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Whenever anything "smells" like pop pseudoscience, I think we should apply scientific resources to build an evidence base. As opposed to getting scared. I've b
by dr_dshiv 7y ago
Whenever anything "smells" like pop pseudoscience, I think we should apply scientific resources to build an evidence base. As opposed to getting scared.
I've been doing empirical research on "the vibe" for that reason. It is commonly enough discussed in popular culture and is clearly valuable. Yet, there is almost nothing scholarly written about it. To me, as a scientist, that says "low hanging fruit." Any association with the esoteric will create a kind of forcefield around it, so many fewer scientists will have studied it. But, in my opinion, the topics are avoided for the wrong reasons.
- ehnto 7y agoPlease call your paper Vibe Checking in Popular Science.
- carapace 7y agoIf you're in the SF Bay Area and want to "do science" to Reiki "energy" I'm available. I don't know what the phenomenon is but it engenders pretty dramatic physiological changes in a way that should be easy to measure somehow.
- dr_dshiv 7y agoWhat kind of changes?
- carapace 7y agoObjectively, heart rate, breathing volume and rate, posture, muscle tonus (relaxation), and I would expect but haven't observed directly changes in blood pressure, brain waves, etc. Subjectively, people report a variety of sensations, warmth or coolness, tingling, a fullness or emptiness or both, etc. edit: I forgot to mention accelerated healing (the whole point of Reiki, der! lol)
- photojosh 7y agoThat sounds like the changes you get from all kinds of types of meditation. What makes Reiki different?
- carapace 7y agoWell, there are lots of different types of meditation so it's hard to give a brief, comprehensive breakdown. FWIW, the "destinations" of both meditation and Reiki are congruent, if not identical. Metaphorically, you might say that meditation is like a lamp while Reiki is like a laser. (It's not a very good metaphor.) The main specific difference is that Reiki is for healing. It engenders and accelerates healing physically, emotionally, and mentally. As far as the subjective sensations of chi flow they tend to be more dramatic with Reiki than meditation, but again, so many variables that it's hard to give solid generalizations.
- sizzle 7y agoI've heard about this topic. Got any good links so I can learn more? Thanks.
- carapace 7y agoActually, no. I haven't kept up with the community at all. I just looked at https://www.reiki.org https://www.reiki.org and they seem to be pretty solid.