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Does Crystal Healing Work? Two Editors With Opposing POVs Tried It

Crystal healing is possibly one of the most divisive wellness topics that you can strike up in a conversation, with people typically sitting in one of three camps: the ones who roll their eyes and think it's a load of BS, the ones who believe there's something in it but don't fully understand it, and the ones who totally swear by it. Me? I sit in the middle camp. I don't know a huge amount about crystals, but I have friends who are more knowledgable on the topic and swear by it. I've always been drawn to alternative therapies, and even though I'm naturally drawn to the science and hard facts in my line of work as a beauty editor, I try to stay open-minded.

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  How to buy crystals that don’t harm people or the planet

Crystal mining can fuel worker exploitation and even armed conflicts, but there are steps consumers can take to make more ethical purchasing decisions.

 I Tried Crystal Healing for Stress. Here’s What Happened

While I have shown a proclivity for certain pseudosciences (read: an unhealthy astrology obsession), I’m still a skeptic in most senses when it comes to anything outside of the empirical realm (very Virgo of me, I know). So I’d never given much serious thought to the stunning little stones said to possess healing abilities—let alone a proper session from a pro. According to a 2016 study, however, my generation (we’re talking about millennials) is increasingly spurning conventional wellness options in favor of alternative therapies. In that spirit—and in search of any kind of respite from this past year—I tapped a local healer to help me see for myself whether there’s more power to these beautiful crystals than meets the eye.

 New crystal, new you?

As crystals’ soothing popularity continues, one — carnelian — attracts those in search of self-improvement and positivity. Is it too good to be true?

 The dark reality of "healing crystals"

Influencers only care once they're out of the earth. Like many “healing modalities” in wellness, the idea that crystals have healing properties relies on a metaphysical assumption: the “energy” in the crystal will somehow transfer “energy” into you, the human. As with most spiritual philosophies, the reality is much dirtier. As the Wall St Journal reports, real people have to mine those crystals. It’s quite dirty work. Much of the American crystal economy relies on the backbreaking labor of Africans who risk their lives for poverty-level pay. Potential risks of crystal mining include tunnel collapse, asphyxia, free fall, or flooding.

 The Painful Truth About ‘Healing’ Crystals

A global celebrity-driven craze for quartz has caused a rush to dig in backyards and hillsides in rural South Africa. That has set off a rush to find quartz, one of the most common minerals on Earth, but one for which scientists say there is no evidence for healing or other powers. “Right now the global crystal market is kind of like the Wild West,” says Cristina Villegas, director of sustainable markets at Pact, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit. “The serious risks can range from tunnel collapse, sudden flooding, free fall or asphyxia due to lack of ventilation.”

 What Happened When I Tried to Use Crystals to Improve My Life

But I don’t take advice well—and I will certainly not stop punishing myself with unrealistic expectations because I am a Virgo. Also, exercising is super hard when you’re depressed, even when you know it will be good for you. That’s why I freaked out and decided that I should buy a ton of crystals instead of listening to my therapist. Through cultural osmosis, I somehow got the idea that this would help me feel better. Like many others who traversed the dubious path to wellness before me, I blame Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, which makes crystal healing seem completely regular. I also blame all the articles like this one in the Pacific Standard that keep telling me all the “young people” are doing it.

 What’s behind the enduring popularity of crystals?

For centuries, people have attributed special properties to crystals. Scientist Carl Sagan, in his book “The Demon-Haunted World,” traces their modern popularity to a series of books written in the 1980s by Katrina Raphaell, who founded The Crystal Academy of Advanced Healing Arts in 1986. Crystals aren’t just eye-catching stones. Quartz is used in electronics because it possesses piezoelectric properties that cause it to release an electric charge when compressed. But, as skeptics are quick to point out, there is no evidence crystals can bring health, prosperity or any of the other properties that crystal enthusiasts may attribute to them.

 Your ‘healing’ crystals might not even be crystals

Mislabeled, lab-grown, and made from plastic—fakes abound in the crystals industry. Who’s going to do anything about it?

Articles of Interest

Are crystals the new blood diamonds?

Gwyneth loves them, Adele can’t sing without them and Kim Kardashian uses them to deal with stress. Many of us are lured by their beauty and promise of mystical powers, but are ‘healing’ crystals connecting us to the earth – or harming it?

Dark crystals: the brutal reality behind a booming wellness craze

Demand for ‘healing’ crystals is soaring – but many are mined in deadly conditions in one of the world’s poorest countries. And there is little evidence that this billion-dollar industry is cleaning up its act

Do Crystals Really Have Magical Healing Powers? Here’s What the Science Says

Believers claim crystals act upon your body’s “energy field,” but it’s questionable if such a thing even exists.

