All I can say is oy. This is really sad. Yesterday the U.S. Catholic Bishops came out against Reiki as a healing modality. They call the ancient Japanese Buddhist practice “superstitious” and without scientific merit. Unfortunately this means a lot of people will not benefit from the hands-on, calming, energy-clearing method.

I’ve had so many wonderful sessions of gentle Reiki, which often feels like a very relaxing, aligning near-nap. And the method was starting to filter into hospitals and healing centers. Here’s hoping this pronouncement doesn’t change that.

Here’s the full text of the Bishops’ decision against Reiki.

What’s Reiki, you say? Here’s our Reiki 101 information sheet.

And here’s more on many different kinds of energy healing.