Regarding Angela Jeffs' Jan. 12 article, "Therapist brings healing through hypnosis": Just when I thought that Angela Jeffs had run out of faith healers and quacks, here comes one more. According to "The Skeptic's Dictionary" -- the practitioners of reiki (and other energy healers) believe that health and disease are a matter of the life force being disrupted. They believe that the universe is full of energy that cannot be detected by any scientific instruments but which can be felt and manipulated by special people who learn the tricks of the trade.
Reiki healers differ from acupuncturists in that they do not try to unblock a person's ki, but instead channel the ki of the universe so that the person heals. The channeling is done with the hands. The reiki master claims to be able to draw upon the energy of the universe and increase his or her own energy while performing a healing. If the healing fails, it is because the patient is resisting the healing energy.
According to Jeffs, "clinical hypnotherapist" Karen Mattison intends to study more about "past life regressive work" as if there were evidence of people having past lives. Past life regression work seems like something from the outer limits.
There is, of course, a role for hypnosis in medical treatment, but in California (one of the states mentioned in the article), one can become a certified hypnotist in just four weeks by distance learning. Mattison allegedly "practices" accelerated healing and pain management. After 350 hours required to practice this in Santa Fe, one can then supposedly understand indications of past life regression, and understand karmic influences and karmic resolution strategies. Right.