Reiki I (hands-on Reiki): A form or variation of the laying on of hands. During a full treatment, the practitioner places his or her hands on, or one inch off, various parts of the client's body.

(See also: Reiki I, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

I Liq Ch'uan: An internal martial art. it is a way to align one's body and to harmonize one's energy. Its theory posits chi, yin, and yang and encompasses certain tai chi principles and certain Zen concepts.

(See also: I Liq Ch'uan, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Great Swimming Dragon ta'i chi form (Great Swimming Dragon): Subject of the videotape Healing Movements: The Great Swimming Dragon T'ai Chi Form (Rudra Press, 1996). It is an ancient form of Qigong.

(See also: Great Swimming Dragon ta'i chi form, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

idea therapy: A major technique of Imagineering. Idea therapy includes repeated affirmation of a desired belief, such as I am always healthy.

(See also: Idea therapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Iron Shirt Chi Kung (Iron Shirt, Iron Shirt I, Iron Shirt Chi Kung I): A foundational component of the Healing Tao. Iron Shirt is a system of breathwork, movements, and postures, that, develops the ability to draw Earth energy and packs chi into the fasciae of vital organs.

(See also: Iron Shirt Chi Kung, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

image magick (image magic, sympathetic magic, sympathetic magick): Ancient form of magic whose basic principle is that like produces like - i.e., that a person or thing can be supernaturally affected through the name of, or an object representing, that person or thing. Specifically, it is a form of homeopathic magic (mimetic magic) that includes doll magic.

Practitioners typically use image dolls (e.g., voodoo dolls): small clay, cloth, straw, waxen, or wooden representations of their targets. image magick extends from black magic to love magick and white magic. For example, practitioners of white magic may use image dolls to effect healing or to increase fertility.

(See also: Image magick, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

inner child work (Inner Child, inner child therapy): Form of psychotherapy pioneered and popularized by Texas-born theologian John Bradshaw, a former aspirant to the Roman Catholic priesthood. Bradshaw is the author of: (a) Bradshaw On: The Family; (b) Healing the Shame That Binds You; (c) Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child; and (d) Creating Love: The Next Stage of Growth.

In Homecoming, first published in 1990, Bradshaw states that all children of dysfunctional families lose their I AMness: their assurance that their parents or guardians are healthy, able, and eager caregivers. He recommends that victims of this loss or spiritual wound reclaim their inner child by reliving their developmental stages and finishing unfinished business. He terms such reclamation a Zenlike experience.

Toward this end, he suggests having conversations with one's inner infant, writing letters to it and reading them aloud, and writing letters to oneself - with the nondominant hand - as if the infant were writing them. Through such methods, the wounded inner child evolves into a wonder child, which Bradshaw describes as one's Imago Dei - the part of you that bears a likeness to your creator. In late 1996, Bradshaw hosted The Bradshaw Difference, a talk show on UPN.

(See also: Inner child work, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

intuitive diagnosis (intuitive diagnostics): Form of clairvoyant diagnosis that rests on accurate intuition. The ostensible diagnostics of Edgar Cayce (see The Cayce Approach to Health and Healing) exemplifies intuitive diagnosis. Its apparent principle is that the conscious ignores signals surrounding humans, but that such information is obtainable if one's mind functions as a super-receiver.

(See also: Intuitive diagnosis, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

intuitive nutritional counseling: Nutrition-centered form of clairvoyant diagnosis and remote diagnosis offered by Robin Lee of New York City.

(See also: Intuitive nutritional counseling, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

intuitive touch healing: a form of channeling whose theory posits chakras, spiritual blockages, and reincarnation.

(See also: Intuitive touch healing, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Invitational Healing: Self-healing method that involves Toning. Its theory posits a body-mind-spirit.

(See also: Invitational Healing, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

invocative pranic healing (invocative healing): Form of Pranic Healing in which mighty invisible spiritual beings or healing angels control the healing energy and the bioplasmic body of patients.

(See also: Invocative pranic healing, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

iridology (eye analysis, iridiagnosis, irido-diagnosis, iris diagnosis): Ostensibly diagnostic system whose principle is that every bodily organ corresponds to a location on the iris (the colored portion of the eye surrounding the pupil). According to iridology theory, the iris serves as a map of the body and gives warning signs of physical, mental, and spiritual problems. Proponents ascribe modern iridology to Hungarian physician Ignatz von Peczely (1826-1911), author of The Discovery in Natural History and Medical Science, a Guide to the Study and Diagnosis from the Eye (1881). , von Peczely discovered the iris-body connection in his childhood, when he broke the leg of an owl and a black stripe spontaneously appeared on the owl's iris. Probably the leading proponent of iridology in the United States is author and nutritionist J. Bernard Jensen, D.C., Ph.D.

(See also: Iridology, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Iron Shirt II: Method that fosters the ability to absorb and discharge energy through one's tendons. It is related to Iron Shirt Chi Kung.

(See also: Iron Shirt II, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Iroquois medical botany: Traditional medical usage of herbs in the culture of the six Native American peoples that constitute the Iroquois League.

According to the Iroquois theory of disease, symptoms are manifestations of a disturbance of the vital principle (life force) within an individual and result from any of four acts:

(1)           violating a divine guideline,

(2)           self-denial,

(3)           interacting with entities or events that give off negative power or evil, and

(4)           offending someone who has access to great knowledge regarding the manipulation of spirit forces.

Iroquois herbal medicines include antighost plants, anti-witching remedies, and cures for bad luck and even death.

(See also: Iroquois medical botany, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

integrative acupressure: Form of acupressure whose chief distinction is a technique called acupressure lymphatic release.

(See also: Integrative acupressure, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Integrative-Ayurvedic Aromatherapy: Combination of aromatherapy and Ayurveda. Its apparent principle is that the makeup of the human body and the physical and energetic matter of plants directly correlate.

(See also: Integrative-Ayurvedic Aromatherapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

integrative macrobiotics: a variation of macrobiotics that encompasses taking dietary supplements and herbs.

(See also: Integrative macrobiotics, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Integrative Manual Therapy: Combination of modalities developed by Sharon Weiselfish, Ph.D., P.T., the originator of Developmental Manual Therapy. Integrative Manual Therapy borrows from CranioSacral Therapy.

(See also: Integrative Manual Therapy, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)