Pranic Healing felt more placebo than practical — at least that was my first impression when I attended a session at The Centre for Pranic Healing on Raja Basanta Roy Road on a Sunday afternoon.
It was a free workshop that began at noon, and initially, I was the only participant. Walking in with a fair amount of scepticism, I could not help but feel like I was stepping into something vaguely cult-like — an aromatic ambience, soft ‘om’ chants playing in the background and walls lined with esoteric and spiritual quotes.
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The session began with healer Kumodini Torani explaining the principles of Pranic Healing — a non-touch therapy that works on the ‘energy body’, believed to be an invisible mould for the physical body. By healing this energy field, she said, one can find relief from stress, pain, disease and other ailments.
“I have been a healer for 20 years. Even patients dealing with complex diseases like asthma and cancer have found relief through pranic healing, though they are not completely cured. It is a complementary technique that must go hand in hand with medicines prescribed by doctors. It helps speed up recovery,” she said.
Sharing her own experience, she added, “I had severe asthma and was on steroids. But for the past 22 years, since I started practising pranic healing, I haven’t taken steroids.”
From citing what she described as scientific evidence, including Kirlian camera images of “healed” energy bodies and case studies of patients whose medical conditions improved, to explaining the laws of pranic healing, Torani outlined how the technique works. She also mentioned that a two-day workshop could equip participants to perform basic healing for friends and family.
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When the demonstration began, my healer, Naveena, unwrapped a crystal from a red cloth and moved it around me in different directions, meant to cleanse my energy field. I was asked to relax, keep my palms open, uncross my legs and even fall asleep if I could.
I followed the instructions. While my stress or anxiety did not magically disappear, the ambience and the steady ‘om’ chants did make me feel drowsy, but I’m hesitant to credit the 30-minute session for that.
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Throughout the session, Naveena continued to use the crystal, making slow, deliberate hand movements, as if pushing something invisible into alignment with my invisible energy body.
Despite the intriguing metaphysics surrounding the practice and more participants joining the session eventually, I walked out of the centre unconvinced about the effectiveness of the therapy.