consists of. Also, its function in and around the human body are not clear.
As we look at the rapid pace science and technology today, with unbelievable recent accomplishments such as nanotechnology, microchips, electric cars, and particle accelerators such as the Hadron Collider, it never ceases to amaze me how much we still don’t know about the human body.
Our goal here is to provide a clearer understanding of biofields using as much tangible scientific data and studies as possible. At the same time we aim to discuss the non-scientific components that are harder to measure. These components are emotional, or even spiritual.
We will discover real world applications of biofield research. And also therapies that are reducing pain, stress, and anxiety for those who suffer from illness and disease such as cancer. And we will look into the integration of these techniques into modern and mainstream medicine and science.
2.0 What Is the Human Biofield?
The human bi was first defined by a group of Complementary and Alternative Medicine practitioners and researchers at the Office of Alternative Medicine within the US National Institute of Health in 1992. They defined it as “a massless field, not necessarily electromagnetic, that surrounds and permeates living bodies and affects the body”.
One of the reasons that the definition is so vague is that it is an overarching term. And it consists of many branches and subbranches of science. These branches may overlap into those that mainstream has historically considered “taboo” or “pseudoscience”.
For example, the biofield deals with more established scientific fields of biophotonics, bioplasma, biofeedback, electromagnetic field (EMF) research. At the same it also contains the study of less tangible and less credible fields such as parapsychology and consciousness.
The original definition stated that the biofield is “not necessarily electromagnetic”. However, it is important to note that in many theories of the constitution of the biofield, electromagnetic fields are usually one component or layer. This is so especially because they are more easily measurable due to higher amounts of energy and multiple measurement devices.
Dr. Rubik explains, “What is understood so far is that the biofield is composed of a series of fields, electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields, as well as other yet undefined more subtle energies.”
Perhaps the best way to explain the biofield is to liken it to a “bridge” between the mind and the body because it allows us to sense and perceive (using either model scientific biofield devices and/or traditional ancient techniques) many of the biological, chemical, and physical aspects of the body as well as the related emotional and conscious component of ourselves simultaneously.
3.0 The Biofield as a built in Wi-Fi system
In many ways, you can liken a biofield to our own natural, built in Wi-Fi system!
Dr. Beverly Rubik, former Director of Temple University’s Center for Frontier Sciences and a leading member in the Office of Alternative Medicine at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) explains, “This author [Dr. Rubik] has proposed the biofield as nature’s original “wireless” communication system, in which the field is complex and dynamic, like a moving hologram, conveying information throughout the organism and the central regulator of homeodynamics, the steady state behavior that changes as the organism integrates new information. The biofield may be involved in biological development and regeneration, by virtue of its high bandwidth, extensiveness throughout the organism, and rapid communication capabilities.”
4.0 The Biofield as a Morphogenetic Field
Regarding biological development and regeneration in humans, there is another complementary theory that the biofield is a “morphogenetic field” linked to the larger morphic field. This field is responsible for the self-organization of each species and individual. It acts like “memory” and creates “habits” rather than laws from the same or similar species.
Originally proposed by Dr. Rupert Sheldrake in 1991, morphic resonance creates morphogenetic fields in and around an individual member of a species, including humans. Morphogenetic fields radically change the way we look at genetics as well as the biological inheritance of information. You can think of morphic fields as an inherent memory that is like the internet or a TV signal rather than the hardware of a computer or a DVD. According to Dr. Sheldrake, this creates a “collective memory” across the species of shared biological inheritance.
He states, “And biological inheritance need not all be coded in the genes, or in epigenetic modifications of the genes; much of it depends on morphic resonance from previous members of the species. Thus each individual inherits a collective memory from past members of the species, and also contributes to the collective memory, affecting other members of the species in the future.”
5.0 The Biofield in Quantum Field Theory
Another theory of what constitutes the biofield is proposed by Peter Marcer, Edgar Mitchell (original Apollo 11 astronaut) and Walter Schempp (the founder of the MRI machine). It shares many similarities to Dr. Sheldrake’s morphogenetic field theory. And it proposes that all matter, and all life, has many quantum attributes and quantum fields that were once reserved only for subatomic particles.
More specifically, they state that we are essentially quantum beings and come into contact with millions of phase conjugate resonant quantum waves that each have their own unique properties and characteristics, similar to a signature. This unique “signature” that is unique at both the species and individual level and encodes us, and this makes up our unique biofield. Additionally, we extract these phase waves of all matter around us constantly, both at the conscious and subconscious level, and collectively they believe this is one of the mechanisms that explains consciousness.
