Pranic, Tantric and Reiki – What are they and do they work?

Whether or not you have a penchant for the books on spiritual practices, volumes on healing or dare I say works on sex, the following terms may be ones that you have heard before. Do the terms ‘chakra' or ‘tantra' ring a bell? Other terms you may have picked up from New Age Literary delights include ‘prana' and ‘aura'. So, what are they exactly, do they work, and if so, how?

These ‘energy' healing techniques come from all corners of the globe, most notably of Japanese and Hindu origin. Pranic and Tantric healing have their origins in Hindu and are thought to be older forms of energy healing than Reiki, which came to light again in the early 1900s. Reiki's healing is drawn from a universal energy, thought to emanate from a higher intelligence. Its healing power can be used to treat illnesses whether mental, emotional, or physical. Reiki Students are instructed how to draw off this energy.

The energy healings of Hindu following, however, tap into a different source of energy. Pranic healing draws upon life energy and Tantra upon sexual energy.

All these methods however do hold with the common notion that all organisms whether human or not are intrinsically connected to one another and the universe itself, as is the smaller universe of the body connected to the mind, in turn connected to the spirit.

Why Energy Healing instead of Medical Healing?

More and more people are resorting to ‘alternative' healing methods such as Reiki and the Hindu based Pranic and Tantric, but why is that, considering the ease and convenience of modern medicine? Following are some likely explanations.

Modern medicine is not infallible and Energy healing has worked where it has failed.

Imagine yourself or a close member of the family was terminally ill. Of course you would try anything, including not only these alternative methods but also faith healers and even witch doctors, you have nothing to lose! It is a fact (although obviously not well documented by the medical profession) that modern medicine does not have the power to cure all ills and sometimes fails.

Modern medicine can make people feel unimportant.

Although every step is being taken recently to change this fact, people feel that they are not treated as a human being in their own right, more as a ‘carrier' of the disease, and this idea still persists. Doctors seem to focus exclusively on the causes and treatment of the disease itself without taking into account the emotional state of the patient. Energy healing differs in that it focuses not only on the disease itself but the person as a whole, since the whole ethos is the intricately interwoven web of energy and spirituality.

Unlike in energy healing, since energy and spirituality are intimately linked, the patient feels that all aspects of his health are being attended to.

Energy Healing doesn't involve operations and is perceived to be less risky

With the rise in popularity of healthy living, anything natural or organic these days is going to be popular. Of course patients who have been subjected to painful operation after operation and their families and loved ones are going to try to find an alternative, less stressful health therapy. It makes perfect sense and seems a completely logical thing to do.

Stress relief can be obtained with energy healing

The convenience of meditation as well as the fact that it can be done very cheaply is an instant draw for many people, particularly students who are both strapped for cash and open to new ideas. The fact that meditation is integral in many variations of energy healing sells energy healing in itself, particularly to people suffering from extreme stress.

There is no doubt whatsoever that both modern medicine and alternative or energy healing have their good points and their shortfalls and no doubt just like Yoda they will be battling for many years to come. It should be remembered through all this though that the absolute priority is to prevent and cure disease and maintain overall health and wellbeing.