Healing crystals have amazing benefits - here's what you need to know

Feeling low? Grab an amethyst rock. Looking for love? Hoard some rose quartz. Need a single solution to any problem life throws at you? Crystals. Whether Victoria Beckham is adorning her runway with them, Miranda Kerr is meditating clutching hers or the hippest beauty brands are infusing their serums with rose quartz, crystals have become the trendiest route to enhanced wellness. Hey, if you haven't jumped aboard the crystal bandwagon yet, have you been living under a rock? Pun intended.

A beginner's guide to using crystals

How to incorporate the practice of crystal healing into your self-care. The proposed healing benefits of crystals predominantly surround areas of mental wellbeing; including feelings of increased tranquility, positivity and focus, as well as enhanced immunity and natural pain relief.

A beginner's guide to using crystals

In turbulent times, many of us harness grounding tools; tangible ways to calm anxiety and soothe stress. So it's not surprising that alternative therapies like crystal healing have come to the fore in recent years.

A Cynic’s Search for the Truth About Healing Crystals

I understand we’re living in desperate times and are therefore willing to clutch onto anything that might offer meaning or solace, but crystal healing does seem like an extravagantly misguided way to go about solving personal or global problems. People sure are spending a lot of money on crystals lately, though. Thanks largely to Instagram, they’ve transcended from dorky New Age Etsy purchases to chic, celebrity-endorsed high fashion accessories.

A Deeper Dive into Crystal Healing: Understanding the Science and Skepticism

Crystals have been used to cure for millennia. Crystal healers believe crystals and gemstones contain unique vibrational energies that can balance and cure the body, mind, and spirit. Skeptics doubt crystal healing and want scientific proof. This article examines the science and skepticism of crystal-infused water healing to determine its efficacy.

A Guide to Crystals: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started

Fans of using crystals for wellness and spirituality — including celebs — feel the benefits, while not scientifically proven, go beyond their radiant aesthetic.

American anxiety drives a crystal boom: 'People are looking for healing'

“There’s a whole new subgroup in the mineral world of people in their mid-20s and 30s who are buying online,” said Miranda Lehman, a geologist at the Colorado School of Mines, who previously sold precious stones and jewelry. Digital retail has opened the gates to a flood of minerals from remote corners of the globe, and this group has gobbled them up at prices that vary wildly.

Are Crystals Hokey Pokey or Real Science? I Had a Crystal Energy Treatment to Find Out

I'm a relatively New Age-y, open-minded person. I've always been curious about crystals, and not just because Spencer Pratt is obsessed with them—but yes, that may have piqued my interest as an adult. Regardless of how you feel about their "power," here's some science: Minerals accumulate an electric charge known as piezoelectricity. That's a fact. So yes, there is some sort of energy in crystals.

Crystal craze: why crystals are becoming so popular

Locals shed light on some of the personal motivations that are driving crystals' immense popularity.

Crystal healing: Stone-cold facts about gemstone treatments

Crystal healing is an alternative medical technique in which crystals and other stones are used to cure ailments and protect against disease. Proponents of this technique believe that crystals act as conduits for healing — enabling positive, healing energy to flow into the body as negative, disease-causing energy flows out. But despite the fact that crystal healing has seen an upsurge in popularity in recent years, this alternative treatment is not popular with most medical doctors and scientists, many of whom refer to crystal healing as a pseudoscience.

Crystals Found in Kalahari Desert Challenge Assumptions About Where in Africa Human Culture Arose

The team concluded that the ancient people may have valued the crystals for their beauty, and for cultural or religious reasons.

Debunking Crystal Healing

Is there any actual evidence for this view? Although crystal healers like to call their practice "scientific", they never cite any controlled scientific studies supporting their claims. (Indeed, Melody reports that many of her claims were "channeled".) The only scientific studies I have been able to find on the topic of crystal healing are by Christopher French and his colleagues at Goldsmiths College, University of London. These studies do not seem to be available on the web, although there is a news article here. Since they do not seem to be well known, I summarize the results here.

Do healing crystals really work? Here’s what experts have to say

Abigail Parker, a crystal expert, author, and co-founder of EarthlySoul.net, based in London, England, says it’s important to note that crystal healing falls more into the realm of therapies and wellness than mainstream science. “While there isn’t evidence supporting the effectiveness of healing crystals from the scientific community, there is a vibrant and growing community of holistic wellness enthusiasts and practitioners who have personally experienced remarkable benefits through careful use of these crystals,”

Do healing crystals really work? Here’s what experts have to say

Although healing crystals can create a mood boost, a heightened sense of self-awareness, and a perceived feeling of serenity, most of the belief in the scientific community is that crystal healing and wellness is anecdotal rather than scientific...

