# Crystal healing Source: https://spiritfold.com/Crystal_healing Published by the Australian Spiritual Alliance on Spiritfold, licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. **Crystal healing** is a modern practice in which crystals and other stones are placed, held or worn in the belief that they carry a healing energy. Practitioners believe that crystals, particularly quartz crystals such as amethyst and clear quartz, hold an energy that can be "charged" and then used to change the energy patterns of the person receiving treatment.[1] The theory, as understood by the United Kingdom's advertising regulator, is that the crystals adjust a person's aura.[2] ## Description ### Key terms - **Clearing**, **cleansing** and **charging** are the steps practitioners use to prepare a crystal: removing energies it is thought to hold already, then "filling" it again, for example with sunlight or moonlight (see below).[1] ### How crystals are used Crystals are used in many ways. A healer may hold a stone in one hand while touching the part of the body of concern with the other, and crystals may also be worn as pendants. Healers say suitable stones can be chosen by picking up different crystals to find which seem to be in harmony with the person, which may be felt as warmth or tingling. Some healers work only with crystals, while others combine them with [aura](https://spiritfold.com/Aura_reading) or [chakra](https://spiritfold.com/Chakras) work.[1] ### Preparing crystals Practitioners prepare crystals before use. "Clearing" is described as neutralising the energies already in a stone, for example with an invocation, by placing it in running water or salt water, or by breathing on it; "cleansing" may involve leaving the stone in dry salt or salt water for at least a day; and "charging" may involve exposing it to sunlight, moonlight or running water. Some healers also believe a crystal can be "programmed" by holding it against the forehead and picturing a desired outcome.[1][3] ### What the evidence says Medical professionals give little weight to crystal healing and attribute any benefit people notice to the placebo effect, because of the lack of scientific evidence and because practitioners disagree about how it works.[1] Research on crystal healing is very limited. Psychologist Chris French of Goldsmiths, University of London, ran two studies, each with 80 volunteers, who held either a real quartz crystal or a glass copy that looked the same while relaxing for five minutes. In both studies most volunteers reported at least one of a list of mildly unusual sensations, and it made no difference whether the crystal was real or fake. The reports were linked instead with each person's level of belief in the paranormal and, in the second study, with their hypnotic susceptibility, a measure of suggestibility. French concluded that the sensations were due to the power of suggestion. The studies were presented at conferences in 1999 and 2001 but never published in a peer-reviewed journal. French writes that, as far as he can see, the healing properties claimed for crystals have not otherwise been put to the test.[4] ## Scope ### What it includes - Placing, holding or wearing crystals and stones[1] - Preparing crystals by clearing, cleansing and charging them[1] - Use of crystals alongside aura or chakra work[1] - Use of crystals by individuals for themselves[1] ### What it is not - Crystal healing is not Spiritualist healing. At least one major Spiritualist body asks its healers not to use crystals when giving healing (see Within Spiritualism below).[5] - Crystal healing has not been shown to treat any medical condition. The United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority and Committee of Advertising Practice have not seen evidence that crystal therapy can treat medical conditions, and the Authority has ruled advertisements that implied otherwise misleading.[2] In Australia, Victoria's Better Health Channel advises people not to seek a diagnosis from a complementary therapist and to see their doctor instead.[6] ## Traditions and lineage According to the *Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology*, priests and shamans of many cultures used crystals in ancient times for healing, as well as for contacting the dead and for scrying (crystal gazing). Much of the modern interest in crystals within the New Age movement goes back to the [psychic readings](https://spiritfold.com/Psychic_reading) of Edgar Cayce, which described a great crystal powering the culture of Atlantis; his references to crystals were gathered in the booklet *Gems and Stones* (1960). In 1976 Frank Alper began giving readings said to come from spirit entities, later published in three volumes, which described crystals in the healing temples of Atlantis; his work became the basis of many books on crystal power during the 1980s. Marcel Vogel, a former IBM research scientist, set up a Psychic Research Institute in San Jose, California, which studied, among other things, the claimed healing effects of crystals.[3] In 2019 *The Guardian* reported that, over the previous three years, crystals had moved from a niche New Age interest into the mainstream, helped by celebrity interest, and that by 2017 they had become a multibillion-dollar part of the global wellness industry.[7] ## Context ### Within Spiritualism The National Spiritualist Association of Churches in the United States describes Spiritualist healing as a form of [mediumship](https://spiritfold.com/Mediumship) and a complementary therapy, and says spiritual healers should not use or sell any product, including herbs or crystals, when giving healing. The same brochure says healers should not make a medical diagnosis, and that people receiving healing should never give up medication or stop following their health professional's advice.[5] For a student, the point to grasp is that the rule follows from the NSAC's starting point: it treats Spiritualist healing as a form of mediumship, not as a remedy applied with physical aids.[5] In her study of a Spiritualist congregation in Montreal, Deirdre Meintel found that most of her informants occasionally used crystals, astrology or tarot but kept these apart from their spirituality.[8] ### In Australian Spiritualism Spiritfold has found no Australian Spiritualist source that offers crystal healing as such. Crystals do appear in psychic development at one South Australian church: the Spiritual Mission of Noarlunga's 2026 Friday development programme includes evenings on crystals with psychic and mediumship work, and on crystal and aura readings.