Pranic healing, aura cleansing, colour therapy and emotional freedom technique are often sold together, sometimes under the broader label of “energy healing.” They share a central idea: that a subtle form of energy flows through the body, can become imbalanced, and can be corrected by a practitioner.
This article looks at them individually, then explains the evidence position — which applies to all four.
The common idea
Each of these practices is built on a claim about energy. Pranic healing holds that a practitioner can influence a person’s “prana” or life force. Aura cleansing holds that a coloured aura surrounds the body and can be cleared. Colour therapy holds that specific colours affect health. Emotional freedom technique (EFT) holds that tapping on specific points reduces the emotional intensity of a problem.
There is one difficulty that applies to all of them: the energy in question has not been demonstrated to exist as described.
This is not a philosophical objection. It is a statement about what has and has not been measured. No instrument has identified an aura, prana, or a colour-to-health mechanism of the kind these practices rely on. Because the mechanism is not established, the specific health claims built on it cannot be evaluated as working — and none of these practices is endorsed by a major health body as a treatment.
Pranic healing
Pranic healing is generally described as a system developed in the 20th century in which a practitioner works on a person’s energy field, sometimes at a distance, with the aim of restoring balance.
Practitioners typically claim rapid results and treatment of conditions ranging from minor complaints to serious illness. There is no reliable evidence for these claims, and no major health body recognises pranic healing as a treatment for any condition.
The specific risk here is severity. Pranic healing is frequently marketed for serious conditions, including illnesses that require medical treatment. Delaying or replacing effective treatment with it is the main documented danger.
Aura cleansing
Aura cleansing operates on the premise that the body is surrounded by a coloured field, and that negative energy can accumulate in it. Practitioners remove this by various means, sometimes involving crystals or sound.
There is no scientific evidence that an aura exists. Auras have not been measured by any reliable method, despite repeated attempts to photograph or otherwise detect them.
The framing of “cleansing” carries an additional concern: it can imply that a person was carrying something harmful that needed removing. That framing is unsupported, and in a mental health context it can add pressure to an already unwell person.
Colour therapy
Colour therapy, or chromotherapy, uses specific colours of light to influence health and wellbeing. It may involve coloured light shone on the body, coloured filters, or simply visualising colours.
There is a genuine and well-documented effect that is often confused with this one: light itself affects the body. Bright light therapy is an established treatment for seasonal affective disorder and certain sleep disorders, where it acts on the circadian rhythm. That is a documented mechanism involving melatonin and clock genes.
What is not established is the system used in commercial colour therapy, in which specific colours correspond to specific organs or emotional states. That mapping has no biological basis. The genuine science of light therapy should not be used as evidence for commercial colour therapy — they are different claims.
Emotional freedom technique
EFT, also called tapping, involves clients tapping specific points on the face and body while focusing on an emotional issue. It is related to acupuncture in that the tapping points are chosen by a similar map, but no needles are used.
Some psychological therapies involve structured tapping, and a small number have been studied. However, the theory that tapping works by releasing energy or balancing meridians has not been demonstrated, and the psychological literature on related techniques is not sufficient to establish EFT as an evidence-based treatment.
If someone is experiencing anxiety or trauma, talking therapies and medical support are the established routes, and they are effective.
The overall evidence position
Put plainly: the major health bodies evaluate these practices and none is recommended as a treatment.
The NHS states that herbal medicines and complementary therapies “are not tested in the same way as standard medicines to see how well they work.” It funds a small number of complementary therapies — acupuncture, the Alexander technique and hypnotherapy — each for specific conditions and with evidence behind them. Pranic healing, aura cleansing, colour therapy and EFT are not among them.
NCCIH, which evaluates complementary therapies for the US National Institutes of Health, does not publish a fact sheet endorsing any of these four practices.
None of that means the people who feel helped are imagining something. Placebo and nonspecific effects are real and measurable. NCCIH found in its acupuncture research that nonspecific effects contribute to beneficial outcomes, noting that in many studies the benefit of acupuncture was greater when compared with no treatment than when compared with sham acupuncture. A practice that produces genuine wellbeing improvement through attention, expectation and therapeutic relationship is still not a treatment for disease.
Safety
These particular practices tend to be physically low-risk, and that is worth saying clearly rather than overstating the danger. The serious risks are social and medical rather than physical:
- Delayed treatment. The dominant danger. Serious conditions require proven care.
- Financial harm. Courses of treatments for conditions that cannot be treated this way can become very expensive.
- Isolation. Practitioners sometimes discourage consultation with doctors.
- Supplements sold as part of the practice. Herbal products have been found contaminated with heavy metals and undeclared drugs. The NHS names specific medicines with which these interact, including warfarin, metformin, statins, antidepressants and ramipril.
If you are considering one of these
- Do keep conventional treatment going alongside anything you try.
- Do tell your doctor what you are using.
- Do not accept a practitioner who says you should stop medication or see a doctor.
- Do be wary of claims to treat serious or incurable disease.
- Do check with a pharmacist about any supplement you are given.
Frequently asked questions
Do auras exist?
There is no scientific evidence that an aura exists as described in these practices. Despite many attempts, auras have not been reliably measured or photographed by scientific instruments.
Does pranic healing work?
There is no reliable evidence that it treats disease, and no major health body recognises it as a treatment. Practitioners commonly claim rapid results; those claims are not supported by controlled research.
Does colour therapy work?
Light does affect human biology — bright light therapy is an established treatment for seasonal affective disorder and some sleep disorders. But the specific colour-to-organ system used in commercial colour therapy has no demonstrated basis, and should not be confused with that real science.
Is EFT or tapping evidence-based?
The theory that tapping works by balancing energy is not demonstrated, and the research base is not sufficient for it to be described as evidence-based. For anxiety or trauma, established psychological treatments are available.
Are these practices dangerous?
Physically, they tend to be low-risk. The real danger is indirect: delaying proven treatment, spending large sums on ineffective courses, being discouraged from seeing a doctor, and taking contaminated supplements that interact with prescription medicines.
What complementary therapies are actually recognised?
Some are, for specific conditions. The NHS funds acupuncture for long-term pain, migraine-type headaches and severe hiccups; the Alexander technique for Parkinson’s-related balance problems; and hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome in certain cases. NCCIH also reports evidence for acupuncture in several pain conditions and for migraine prevention. The common thread is evidence, a defined condition, and a defined role.
Sources
- NHS, “Herbal medicines and complementary therapies,” Health A to Z (page last reviewed 1 May 2026): nhs.uk
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institutes of Health, “Acupuncture: Effectiveness and Safety” (last updated October 2022), on nonspecific effects: nccih.nih.gov
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “Traditional Chinese Medicine: What You Need To Know” (last updated April 2019), on herbal product contamination: nccih.nih.gov
This article is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend any practice, practitioner or product. Neither the NHS nor NCCIH endorses these therapies. If you have a health condition or are taking medication, speak with a qualified health care provider, and do not delay conventional care.
