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Original poster

'Distance reiki' - quack or what?

171 replies

mackthepony · 25/05/2022 20:27

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?

OP posts:
123ROLO · 26/05/2022 16:13

A couple of friends have been to reiki and have said its a relaxing and they have come back feeling "balanced". Neither of them have health issues but one said she had been really constipated and when the reiki master did the hand waving over her lower abdo she made a comment about her being blocked up, when she left she did a big poo

I don't believe in it myself, but they seem to like it, so I don't see the point in imposing my beliefs onto them.

Distance reiki however is just taking the mick.

Chocaholic9 · 26/05/2022 16:14

To get more specific about how I benefited from Reiki...

I had hurt my foot quite badly...sprained it or twisted the ligaments. It was swollen, and I was in a lot of pain (barely sleeping). I couldn't walk on it or put weight on it at all. It was like that for 24 hours. I had a distance Reiki session booked that day, and the pain, stiffness and swelling had gone by the end of it.

My physical therapist said it wasn't possible for swelling to go in one hour, but it did. I went from crawling around my flat to being able to walk on it. In the space of an hour.

I also felt like I'd taken happy pills for 2 weeks after the session.

If people on here don't believe in it, and think it's all a bunch of crap, all the more Reiki for me!

doadeer · 26/05/2022 16:16

The reiki I do is also hands on and she give me a little head massage at the end. It's very very relaxing and that's all I want. I use it alongside other treatments to calm nervous system.

Chica10 · 26/05/2022 16:28

Fairislefandango · 26/05/2022 16:09

I think you will find that most religious organisations have brainwashed most of their believers into giving them money consistently, throughout the ages. The Catholic Church’s total wealth and it’s assets, as led by the Vatican, are almost impossible to calculate because there’s so much wealth there - probably in the billions if not more! A lot of the money comes from investments but a shit tonne has come from the people, throughout centuries as they are always encouraged to give, give, give and the good lord will approve.

Well yes, obviously. But I was responding to 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?

And no, I don't call individual religious people scammers, because the individual religious people I know do not scam people (though arguably they've been scammed in a way). I'd happily tell the Catholic Church that I think they are quacks and scammers, but I don't think they'd take much notice tbh!

But you say that all people who offer reiki as a healing alternative, are all scammers. What a blanket statement! It’s a choice and as long as fully grown, informed, mature adults make that choice for themselves- and no one is getting hurt, it’s not a scam in anyway.

If they for themselves think that’s it’s of benefit to them then why not. Why the outrage? Why is it not possible to accept that some alternative approaches may work for some people, let’s say even if it works on a placebo basis, and those people think it’s helping them - why not? Why diss perfectly decent people for it?

DrippyLongstocking · 26/05/2022 16:49

OldTinHat · 26/05/2022 14:12

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5871310/
Here you go! Yeah, a bit woolly and rubbish but, hey...not all that daft!

Oh my god, the end of that ‘study’ 😆
(which is from the ‘prestigious ‘Journal of Evidence-Based Complimentary and Alternative Medicine).

“The author wishes to acknowledge the guidance and wisdom of his Reiki masters, Elizabeth and Robert Thuan, who are dedicated to professionalizing the practice of Reiki. The author is grateful for the support of fellow members of the committee of management of the Australasian Usui Reiki Association, who are dedicated to letting the love of Reiki shine in the world”

The below article touches on some of these bogus studies.

www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-pseudoscience/should-we-take-reiki-seriously

DrippyLongstocking · 26/05/2022 16:57

Welcome to Mumsnet 🙄

ThinWomansBrain · 26/05/2022 17:05

I had a conversation with a Craniosacral therapist recently extolling the benefits of CST - a form of alternative therapy bases on touch - by zoom.

I think that bith CST and reiki are a bit woowoo, I wasn't convinced🙄

DrippyLongstocking · 26/05/2022 17:56

Isn’t it amazing though how it was discovered that a therapy, which was previously described as ‘palm healing’ or ‘hands-on healing’, didn’t actually need to involve any touch at all, and could instead be done online.

What a marvellous and exciting breakthrough, just in time for the pandemic.

Stompythedinosaur · 26/05/2022 18:20

The study quoted above is not in any way robust, which is presumably why it hasn't been published in a legitimate journal.

Whether or not you personally believe in reiki, to charge for a service that isn't evidenced as effective is immoral.

CupidStunt22 · 26/05/2022 18:49

Chocaholic9 · 26/05/2022 16:14

To get more specific about how I benefited from Reiki...

