I find that I am struggling with the idea of explaining what Reiki is to people who will likely consider it to be a bunch of woo (from Wikipedia: “a term used by scientific skeptics for pseudoscience, alternative medicine and New Age beliefs, or a person who holds such beliefs”).

I e-mailed Michelle to ask her if I can accurately describe it like “acupuncture but without the needles”.  I don’t want to misrepresent Reiki while I navigate my own self-consciousness around it.  She said she has described it that way on numerous occasions, and I could also say it’s “universal life force energy”.  That’s what I’m trying not to say!

See, there is a supposition here that all around us in the physical world and in our physical bodies is an energetic field that gets out of whack through our life experiences – stress, trauma, etc. – and that a skilled practitioner can access and balance said energy, stimulating the body’s natural healing response.  This makes perfect sense to *me*.  On a quantum level, all matter is energy.  It’s just a “matter” of how fast the particles are vibrating.  (I’m so clever.)

I have seen Reiki described in multiple places as “a Japanese stress reduction technique that promotes relaxation and healing”.  I suppose that’s a good opener, and if I end up going into more detail like that above, I just have to get over the fact that some people are going to think I’m a nutter.