The dissertation written by William Kelley (2009) is aimed at examining the application of alternative medicine techniques to the treatment of people who struggle with some emotional problems. In particular, the author focuses on the effectiveness of such a method as Reiki for helping people who are trying to overcome the effects of depression (Kelley, 2009). The participants were divided into two groups. In particular, some of them received only conventional counseling services.
In turn, patients representing the second group were treated with the help of conventional counseling as well as distant Reiki. One should keep in mind that the patients were not informed that Reiki was applied during the course of treatment. Overall, the author argues that the patients, who receive counseling services, as well as Reiki, are more likely to believe that their symptoms of depression have alleviated (Kelley, 2009, p. 39). These are some of the main details that should be distinguished.
It should be mentioned that the use of alternative medicine techniques such as Reiki has been disputed by many researchers. Overall, they believe that there is no evidence that can justify the use of these methods (Baran, Klani, & Samuel, 2013, p. 40).
The main limitation of this research is that the author does not identify a wide range of variables that influence the wellbeing of a patient. For instance, one can speak about the support of relatives or friends, the age of a person, the presence or absence of physical illnesses, the influence of the work environment, and so forth. This detail is not specified by the author. Each of them can profoundly impact the treatment outcomes even if Reiki is not applied. This possibility is not fully discussed by the author. This is the main limitation that should be taken into account.
While assessing this study, one should also pay attention to the literature review because the biased selection of sources can also undermine the validity of the study (Sheperis, Yong, & Daniels, 2010). Moreover, the researcher can rely on false assumptions while designing the methodology. In this case, the author focuses mostly on those cases, in which the use of Keiko allegedly helped some patients struggling with physical or emotional illnesses. Nevertheless, the author does not consider a wide range of studies showing that alternative medicine methods such as Keiko did not really change the experiences of the patient in any way. Apart from that, the scholar does not provide any psychological or physiological explanations, which can show why Keiko is supposed to improve the emotional being of a person.
Admittedly, the author acknowledges that this study has certain limitations, and the findings are not conclusive. For instance, one can speak about the short duration of the research (Kelley, 2009, p. 31). Additionally, the writer refers to the limitations of the measurement tool applied in this study. These issues should certainly be recognized. However, these drawbacks are not the only ones.
On the whole, this discussion indicates that it is important to avoid biased discussion of available research findings. In particular, one should not select only those sources which can substantiate the initial hypothesis. This precaution is vital for retaining the academic integrity of a researcher. Additionally, one should clearly identify those independent variables that can influence the outcome of the study. This step is important for ensuring the validity of the findings. These issues were not fully addressed by William Kelley.
Reference List
Baran, G., Klani, M., & Samuel, S. (2013). Healthcare and Biomedical Technology in the 21st Century: An Introduction for Non-Science Majors. New York, NY: Springer Science & Business Media. Web.
Kelley, W. (2009). The effectiveness of reiki as a complement to traditional mental health services (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Full Text. (Accession No. 3371250). Web.
Sheperis, C., Yong, S., & Daniels, H. (2010). Counseling Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods. New York, NY: Merrill. Web.