Blended One-to-One Healing: Where Ancient Practices Meet Modern Science

At Herdman Healing Sanctuary, our one-to-one healing sessions bring together ancient healing traditions with an understanding of how the nervous system, brain, and physiology respond to stress, relaxation and sound. While these practices have ancient roots, modern research increasingly helps us understand why they can be so effective.

Our blended sessions combine Reiki, Shamanic Healing, Pranic Healing, Sound Healing, supporting the body’s natural capacity to regulate, restore and heal.

The Science of Stress and the Nervous System

Chronic stress is now widely recognised as a key contributor to many physical and emotional health challenges. When the body remains in prolonged “fight or flight”, the nervous system becomes dysregulated, affecting sleep, digestion, immunity, mood and energy levels.

Research shows that deep relaxation activates the parasympathetic nervous system — the branch responsible for rest, repair and recovery. Many holistic and energy-based practices work by gently guiding the body out of survival mode and back into balance.

How Each Modality Supports the Body and Mind

Reiki: Supporting Relaxation and Nervous System Regulation

Reiki has been studied for its effects on stress, anxiety and wellbeing. Research suggests Reiki may:

• Reduce perceived stress and anxiety

• Lower heart rate and blood pressure

• Promote relaxation responses in the nervous system

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Studies have shown Reiki sessions can increase parasympathetic activity, supporting the body’s ability to self-regulate and restore equilibrium. This aligns with client experiences of calm, clarity and deep rest following sessions.

Reiki often forms the foundation of our one-to-one work, creating a sense of safety and ease that allows deeper healing processes to unfold.

Shamanic Healing

While shamanic healing originates in ancient traditions, modern psychology recognises the therapeutic value of ritual, symbolism and connection to nature.

Research in eco-psychology and trauma therapy shows that:

• Nature connection can reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels

• Ritual and symbolic processes support emotional integration

• Felt connection and meaning can positively influence mental health

  
  

Shamanic practices support grounding and attuning, emotional release and reconnection — experiences now understood to be vital for nervous system regulation and psychological resilience.

Pranic Healing: Working With the Biofield

Pranic healing works with the body’s energy field, often referred to in research as the biofield. While subtle energy is still an emerging area of science, growing studies suggest that biofield-based practices may influence physiological processes, including stress response and emotional balance.

Research into biofield therapies has observed:

• Changes in stress markers

• Improvements in mood and perceived wellbeing

• Enhanced relaxation responses

Pranic healing offers a focused way to clear energetic congestion and restore vitality, particularly helpful when the system feels depleted or overloaded.

Sound Healing

Sound healing is one of the most researched modalities we use. Studies show that sound and vibration can:

• Shift brainwaves from beta (busy, alert) into alpha and theta states (calm, meditative)

• Reduce anxiety and tension

• Support nervous system regulation

  
  

Low-frequency sounds, such as gongs and drums, can entrain the brain into slower rhythms associated with deep rest, emotional processing and integration. Sound also stimulates the vagus nerve, which plays a crucial role in calming the nervous system and supporting emotional resilience.

Why our Blended Approach Works

No single modality works for everyone, because human beings are complex. By blending different approaches, sessions can respond to:

• The nervous system

• Emotional and psychological layers

• Energetic balance

• The need for meaning, safety and connection

Each one-to-one session is tailored intuitively, allowing the body and mind to receive what they need in that moment — supported by both ancient wisdom and modern understanding.

Healing in a Supportive Environment

Sessions take place within the natural setting of the South Downs National Park, in our roundhouse. Here we have created a safe and nurturing space for you to receive the many benefits that healing offers. The environment itself becomes part of the healing process.

A Gentle, Evidence-Informed Path to Balance

Blended one-to-one healing at Herdman Healing Sanctuary is about creating the conditions in which the body can return to balance naturally — through relaxation, resonance, connection and presence.

As science continues to catch up with what ancient cultures have long known, these practices offer a powerful, supportive pathway for those seeking calm, clarity and reconnection in an overstimulated world.