By Therese Naber — Last Updated: April 10, 2025

If you’d told me twenty years ago that by 2025 I’d be doing energy healing work with people and animals as my main gig, I’d have been skeptical at minimum. It’s not that I was necessarily skeptical about energy, though I knew very little about it. It was more that I thought I had no abilities or aptitude for it at all, despite feeling like I could sense the energy around me in different ways, especially when I spent time outdoors or near animals.

However, I was always curious. And after experiencing an extended period of stress, I wondered if some kind of energy focus would help me. I was seeing a therapist and practicing yoga consistently, but I wondered if there might be something more that could take me even further on my healing journey.

When I first started exploring different energy modalities, I found that there were no real guidelines to help someone find the ones that are best for them, so I bumbled along, taking classes and reading a lot. I explored reflexology, reiki, and healing touch, among other modalities. Then I found the field of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) or tapping.

EFT struck a chord with me. What I love about EFT is that it’s such an easy self-help tool to learn and use. Basically, you tap your fingertips gently on certain acupressure points while focusing on a problem. It’s a simple protocol that is effective for a wide range of issues, from stress and anxiety, to food cravings, to sports performance. Additionally, I have a Master’s in Education, so I’ve always favored techniques backed by research and empirical evidence. While there wasn’t much of that in the EFT field twenty years ago, there are now over a hundred peer-reviewed studies supporting the efficacy of EFT.

As I was working on my EFT certification, I discovered Eden Energy Medicine (EEM), based on the work of Donna Eden. EEM works with nine different energy systems, including auras, chakras, and meridians. It focuses on bringing your own “internal energy anatomy” (as I like to call it) into better balance. It’s very comprehensive work. Because of this, it also takes a significant amount of time to become a practitioner: two years for basic certification. I got so into it that I did four years of study and practice to become an advanced practitioner. I recently realized that I’ve spent more time on my EEM training than I did for my Master’s degree! (I’m now actually part of a committee for EEM trying to get some research done – it’s not easy! It takes money and it’s hard to find money for non-pharma interventions.)

I was going to stop there. I found EFT and EEM incredibly powerful, and I didn’t want to be a “modality junkie”. However, I came across Biofield Tuning, where practitioners use tuning forks on and off the body to bring more coherence into the energies. When I experienced it myself, I found it fascinating and extremely helpful to release old, stuck patterns. So, I went through training and am now an advanced practitioner of Biofield Tuning as well.

It's no surprise that I fell in love with energy work. The more energy work I did, the more things shifted for me. I’ve become more and more sensitive to the energy of people, animals, and my surroundings. I’ve seen just how much it helps people. And I’ve benefited from it myself.

I’ve often struggled with feeling depleted after being with groups of people – not unusual for highly sensitive people, but a big problem for me as a teacher – and doing my own energy work has helped to change that. I still sometimes feel depleted after challenges like group events, but now I have the tools to bring my energies back into balance.

Another place my personal and professional interests overlap is working with animals. I started by practicing energy techniques on my sweet tortoiseshell cat, Kali, who loved to sit with me while I studied. I soon realized that most energy techniques translate from humans to four-leggeds. I’ve worked professionally with dogs, cats, horses, and occasionally a more unusual animal, like chickens, and once a pot-bellied pig!

However, I have always had a special love for horses – their energy is so big! They are incredibly sensitive beings energetically, and I find that they really appreciate it if our energies are more in balance when working with them. I’m a therapeutic horseback-riding instructor, and I love witnessing how clients benefit from the horses’ energy. Although I have an ethical obligation to keep my energy work separate in these situations, I find that sessions go more smoothly when I make sure my own energies are in balance before lessons.

As I’ve learned more about energy, I’ve realized that time in nature is crucial to feeling grounded and balanced and being able to recharge. I’m a devoted skier (in fact, I teach adaptive skiing), hiker, biker, and camper. Two summers ago, I bought a camper van that I named Harriet the Happy Camper so I can take more road trips. When I spend time outdoors, I’m much more aware of our connection to our environment and appreciative of the nature around me. I don’t think this is specific to me; it’s important for everyone, especially as our world has gotten more complex. I talk to clients about this regularly and encourage them to find time to experience nature – even if it’s just a few breaths with feet on earth – whenever they can.

I consider myself incredibly lucky – not only do I get to participate in activities that I love, but I get to do meaningful work. Energy work is my passion, and helping people become more aware of their energies has become one of my greatest joys. I look forward to continuing to share these wonderful tools in workshops and with private clients.

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Therese Naber is an advanced practitioner of Eden Energy Medicine and a certified practitioner of Biofield Tuning and EFT/Tapping. She has an M.A. in education and has been a teacher, teacher trainer, and freelance writer. She is a certified therapeutic horseback riding instructor and adaptive ski instructor. Therese loves doing energy work with both people and animals, and she is passionate about helping everyone become more aware of their energies and feel more balanced.

Emotional Well-Being