By Eoin Meegan
As a race, the Irish have always had an interest in healing. Going back in time we have all heard of a local wise woman (or man) who had what was known as the ‘healing touch.’ A lot of today’s new healing methods, variously categorised as Alternative Healing or Complementary Medicines may have their roots in that ancient, worldwide tradition.
One such healer is Noirin Callanan. Noirin works in various modalities, but specialises in a form of therapy known as natural energy healing. NewsFour recently dropped into her clinic here in D4 for a chat. The first thing I asked was what exactly is involved in natural healing energy.
“We are all made of energy,” Noirin explains, “there is an energy field that surrounds and interpenetrates the body, and if, for any reason, a blockage occurs in this energy field, it can result in illness.”
The energy field Noirin speaks of is most commonly referred to as the meridian system. It works like a series of channels through which vital energy, sometimes called Chi flows. In the Indian Vedic tradition, they are known as nadi (channels).
A recent Korean study found verifiable links between the meridian system and the “primo-vascular system”, which comprises part of the cardiovascular system. So even in Western medicine, traditionally shy in embracing this theory, there is an ever-growing acceptance of these energetic channels. And of course Chinese medicine, well known for acupuncture and acupressure, has known about it for centuries. Essentially, it seems, we are all energy beings.
So, how then do blockages occur in this system?
Noirin continues: “This can be the result of trauma, maybe something that happened in childhood. The loss of a loved one also can impact on it, especially if we have suppressed the grieving process. Sometimes I ask clients what happened when their mum died, did they release that trauma, or is there still a wound there.”
She feels it is important to address the whole person and not just try to fix the symptoms. “I work on all levels, mental, spiritual and physical. I believe our persistent thoughts create our reality, and this includes our feelings. When a client comes in, often the first thing I will want to know is what their dominant emotion is.”
Is it necessary to believe in healing for it to work?
“I get asked that a lot,” she smiled, “and the answer is no. Everyone thinks it’s a question of faith, or maybe the placebo effect, but I have seen animals heal, and of course people who were in a coma, so how do you explain that? You don’t actually have to believe, but you do have to have an openness to change, not to stand in your own way. Have you noticed how some people love to talk about their illness? They dwell on it all the time, like it’s giving them something to hold on to. Deep down, these people may not want to get well.”
As well as past trauma, Noirin claims breathing noxious chemicals, for example, in the workplace, can also cause energy blocks, as can much of the food we eat. Nutrition is high on Noirin’s list of priorities. She firmly believes we are what we eat.
Also what we allow into our personal space. For instance, looking at violence or disturbing pictures on TV, (and that includes the news) can have, over time, a detrimental effect.
“When we’re watching the suffering of others at a distance and unable to do anything about it, we’re left in a sense of helplessness. Of course bad things always happened, but in the past when a neighbour was in trouble we could help them. Now that, that ability is taken away, what is left is a feeling of disempowerment.”
Noirin is a healer in the traditional sense. Her grandmother was a psychic and she was born with the caul (this is ‘the waters’, the amniotic sac, fully intact around the baby.) One time when she was around seven she was sitting with a neighbour who had severe arthritis when suddenly a great feeling of compassion for the lady came over her. Almost involuntarily, she reached over and touched her hand and the woman felt great relief. From then on, looking after her elderly neighbour was a task assigned to Noirin, even when sometimes she would prefer to be out playing!
However, it wasn’t until she was in her thirties that she began to practice healing professionally. Prior to that, Noirin held a senior position in a pensionable job, responsible for a large number of employees and earning an excellent salary. But deep down she wasn’t happy. “My soul felt shrivelled like a dried prune,” she said.
Around this time she was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a condition that affects the neck and lower back, and for which there is no cure. The doctors said they would have to operate, a decision Noirin set her face against. However, her diagnosis forced her to explore other options, including alternative healing. Following a circuitous route, she discovered a healer who told her her condition wouldn’t improve until she began doing the work she was born to do. That is to become a healer. Her illness was simply her body’s way of telling her that she needed to follow her life’s calling.
Sometimes, bad things happen to us for a good reason. In this case, to point her in the direction she was meant to take. She gave up the job forthwith and started training as a healer, which led to the work she’s doing today. From that day, her condition healed up never to return again.
Noirin describes herself as a conduit for the energy or healing to flow into people.
“The healing doesn’t come from me, it always comes from The Source. You can call it God if you want. I feel there is something that is loving and kind that surrounds and interpenetrates everything. If we tune in, we can draw from this energy. I see myself in the fashion of a pair of ‘jump leads.’ I simply plug myself into Source and it does the work.”
What happens when you go for a healing with Noirin?
First she scans the person, standing, by running her hands up and down a few inches from their body. If there are any imbalances in their energy field Noirin experiences it as a kind of pressure on her hands. Next she has the client lie on a table or plinth and begins to draw out this stuck energy, thus allowing the person’s own natural healing ability to do its work.
After the process, she scans them again standing to see if any blocks remain. Treatment can take several sessions depending on how stubborn the blockages are. The process is completely non-invasive, you do not have to take off your clothes, only your shoes.
Noirin’s work has been documented in the media, and she has many testimonials to her success as a healer. Among them is a very heart-warming story from the family of a child from Wexford who had a tumour on her lung, and following healing by Noirin made a full recovery without the need for surgery.
It is, of course, not suggested that people should use any healing treatment in place of their doctor’s advice, or any prescribed medication they are on.
Noirin is someone who radiates compassion and professionalism for her work.
She operates out of Oscailt here in Dublin 4 and you can contact her healer.ie. or Tel. 087 614 0411.
