The best books on energy healing and the biofield
Energy healing rests on the idea that the body has a field beyond its chemistry, and that belief and intention can change it. The books here cover the research on bioelectricity, on the effect of belief on health, and the practitioners’ own accounts.
These books describe research, theory and personal claims. None of them is medical advice, and several of their claims are not accepted by mainstream medicine. Every title is non-fiction and is cited or recommended by Brendan D. Murphy.
- 1
The Body Electric
Robert O. Becker and Gary Selden, 1998
Robert Becker, an orthopaedic surgeon, on the body’s electrical signalling and its role in healing and regeneration. The most orthodox book on the list.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Human Aura)
- 2
Vibrational Medicine
Richard Gerber, 2001
Richard Gerber’s survey of energy-based therapies and the physics proposed for them.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (Creating And Perceiving The Superhologram; The Occultist’s Seven Planes; The Human Aura; Psychokinesis And The Belief Effect)
- 3
The Biology of Belief
Bruce Lipton, 2009
A cell biologist argues that beliefs and the environment shape the body more than genes do. Popular and contested, so read it alongside the mainstream account.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (Creating And Perceiving The Superhologram)
- 4
It’s the Thought that Counts
David Hamilton, 2009
David Hamilton, a chemist, on how intention and expectation change the body, with the studies behind the claim.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (Quantum Weirdness And Cosmic Oneness; The Human Aura; Telepathy; Psychokinesis And The Belief Effect)
- 5
Hands of Light
Barbara Ann Brennan, 1988
Barbara Brennan, a former NASA physicist, describes the human energy field as she perceives it and how she works with it in healing.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occultist’s Seven Planes; The Human Aura; Telepathy)
- 6
The Genie in your Genes
Dawson Church, 2009
Dawson Church on epigenetics and the effect of intention on genes. Treat the larger claims with caution.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (Creating And Perceiving The Superhologram; The Occultist’s Seven Planes; The Human Aura; Psychokinesis And The Belief Effect)
- 7
The True Power of Water
Masaru Emoto, 2005
Masaru Emoto’s work on how water responds to words, music and intention. His claims are not accepted by mainstream science.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Occult Aether; Psychokinesis And The Belief Effect)
- 8
The Physics of Miracles
Richard Bartlett, 2009
Richard Bartlett’s account of Matrix Energetics, which treats consciousness as a field that can change physical reality.
Brendan cites it in The Grand Illusion (The Human Aura; Telepathy; Psychokinesis And The Belief Effect)
- 9
Tuning the Human Biofield
Eileen Day McKusick, 2014
Eileen McKusick’s Biofield Tuning, in which tuning forks are used to find and clear disturbances in the body’s field. Her account is practitioner experience, not controlled research.
The Grand Illusion devotes a chapter to the belief effect, which covers placebo, hypnosis and the part that intention plays in health. These books are the research and the practitioners behind that chapter.
Brendan cites every book here. That does not mean he agrees with all of it.
All 21 books
Take one down to see why it is here and where to find it.
What is the biofield?
A term for the field of energy and information said to surround and organise the living body. Researchers use it for measurable electromagnetic activity, and practitioners use it more broadly for the energy field that energy healing works on.
Is there evidence that energy healing works?
The evidence is disputed. Some studies report effects on healing and on wellbeing, and mainstream medicine attributes most of them to expectation. The books here argue that expectation and intention are themselves worth taking seriously.
Can these books replace medical treatment?
No. They describe research, theory and personal claims. Several of their claims are not accepted by mainstream medicine. Use them alongside, not instead of, advice from a qualified doctor.
What is the best book to start with on energy healing?
Robert Becker’s The Body Electric for the research on bioelectricity, and Barbara Brennan’s Hands of Light for a practitioner’s account of working with the human energy field.
- The whole bookshelf
- Primacy of consciousness (glossary)
- The best non-fiction books about the afterlife
- The best books on near-death experiences
- The best books on consciousness
- The best books on remote viewing
- The best books on mysticism
- The best books on chakras and the human aura
- The best books on Theosophy
- The best parapsychology books
- The best books on physics, space and consciousness
- The best books on lost civilisations, ancient mysteries and suppressed science
- The best books on plasma and the Electric Universe
As an Amazon Associate, Brendan earns from qualifying purchases. Links to Amazon are affiliate links and cost you nothing extra.