I also strengthened my belief in the placebo effect, which I have long believed in as a powerful tool for healing the mind and body. So what is reiki, exactly? The word reiki is composed of two Japanese words: rei, which means ‘hidden force or higher power’, and ki, which means ‘life energy’. It’s believed to have originated in the early 20 thcentury after Zen Buddhist Mikau Usui undertook a 21-day fast and penance on Mount Kurama. The story goes that he became enlightened with the knowledge of reiki on the 21 stday and was healed of his illnesses. On his return to his village, he established a clinic and began offering reiki freely to people. In the years since, and even today, mum and I have had many more conversations about these and other ‘woo-woo’ subjects – many of which are covered in the book – and eventually these catalyzed a career change for me. I left the pharmaceutical industry and went on to write several books exploring the mind–body connection, self-esteem, and even the impact of kindness on mental and physical health.

I found I listened the best when he talked about things that I was interested in, such as reiki and crystals. I actually listened to the reiki section as I was walking to my reiki appointment and found it boosted up my excitement for going to my appointment and belief in what it could do for me. Well, it turns out that there is quite a lot of science on it. A 2018 meta-analysis of four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) into the use of Reiki to reduce pain over a range of medical conditions found that it produced a statistically significant reduction in pain. Published (2011). Learn about 'emotional contagion' - how we catch emotion from others. Learn how it works, how to enhance it when presenting and communicating with others, and how to protect yourself from catching negative emotions from others.

TRANSCRIPT

We started off so strong with the power of the mind and the placebo effect - things that the general public already has a pretty decent grasp on: David Hamilton, PhD, has been studying the mind-body connection and the power of thought for years, finding compelling evidence of why and how alternative therapies can and do work. In his trademark warm and conversational tone, he explains the science and spirituality behind some of today's most popular alternative practices. He explores four key aspects of healing: David is an incredibly inspirational man who I’m proud to call a friend. His work has changed the lives of many and he stands out because he always strives to explore and answer the difficult questions using evidence and science, which in a world full of misinformation, is needed. A truly wonderful and fascinating book. A must‑read!” - Dr. Punam Krishan, GP, writer, and broadcaster She was prescribed antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication, but the thing that worked best for her was meditation. It didn’t cure her, but it helped her get to sleep, enabled her to better manage her state, and supported her mind and emotions through difficult times. In this dynamic and thought-provoking book, David R. Hamilton PhD dives deeper into the true nature of consciousness and presents the cutting-edge research behind energy healing, crystals, meditation, and more.

The belief that stress is bad for you is worse for your health than the stress itself. In fact, it can increase the risk of premature death by 43% when compared to believing that stress is good for you. HELL YES! I’ve been telling myself that I’m losing my hair again because of stress, and I might actually be manifesting that by that hardcore belief. As soon as I heard David R. Hamilton talking about this, I instantly switched how I viewed stress. I will no longer tell myself that stress is hurting me. While walking in a park with a friend one day I pointed to a cloud in the sky and told him that it probably weighed around 100 tons (90 tonnes). He laughed – not in an unfriendly way, but just at the preposterous notion that we can establish the weight of a cloud. For him, it conjured up an image of a giant set of kitchen scales. Clearly, it’s impossible to know such a thing.David R. Hamilton, PhD, used to be a chemical engineer, researching and testing pharmaceutical drugs. He noticed some clinical volunteers reacting positively to placebos, similarly to the medicated group, and became interested in the placebo effect, despite some naysaying from some of his colleagues. Granted, that’s an overly simplistic version of events and the potential genesis for the book, but definitely tells me that the author is someone who knows his stuff from the scientific side. Plus he has a fantastic Scottish accent, so I was more than happy to listen and learn from him for over eight hours. Even things like prayer and telepathic communication were discussed, and these are things I’m interested in. I came out with a stronger belief in how my connection to people and things around me influences my life. Things I Bookmarked In Why Woo-Woo Works A number of studies now show that doctor empathy even has a significant impact on a patient’s immune system. In one study, more than 700 patients treated for symptoms of the common cold received either a regular consultation or an empathy-enhanced consultation.21 Empathy substantially lifted the patients’ immune responses, and their recovery times were almost 50 percent faster than in those who received a lower-empathy consultation.”