Reiki

[Fanatic]

Has anyone tried Reiki? Could you tell me a little bit about it?

Flamingo - You do need to converse with some scientists, because you are clearly in dire need of facts. Or if you are the mood perceive people who know way more than you as "smug", read a book written by a scientist.

What you shouldn't do is remain in such ignorance that you can't tell between information and rubbish, at least if you intend to continue talking about quantum physics and how the universe works.

I have had Reiki a few times, I wasn't charged. It was when I was having a terrible depressive episode and a woman my mum worked with asked if she could come and see me. At the time I was practically hopless and suicidal. I was seeing a councellor and my gp, at one point I had even gone to the local church in desperation as I was so scared I would kill myself.

My mums collegue didn't even lie me down, as to be honest I thought it was total bollocks and I was pretty uncomunicative and not in the mood to cooperate. Anyway I was just sat at the dining room table and she asked me to close my eyes, she didn't touch me but I could feel warmth and I just felt like a massive weight was lifting from me, it was quite astonishing. Afterwards I felt quite high. She came to see me a few more times while I was ill, always with the same results.

It's very hard to describe, but there is certainly something in it.

" Now science is beginning to catch up and prove a lot of what these ancient spiritual traditions have known to be true for aeons."

Reiki is not exacty ancient- invented in the 1920s, I think!

The whole point of science it that it admits it doesn't know everything! Science is all about finding things out- filling in the gaps in knowledge. And not being afraid to say "this is a gap- we'll fill it in sometime, but in the meantime we'll leave it a gap and not fill it in with nonsense. We're not afraid of gaps!"

CoteDAzur, what DS can do isn't a special power . I think each animal does have an energy, which can affect people negatively or positively. When DS2 puts his hand on my head, it is not at all positive!!! Which is a shame, because he's lovely, and would happily spend hours making me feel better.

Of course all living things "have energy". This is what keeps our body temperature at about 37 C and allows us to move, talk, and MN

I get the feeling that you mean something far more mysterious than that, though. What exactly do you mean by "each animal does have energy"?

But I don't think it is anything mysterious! I think it's just an ability which is not properly understood, because it's not been fully researched. I just know DS can do something that DS2 and DD can't. I do wonder if other people have "healing hands", although I've never met or heard of anybody who has in RL. DS is not special (well, he is, because he is my PFB ) I certainly don't believe those faith healer folk who charge money, or stand at the front of churches with their microphones. But I do know DS can make DH and I feel very much better just by touching us, and this is not something we have ever experienced from anyone else.

By energy I mean: once there was a mouse under my bed. Somehow I knew there was a mouse under my bed. I couldn't hear it, I couldn't smell it (as far as I am consciously aware...but maybe my senses are more acute than I am aware), and I certainly couldn't taste, see or feel it, but I knew it was there. It was a very frightened, lost little mouse. It was definitely giving off some sort of energy, which I picked up. Maybe it was squeaking, and I didn't register it.

Another example is when my hamster died when I was a child. I just knew it was dead, and not sleeping, instinctively. I couldn't see it...it had just died in it's sleep in it's little house.

I now sound like a rodent lover, which I am absolutely not!

I am a Reiki Master. I belive that we all have our physical bodies but we also have our energy bodies (sometimes known as auras). It is these energy bodies that reach out to the the world around us and are responsible for things such as intuition and the feeling that you get when you meet someone - some people you instinctively feel drawn towards and some you just want to get away from - without knowing why. Sometimes if you walk barefeet on the grass you can really feel a connection to the Earths energy.

When the world was formed it was created with energy - energy can never die, it just gets transmuted into another form. Reiki is about harnessing this energy which always works for the greatest good. When you do a Reiki treatment on something you are simply channelling the energy, this is why you may find that someone comes to you with say PMT problems and you end up healing a sore shoulder instead! The energy superseeds your ego and goes to where it is needed! Reiki is also an emotional healing. I think someone upthread said that it does not necessarily cure the physical ill but can help the transition from life to death and this is true. A true Reiki healer would never tell someone that they could "cure" them of a physical disease. They just have to work with the energy and let that guide them. Also as people have said no-one should be forced into a course of Reiki or a set number of treatments. One treatment can be as effective as 50!

There is not really a scientific explaination of Reiki and nor should there be - it is beyond science really. We don't always need to explain everything, just to be guided by our feeling and our intuition. If Reiki works for someone - great. If someone doesn't want to try it that is also fine. Sometimes you need to stop shouting the questions to hear the answers.

That is a really interesting story. Is there evidence for any of it or do we have to take your word for it?

"Sometimes if you walk barefeet on the grass you can really feel a connection to the Earths energy"

Really now. I never have, but if there is such a thing, I'm sure it has been determined and measured before. Would you point us to such a study, if one exists?

"some people you instinctively feel drawn towards and some you just want to get away from - without knowing why"

That is more likely because we are evolved to perceive and interpret hundreds of clues about a person's state of mind from facial expressions, tics, body language etc. We can like someone or be wary of him without knowing why with no need for glowing yet invisible lights around him.

