Six feet from me stood two young, inexperienced martial arts students. Between them they held a 12 inch square pine board. The Head Instructor commanded the two wannabe black belts to straighten the board, and then, eyes hard on me, he barked "H-u-u-p!"

Smartly stepping forward, I directed my fist with a snap action squarely at the center of the board. Just before my fist hit the board, I saw the novices flinch. They relaxed their arms which absorbed the energy from my punch.

A sharp pain raced from my knuckles to my shoulder. I heard no sharp cracking sound of a cleanly broken board, I saw no splinters on the floor.

Focusing my attention as strongly as I could muster, with a totally quiet mind I unleashed my injured fist toward the board again. I heard a loud c-r-a-a-a-k. For a moment I was unsure whether the source of the sound was from the board or my fist. And then I breathed with relief as the two pieces of the board became visible in the hands of the novice students.

When I got home, the hand was twice its normal size. I asked a friend to drive me to the hospital, but he said not to worry. Sitting down beside me, he held my wrist and hand in his hands and concentrated for 10 to 15 seconds. When he opened his eyes, he said nothing was broken.

Some weeks later my friend told me he had never had a course in healing, chemistry, herbology or any other health or basic science. When he was young, he discovered he "knew" which natural substances had the ability to heal, but didn’t know how he knew this. He would think of the person who needed healing, think of love, and intuitively knew, by physical touch, the specific herbs and essential oils in combination that would provide healing.

Not more than 20 minutes later he returned, living but two miles distant. He brought with him an ointment he had made from some herbs and essential oils. The only fragrance I detected was of myrrh.

Very tenderly, he applied the salve to my hand and wrist. Then he held them both in his hands, closed his eyes, and didn’t move for 10 minutes.

My hand and wrist became intensely hot. I wanted him to stop; the burning sensation was so acute I thought my hand would blister. And then he opened his eyes and told me to check out my hand.

Amazingly, the swelling was almost completely gone, and there was absolutely no pain whatsoever. Just ten minutes earlier, my fingers were immovable by themslves. Now I could open and close my hand with only a slight pressure – as though my hand had gone to sleep and was just awakening.

For certain, my friend didn’t save my life. But he introduced me to the incredible healing power which resides in each one of us, for our use and for giving to others. Granted, it is more awakened in some people than others, but it is there, nonetheless.

Today, some 10 years later, I am taking classes in Qi-Gong, a Chinese energy-based healing modality. I am discovering first-hand the energy within me and how it can be used to help others, and through helping them, strengthen that healing power in myself.

Two years ago, in partnership with four others, we formed Infinite Health, an organization dedicated to advancing access to complimentary/alternative healing, and to helping people become more self-reliant as it pertains to their own health status.

by Robert E. Christenson