'Distance reiki' - quack or what?

[mackthepony]

Mate has started doing reiki.

She's now offering 'distance reiki' - same as normal reiki but feels your energy online. And yes, there's a charge for it.

🙄

Is it just me? Wtf?

About as effective as thoughts and prayers I should think.

reiki is sometimes available on the NH for cancer patients.

Very, very occaisionally either because the person commisioning it is an idiot or because they figure it's a cheap way of using placebo to make patients feel better.

It's not unusual to use open placebos as treatment; I do think there is an ethical problem with using it deceptively, like this example.

The fact that it happens does not constitute evidence that reiki works.

If you don’t believe in it, you don’t need to use it or engage with her about it. But you also don’t need to knock or belittle the beliefs of others.

Of course nobody needs to criticise stupid and harmful ideas but doing so in open debate is how humanity progresses.

Mocking reiki is just part of being a good person, like recycling or being kind to children.

For its relaxation/placebo effect, and in very rare cases, yes. But not because it has any proven scientific effects. And certainly not for its (non-existent) healing properties.

Not as a treatment. As a placebo-generator, like mood lighting or nice music. And funded by a reiki business, who no doubt benefit hugely from the implied approval.

Have you read/ seen ‘The men who stare at goats’ - they certainly gave it their best shot.

Homeopathic hospital 😁

It’s no more ludicrous than normal reiki, which is already as ludicrous as anything can be.

No, but it’s always useful to point out that it’s horse-shit, from start to end, to try to stop people spending money on it, or worse using it for conditions that need actual treatment.

I’m in the camp of “it can’t hurt” as long as it’s complimentary not replacing orthodox treatments.

As soon as they start charging people, then yes.

Reiki “master”. FFS.

Distance reiki and any reiki is bollocks. People can believe it and do what they want but if she's charging money for it she is a charlatan.

And also, this is exactly why it shouldn't be available on the NHS. Because it gives ammunition to the scammers.

I’m in the camp of “it can’t hurt” as long as it’s complimentary not replacing orthodox treatments.

I think the last few years have proved that the spread of false ideas really does hurt.

What do you think about people who believe in an invisible god that no one has ever seen, that no one has actually met? And yet billions of people believe in what is essentially hear say, and pray to this invisible god. Surely that’s even more strange then any reiki or crystal healing?

It’s on the same level, really.

Religions have got pretty good at explaining away the complete lack of evidence, of course, whereas Reiki practitioners just refuse to actually look at the data from proper trials, which demonstrate that it doesn’t work. They’ll often claim it’s not amenable to the scientific method.

Strangely they very much like to rely on the data from crappy unblinded trials though, which aren’t valid.

Your friend is a scam artist and what she is doing should be illegal. I hope none of her "customers" are vulnerable or desperate.

Come on, that’s exactly who they target, and you can be pretty sure that their miracle cure never lands after a single session. They’ll be signing them up for an ongoing course, getting them back again and again, which is weird for such a powerful healing force.

I hope none of her "customers" are vulnerable or desperate.

Surely anyone using reiki is vulnerable in some way?

To the Reiki Master and any other Reiki practitioners -

Please supply hard evidence to support a case, example here -

Doreen in Coventry who is a Reiki Master has by the power of long distance Reiki, cured Mavis's bunions in Southend in Sea.

@OldTinHat
We all have different beliefs. No need to be nasty and say we practitioners are all quacks and scammers. Do you say the same thing to people who are actively religious?

If they charge hundreds of pounds for 'healing' that has no science or regulation behind it, then yes.

Oh wow. I’m going to nick distance reiki as a new business plan.

I’m going to call it “Dick Turpin Healing Enterprises”.

I shall pretend to heal people when I am actually at the pub/in bed/watching telly.

It's not really 'more strange', is it? Kind of exactly the same.

If you don’t believe in it, you don’t need to use it or engage with her about it. But you also don’t need to knock or belittle the beliefs of others.

...but you can do if they are batshit crazy. Dumb ideas deserve ridicule.

^ Absolutely this.

We all have different beliefs. No need to be nasty and say we practitioners are all quacks and scammers. Do you say the same thing to people who are actively religious?

No, because most religious people aren't trying to extort money out of anyone. Do I say to them that their religious beliefs are a load of nonsense? No, I just think it really loudly.

I love in person reiki, but I use it for a very specific purpose which would not remotely be achieved not in the same room. Sounds like nonsense