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.

at pyramid selling

My opinion is, is that Reiki has always been around. In many different forms which definitely predates Christianity. It just wasn't given a name as such at the time.
I've always believed that Jesus himself was a reiki healer and that's how he came to have stories written about him and the miracles he performed.

Wizard spot on

lottie google Donna Eden. She works with Energy and explains it in a very down to earth way.... we are all susceptible to Energy because we are electromagnetic ourselves. If you have seen colours and felt sick then you are probably quite sensitive to energy medicine. I agree that people should be careful choosing who they go and see for any energy therapy, the client and practitioner relationship should feel comfortable and safe. I’m attunked to reiki 2, I don’t offer it as a therapy though.

I had Reiki once. I had been referred to a counselling service by my employer, under threat of disciplinary action if I didn't attend. The counsellor was very nice but I couldn't talk to her as I knew it wasn't confidential and would be reported back to my employer. She gave up trying to get me to talk and she asked if she could do Reiki on me instead. I thought it was a load of crap so said 'ok, crack on'. It was the strangest sensation of my life. She didn't touch me, not once, but I felt this tugging sensation at the back of my head, it felt like she was tugging all the crap out of my head and throwing it away. Scared the life out of me, although I did feel much better afterwards.

But in no way would I equate it with Indian head massage, which is a relaxing massage. Unless you consider all massage wrong I suppose? I know some Christians refuse to allow yoga as exercise, or reflexology for relaxation because they consider them 'anti-Christian'.

It’s not meddling with anything.

It’s having a nice lie down and listening to whale sounds while someone waves their hands around over you in a vaguely mystical-like fashion.

Very relaxing and if you get ASMR you may well be triggered. Also if you’ve got an actual mild ailment the placebo effect is very powerful.

I know you didn’t want to hear any logic or common sense but I don’t like to think of anyone worrying unnecessarily and your op might as well have been “Am I right in worrying that it’s posdible to be abducted by aliens? Only alien abductees to reply, please”

Any benefit from alternative therapies comes entirely from the brain of the client. That’s fine- the placebo effect is a wonderful thing. But the harm comes from the anti scientific bullshit that goes with it, and the profit that many (not all) woo merchants make from the vulnerable.

So what do reiki masters gain from encouraging others to do it? Is it actually pyramid selling or was that a joke?

I'm not particularly religious, no. Thank you I will look up those suggestions.

Nope. Definitely pyramid. They will deny it, but it’s true.

My mum would say that what she gets from it is that she loves reiki and feels it's beneficial to humanity as a whole if more people can do it. She would love to see a world where everyone was attuned to reiki, even though this would diminish her business, because she feels that it's so beneficial - much like many religious people believe that the world would benefit if more people followed God. She does make money from it but not very much at all - she probably charges about as much as it costs for a massage, and why not? That's her time, emotional labour (creating the calm atmosphere, even if you don't believe in the powers of reiki itself), equipment (table, incense, etc) and insurance - TBH she would make significantly more money working minimum wage at Tesco. So I cannot get worked up about profit making in this way.

It's not quite a pyramid scheme because the person at the top (and I agree there is one and I am a bit sceptical of this myself) is not constantly making a trickle back of money from the people lower down in the chain. Once you're trained that's it unless you decide to go and do further courses.

It's funny because the way people have described it I did think 'this sounds a bit like Forever Living rhetoric'

It's fine to charge for your time (obviously). I was talking more about the training costs. I don't know how much they charge but it sounds a lot.

Oh yeah, there is totally a cult element to it, it's weird. But I don't think it's harmful in the sense of having a treatment.

Pyramid schemes/MLM tend to have a trickle back upwards, though, where the direct seller has to send a proportion of their profits back upwards through the company (normally by buying the products in advance) which isn't the case with reiki because there's no "product" to sell and there's no requirement to send a proportion of profit back. There is a significant amount of tie-ins and related products which the people at the top do make profit from, though.

I don't think it's that much - certainly not as much as other accredited courses for professions.

“She does make money from it but not very much at all - she probably charges about as much as it costs for a massage, and why not?“

Because she’s peddling bollocks to the gullible, that’s why not.

I had reiki once. I didn't know what it was, I went along with a friend. I couldn't stop laughing when this poor woman was waving her hands over me. I think it's absolute nonsense but if people want to spend their money on it good luck to them. I do wonder about the scruples of people charging money for it.

Why is it meddling with the occult and not science? Given that we are discussing energy. They aren't summoning spirits or using incantations so why do you fear it is related to
The occult?

What BR said
I often wonder what proportion of these people sincerely believe in what they are doing and how many are simply charlatans. Of course some may think it's all bollocks, but still an effective way to channel the placebo effect, which is known to be stronger when the 'treatment' is more impactful (eg red pills vs white pills). I'm sure paying for something helps too.

I had someone practice reiki one during work training. Two managers were being vile and snorting with laughter at the woo aspect.

I jumped at the chance of a lie down during a training day. It was surprisingly effective and I felt buzzy and relaxed all over. When I stood up I was all tingly and a bit discombobulated so the practictioner did big whooshing movements with her hands around my body and is disappeared. I have no idea how she did any of this without touching me.

The managers were pushing themselves at that. So rude. They thought they were so superior.

I've had someone do reiki on me years ago and it did work but I'm not convinced that just because something feels good it's necessarily any good for you.

Some reiki practitioners do use incantations.

Oh what a load of utter crap. Where do you get your twisted ideas op? I am a reiki master. It is not 'occult energy'. It's life force energy which comes from the Universe and is drawn into the therapists' hands by the recipients own body . It is totally beneficial. I have no time for this clap trap. You need to educate yourself.

"I am a reiki master. It is not 'occult energy'. It's life force energy which comes from the Universe and is drawn into the therapists' hands by the recipients own body"

Speaking from experience it's essentially a pyramid scheme. Don't think there's anything malevolent in spirit sense but is capitalism through and through and hence anti spiritual in my belief. And yes I am a reiki master

If beliefs are solid the believer won't be offended at others laughing at them. No belief deserves respect. People can deserve respect.

Things for which there is no evidence require belief. Things for which there is evidence don't need it. Whether you believe in gravity or not, stepping off something high has the same result.

Like Treaclesoda I don't believe in any oof that stuff, and was a totally sceptical participant for someone to practice reiki on. Weirdly I could physically feel a sort of tugging, like strings pulling, from the areas she was over.
I absolutely can't explain it. I am NOT susceptible to suggestion at all (hypnosis, etc has never had any effect on me). I don't see how it could be malevolent though.
And as for pyramid selling- how? There is no kick back to anyone after training?