An Ethnographic Account of Reiki Practice in Britain

An Ethnographic Account of Reiki Practice in Britain is the result of 14 months of ethnographic research. This study, while filling a gap in the qualitative literature on Reiki practice, contributes an ethnographic portrayal of a particular group’s construction of well-being. Contributing to medical anthropology, the research findings demonstrate culturally situated ideas and practices related to health wherein the intersubjective nature of healing is a constitutive element for well-being. The distinctions of this are specific to culture and environment, broadening how spirituality and well-being are conceptualized anthropologically. In addition, this book offers a framework for the commoditization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), a process where products become a simple commodity. For Reiki practice, this results in spirituality being out of place in the healthcare market. The book will be of interest to academics interested in CAM research and Reiki practitioners alike.