Subtle Energies in Therapy, Spirituality, Arts, and Politics: 1800-Present

Few ideas have captured the imagination of contemporary culture as powerfully as that of 'subtle energies.' The belief in subtle energies has shaped alternative medicine and mind-body practices on a global scale. It also had a profound-although little recognized-impact on music and visual arts, debates on gender and race, as well as political and ecological movements. This groundbreaking volume uncovers the historical roots of the concept of subtle energies and explores its many trajectories.