I had hurt my foot quite badly...sprained it or twisted the ligaments. It was swollen, and I was in a lot of pain (barely sleeping). I couldn't walk on it or put weight on it at all. It was like that for 24 hours. I had a distance Reiki session booked that day, and the pain, stiffness and swelling had gone by the end of it.

My physical therapist said it wasn't possible for swelling to go in one hour, but it did. I went from crawling around my flat to being able to walk on it. In the space of an hour.

I also felt like I'd taken happy pills for 2 weeks after the session.

If people on here don't believe in it, and think it's all a bunch of crap, all the more Reiki for me!

So you actually believe that someone healed your foot, over the internet by...well what, exactly?

Here is a what a "Reiki Master" says it is....Naude broke down the mechanics of long-distance reiki. “The way that we experience space and time is not how space and time exist. We live in a linear timeline: We transcend space and time with reiki. It’s energy,” she said. Her go-to metaphor is about love. “You can love someone oceans away. You can feel that person’s energy even if they’re not in front of you

I mean, christ. I know people are dim but this dim? This gullible, this eager to be fooled, this desperate to part with their cash? Reiki was a great scam already: "just lie down there while I wave my hands around you, that's 50 quid"...but now they are getting away with "sure lie down there at home while I wave my hands around while thinking about you".

It's laughable but also depressing. People fall for this bullshit so easily...its a collective failure.

Lemonsandlimez · 26/05/2022 18:49

I work in palliative care and there is a therapist whom offers reiki, she's been doing distance reiki during COVID for obvious reasons and I've heard some good feedback, like anything if it brings someone peace and comfort then no issue....However we don't charge which is key to this... I'm not sure it's something I would personally pay for.

codeVeronica · 26/05/2022 18:52

You are a cob artist and you should be ashamed.

codeVeronica · 26/05/2022 18:53

Con artist, that should say.

Loopytiles · 26/05/2022 18:53

Wouldn‘t want to be friends with someone charging people money for woo.

Poppyseed14 · 26/05/2022 20:37

My mum is a reiki master and often sends me and my family distance healing. So it is a thing. Obviously she doesn't charge for it. I'd be wary of paying someone for that sort of thing tbh.

CorpseReviver · 26/05/2022 20:40

Dingdongdo87 · 26/05/2022 15:25

My ex-DH and his new wife are "reiki masters" offering distance healing on humans and animals. They're into crystal healing and all sorts of other guff. Trying to co-parent with these sorts gives me so much rage it makes me want to smash my face in with a spade

I'm sorry you have to put up with that, but your post did make me laugh. With you, not at you.

I guess it does have some sort of effect at a distance...

SlightlyGeordieJohn · 26/05/2022 20:48

CupidStunt22 · 26/05/2022 14:47

Its not about belief. You don't do what you pretend you do. It's fraud. Your friends are con artists.
There's a good chance they are deluded enough to actually believe they are doing what they think they are doing, but that's not the point.

Show quote history

A fair point, well made.

CapMarvel · 26/05/2022 20:58

OldTinHat · 26/05/2022 14:40

Took me six years to become a master. Levels one and two took a year odd each, final took four years.

I was practicing every week under my guide plus actually practising with family and friends if that makes sense. I've never charged for treatment and wasn't charged to learn.

6 years!

You could have become an actual doctor in that time.

Naunet · 26/05/2022 21:00

I was “gifted” the power of reiki from my step mum for my 21st birthday despite me never showing any interest or belief in it. I’ll send you all some reiki now, my cash app is…

donquixotedelamancha · 26/05/2022 21:01

You could have become an actual doctor in that time.

Pretty sure that wasn't an option in this case.

newnamethanks · 26/05/2022 21:17

Step back @Naunet , I was about to distance reiki all the MNs on here, in return for a small donation to my Healing Centre, Crystals 4 U n Me. Cryptocurrency not accepted. I hope we're not going to fall out over money🤔

FrancescaContini · 26/05/2022 21:18

She’s a charlatan.

Martinisarebetterdirty · 26/05/2022 21:21

I love reiki. I find it really relaxing and it rebalancing, in the same way I like acupuncture, reflexology and yoga. It’s very narrow minded to suppose that these things don’t do anything if you haven’t tried them, but each to their own. I personally love a bit of “woo” and if it helps people, even by placebo, then surely it is a good thing.

Elphame · 26/05/2022 21:23

ElenaSt · 26/05/2022 02:31

If it worked then surely the opposite of long distance healing would also work and the practitioner could concentrate on the other person becoming fat/bald/spotty!

How do you know it doesn't......

SnipSnipMrBurgess · 26/05/2022 21:26

As an aside, how can you do a Masters and not be charged for your "learnings". To do a Masters, you need an undergraduate degree and lots of cash. @OldTinHat