A centuries old phenomenon has taken shape on campus in shades of pink, purple, blue and green. 

Many say, if you dig deep enough, crystals can support your mental wellness.

Jenna Glassman, senior in LAS, has been using crystals for over four years for their steady energy and its ability to keep her grounded and relieve her anxiety.

“I have this little necklace where I can change out whatever crystal I wear,” Glassman said. “I wear a lot of granite because it’s very grounding. When I wear it, it makes me feel connected to reality.”

Glassman also keeps crystals in different spots around her house, deciding which ones will go where by analyzing the properties and placing them where they’re needed. 

“I keep crystals all over my house,” she said. “In my living room, I have a lot of selenite which is known to act like a sponge for energy so it absorbs any negativity that’s coming in.”

While many said crystals have supported their mental health, crystals are also met with a lot of criticism.

Studies have concluded that the benefits from crystals aren’t from their physical properties, but rather from the placebo effect.

The placebo effect is the idea that your brain can convince your body that a fake treatment, in this case crystals, is real.

There is one study in particular, conducted by Christopher French, a professor of psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, that is referenced in many articles debunking the wellness benefits of crystals. 

The unpublished study gave 80 volunteers either real crystals or fakes and a questionnaire to fill out. All but six participants that held fake or real crystals described feeling similar sensations. 

This suggested the placebo effect was at play.

However, Glassman said if the placebo effect helps support mental wellness, it shouldn’t be discredited. 

“Even if it was placebo effect, it’s still real,” Glassman said. “If you’re holding a crystal in your hand to calm down your anxiety and then the actual crystal itself didn’t do it but the fact that you went and held it and it still calmed you down, regardless of whether it actually did the work, it’s still real.”

“It doesn’t really matter to me as much if it is actually the crystal doing it or if it’s your own mind.”

Glassman said she attributes much of the benefits crystals have offered her to personal growth as well.

“Whether you’re going to use crystals in your life or if you’re going to go to therapy, which I’m not saying that they’re a replacement for one another, a lot of your life changing is going to depend on the work you do, and not from external things you’re bringing in,” Glassman said.

Crystals can be found anywhere. Many people build their collections by visiting crystal stores, shopping on Etsy or digging them up themselves. 

During the summer, Glassman and her boyfriend went on a road trip to Arizona where they dug up their own crystals at various stops along the way.

She also attended several conventions in school gymnasiums or hotel conference rooms where vendors put their best gems on display. 

Glassman started her own business, SagsSun Healing Crystals, where she sells crystals on Etsy and various events.

She said she started the business after seeing a need for a space where beginners can learn about crystals and find what works best for them.

“I think a lot of it is just like the fact that I was so passionate about it and I saw such a change in my own life and my own mental health because of it,” Glassman said. “I just wanted to be able to share that with other people.

“Since it is becoming trendy right now, there’s a lot of people who want to know these things and want to be able to talk to someone who’s studied it and knows their stuff, I wanted to open a space where people could be beginners and ask questions and not be judged for it.”

In Urbana, Beads N Botanicals is a store that sells crystals. 

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