Inspired by the recent Reiki thread. Anybody tried this?
I had a few sessions after recommendation from several people who’d pulled muscles, hurt their backs etc. Strange sensation of someone doing very small movements, then schlepping off for a while, coming back and doing a little more. Unfortunately the registered nurse giving the treatment had to go away for a while so I got stuck mid treatment. It definitely helped me, so I’ll be going for more when she returns.
Skeptic friends: Why go back if it didn’t cure you?
Me; There’s a lot going on with my back & neck that a few treatments wouldn’t solve.
Sounds mildly cranky, but at least there’s actual touch involved—unlike Reiki, which I gather involves waving your magical hands over the subject à la Star Trek tricorder.
The default position for pretty much any therapy like this is that it doesn’t work. Certainly not through the mechanism claimed (if any mechanism is claimed at all)
There is very little of its therapeutic effects that cannot be explained via the placebo effect.
You are in a calm environment, having your non-specific, non-life threatening ailment being personally attended to and being relieved of large wodges of cash in the process. You are likely to want this to work and voilà, you experience a benefit.
You may well feel it helped you, I don’t doubt it. Problem is that often under properly controlled conditions these therapies do not show a significant effect.
Feel free to cut out and copy this explanation for most new-age therapies and alternative medicine.
Thanks. I’m still hoping someone will come along who’s tried it. It’s a form of massage really.