I think people should be careful doing Reiki

[lottieandmia22]

This post assumes a belief in spirituality so I'm not interested in debating that specifically. If you want to please start your own thread.

From what I can see, reiki is channeling occult energy through people's bodies and is therefore potentially risky. It seems to me that new age practitioners will repeatedly say they don't believe in malevolent entities but I think this is naive.

One of my friends told me that his dad was never the same after he became involved with reiki.

And also nearly everyone I've met who has done it was told by the reiki practitioner that they are 'special' have a 'gift' or could easily become a reiki master.

Yes but for a long time they were thought of as utter quackery.

No they weren't, not really.

You’ve never heard anyone joke about an out of touch doctor using leaches?

Nothing remotely "rude" about facts.

I agree. Shame you included very few actual facts in the post I was referring to really.

Yes, in popular culture. But your point was that it shows modern medicine doesn't have all the answers, when actually it shows that modern medicine has explained how something that always did work does work.

The problem with leeches in the middle ages and beyond was that they were used for all kinds of mad things. But they did work on certain things, and they still do. Evidence based science has shown us why. Isn't that marvellous? It proves the exact opposite of your point!

😂😂 I knew this would end up being a debate about belief in supernatural or otherwise. But at least it has been an interesting discussion.

“It just shows you the modern medicine doesn’t have all the answers.“

It doesn’t claim to!

I used logic largely, Magpie. Sorry if that confounded you. Your understanding of what is meant by "supernatural" and why appealing to it is such a silly thing to do has not impoved with time.

Magpie- it is complete bollocks to say that we have to accept alternative therapies that have been proved not to work because if we don’t people will be somehow prevented from declining conventional treatment if they want to.

I agree. There is a rigidity of language here again. I use supernatural to mean things that cannot be explained with current science. Other people's experiences may not be replicable in a lab, they may not be objectively true, or they may be explained by something we don't understand yet. Many scientific discoveries are made when we investigate 'something unlikely we don't understand yet'. I find it extraordinary that you are sure that there is nothing happening in the world that isn't explained by existing science.

There are so many Interesting peculiarities about the world. Things that shouldn't exist but do. Gradually we are understanding them. Neither Magpie nor I have said we believed in reiki. We are prepared to accept that there could be something happening which explains why some people find it helpful.

I do believe that the brain and body are marvellous beyond our understanding. When you look at yogis and mystics, they can control the speed of their heartbeat, body temperature etc. I suspect some alternative therapies harness our own inner ability to heal. The language used, the way of explaining or understanding the process, may vary while the underlying (currently not understood) is the same.

We haven't yet scratched the surface of the brain.

Well, here's a fact for you:

There's no such thing as a universal life force. Therefore, Reikki doesn't work. Therefore it's not "dangerous"....although believing in it might be.

How do I know this? Science!

*I use supernatural to mean things that can't be explained by current science
*
Why would you do that when that's not at all what it means?

We could test it. Maybe send emails to physicists suggesting that the answer to the The Grand Unification Theory is supernatural and see what they say.

Similarly, playing with planchettes appears to be dangerous to some people. Whatever the mechanism, they are psychologically unsettled by it. Some will think it is negative energy or bad spirits causing the problem, others may think it's existing trauma in the brain which is somehow reactivated. I don't much care what people believe, but I won't be doing it.

Tabby and Bertrand merely repeating your opinions, without corroboration, does not add any weight to their validity. Something is not true just because you repeatedly say it is. You have no authority here. Why not state your reasoning, clearly, like any other reasonable polite person?

Despite the claims of ancient tradition, Reiki was invented in 1922.

"Definition of supernatural. 1 : of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe; especially : of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil. 2 a : departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature."

Something is not true just because you repeatedly say it is

No, that's right.

It is true either way though!

“Why not state your reasoning, clearly, like any other reasonable polite person?”

I am happy to. I thought I had. What would you like me to say?

There's no such thing as a universal life force. Therefore, Reikki doesn't work. Therefore it's not "dangerous"....although believing in it might be

Read my posts. No where have I mentioned life force or made any claims as to the efficacy of Reiki! Let, me ask you this, Tabby, how would you define ignorance?

Magpie- it is complete bollocks to say that we have to accept alternative therapies that have been proved not to work because if we don’t people will be somehow prevented from declining conventional treatment if they want to.

Where is the reason for the value judgement 'bollocks' given in this statement, Bertrand?

If you claim something is 'bollocks' at least have the courtesy to say why.

Read my posts. No where have I mentioned life force or made any claims as to the efficacy of Reiki

Didn't you say that you beleived in people who beleived in it, and accepted that it worked for them?Or was that someone else?

That dictionary definition doesn't actually support what you said at all.

I'm struggling to understand the hostility in this thread.

Very disingenuous, Magpie.

You are on a thread about Reikki suggesting that anyone who has "experiences" should be given the benefit of the doubt.

When challenged you invoked the supernatural.

I explained why this is not a good idea.

“Magpie- it is complete bollocks to say that we have to accept alternative therapies that have been proved not to work because if we don’t people will be somehow prevented from declining conventional treatment if they want to.

Where is the reason for the value judgement 'bollocks' given in this statement, Bertrand?”

It’s you that made the unsubstantiated statement. Where is the evidence for your assertion?