As a mind-body-trained trauma consultant, I’ve learned a lot about the steps involved in healing.
When I completed certificates in advanced trauma treatment and training in mind-body medicine, I thought I had the script for healing. It wasn’t until I started a Doctoral program in Mind-Body Medicine and had individual energetic experiences during therapy sessions that I found myself, again, questioning all that I thought I knew. I remember one day, during a therapy session, I could feel the other person’s emotions. I then realized therapy is an energy exchange that none of my training had prepared me to handle.
After this experience, I started a mind-body medicine doctoral program and became a Pranic Healing student. I quickly realized that energy healing is a necessary component of true healing for all of us, especially trauma survivors. Despite the necessity of energy healing, we are ill-informed about its helpfulness, and the information we receive is based on what is popularized in Western culture. Information is a form of liberation. Let’s explore two well-known energy modalities, including their similarities and differences.
Reiki vs. Pranic Healing
In energy healing, two popular modalities—Reiki and Pranic Healing—offer holistic approaches to health and well-being by harnessing the body’s energy system to promote healing. Both systems aim to balance and harmonize the energy fields of the body. Still, they differ in their techniques, philosophies, and practical applications. While both practices have their unique benefits, Pranic Healing offers some distinct advantages that may make it a better fit for certain individuals, especially those seeking a more structured and scientifically grounded approach.
Reiki: The Practice of Channeling Universal Energy
Reiki, originating in Japan, is a form of hands-on energy healing where practitioners use their hands to channel universal life force energy (often referred to as “ki” or “chi”) into a patient’s body to promote healing. The idea behind Reiki is that energy flows through the practitioner and into the patient, either by light touch or by placing hands near the body. Reiki practitioners are typically trained in different levels, where they are attuned to specific energies that allow them to act as conduits for healing.
- Philosophy: Reiki is based on the belief that energy flows within all living things and that disruptions in this flow can lead to illness. By tapping into the universal life force, Reiki practitioners aim to restore the balance and flow of this energy, supporting the body’s natural healing mechanisms.
Technique: Reiki sessions generally involve placing hands on or near the body’s energy centers (chakras) to encourage relaxation, stress relief, and healing. The process is often described as intuitive, with the practitioner allowing energy to flow where it is most needed.
Reiki’s limitations include a lack of structured methodology and limited scientific validation, which makes it less suitable for those seeking a more precise or evidence-based healing approach.
Pranic Healing: A Scientifically Grounded System of Energy Healing
Pranic Healing, developed by Grand Master Choa Kok Sui in the 1980s, is an advanced form of energy healing that also works with the body’s energy systems but is far more structured and systematic than Reiki. This form of healing is based on the understanding that energy flows through the body’s energy centers (chakras) and energy channels (meridians) and that physical ailments and emotional imbalances are caused by blockages or imbalances in this energy flow.
- Philosophy: The philosophy behind Pranic Healing is rooted in the idea that the body has the innate ability to heal itself, and by correcting energetic imbalances, healing can be accelerated. Pranic Healing utilizes specific techniques to cleanse and energize the body’s energy fields, thereby promoting physical and emotional well-being.
- Technique: Practitioners use their hands to scan and detect blockages or imbalances in the energy field and then employ a series of techniques to cleanse (remove negative or stagnant energy) and energize (restore or amplify positive energy) the affected areas. Pranic Healing also uses specific protocols for different types of ailments, making it a more targeted approach.
Why a Mind-Body-Trained Trauma Therapist Believes Pranic Healing Is Better
While both Reiki and Pranic Healing have been proven effective in promoting healing and well-being, Pranic Healing offers several advantages that may make it a better choice for those seeking a more comprehensive, scientific, and systematic approach to energy healing. Here’s why:
1. Structured Approach:
Pranic Healing is highly systematic. It involves specific techniques for cleansing and energizing energy centers, using different colors of prana (life energy) for different conditions, and adhering to a clear protocol for each condition. This structured framework allows practitioners to approach healing with greater precision and intent. In contrast, Reiki’s approach is more intuitive.
2. Scientific Validation:
Pranic Healing is grounded in scientific principles and research and is based on a deep understanding of the body’s energy system.
3. Targeted Healing for a Wide Range of Concerns:
Pranic Healing practitioners use specific energy healing techniques tailored to different conditions. Whether treating chronic pain, physical injury, stress, emotional trauma, or serious illness, Pranic Healing employs techniques that directly address the energetic imbalances causing the issue. Additionally, Pranic Healing often focuses on the aura and chakras, helping clients address deeper emotional or spiritual blockages. This level of specialization can make Pranic Healing more effective in addressing trauma and complex or long-standing health issues.
Begin Mind-Body-Spirit Healing with a Trauma-Informed Consultant in Baltimore, MD
Trauma impacts the mind, body, and spirit in complex ways; therefore, trauma treatment must offer complex healing. Complex healing extends beyond talk therapy to include mind-body medicine interventions and energy healing, necessarily so. Pranic Healing is a structured, targeted, and scientifically proven intervention to help many ailments, especially trauma.
Mind-body consulting is a way to explore the integration of energy healing practices within or alongside trauma therapy. Clients deserve a full toolkit provided by a practitioner trained in and actively using energy modalities. RISE Therapy Services would be happy to offer support incorporating mind-body interventions to help clients on their healing journey. We specialize in addressing the long-term effects of trauma and cultivating personal growth, and we are happy to provide clinical supervision and consulting across Baltimore. You can start your consulting journey by following these simple steps:
- Contact me with questions or if you are interested in getting started.
- Start exploring ways to incorporate mind-body interventions.
- Interested instead in booking a Pranic Healing session? Schedule with the Center for Pranic Healing Maryland.
Other Services at Revilatizing Inner Self Essence in Baltimore, MD
Due to extensive and ongoing training, I have many skills to help therapists rethink providing therapy. I am happy to offer clinical supervision, consulting, training, and presenting in Maryland. While I offer trauma therapy at my Baltimore, MD-area practice, I specialize in combining trauma-informed interventions with mind-body interventions. Along with Mind-Body Medicine, I am trained in EMDR as a trauma therapy approach. If you want to learn more about my practice and therapeutic methods, reach out to me.