- They're sparkly, and they're pretty,
and they come from the ground.
- I have a really difficult time
believing it when people say that crystals can heal
or crystals have different powers.
Hi, I'm Crystal.
And today, we're going to be investigating crystals.
Not me, Crystal, but like crystals, crystals, you know?
So, I live in Los Angeles,
which means that there is no shortage
of people who are obsessed with crystals.
Like my friend, Hannah.
- Hi, I'm Hannah, and I love crystals.
And I wanna show you a couple of my absolute favorites.
These are my amethyst towers.
Fluorite, serpentine,
quartz, geode.
And I have this little stash here
that's all our birth stones.
- That's garnet.
- [Hannah] That's aquamarine.
This is rutilated quartz, it's beautiful.
And then this is malachite.
What does this remind you of?
I had to buy it.
Citrine, yep, I love crystals.
- So, according to the internet,
the use of crystals in healing practices
dates back around 6000 years
to Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
It's claimed that crystals do things
like stimulate the immune system,
help with memory and focus,
protect you from negative energy.
Supposedly it can even do things
like promote healthy sleep, aid in digestion,
and elevate fear and self-doubt.
Basically, there's a really long list of things
that crystals can supposedly do.
But, I wanted to know the truth.
Do they actually offer legitimate health benefits?
Or are they just another wacky wellness trend?
So, to figure it out, I decided to do a couple of things.
First, I wanted to visit a crystal shop
and speak to a crystals expert.
- I grew up around crystals.
Like, it blows my mind that you can take a crystal
and that just came right out of the earth.
Like the earth's treasures.
- Treasures. - Yeah.
Do you remember a kid and like loving rocks?
Like collecting rocks?
- I told you, I failed geography.
- Geology. - Geology.
(both laughing)
I failed both of them.
But, so like you don't actually believe
that they have magical powers?
- I don't think they're magical.
But I think you can't deny that they have energy.
Because we use quartz to power so many things.
I don't rely on them for healing.
Or like, if I'm sick, I'm not like,
let me just put a crystal on my face.
(Crystal laughing)
You know, I was gonna say.
(both laughing)
It's the crystals, they hear us.
(Crystal laughing)
If I see a crystal,
and it's one that I can't stop thinking about,
then I feel like there's some reason
in my life that I probably need it.
- I feel like that's a really good way
to justify a shopping addiction.
(both laughing)
- This is what I tell my husband.
I'm not gambling, okay?
At least, like if I needed to sell them,
I could sell them.
And the best part about crystals,
if you ever buy one, nobody else will have that crystal.
- Aw. - That's the only one.
I'm so ready to go in here.
Oh, my goodness. - Wow.
Oh my gosh, hi.
- [Cheryl] Hi, welcome to Crystalarium.
- Hi, Crystal, nice to meet you.
- Hannah, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you, welcome.
(gentle music)
- How did you get into crystals?
- There was one day that I was standing
in front of a quartz cluster that was floor to ceiling,
so it was literally a million dollars.
And my knees started to vibrate,
and I was so like bitter and jaded,
and I was like, aw, crystals don't do anything.
And then I had this genuine physical reaction,
and that's when I started to actually understand
the healing powers of crystals.
- I have to be honest, I'm a natural born critic.
I have a really difficult time believing it
when people say that crystals can heal,
or crystals have energy, or they have different powers.
But, at the same time,
I also don't believe everyone is just delusional.
- Hannah's not crazy.
- I love Hannah, I know she's not.
- Don't use me as the example (laughs).
- Nothing that we sell, nothing that we talk about
should be in lieu of medical advice.
If you have a medical condition, then seek a doctor.
Like, that's why doctors exist.
If we're talking about something metaphysical,
that's why crystals exist.
So, you would mention skepticism
about crystals having energy, that's science.
So, that is why crystals were used
in radios, in watches.
Crystals have something called piezoelectricity.
Which means that they hold a charge.
- So there is science that proves
that everything around us right now can hold a charge?
- It's like wifi, we can't see wifi.
We know it exists.
And we're affected by it in ways
that we don't always know.
And it's really important for us
to be aware of what's affecting us on a daily basis.
Because the unseen exists.
And so, being around the crystals,
it helps you remember to tune into
what's around you at all times.
- When we do talk about specifically crystal healing,
people aren't saying, I broke my leg
and I'm going to hold a crystal up to it,
and it's going to heal my leg?
That's not what they're talking about.
- Right, when it comes to the belief system in healing,
if something in you is broken,
you wanna take certain care to that part,
which means that my awareness is going to
the part of me that is in pain.
This is just a rock,
until we put our intention in it.
It is not that I am going to put this on my nightstand
and hope that it magically works
on its own with me not doing any work.
If I'm in intending to help amplify my intention,
that is what people use crystals for.
It's about the relationship of us
understanding what it is that we want to heal,
and this can help amplify the power of our thoughts.
- I do believe that they're in such
like an extreme connection between the mind and the body.
What we think and feel really does
affect our physical existence.
- Like, if you talk to your plant in a loving way,
if you play your beautiful music, it will flourish.
Why would we think that a plant
is more advanced than we are?
Why would we think that a plant
has more capability to respond
to positive input than what we can?
We have all of the tools.
We don't need all of these exterior things.
It's very, very helpful.
But our relationship with ourselves
is by far the most important thing.
And having something physical next to me as a reminder
is a wonderful way to kind of keep
that personal accountability of
am I living the life that I'm setting out to live?
It's what we put our focus on that has the most power.
And so, crystals work in perfect alignment
in what it is you're choosing to focus on.
And nothing in nature is an accident.
- [Crystal] After all of this,
I still wanted to talk to a medical professional
to find out what exactly is going on here
and learn more about the power of intention setting.
- I've learned and studied about metaphysics
and spiritualism over the years, various religions.
And I'm aware of the philosophy and idea
that crystals possess a tremendous amount of dense energy
and that the energy from crystals
are supposed to help release more energy
into the universe to create positive changes in one's life.
- From everything that you know, is that true?
- This is an interesting discussion here.
So my ultimate thoughts are that crystals,
in and of themselves, are unlikely
to make huge impact on someone's life
or psychological functioning or mood.
We have to be very careful about
not viewing them as superstitious objects.
I think that even people who practice
the use of crystals in a spiritual manner
don't necessarily view the crystal itself
as the instrument as change,
but rather part of a large spiritual practice.
I think that crystals have more of
a place in metaphysics and spiritualism
than they do in clinical psychology or scientific evidence.
- It's not really anything to do with the crystal itself.
It's really just about conscious intention setting?
- Exactly.
- But I'm curious to know kind of
what's going on in our brains
when we're focused on intention setting?
- A lot of different regions on the brain
light up when we're visualizing
and using the ability to think
about what we're trying to create.
And it starts to open up problem solving centers
of our brain that allow us to think
about how we might obtain what it is
that we're actually visualizing.
- So, it's like, even though the crystal itself
is not directly the cause of something happening.
The act of holding that crystal
and believing that it will does
actually cause a reaction in your brain.
- Yes, I think prayer also
works in very similar ways, right?
The belief or the expectation
that your prayers are going to be answered
is doing something more chemically
that makes us feel better.
- That is so interesting.
- Yes, the exact mechanics of how this works
and how this impacts our psychology is something
we just don't have enough research or data on.
- After Hannah and I spoke with Cheryl at the Crystalarium,
she was kind enough to gift me this crystal.
It's called the lepidolite,
and it's supposed to be very calming.
She said that she felt like
I really needed this in my life right now.
And she suggested that I bring it home
and use it to set some intentions,
place it under my pillow, and see how it works for me.
Let's try it and see how it goes.
So, I'm sick, I'm really rundown.
I'm traveling for work right now.
So I don't even get to be at home.
And I just got dumped after four years.
So, I brought this little guy with me.
And I just really need you to heal me (sighs).
We'll see, we'll see.
It just occurred to me that I have been traveling
around California carrying a purple rock
with me everywhere I go for quite a few days now.
(chuckles) I don't know what,
if anything, I expected to happen.
But I did look up lepidolite today online
and it said that it is a stone of transition
and is meant to bring deep emotional healing.
So, if nothing else,
clearly I ended up with the right crystal
for this particular moment in my life (chuckles).
So, I decided to drive out to Palm Springs
to visit some friends and family for the weekend,
and go on a little hike.
And I've just been trying to use this time
to reflect and really think about what I want.
And I don't know if it's the fresh air
or the movement or the crystal,
but I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better.
Just feel more myself again (sighs).
So, it's been about two weeks.
And while I'm by no means healed from this life upheaval,
I do feel a lot better.
And I'm really finally starting to see
that everything is gonna be okay.
And while I don't necessarily think
that it's because of the crystal,
feeling it in my pocket every day
I think has been a fantastic reminder
to just be mindful and intentional
with my thoughts and my decisions
and just the way that I'm moving through the world.
And that in itself has been a significant game changer.
What do you think?
- I think there were some really good points made
about how there isn't much research.
And so, I'm kind of right down the middle.
I don't know how to feel about it.
For me, I just need to see
a little more concrete proof either way.
- I think what I learned is
that it's really more about intention setting,
and that it's about focusing your energy
on the things that you want in life,
and working towards that.
And if that's what you're doing,
and maybe using a beautiful crystal
to help remind you to do that every day,
if that makes you happy and that works,
and you see positive results from that,
then I'm all for it, and I think that's pretty cool.
If there are any other weird and wacky wellness trends
that you want us to investigate and possibly debunk,
let us know in the comments below.
I feel like that moment about self-love was really special.
(both laughing)
- [Hannah] That's what I'm gonna tell my husband
the next time he opposes a purchase,
I'll be like, this makes me love myself.
Okay, don't you want that?
- [Crystal] The more I love myself,
the more I can love you.
- [Hannah] Exactly.