Alternative medicines have become extremely popular in the past few years, and using crystals for healing is one such trend. Many celebrities, such as Katy Perry, Lena Dunham, and Adele all claim they use crystals on a regular basis. This has led many health spas to promote their use, claiming that crystals can help heal physical ailments or relieve anxiety.

Are Catholics allowed to use them as well, provided they do so for healing purposes?

Read more: The spiritual dangers behind Reiki healing services

First of all, in the medical and scientific community, crystals have not been found to possess any concrete healing properties. According to Live Science, “Scientifically speaking, there is no evidence that crystal healing can be used to cure diseases, because diseases have never been found to be the result of a so-called energy flow in the body. Furthermore, no scientific studies have shown that crystals and gems can be differentiated by chemical composition or color to treat a particular ailment.”

Crystals do not contain any traceable chemical effect that can produce healing or anxiety-reducing results. If anything, it may provide a temporary “placebo effect,” which varies according to the individual. Most doctors and medical professionals advise against the use of crystals.

The dark side of crystals

One of the main reasons crystals are used for healing is because of a “spiritual connection” between crystals and the “energy field” that surrounds a human person. This belief is generally traced to mystic traditions in Buddhism or Hinduism. It is said that these crystals can help correct an “imbalance” that exists in a person’s energy field.

The problem with this concept is that the crystals are used to invoke spiritual powers outside of God. Even if someone claims that the energy field is really the “Holy Spirit,” and uses Christian prayer when applying crystals, the belief system behind crystals in demonic in nature.

The Vatican produced a document in recent years called, Jesus Christ: The bearer of the water of life, which denounces such practices as using crystals. The Catechism of the Catholic Church similarly warns against such practices as they tap into a spiritual realm that can have harmful effects.

All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others — even if this were for the sake of restoring their health — are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion … Wearing charms is also reprehensible. Spiritism often implies divination or magical practices; the Church for her part warns the faithful against it. Recourse to so-called traditional cures does not justify either the invocation of evil powers or the exploitation of another’s credulity. (CCC 2117)

Often when a particular crystal does not work the alternative health practitioner may suggest other spiritual practices that tap into ancient “spiritual energies.” This leads very quickly down a dark path where a person could potentially open themselves up to demonic influences.

This is not to say that all alternative medicines are evil, but those that invoke spiritual powers outside of God are to be avoided. Furthermore, if there is no scientific data to back up claims of physical healing, then one can wonder if there is some other spiritual power at work that can negatively harm our soul.