Stones like rose quartz or black onyx are often not recognized as healing stones.

SAM’s Apothecary owner Kraig Brown said “healing crystal” is just a fun name given to rocks or minerals. All healing stones have different physical qualities, energies and appearance, Brown said.

“They can be very helpful for anyone,” Brown said. “For example, some crystals can help people calm down, others can block other people’s negative emotions and energies.”

Brown said all crystals have their own energy, and that when pressure is applied, they will emit some of it. Crystals have different energies depending on how they were created. He said they can help us spiritually, emotionally and mentally.

“Even if you feel it’s nothing more than a placebo effect, but it’s still working — then it’s still working,” Brown said.

Crystals can be used in many ways. They can be worn on a chain or bracelet as jewelry. They can also be placed on a bed stand or altar, in a gem elixir or even in a place as discreet as your pocket.

A gem elixir is when a stone is placed in an airtight container, and then the container is placed in a volume of water. The airtight container ensures that no water will actually touch the stone. Brown said the water is supposed to the absorb energy the stone emits, and the water can then be used for the same purposes as the crystal.

Whether you’re using crystals on your own or receiving the energy from a practitioner during a Reiki session or while meditating, Brown said they can be very effective.

“Meditation is time to take time and check in with yourself,” he said, “and to take a personal inventory of feelings in [that] moment.”

Just as each crystal has its own energy signature and helps in a different way, every person’s reaction is different. Brown said an important factor when picking out a first crystal is intuition.

“Being able to have those intuitive discussions with yourself is beneficial,” he said, “because all the information is there, it just has to be acknowledged.”

For those who don’t know much about crystals, Brown can help them find their first. He suggested placing the crystal in dominant hand with the non-dominant hand over it to better sense whether the crystal is right for them. Brown said the dominant hand is better for sensing crystals.

Brown said people should then go through the crystals one by one, noting their gut reaction to each one. Then it’s easy to tell which crystal will be most helpful.

“People who work with crystals consider them to be a thing that can communicate,” Brown said, “and it’s important to every once in a while check in with crystals and see how they’re doing.”

Brown said crystals can start to feel “muddy” from use, and they should be cleansed.

Brown said one way to do this is to place them in salt. He warned that it’s important to make sure they’re in a zip lock bag, or something to ensure they stay off the salt, because salt can damage some crystals.

“To know when crystals are done being cleansed,” Brown said, “religiously check in with them and yourself to know when they’re finished with their cleaning.”