To understand more about how yoga changes consciousness and brain waves, check this post.
There is an interconnection between these theories. And they both see the biofield as not just one field, but multiple fields interacting and communicating with each other at the quantum level and sharing information instantly.
For this reason, the best analogy is to look at the biofield as a NETWORK OF FIELDS.
Another theorist of the biofield, acupuncture professor and practitioner Peter H. Fraser summarized this best. He defines the biofield as “a complex, structured network of fields that interpenetrates the physical body and underlies all physiology.”
6.0 Integrating the Biofield into Mainstream Medicine and Science
As discussed, there is no precise consensus of what constitutes a biofield. There’s a great deal of subjectivity here. Unlike classical science, many biofield theories dealt with complicated quantum field theory. And this one was historically reserved for subatomic particles. Similarly, the biofield itself is a part of the discussion of the origins and mechanisms of consciousness. This is also a topic that is difficult for mainstream science to decipher and agree upon.
Science and medicine are already working on incorporating and integrating more alternative and holistic science, such as the biofield, into the mainstream. One of biggest problems is the need for sensitive equipment and techniques to measure very small changes in the body’s energy.
According to biomedical engineer, Kimberly Schipke, “… medical science has been largely focused on the mechanical and chemical aspects of the body […] There have been a number of researchers […] who have done extensive investigation into the electromagnetic body. However, the field of subtle energy research has been limited by the sensitivity of the technologies and their capability to detect minute changes in and around the body.”
Yet there are undeniable benefits of biofield therapies for those who have participated in trials which scientists cannot explain away by a placebo or control group. One study in 2011 concluded a significant reduction in fatigue and cortisol slope for breast cancer survivors for those who conducted four weeks of biofield healing therapy. Cortisol slope significantly decreased for the biofield group compared to the mock healing and control groups.
Due to the non-invasiveness of biofield therapies, and virtually no reported side effects, they are growing in popularity alongside traditional medical care. Patients have reported reductions in pain, stress, anxiety, and tension.
And here’s how with yoga and meditation we can use science to calm down from stress and anxiety.
7.0 Conclusion
Throughout history, there have been writings, art, and statues depicting auras and halos. These are thought to be a reference to the human biofield. The subtle energies which make up the biofield have had multiple names across different indigenous and eastern cultures and traditions throughout the millennia, such as prana in India, chi in China, Ki in Japan, and more. Many of these traditions are still alive today.
There definitely is consensus that the biofield exists. But scientists and researchers alike still have many theories about what it’s made of and its function.
However, they share common themes of subtle energies, chakras, electromagnetic fields, quantum field theory, consciousness, uniqueness to each individual, and the sharing of information. Another common theme is that the biofield is a network of fields that communicates information in real time. And it is predictive of future disease and illness. It has been likened to our body’s atmosphere or a Wi-Fi network.
It appears highly likely that the biofield will continue to be studied in further detail and new and innovative biofield measuring devices and techniques will continue to grow and complement modern medicine.
We hope that increased study and research of biofields will help further our understanding of the human body, biology, chemistry, and physics as well as help prevent illnesses and diseases through less invasive techniques with fewer side affects for patients.
More on the Human Biofield
9.0 Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3391880/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029111913.htm
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/quantum-field-theory/
https://www.sheldrake.org/research/morphic-resonance
https://www.bio-well.com/gb/company/about_korotkov.html
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12614524/
https://www.cosmosandhistory.org/index.php/journal/article/viewFile/499/1184
https://www.researchgate.net/lab/Thornton-Streeter-Lab
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4654789/#R6
https://bdigital.ufp.pt/bitstream/10284/775/1/151-172Cons-Ciencias%2002-2.pdf
https://www.biofieldlab.com/whatisthebiofield
https://www.faim.org/measurement-of-the-human-biofield-and-other-energetic-instruments
https://laquilaactive.com/blogs/news/the-real-science-behind-chakras
https://laquilaactive.com/blogs/news/how-to-unblock-each-chakra
https://laquilaactive.com/blogs/news/yoga-science-thinking-feelingly
Jonathan O’Donnell, Founder and Senior Contributor At L’Aquila Active
Learn more about Jonathan by reading his bio below.
Click on link below to meet L’Aquila Active’s entire team of experts, including university degrees, certifications, and credentials on yoga and meditation: