Pranic therapy is the umbrella term for pseudoscientific forms of energy healing. It is a range of holistic therapies and alternative medicine that claim to have healing benefits. It is a form of energy healing which has shown in some medical studies to be effective in reducing pain, anxiety and other physical and mental conditions. One of such therapy is Pranic Healing. It is described by Master Choa Kok Sui, the founder if the school, as an energy-healing system based on the premise that the human being consists of both a visible physical body and an invisible energy body, referred to as the bioplasmic body. According to this framework, the bioplasmic body interpenetrates and extends beyond the physical body and is considered to play a role in maintaining health. The concept is presented as being similar to what some clairvoyant traditions describe as the "etheric body" or "etheric double".
Choa Kok Sui. The Ancient Science and Art of Pranic Healing: Practical Manual on Energy Healing. Institute for Inner Studies, Revised Edition, p. 3.
History Pranic therapies are techniques that include pranic healing is a modern interpretation of numerous ancient healing techniques, including Chinese Qi, Chakras and most notably Prana, from which it gets its name. Starting as an eastern alternative medicine, it has become more commonly used in the west in recent years, and often used in spas and similar businesses. India where prana is used across various alternative medical techniques, has also seen a rise in pranic therapies. Medical practices in the United States have also used pranic therapies on patients, although successful treatments have not been accurately measured. Its adoption in the west has led to some using the technique as a front for unethical practices, or to make unsubstantiated claims. Pranic Healing utilises Prana or life energy to heal the whole physical body. It solves four different problem, viz Health issues involving both physical and mental ailments, relationship problem, financial blockages and spiritual emptiness. According to Soumitra Biswas, the renowned Bengali Author and famous Pranic Healer, "this system can be compared to the four noble truths of Buddha,viz, Sorrow, Cause of sorrow, its removal, the process of removal. Buddha gave 8-fold paths for the process. Many years later Master Choa Kok Sui introduced Pranic healing into our lives as the panacea. True to the literal meaning of the word 'Panacea' Pranic Healing is the everyday process and everybody's process for such removal". (Master Choa Kok Sui, ibid)
Principles Pranic Healing focus on 11 major chakras in the body, each of which corresponds with the position of a vital organ or glands. It is a no-touch no-drug therapy, which is said to use energy to heal the person. Comparisons have been drawn with Reiki, another form of energy healing. Reiki focuses on energizing while pranic therapies cleanse.
Research Studies into the use, application and effectiveness of Pranic therapies are ongoing, with peer reviewed trials drawing a range of conclusions. In 2024, a randomized clinical trial journaled in Pediatric Nursing indicated that the therapy led to pain reduction in children during certain procedures. Pranic therapies may help reduce subjective pain, anxiety, and improve other quality of life measurements.
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