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.

How would I define ignorance?

Lack of knowledge.

It explains that some things appear inexplicable, one day we may understand better. In the meantime, I'm not prepared to tell people that they are wrong, stupid, gullible etc.

People experience the world differently. Think of synaesthesia. I'm sure children were told not to be so stupid, of course you can't hear colour...

I'm not prepared to write off other people. It's arrogant and short sighted.

Me, too speakout.

But it does start annoying me when other posters such as Tabby start responding to a caricature they have invented of me, stating what I would say in a given situation, instead of responding to what I have actually said.

When challenged you invoked the supernatural

You actually believe in invocation, Tabby? Be thankful I would feel too accountable regarding the results so would not begin invoke anything.

I don't know why some posters are so angry about the idea of complimentary medicine.

*Magpie
*
You challenged me. You asked me why people shoud not be given the benefit of the doubt. I explained why I do not give people the benefit of the doubt.

You then gave me some defintion of "supernatural" to try and explain why you think it's "unscientific" to dismiss the supernatural.

I explained why this is a mistake.

I was not rude to you, neither did I insult you personally. I addressed what you said. As usual (yes, I do know you) you threw your toys out of your pram. I know why...you are embarrassed at having your radio waves example squashed so completely.

I was not rude to you, neither did I insult you personally. I addressed what you said. As usual (yes, I do know you) you threw your toys out of your pram. I know why...you are embarrassed at having your radio waves example squashed so completely.

Oh, the arrogance! My radio waves example still stands. I am not embarrassed by it, at all. I threw no toys out of any pram. But it is incredibly rude to state you know me. Really, do you? How old I am? What I studied at university and post grad? For A levels? What I do for a living? How many D.C. I have? What I am reading at the moment?

Pickle makes a valid comment, here

"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."

Oh, so now we're at the "invoking spirits" stage.

Grow up.

Tabby, you are the one who accused me of 'invoking the supernatural'! All I said is I wouldn't and I'm very surprised you said it as someone who claims not to believe in the supernatural. Ironic and nonsensical you should say it!

I can't see and harm in Reiki OP.

I don't think anyone has come to any harm.

And these types of therapies are popular.
The local Oncology Department at a large NHS hospital near me has a day centre for patients.
It offers a range of complimentary therapies, inclusing Reiki, Shiatsu, Homeopathy,Accupuncture reflexology.

My friend has come through a gruelling time of illness in the past few years and the treatments offered at the centre were a godsend to her.

sorry to be a pedant but..

complimentary = free

complementary - additional

No, Pickle's "point" is not valid.

It's a complete misunderstanding of science & what I've been saying.

Firstly, no one (least of all me) suggests there is nothing going on in the world that science doesn't understand. There are things going on within my own body that science doesn't understand.

Secondly, yes, scientific discoveries are made when things we don't understand are investigated. That's what science does.

But you and Pickle are not interested in science...science has failed you so you are farming out the explanation to the "supernatural" and then, when challenged, changing the definition of the word.

And you are misunderstanding what the scientific experimentation has revealed about reikki. It has proven that it has no effect of any kind on anyone (beyond the placebo).

So, both of you are reaching to explain "something" that requires no explanation...the "effects" of reikki don't exist. It's imaginary.

And why would some people think they've been healed by something that has no measurable effecf...well, where to begin? There are a million explanations for that, and not one of them is "a spooky universal energy".

But you and Pickle are not interested in science...science has failed you so you are farming out the explanation to the "supernatural" and then, when challenged, changing the definition of the word.

You don't know what Pickle and I are interested in. Equally you are not the singular authority on the meanings of words in the English language. Have you read any of David Crystal's work? You may find it interesting.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Language-Works-Meaning-Languages/dp/0141015527/ref=sr11_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1515784952&sr=8-16&keywords=david+crystal+books

I haven't mentioned 'spooky universal energy', tabby. I mentioned somehow harnessing an innate function of the body, using language and explanations that make sense to those involved. To some that would be healing prayer, to others Reiki, others hypnosis. As I said, I'm not concerned with what terminology people are able to connect with. I am not prepared to state that Reiki is nonsense, while some people feel better for it. And they do.

Some people understand the world in a more spiritual way than others. I have been told off before for saying that, as it was interpreted as a denigration of those who are not. It isn't- it's descriptive. Some people are concrete thinkers, some people can grasp highly theoretical maths. Some are intuitive. Some spiritual.

Woo is about belief, not science. In order to adopt a scientific approach to the OP you would need the results of scientific studies of reiki, a clear definition of what constitutes a malevolent entity and the results of scientific study into the behaviours and impact of such entities.

I think that's why the OP asked that anyone wishing to debate the existence of spirituality start their own thread.

Some people understand the world in a more spiritual way than others. I have been told off before for saying that, as it was interpreted as a denigration of those who are not. It isn't- it's descriptive. Some people are concrete thinkers, some people can grasp highly theoretical maths. Some are intuitive. Some spiritual. Well said.

The thing is that you can be creative and intuitive and spiritual. But if something is tested and is shown not to work then it doesn’t work and that’s it.

“I am not prepared to state that Reiki is nonsense, while some people feel better for it. And they do.”

The placebo effect is very strong. And people feel better if they are listened to, and if they have time to themselves and some peace and quiet. And if they feel cared for and if somebody is kind and loving towards them.

'I think that's why the OP asked that anyone wishing to debate the existence of spirituality start their own thread'

That's right. But people never do. Because clearly the fact that some people believe in 'woo' threatens those who don't. You are not going to change people's minds so you should just accept that instead of wilfully derailing threads.

Can't understand the hostility here. Many people believe and life for things that have no scientific back up.

The placebo effect can indeed be very strong that is why some HCPs recommend complementary therapies alongside proven medicines and for UMS.

The hostility happens on every religion and philosophy thread by the same folks who deliberately derail religion and philosophy threads. It's boring but they will never stop. They won't convince me either though 😂

I had a reiki treatment at work. Was weird, saw lots of colours (the practitioner knew which colours), my hands grew warm and tingling. No idea what that was about.

The colours thing is interesting. I saw colours when I did Indian Head massage at college.

Yes Lottie, about the derail. Very boring. Makes it hard to have an interesting conversation because of the dogmatic resistance to a different way of talking about the world. I used to visit threads regularly to talk through the complicated ideas feelings I was wrestling with, but people who cannot use that language and way of perceiving the world made it harder work than it was worth. For me, it is a little like talking in metaphor or reading poetry. It always helps me deepen my understanding of a situation, or someone else's emotional experience. My DH is very literal though, and always brings it back to exactly how much, exactly how long were you waiting etc. Bless him! It's a family joke- how many chips?!!