WOO WOO

David Hamilton (2021). Why Woo-Woo Works: The Surprising                                                    Science Behind Meditation, Reiki, Crystals,                                         and Other Alternative Practices.

Hamilton has a PhD in chemistry and worked in big pharma for many years before devoting himself to writing on topics related to the mind-body connection. 

"Woo-woo" is the belief in things with no scientific basis...the phrase is also associated with the sound that ghosts make. He demonstrates that many woo-woo phenomenon have a scientific basis, but many people aren't aware of the research. A classic example is meditation which was considered woo-woo in the 1960's, but over the years a huge body of evidence shows scientific evidence supporting health benefits of meditation, both physically and mentally.

Some practical tips: 

visualization--imagining in great detail that you are performing a behavior(s) and actual practice maximize performance compared to either visualization or practice separately (e.g., piano experiment), 

get out in nature more often to boost health (100's of studies on the therapeutic influence of nature), 

energy healing via touch with methods like reiki and therapeutic touch show positive influence for relaxation and reduction of discomfort, 

crystals get part of their power from the symbolic intent we assign them and from associations we make with them, even a WORD can have symbolic power, 

the field of consciousness expands with positive emotions and contracts with negative emotions (this can be felt and measured in the heart), 

for trauma, use emotional freedom technique (see Peta Stapleton's research)...say the phrase, even though i have...i completely love and accept myself (while tapping on specific points of the body),

to cultivate X (where X is a behavior, emotion, or attitude), watch and then model others that are doing X, attempt to do X yourself (practice), imagine yourself doing X, recall doing X.