"There is not really a scientific explaination of Reiki and nor should there be - it is beyond science really."

Sorry but . "Beyond science"? What does that even mean?

Are you saying there will never be any evidence found for these "energies" or Reiki's effectiveness because, uh, it's beyond science? But you know that story is the truth because... how, exactly?

CoteDAzur

When I say beyond science I am saying that there are some things that are not ever going to have a "rational" explaination because they are more to do with things that we cannot measure, quantify or see. We just have to go on belief, feeling and our own experience.

From my point of view I have had and given Reiki and I know what my experience is and how it has effected me. I also know that many thousands of people around the world have also had positive experiences from Reiki and that it is also beggining to be used in hospitals too.

I'm afraid I can't actually point you to any scientific studies although I'm sure tht some have been done. I know there are examples of how Reiki done over food has kept it fresher for longer. I'm sure if you google there will be examples of studies done.

I would really question why you need "proof", but if you do the best thing to do would be to have a Reiki session and see what your experiences and feeling are and how you feel afterwards - that would be your proof .

There are many people swearing they got super duper benefits from homeopathy. And yet homeopathy fares no better than placebo in double blind tests.

Is homeopathy "beyond science", too? Or can we assume that sugar pills are just... sugar pills?

You see where I am going with this, no doubt.

CoteDAzur - its fine if you don't want to belive it or try it. Reiki is about spirituality but it is not a religion. You will not get Reiki practitioners knocking down your door trying to persuade to you "belive" .

There are lots of things in this world that we don't necessarily understand or have explainations for...yet!

I have not had homeopathy but I have had accupuncture and it definitely worked for me when I was ttc. The practitioners put the needles in and my stomach felt flooded with warmth. The next month I was pregnant after trying for quite a while. Yes it could be co-incidence or some sort of placebo effect but I belive it was the accupuncture and go on my gut instinct.

I'm interested in why you are so desparate for proof? Have you ever tried Reiki??

I'm not "desperate" for proof, I simply require it.

When faced with fantastical claims of invisible lights that are beyond science (no less) and the loving energy of the universe, wouldn't you?

Anyway, I know that you guys don't have any proof. I'm just interested to hear what passes for an explanation in these circles of what Reiki is supposed to be.

Well I think you should try a Reiki session - then you can see for yourself what it is all about!

Namaste

I don't know why the same people consistently come onto threads about complementary medicine to ridicule people who have benefitted from it.

That, to me, is a big mystery.

Why is it ridiculing to actually want some evidence before handing over our hard earned cash?

Nobody's asking you to hand over your cash. If you don't want it, don't have it. Don't read about it. Don't listen to what other people have got to say.

A load of codswallop imo. Sorry

People don't come onto these threads saying: "I shelled out money, I felt nothing, and that's why I'm angry and bitter." They just say, angrily and bitterly: "It's a load of bollocks" without ever trying it; whereas others try it, and say it helped them a lot, and the money was worth it.

So why would you try to stop people doing something which might help them or, more importantly, their dc?

When in London underground, a Reiki fan friend of mine was making hand signs into the tunnel "to hasten the train's arrival".

Does that count as having tried Reiki?

I don't think anyone here is trying to stop anyone.

We are just asking what it is and how it's supposed to work. Not two people have managed to give the same answer (universe's energy, loving energy (of people, presumably), aura around people, etc) which suggests to me that everyone is making up their own story.

"Nobody's asking you to hand over your cash. If you don't want it, don't have it. Don't read about it. Don't listen to what other people have got to say."

I don't/won't. Sadly there are others who are desperate, unhappy, or ill informed enough to be sucked into this sort of stuff. And there are practitioners ready to take their money.

As a scientist (chemistry/mineralogy PhD graduate, post doc, now industrial professional) and a 'spiritual' person (well someone who does basic meditation), my take on this is that reiki, tai chi, yoga (so called 'energy' practices), regardless of physics, simply help bring us into the present moment and let our thoughts/emotions subside. This increases our awareness of our bodies and shows that our thinking mind is not what we really are (as can also be done in 'mindfulness' exercises - something taught by therapists, Buddhists and even psychologists as part of cognitive behavioural therapy - so even scientists!). This 'letting go' (regardless of what theory / description of energy is given to it) can be very beneficial for our general well being.

The argument of pure science vs. religion / spirituality often chases it's tail around and around. It's clear that some (many!) aspects of religion are allegorical descriptions of mind-states and are not physical reality. It is also clear that pure science doesn't supply all the answers - it doesn't provide much comfort when you are watching a loved one suffer or die for example. I use science every single day. I also use basic aspects of 'spirituality' - mindfulness, meditation and 'letting go'. Both have enriched my life immensely.

I did try Reiki ( had a few sessions, can't remember how many ) and therefore believe I'm entitled to comment - i found it a load of codswallop.

comfort "I don't know why the same people consistently come onto threads about complementary medicine to ridicule people who have benefitted from it."

Nobody has benefitted from it....because it doesn't work.

if you replace "people who have benefitted from it" with the more accurate "people who have convinced themselves to believe a load of bollocks" I think it becomes clear.