[9] ### A Spiritualist perspective Crystals appear in some Spiritualist development evenings, but Spiritualist healing is a different thing. In Spiritualist understanding, the healer is a channel for healing from the spirit world, which is why, as noted above, one major Spiritualist body asks its healers not to use or sell products such as crystals when they give healing. A Spiritualist teacher would respect crystal work as its own practice while keeping it apart from Spiritualist healing. Many Spiritualists like having crystals about them, and there is no harm in that as a personal choice. The line is drawn at claims. No one should say a crystal will heal, cure or treat any condition, and nothing should discourage a person from seeing their doctor. Spiritualist healing itself is offered alongside medical care, never instead of it. Be honest, don't diagnose, and never sell hope to someone who is unwell. ## Safety and good practice ### Health The *Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine* says crystal healing should not be used on its own in serious illness.[1] Victoria's Better Health Channel warns that relying on a complementary therapy alone can delay diagnosis and medical treatment, which in a serious illness such as cancer can lead to serious complications or death. It advises people to talk to their doctor before starting a complementary therapy and to tell their doctor about any they use.[6] ### Claims about crystals In the United Kingdom, the Committee of Advertising Practice says claims that crystal therapy can treat medical conditions are unlikely to be acceptable without robust clinical trial evidence, and warns that such claims could discourage people from seeking essential medical treatment.[2] ### Where crystals come from Journalists and campaigners have raised concerns about how crystals are sourced. *The Guardian* reported in 2019 that crystals are a non-renewable resource, that most mining jobs are low paid and unsafe and are sometimes done by underage workers, and that the industry is unregulated. It quoted the non-profit organisation Earthworks as saying that some crystals are mined in Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mining is linked to severe human rights violations. The paper also reported that amethyst mining in southern Brazil exposes miners to silica dust, which can cause silicosis, and found that many retailers have no idea where their stones come from.[7] ## Related modalities - [Aura reading](https://spiritfold.com/Aura_reading) - [Chakras](https://spiritfold.com/Chakras) - [Colour therapy](https://spiritfold.com/Colour_therapy) ## References 1. Helwig, David. ["Crystal healing"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/crystal-healing). *Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine*. Gale, via Encyclopedia.com, updated 27 June 2018 (accessed 11 October 2026). 2. Committee of Advertising Practice. ["Health: Crystal therapy"](https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/health-crystal-therapy.html). Advice Online, Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom) (accessed 11 October 2026). 3. ["Crystal healing"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/crystal-healing). *Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology*. Gale, via Encyclopedia.com, updated 11 June 2018 (accessed 11 October 2026). 4. French, Chris. ["Romance in the stones? The power of crystals vs the power of suggestion"](https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2021/04/romance-in-the-stones-the-power-of-crystals-vs-the-power-of-suggestion/). *The Skeptic* (United Kingdom), April 2021 (accessed 11 October 2026). 5. National Spiritualist Association of Churches (United States). [*What is Spiritual Healing?*](https://nsac.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/What-is-Healing-Brochure-2024.pdf) Brochure, 2024 (accessed 12 October 2026). 6. ["Complementary therapies – safety and legal issues"](https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/complementary-therapies-safety-and-legal-issues). Better Health Channel, Department of Health, State Government of Victoria. Last reviewed 28 February 2014. Read from the Internet Archive copy of 21 July 2026, as the live site was under maintenance (accessed 11 October 2026). 7. Wiseman, Eva. ["Are crystals the new blood diamonds?"](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/jun/16/are-crystals-the-new-blood-diamonds-the-truth-about-muky-business-of-healing-stones). *The Guardian*, 16 June 2019 (accessed 11 October 2026). 8. Meintel, Deirdre. ["When There Is No Conversion: Spiritualists and Personal Religious Change"](https://cas-sca.journals.uvic.ca/index.php/anthropologica/article/download/2436/2224). *Anthropologica* 49 (2007): 149–162, p. 153 (accessed 12 October 2026). 9. Spiritual Mission of Noarlunga. ["Spiritual Development"](https://spiritualmissionofnoarlunga.org.au/spiritual-development/) (Friday programme, 2026) (accessed 12 October 2026). ## Further reading - Better Health Channel. ["Complementary therapies – safety and legal issues"](https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/complementary-therapies-safety-and-legal-issues). Department of Health, State Government of Victoria, 2014. - Committee of Advertising Practice. ["Health: Crystal therapy"](https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/health-crystal-therapy.html). Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom). - *Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology*. ["Crystal healing"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/crystal-healing). Gale, via Encyclopedia.com. - French, Chris. ["Romance in the stones? The power of crystals vs the power of suggestion"](https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2021/04/romance-in-the-stones-the-power-of-crystals-vs-the-power-of-suggestion/). *The Skeptic*, 2021. (The researcher's own account of his studies, written as part of a book review.) - Helwig, David. ["Crystal healing"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/crystal-healing). *Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine*, via Encyclopedia.com. - Wiseman, Eva. ["Are crystals the new blood diamonds?"](https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/jun/16/are-crystals-the-new-blood-diamonds-the-truth-about-muky-business-of-healing-stones). *The Guardian*, 2019.