In my perspective it has a place where someone needs validation to heal.
What I mean by that is that someone who seeks out an energetic healer needs that "healing" to focus his or her intent on what it is he/she needs to heal.

Does that make sense?
It is for example why paying a lot of money for a course seems to work sometimes.
Because if You pay for it and it's supposed to be strong then it's often easier to start believing that it works therefore trusting the universe to deliver.

In the end it's a ritual in which you set your intentions and change your set of believes to start working on the change you want to happen. Personally if think though that this understanding has been lost and that healers and clients alike would like to give the responsibility of change to the energy work of choice instead of working on establishing the change needed for the healing to occur.

With Love
Eelco