How Crystals Can Help Improve Your Life — If You Believe

The world of crystals can be daunting, but as a trained shaman I’ve spent the last decade learning the ins and outs of various alternative healing methods and can attest to the power of these sparkly objects. There’s a crystal for everything, and this ancient stone medicine has been used for over 10,000 years to enhance physical, mental, emotional and spiritual balance. Crystals are used for healing body aches, supporting emotional issues such as anxiety, calling romantic love into one’s life, manifesting goals, beauty rituals and balancing the energy of a space.

I Asked a Crystal Healer to Explain the Power of New Age Music to Me

I’m sat in a nice living room in a nice house on a nice road in a nice part of South London. Tribal, primal drums thud away. The air is heavy with Nag Champa. I’m barefoot, both feet on the ground. My toes curl into the rug. I’m holding a crystal in my left hand. I am being healed.

I Love Healing Crystals Even Though I Know They Don't Do Anything

The optimist in me would argue it's what you make of it.

Stanford scholar tackles the history of people’s obsession with crystals

Crystals have been at the forefront of recent fashion and wellness trends. Celebrities are putting traces of these mineral rocks into their new perfume products while numerous physical and online stores display entire chunks of crystals, advertising their supposed healing powers and energy.

Step Away From the Healing Crystals

Parents are turning to alternative medicine for understandable reasons, but a healthy dose of skepticism can go a long way.

The Great Crystal Boom of 2017

When Emily Satloff stops to hydrate during Pilates, she sips from a water bottle filled with rose quartz and amethyst. The goal? To add a dose of healing to her workout. “I feel calmer while drinking from my crystal water bottle,” said Ms. Satloff, the designer of the jewelry line Larkspur & Hawk. Before bedtime, Nadine Abramcyk, a founder of Tenoverten, an all-natural luxury nail salon, puts her iPhone on airplane mode and covers it with a shungite crystal to reduce radiation.

The new stone age – how crystals became a magical style trend

Crystals were once dismissed as hippy dippy nonsense. Now they are popping up on the catwalk and in the handbags of everyone from Adele to Naomi Campbell. Has mysticism gone mainstream?

The science behind healing crystals explained!

When one talks about the world of alternate therapies, the usage of healing crystals probably tops the list. For the uninitiated, crystals (fossilized minerals) are believed to contain several healing properties. From bringing peace to the mind to fighting depression, the list seems to be endless. A lot of celebrities are using them and vouching for their efficacy. They have also been used in ancient forms of medicine and by priests to align the body chakras.

What Are the Most Powerful Healing Stones?

Since ancient times, humans have been fascinated by the beauty and energy of stones and crystals. These enchanting treasures of the Earth are revered for their healing properties and mystical qualities by many cultures. While some may dismiss the concept as mere superstition, the popularity of crystal healing continues to grow.

Why the Renewed Interest in Crystals? The Pandemic.

Designers say sales of jewelry that provide comfort and some believe helps healing “is exploding at the seams.”

You Asked: Do Healing Crystals Actually Work?

If you’re plugged into the world of alternative medicine, you’ve probably heard about “crystals”— the name given to minerals (usually quartz) or fossilized resins that are believed to have beneficial health properties. Holding crystals or placing them on your body is thought to promote physical, emotional and spiritual healing. Crystals supposedly do this by positively interacting with your body’s energy field, or chakra. While some crystals are said to alleviate stress, others purportedly improve concentration or creativity.

‘Healing’ crystals are having a pandemic moment, but science says they’re just pretty rocks

For centuries, these enigmatic rocks have captivated artists, writers, healers and religious leaders, many of whom believed the crystals contained a certain concentration of the earth’s energy. Egyptians sometimes carved crystal sarcophagi to protect the body from evil spirits on their way to the afterlife. The word “crystal” comes from the Greek “krystallos,” meaning ice. Crystal divination was described by Pliny the Elder, a Roman author and naturalist, in the 1st century A.D.

Resources

9 Crystals That Increase Focus And Productivity

Practical application of spiritual practices for work is nothing new. After all, meditation has gone from "woo woo" to a common spiritual practice among some of the most successful entrepreneurs. But if you are looking to take spirituality to the next level, crystals can help elevate your mindset. Like meditation, there is a science behind the energy of crystals. It’s called the Piezoelectric effect. Ever wonder why watches are marketed as having quartz movement? That’s because quartz helps watches keep time properly. Quartz is also used in computer and radio components.