In our quest for achieving mental wellness, we encounter multiple approaches, all of them promising impressive results. Walking for physical fitness to feel ripple effects on emotional balance. Consuming a Mediterranean diet because we believe it can improve your gut microbiome and potentially address depression.
Some of these strategies have a scientific basis, which earns them favor with like-minded people. Others, such as Reiki and chakra-based therapy, elicit mixed reactions: dedicated followers and mistrusting opponents. Crystals are also known for evoking polarizing responses. While some dismiss their supposed potential for wellness entirely, others believe that the mystery lurks in the metaphysical.
While the scientific evidence for their alleged powers is a discussion for another day, there’s one thing for certain. Crystals can offer opportunities for healing, but in ways you may not have realized.
The Transformative Power of Aesthetics
What do you feel when you behold a beautiful sunset or a stunning piece of art? It is likely an amalgam of awe, wonder, and even nostalgia. Aesthetic pleasure goes deep within our souls, and this has less to do with the beauty products market than the sheer delight of awe-inspiring experiences.
The American Psychological Association notes that aesthetic experiences can promote multiple positive outcomes, including empathy and cross-cultural understanding. In fact, some healthcare practitioners in the UK use social prescribing to help people deal with depression and movement disorders. This includes exposure to art, dance, and museums.
Something similar happens when you behold crystals: glorious, natural materials that catch the light in spectacular ways. Archaeological reports reveal that our attachment to crystals dates back 6 million years or even longer. A Frontiers in Psychology research study found that even chimpanzees raised in proximity to humans are fascinated by crystals.
Our allure toward aesthetics likely has deep evolutionary roots. Its potential for inspiring interest, awe, and excitement is well-established. These emotions can help maintain mental wellness when the world feels dreary and stressful.
The Many Delights of Collecting
Did you collect seashells or sticks in your childhood? As an adult, do you collect coins from the countries you visit or pens of various kinds?
If so, you are already making commendable efforts for mental wellness. Recent studies have found that spending time on your hobbies, such as collecting objects, can strengthen your mental resilience.
Recent research by the California-based National Institute for Play outlines eight play personalities, such as director and storyteller, to help people select hobbies. You may particularly benefit from collection-based hobbies if your play personality focuses on accumulating fascinating or rare items.
Crystals have long been a favorite with adults who like collecting things, thanks to their undeniable beauty and rarity. The Herkimer diamond, which is actually a quartz crystal, is a favorite with specialized collectors. Some even visit Herkimer County, New York, to search for them and enjoy the adventure.
According to Leibish, these crystals have polished-looking faces even though they have not actually undergone any treatment. They can be used as jewelry without any shaping or polishing.
Or they can be used as reminders of the magical possibilities of nature and the indomitable human desire to enjoy nature’s rewards.
Touch Therapy in Multiple Forms
Believers in crystal healing often place these objects close to their skin, wearing them in pendants and rings. Or they hold them during meditative sessions, believing in the transfer of energy or cleansing negative influences.
These practices may seem pointless to those who prioritize scientific evidence. But they do have one aspect in common: Touch. A sensory experience well-established to promote feelings of security and calm that goes back to our babyhood days.
Experts from Harvard Medical School explain that touch is the first sense to develop, and it needs a complicated symphony of sensory neurons. This network helps human beings appreciate diverse qualities of touch, separating the coolness of crystals from the harshness of a rough push on the train. In fact, if you experience hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to touch, you may need to undergo occupational therapy to manage this.
It seems likely, then, that the touch of crystals may inspire specific feelings in some people. It can evoke a sense of oneness with the world. It can also feel cool and calming, particularly when complemented with another soothing activity, such as listening to soft music.
Even sharing these experiences with friends can be therapeutic: Exchanging notes on various sensations and experiencing the warmth of social connection.
The Takeaway
The metaphysical realm remains dubious. Some place an annoyed question mark around it, doubting its very existence. Others feel we don’t yet have the capacity to gauge several facets of the world we live in. But metaphysical or not, some healing experiences are well within reach if we process them in ways that resonate with our personalities.
Whether you choose to admire crystals in a shop display, collect them for a home collection, or touch them in meditation sessions, their beauty has a lot to offer. As you explore various routes to cultivating mental wellness, you may keep these considerations in mind the next time a friend recommends attending a crystal healing workshop.
