Are alternative therapies reliable?

I’m a sceptic when it comes to esoteric treatments like past-life regression or even homoeopathy and Ayurveda. But numerous people all over the world believe in things beyond explanation. I decided to interview Chandrika, a tarot card reader, who practices Bach flower remedies, Terra Mei Saichem Reiki and Crystal Therapy to give us a peek into her work.

1.    Could you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do?

I was into corporate training and organisation interventions. After almost two decades, I suddenly started feeling empty. I felt that there was a lot more to be done. I had completed a few courses on various healing modalities and was practising them on myself. Now I practice coaching, organisation intervention, counselling and healing—all in tandem.

2.    What inspired you to take up alternative healing as a profession?

That is an interesting story. I was visiting a friend of mine who was getting married. She mentioned that she was waiting for a tarot reader to come over. I was sceptical. “What reader?” I asked in a mocking tone. When she explained, I said “You are going to let a pack of cards decide your future? (I still maintain that though. I use them only for guidance, counselling and help in decision making. Not for plain predictions.) After a chat with the tarot reader, certain occurrences prompted me to get a reading done for myself. That was a turning point in my life. I am alive today, and I owe it to that reading.

Life took me through certain chapters, and I resorted to alternative therapies to heal. Today, I strongly recommend that people use alternative therapies as they are more organic and natural for us to stay grounded and they help our energies to flow. And yes, they produce only positive side effects.

3.    What are the new-age therapies you practice?

Tarot Reading

Bach Flower Remedies

Terra Mei Saichem Reiki

Crystal Therapy

I marry the above based on my clients’ needs while counselling.

My Masters in Yoga laid the foundation though.

4.     Do you have interesting, inspiring stories of clients (you can change their names to maintain privacy) who have benefitted from your therapies that you’d like to share?

By the end of the session, most of them leave with amazing clarity and confidence to take on their life challenges. Almost all the clients who got a tarot reading done have come back to thank me for the guidance. They always mentioned that it was precise and helped them in their life situations.

Specific Instances

Case 1

Vimala works abroad far from her family. She feels her confidence levels are low although according to me, she is doing well at work.

Diagnosis: She comes from a background where the family always criticised her for who she was.

Prescription: Crystal

Result: She calls me to say that she is feeling extremely confident and has taken a few important decisions in life. She also got married shortly after that.

Case 2

Asha went through breathlessness and had no medical issues. She did not know the reason either.

Diagnosis: After a couple of sessions, I figured out that the first time she experienced her breathlessness was when she was going through harassment in her marriage. It kept repeating even years after her separation.

Prescription: Bach flower remedy

Result:  No more breathlessness. Asha experienced a tremendous improvement in her confidence levels. She is rocking at work.

Case 3

Maria and her family are being harassed by their neighbours. They want Maria and their family to vacate from their own property. She claimed that they were resorting to “black magic”, too. Some untoward incidents took place. Her father was extremely sad and refused to talk to anyone in the family and was always anxious. Maria had come to live with her parents after her separation.(Multiple issues)

Diagnosis: Tarot reading revealed that her dad was depressed and that her neighbours would not stop harassing them in future either.

Prescription: Crystals to protect their lives and home. Crystals to heal Maria’s dad, too.

Result: Within a week, I received a call from Maria’s mother about the change in her husband’s mood and behaviour. I was talking to them after a long time. Maria visited again to mention various changes she was experiencing, that there was a theft in her neighbour’s house. The camera also caught some weird incidents to prove that they were protected.