To this envious outsider’s eye, the United Kingdom has long enjoyed a rather enlightened perspective on what is now called integrative health care. Homeopaths were trained and then practiced side-by-side with conventional physicians, and traditional herbalism was valued.
Recently, however, something sinister is afoot. A crackdown on homeopathy has closed all but one homeopathic hospital. And more trouble is brewing for practitioners of other complementary healing approaches, including Reiki.
Recently, Reiki master Maggie Bevington of Newcastle approached me for help defending her UK-based Reiki website against complaints made to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Maggie was eager to address the complaints in a timely fashion in order to avoid a formal investigation.
Maggie believes the complaints originated with the Nightingale Collaboration, which she characterizes as “one amongst an increasing number of sceptic groups and individuals who purport to protect the public from ‘charlatans and quacks’ such as ourselves, who they believe make unsubstantiated and misleading claims about healing abilities of Reiki.”
The ASA required Maggie to remove from her website all claims that Reiki treats any condition or affects the physical body, as well as all references to healing, treatment, and benefits. Specifically, she was instructed to strike the following passage from her website:
“Reiki is believed to have many beneficial effects by:
Treating the symptoms and causes of illness
Strengthening the immune system
Clearing toxins
Relieving pain
Restoring balance e.g. hormones
Inducing a sense of relaxation and calmness
Reducing stress
Promoting creativity and intuition.”
Since Maggie has satisfactorily resolved the challenge to her website, I invited her to share her thoughts about how best to respond to such adversity. Although she is speaking particularly about complaints to the ASA, her perspective is useful to when addressing a wide range of complaints. Here’s what Maggie suggests:
“I recommend anyone who receives a complaint to not take it personally, and to view it as a challenge rather than as an attack. Some therapists in the UK are feeling anxious and even talking of closing down websites or packing in being a therapist altogether, but I believe that we need to develop resilience to such challenges and keep our intention high.
“This is an opportunity to be clear about our own information and intention, and to demonstrate a professional and reasoned attitude to both complainants and the ASA. I have endeavoured to make a positive connection with the lady from the ASA by friendly but professional communications, with occasional humour to lighten things. I have ensured that I haven’t reacted back with criticisms or insults – which would have been very easy to get ‘stuck’ in – which I certainly indulged in at first. I expressed my concern about skeptic groups in effect dictating the work of the ASA because of personal beliefs rather than in the best interest of the general public.
“I made several amendments on each response, to both demonstrate a willingness to comply with CAP law but also to retain the right to provide useful information about Reiki to current and prospective clients.
“It is possible to play the game and remove taboo words, not list conditions, and be more creative with language. Although it is a breach of CAP law to refer to or imply that Reiki has any direct effect on the physical body, we can refer to the use of Reiki treatment for emotional and spiritual healing! They have obviously never heard of the science of psychoneuroimmunology.
“The ASA have stated that they are willing to discuss our concerns so I therefore urge any research fellows and professional bodies out there in our Reiki community gather together good quality research on Reiki to submit for evaluation.”
I commend Maggie for her professionalism in addressing this situation and encourage Reiki practitioners to follow her lead. The pressure is growing for Reiki practitioners to develop skillful ways of communicating our practice.
We can help shape future conversations about complementary healing practices if we see the writing on the wall and take action to upgrade our communication skills now. There may still be times when we need to conform to outside regulations, but if we contemplate and choose our words carefully, we can each find a way to communicate that is true to our own experience.
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Has anyone else faced a similar challenge? If so, please scroll down to the comment section and tell us who presented the challenge, how you responded, and what the outcome has been.
The Reiki and Medicine Intensive and the Introduction to Medical Reiki webinar recording teach you how to communicate Reiki in clear, neutral language, without making claims. This is useful to any Reiki practitioner, and especially valuable to Reiki professionals, whether or not you aim for healthcare collaboration.
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I am a nurse and a Reiki practitioner. Allopathic medicine is highly regulated to the letter for all health care practioners. So it is actually exciting when a particular holistic healing modality is challenged as it indicates that Reiki is making a presense in our society. Hurray.
Good point, Hollie, and all the more reason for the Reiki community to start being more skillful in how we communicate about our practice. The more people who are paying attention, the more important it is for us to be very professional and self-monitoring.
How can the ASA demand that she removes any claims that Reiki has any effect on the physical body? Can’t she just cite some research which does suggest it has an effect?
I think that it’s good that the ASA are trying to stop people making spurious or exaggerated claims, but this seems like too much.
When government agencies feel they have the power, they will exercise it, and it is up to citizens to push back, which of course is not an easy task. That’s why it is so important for Reiki practitioners to be credible in their communication on all levels, including websites, and why I started the Campaign for Credible Reiki.
Also, always refer to Reiki as Complementary and NOT Alternative healing. But I am sure even the word “healing” can be challenged.
Any word can be challenged, and that’s why it is helpful to define one’s terms, especially to contract their meaning with any terms that might be seen as problematic, such as contrasting healing with cure.
I agree that we need to be mindful of website claims. I am a retired research biochemist. I came out of the dietary supplement industry and the FDA was VERY heavy handed on exagerated health claims!!! I spent 10 years in this regulated world! We need to use soft language before someone decides to impose regulations. After the James Earl Ray sweat lodge conviction here in Arizona, the family established TWO websites calling for regulations of ALL Self Help practioners. Be careful! Reiki is an excellent modality but be VERY careful about your own health claims. Its ok to mention a respected source on studies like the March 15, 2011 Wall Street Journal article about THEIR use of Reiki in New York Cancer Centers. Be careful in ths use of your words and err on the side of conservative. I am surprised about removing the stress relief claim but Meditation (I practice TM and there are many studies on stress reduction), and deep Reiki relaxation will reduce stress and I think that point can be made if tied to benefits of deep relaxation. This would be an easy study to do.
I agree, Jim. It’s important to be conservative when communicating the benefits of Reiki. The research on Reiki is in its infancy, but we can still make a plausible case that the data we have suggest that Reiki treatment influences the body toward relaxation, and then refer to the well established findings on the benefits of stress reduction.
My blog posts on Reiki research give useful perspective.
Please join this link
https://www.eliant.eu/new/lang/en/
GOOD NEWS
The Antroposophical Socielty collected One Million signiatures for the EU commission.
This is forcing the EU commission to investigated in the situation of Homeophativ medicine.
On the other hand the resistance is what one have to expect – when entering the monopole the Industry of Chemicals and Medicine.
This IS good news, Soren, and exactly what we need to do to buck this trend. Whatever country we inhabit, it’s critical that we actively communicate to our elected officials that traditional complementary health practices are important to us, that the issue is critical enough to affect our vote.
Various organizations that are fighting to protect our access to a more healthful lifestyle. I encourage Reiki practitioners to become involved as citizens who want freedom of health care and, when appropriate, as Reiki practitioners, although the lack of standardization in our field makes it harder to organize.
An organization that has been working hard to protect health care freedom in the US is https://www.nationalhealthfreedom.org.