Contemporary Healing Work: a Social Worlds Analysis of Reiki in Practice

Abstract

<p>This dissertation examined the social history and organizational structure of Reiki (raykey) and explored the shared ideology and intersecting involvements of fifty practitioners who are engaged in this form of energy healing work. Through a social worlds analysis I illustrate how the central process of segmentation is influencing this social world. My research reveals that Reiki is a heterogeneous set of practices with a diffuse organizational structure. Practitioners hold mixed allegiances to varying traditions and schools of practice and often develop their own unique working styles. Through their discovery of Reiki, practitioners choose to make a commitment to a twin or conjoined practice; that is, to both self healing and to the healing facilitation of others. In this dispersive and differentiated world participants developed a shared therapeutic ideology. This encompasses a core 'energetic world view' coupled with common values that include qualities of virtue, fulfillment, and respect for tacit knowledge. This therapeutic ideology buttresses personal creativity and diversity amongst practitioners. I also found that practitioners confront a continuum of public acceptance or social approval for their work that shifts from hostility to receptivity. For practitioners, although managing public acceptance was largely about defending their social world, it was also about maximizing opportunities to increase public awareness and about creating bridging opportunities that expand the boundaries of Reiki in other social world segments. This study is unique in the sociology of CAM because it offers an in-depth look at the practice of Reiki. It provides a novel sociological analysis of the processes and interactions that form, shape, and direct a contemporary healing practice. My study contributes to social worlds theory by foregrounding the salience of the actions, interactions, and experiences of front-line practitioners engaged in this community of practice.</p>