[/floatr]AC: U.S. Catholic Bishops Declare Reiki as Unsuitable Treatment
On March 25, 2009, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops drafted a document addressing the "alternative health" practice known as Reiki. Reiki is an ancient Japanese treatment for stress reduction and healing using life force energy through the process of laying on hands. Used alone and with other treatments, Reiki has been revered as a positive and effective treatment by natural and alternative health professionals throughout the United States...In Guidelines for Evaluating Reiki as an Alternative Therapy (PDF), the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops [USCCB], Committee on Doctrine established that Reiki's use of life force energy was a direct contradiction to a previous document released in September 2000 from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, titled Instructions on Prayers for Healing...The USCCB's interpretation...concludes that Reiki conflicts with allowing healing by natural and medical treatments and, instead, encourages a substitution of Reiki's version of "prayer", the transfer of life force energy, as a means for healing...The Guidelines also identify that Reiki's use of life force energy is viewed as heretical to the Christian belief that God fosters healing...more...
