People have died because alternative medicine practitioners have told them their 'energy' looked fine and there couldn't be anything seriously wrong with them. Perhaps these people were gullible and reluctant to go to a regular GP, but nevertheless...
Complementary therapists, unless specifically qualified to, shouldn't diagnose in any form. Reputable ones don't, and are far more prevalent than those that do.
I know that in regular health it also happens that people do not get the correct diagnosis, but here are guidelines and protocols for medical staff which help prevent these mistakes. Also there is a board where you can complain (or your relatives, if you were really unlucky) and the doctors involved may be disciplined. These mechanisms make it possible to keep an eye on developments and correct protocols or treatment plans. I believe this is important and it is utterly lacking for alternative health care.
Yes, its highly important, but you are completely wrong to say that therapists lack such mechanisms. In order to be able to practise any complementary or alternative therapy, one requires insurance. This is only available to those who are trained and qualified and registered with an appropriate governing body, of which there are a large number, most of which belong to an umbrella organisation such as the BCMA (British Complementary Medical Association) We also adhere to a specific code of ethics set by both the awarding bodies and the governing bodies. Quite often, these are set to an even higher standard than those adhered to by conventional medical practitioners.
If I were an alternative health practitioner I wouldn't consider taking a client on if this person had not first seen a qualified doctor or counsellor first for that particular complaint (I'd write down name of the doctor and date of the appointment). Not only to protect myself from any future law suits, but, more importantly, to keep a clear conscience.
Again, reputable and registered therapists will not see clients that have not seen their regular doctor, if they are presenting a particular complaint. Even if the purpose of the treatment is for general relaxation, a full consultation is taken, which can last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour and a half for an initial consultation and at least 20 minutes for each consecutive consulation. This is in addition to the length of the treatment and is usually not charged for. As part of this consultation, a full medical history is taken, including family medical history where relevant, and the doctor's details are also recorded. The doctor will be contacted if the therapist deems it necessary. This is in addition to questions about diet, lifestyle and other relevant information. All in all, far more detailed than an appointment with a GP. This information is then used to help provide the best possible treatment for the individual client, and the treatment plan and follow-up aftercare advice is also recorded.
I think that you should be entitled to charge for your services, absolutely. Never the less, your 'skills' are based on faith, you believe in yourself, and if you can get others to believe in you then great. BUT, I agree with the idea that people such as yourself should have a health warning attached if charging for the services. So should organised religions, and cult groups etc.
My 'skills' as you put it are most certainly not based on faith. You're confusing Reiki with faith-healing which, although superficially similar to the observer, are in fact quite different. Reiki requires no faith or belief in order to work. It works anyway. Reiki has no religious connotations and does not operate under the theory that belief in a deity is prerequisite. Its a simple hands-on energy healing technique in which energy passes through the practitioner into the recipient with barely a thought to activate it. As 'people such as myself' do not claim any miraculous cures for Reiki, a health warning is not necessary. No more than for any other health professional.
I don't think that people under the age of 18 should be allowed to use your services nor should their parents be allowed to solicit your services on their behalf. Same goes for organised religion etc.
I do not treat minors, with or without parental permission (family excluded) for a variety of reasons, most of which are to cover my own back. Many therapists these days feel much the same. However, if a parent wishes to seek a complementary practitioner for their child, that is their choice, not yours.
In my opinion there are serious mental health issues involved in this business, just because someone is convinced they are Napoleon, does not mean that I believe them or that I would want them to have influence over my children.
If you are implying that I am mentally ill because of what I am able to do, then I'm going to have to ask you to reconsider your wording as it is potentially libellous since, aside from a little SAD in the darker months, I'm as sane as pretty much anyone. I am not 'convinced' of what I can do, I
know I can do it. This is based on years of experiential evidence, not some passing fancy. While I have no desire to influence your children (and neither would any other therapist that I know), I do believe that you should trust them to make up their own minds based on their own research and experience.
ps. witches were persecuted because they were herbalists, not because they had been on a Raiki Master course. The real witches that are hunted these days (if one would like to use that comparison) are drug dealers.
Some people tried as Witches were herbalists, yes. Others were actually Witches as well (since herbalism is one of the surviving legacies of our Pagan ancestors). Others still were harmless old ladies whose only 'crime' was to be widowed and owning large amounts of desirable land, which then became the property of the Church or local aristocracy/government. Which were often the same thing. I never claimed that medieval Witches practised Reiki (though they may have practised something similar). It would've been highly unlikely that they did since Reiki is Japanese in origin and was discovered/created in the early 20th century by Mikao Usui.
I'm not really seeing the drug dealer connection. You're either implying that drug dealers are mostly harmless and providing a valuable service while being needlessly persecuted and murdered, or you're saying that Witches were/are scumbags who sell damaging chemicals to impressionable teenagers. Either way, you're well off the mark.
