It started ordinarily enough, an invitation to attend an energy healing workshop by a friend in 2005.

“Energy work? Hmmmm…..” I was clueless and skeptical but said yes to support her. Also figured it would be two days well spent in good company. It sounded fun too and that was a key selling point.

During the two days, I learnt breathing techniques and how to connect it to my body’s energy flow, made new friends, received treatments as well as gave treatments. It was fascinating and a brief excursion into an extraordinary world. 

Then, it was time to return to the world.

I remained skeptical and told myself that perhaps my fellow participants ‘felt’ sensations etc (during the sessions when I worked on them) because they were too nice/ polite/ kind to say otherwise.

So I decided to test it out by finding a ‘test subject’ who would provide objective feedback on the efficacy of this new tool. My criteria were that this person must not have read, experienced and/ or is aware about the existence of energy work.

My maternal grandma (who is no longer with us) fitted the bill because she is illiterate, so she does not read the papers or books and to my knowledge, she has never experienced nor participated in any energy-related activities or sessions. Perfect.

At that time, she was 97 years old and had rheumatism. I decided to work on her knees. The only information that I gave to her was that I was going to work on her knees.

I started my breathing and sweeping of the energy as I was taught. After about 5 minutes, I felt warmth in my hands (this is one of the commonly felt sensations by the therapist and client during a session) and asked her in dialect: “Grandma, what do you feel?”.

She smiled and replied “my knees feel warm warm.” Ahhhh….

In a now increasingly excited mood, I continue to do the breathing techniques and within 10 minutes, the sensations in my hands changed from warmth to an intense tingling sensation, almost like an electric current. So I asked my grandma “Grandma, do you still feel warmth in your knees?”

“No. I feel a lot of pins and needles.”

With that simple statement, my grandma opened a new pathway into another world for me. This experience enabled me to continue trusting in it even when others did not. Thank you Ah Ma (dialect for grandma)!

Looking back, my fascination with “study of the unseen world” as how a friend cheekily puts it did not start at the workshop. Learning that modality simply provided me with a tool to reconnect with what I had forgotten or chosen to suppress.

All of us possess intuition and the ability to harness this innate self-healing energy that is within and around us. As children, we knew that there is more to just what could be physically seen.

Then adult skepticism overrides our childlike wonder and for most of us, logic becomes the prime decision-making tool. Till a time when we are invited once more, to acquaint ourselves with the natural world.

This could be through the behest of a friend, a book we read, an article, a television programme, a healing that we witness, a search for a solution or this Sunshine Inbox that you are reading. The mode varies and the acceptance is always personal and at a person’s pace.

When I accepted the invite in 2005 and experienced my Aha moment with my grandma, I did not foresee that three years later, I will be quitting my corporate training job and starting Dream Catalyst.  I spent the initial years of my business facilitating workshops on self-healing, seeing private clients, observations/ listening and self-practice.

My clients and participants came from different walks of life and backgrounds. I listened to their stories and observed their applications to transform their lives either through sessions with me or self-healing. Having different tools and strategies also aid in my transformative journey.

The following is an extract from Fly Free: How Accepting the Wings of Life Can Help You Reach Your Rainbow which was published in 2010. I shared an example how using the breathing techniques my friend taught me helped me with emotional regulation when I was heartbroken. 

When Mr X and I broke up, I was a complete emotional mess and in a dark, dark space. For a long time, I could not feel better. Every time I thought about him, I was caught in a swirl of darkness, pain, regrets, missing, hating, and loving. My friends patiently supported me through the mood swings, patiently listened to my sobbing, and patiently endured my non-communications when I stayed away. They are saints, truly.

It was only when I accepted that I was responsible for the management of my emotional state and that only I could help myself feel better, did things start to change. I had to stop relying on my friends to help me deal with the pain or to stop taking tranquillisers, even though they were mild, to help me sleep at night. I had to utilise all the tools and resources that I knew to help myself. And I did.

