Where My Claims Come From
Some of what I offer is backed by research, and some of it is a tradition people have found meaningful for a long time. I want you to know which is which.
How I label things
- Research-backed: published studies support it. I name the source and say if the effect is small.
- Tradition: a long-standing practice. I describe what people use it for, and I don't claim it predicts, diagnoses, treats or cures anything.
- Theory: a credible idea that hasn't been properly tested yet. I say so.
None of my sessions are medical or psychological treatment. If you're struggling, please see Wellbeing Support for free help lines.
Practice by practice
- Reiki (tradition). A Japanese practice from the 1920s. The tradition describes it as helping energy flow; science hasn't shown that this energy exists. A Cochrane review found too little good evidence to say Reiki helps anxiety or depression (Joyce & Herbison, 2015). Many people find a session deeply relaxing, and that's what I offer it for.
- Distance Reiki (tradition). Part of the Reiki tradition. There's no scientific evidence it has effects at a distance.
- Tarot (tradition). Tarot cards began as a card game in 15th-century Italy and have been used for reflection and divination since the 18th century. They haven't been shown to predict anything. I use them as a prompt for reflection and conversation.
- Chakras (tradition). An idea from Indian spiritual traditions. Some of my meditations use chakra imagery as a visualisation, not as a description of the body.
- Mindfulness and meditation (research-backed, modest). Reviews of trials find meditation programmes can ease anxiety, low mood and stress, with small to moderate effects (Goyal et al., 2014). Meditation can also bring up uncomfortable feelings for some people (Britton et al., 2021); go gently and stop if it does.
- Hypnotherapy (research-backed for some uses). Hypnosis has reduced anxiety on average in controlled studies (Valentine et al., 2019). For stopping smoking, a Cochrane review found too little good evidence that it works better than other approaches (Barnes et al., 2019).
- Gratitude practice (research-backed, small). Gratitude exercises give small lifts in mood and wellbeing on average (Davis et al., 2016).
- Social support (research-backed). People with good support tend to cope better with stress (Cohen & Wills, 1985).
- Goal visualisation (research-backed). Picturing a goal together with the obstacles in the way, called mental contrasting, helps people follow through more than positive thinking alone (Oettingen's research).
- Energy, attraction and "everything is connected" (tradition). These are spiritual beliefs found in many traditions. Physics, including quantum physics, doesn't show that thoughts shape reality.
Last updated 20 October 2026. Spotted something I've got wrong? Please tell me.