THE BORDERLINE BETWEEN TWO AREAS OF RESEARCH

Abstract

Objective: Subtle energy is not measurable by physical means and therefore not widely accepted in modern western science. But if it were, how would that affect the acceptance of claims of being able to sense it? And how would that affect the comprehension of CAM and CAM research?

A discussion of this is based on data from a cross-sectional study selected to represent as closely as possible the adult Danish population. It was found that about a third of the population might be able to sense healing energies, radiation from people and the like, in short called ASTSE for “alleged sensitivity to subtle energy”, and that the same third represented most of the reported visits to CAM therapists. The discussion leads to these intriguing results:

1. As the object of the ASTSE is subtle energy, it becomes a sense in its own right.

2. The current research about subtle energy phenomena and CAM is based on research designs suited for physical research, and the basis to believe that these designs are also suited for the area of subtle energy is questionable.

3. We propose in future CAM research to trust observations made by the ASTSE. CAM therapists already do so.

4. There are no objective reasons for people without ASTSE to accept the phenomenon of subtle energy and that ASTSE represents a real sense.