First, I started to use Quantum-Touch (QT is a method of natural healing or energy healing) on myself to self-heal.

Each time I felt an onslaught of emotional pain, I forced myself to consciously run energy on myself. In the past, I refused to use it. Instead, I chose to wallow in the pain and used the excuse that it was too painful for me to do anything. The first couple of times when I started using QT to counteract the painful episodes, it was not easy. Those episodes would see me in tears and what I would do is that, in spite of the tears, I would continue to place my hands on my heart and solar plexus chakras and just trust in the process that something is working. And it did.

Prior to using QT, these episodes would last from days to weeks, where I would be an operational cheerful zombie. After using QT, the duration for these episodes were drastically shortened, from days to hours, to even shorter duration. In a way, as a result of my own successful experience using QT to heal emotional pain, I am now 100% confident in using it for my client. In fact, I now specialise in this area of emotional relief. It is a blessing from this experience, I would say!

To supplement what I was doing, I also engaged my friend Thean, who is energy-trained, to work on me so that I could accelerate the healing process.

Besides Quantum-Touch, I went on to learn other modalities. For me, I never saw the modalities as alternative therapy. Instead, I see them as complementary. I always recommend my clients and participants to seek medical advice. With a diagnosis or a clearer understanding of your condition, you can use self-healing healing more effectively.

For example, I did consult a doctor regarding my depression and asked him for antidepressants. I am very lucky that my family doctor is one who engages in heartwork and only recommends what is beneficial to his patients.  

After chatting with me, he recommended that I take light dose of tranquilisers to help me sleep. He believed that with better quality sleep, I will be able to regain my equilibrium. He was right.

As of 2025, global antidepressant usage continues to rise, particularly in high-income countries. Iceland leads with approximately 169 users per 1,000 people, followed closely by Portugal (163), Canada (135), and Sweden (122). Other notable countries include Spain (106), New Zealand (101), and Finland (98), reflecting a broader trend of emotional reliance on pharmacological support. In England alone, over 92 million antidepressant items were prescribed to nearly 8.9 million patients, marking a 3.94% increase from the previous year.

When needed, pharmacological support is beneficial. There is no shame in seeking help for that.

Yet avoid being too quick to completely outsource your physical, emotional or mental wellbeing. There is a rise of people who are highly dependent on pharmaceutical remedies and pay little attention to prevention and self-healing.

We are blessed to have access to a wide range of therapies that can also aid us in our self-healing including treatments, mental strategies, meditation, nutrition, exercises and so on that can further support you.

When I hurt my knee last year, the orthopaedic surgeon we consulted recommended an operation. In the same breath, he mentioned that as I was young, I will need another surgery in 8 years’ time. Plus, there will be possibility that after the operation, one of my legs may become longer than the other.

Instead of panicking, I asked him calmly: “how long can I postpone this decision?”

He replied: “as long as you can endure the pain”.

I was in quite a lot of pain at that time and was prescribed painkillers after the visit. But I found out that the painkillers were so strong that I needed to take medicine to protect my tummy.

Because I knew there were other options, I did not take my painkillers. Instead, I bought a hiking stick, went for acupuncture sessions and physio sessions to help me walk better. Within a week, the pain was manageable.

I had sessions with my energy therapist, bone alignment therapist and practice self-healing. I followed recommendations to avoid my usual floor yoga, dancing and walking for extended distances.

Collective wisdom utilised. And yes, my knee is about 90% recovered. It is taking longer than expected as I had another fall in May this year. Ouch, I know. But this time, I knew the drill so start my treatment protocol once more.

You have read stories in previous Sunshine Inboxes of how our mind can be harnessed for incredible self-healing.  Indeed, you are often more powerful than you give yourself credit for.

 Bernadette Chua
When a frown melts into a smile,
when impossible turns into i’m possible,
when hopelessness becomes hopefulness,
when past cease and future presents
these are some of my favourite things