Diary of a Psychic Healer

A few days ago, I came across a Reiki meta-analysis that was published last year. A meta analysis is a very large study that compiles other studies, in this case randomized controlled trials, and aggregates all of their data. As I have mentioned before, one of the challenging things about holistic studies, and clinical studies in general, is making sure that they accurately measure what they intend to measure. Note: I may come back to this in the future to keep refining information and thoughts, and to simplify it.  In the meantime, my first impressions :  Effects of Reiki therapy on quality of life: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.   Syst Rev. 2025 Mar 27;14(1):72.    The participants in these studies were cancer patients, surgical patients and people with chronic issues (including high stress) who were not hospitalized. There weren't enough people in those study groups to generate reliable statistics for cancer vs surgery, but when all of them...

Last year I signed up for a short environmental psychology class with Jeffrey Kiehl.  We looked at WHY the science is so easy to ignore. Professor Kiehl has a book called Facing Climate Change - I haven’t read it, but I learned a lot in class.  The last few centuries of progress have been shaped by the idea that nature is separate from us, inferior to us (as we’ve moved away from seeing Spirit in nature), and that it can be tamed and exploited. The Age of Reason led to humans thinking of ourselves as superior because the intellect was deemed superior.   The scientific community identified fossil fuels as a problem almost 140 years ago! But their warnings fall on deaf ears. In class, professor  Kiehl explained that  data doesn’t lead to action because the parts of the brain that are involved in decision making and resolution are emotional, not rational.  Decisions involve the Limbic System - in one case, a person’s amydgala is activated (a fearful trauma res...

People often ask if energy healing depends on the belief of the client - the placebo effect is real .  And while we   can  harness it by working through feelings and beliefs  that may undermine the healing process,   when I worked in  consumer  healthcare, research was  expected to outperform the placebo.   This is why I was happy to find a  book called  Vibrational Medicine,  by Dr Richard Gerber. It goes  through research done in labs and clinical settings. The book is a brick: 500 pages and almost too technical, but worth reading as an energy healer.   Below you will find highlights from Chapter 8 on Psychic Healing. Please note ,  Energy Healing is complementary to medical care, not alternative.   Dr. Gerber uses the term  'Psychic Healing'  throughout the book; however, in my own practice, I refer to these concepts as  'Energy Healing' based on my studies . Vibrational Medicine, by Richar...

Last year I went looking for a scientific explanation of energy healing. On some level, I may doubt myself, but more than anything I wonder how it works. So I went looking for facts to explain my interests and I stumbled upon a group of skeptical and sometimes angry MD's.  It wasn’t obvious to me from the name, but the forum is dedicated to debunking complementary and alternative therapies. The first post I commented on was about the danger of patients rejecting cancer treatment for natural and alternative therapies, which would be upsetting on so many levels. More on that below.  I joined the conversation, saying that complementary therapies can help people relax, face their fears and cope with the disease. It is not an either-or case with medical care and energy healing.    I made the mistake of introducing myself as a Reiki practitioner. I tried to highlight the complementary side, there was a bit of back and forth which led to me being told:  ...