Letting go of control, of authority is not a natural thing for most of us to do. In her research of the subject of “surrender” in Reiki, Dori-Michelle Beeler worked with a group of people exploring together who is this outer authority to whom we surrender control. As an anthropologist or even phenomenologist, Dori concludes that Reiki people tend to think of Reiki as this kind of outer authority.
So what is actually surrendering? Does surrender mean “losing the battle” or power? Dori says: “It’s not about one person or about losing or gaining control but rather it’s a dynamic relationship between Reiki and the self.” And this is also true about the reconciliation process, as René points out, where the “victim” and “offender” come out of it stronger than before.
In her research Dori finds out that once the surrender has taken place, the inner and the outer authority become one.
“When two authorities merge, that’s when that true spiritual moment takes place.”
She concludes that surrender means re-centering oneself, shifting the focus to really important things that matter. So, by surrendering we actually get control.
Biography
Originally from Santa Barbara, California, Dori has a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts, with a specialization in Graphic design and Illustration, and a Minor in Anthropology from California State University, Fullerton. She received an MA in Socio-Cultural Anthropology in 2011 and a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology from Durham University in 2015.
Her research is focused on health and well-being at the intersection of spirituality and medicine. For her doctorate, she conducted an ethnographic study of Reiki practice in the UK. She has worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and Adjunct Lecturer in Anthropology Department at the University of Notre Dame and was an Honorary Research Fellow at Durham University. She then held a position as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health working in Cancer Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control. During this time, she gained expertise in cancer-related fatigue, survivorship, and pediatric oncology.
Currently, Dori is an Adjunct Lecturer for the University of Maryland in Baltimore and a Research Scientist at Levine Cancer Institute.
In addition to her academic accomplishments, Dori is a Reiki Master who celebrates the commonalities and diversity across all lineages.
Website
Publications
- Beeler, D. and Jonker, J. (Contract in place, under editorial review) “Reiki Practice and the body as mediator for religiosity.” In the Handbook on Religion and the Body. Routledge.
- Beeler, D.M. and Jonker, J. (2020) Reiki Practice and Surrender. An Intersection of Body, Spirituality and Religion. Volume 7 in Nijmegen Buddhist and Asian Studies Series, Prof. dr. Paul van der Velde and dr. André van der Braak (ed). Berlin, Münster, Wien, Zürich, London: LIT Verlag.
- Beeler, D.M. and Jojan, J. (2019) “Healing and Religion.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Anthropology. Ed. John Jackson. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Beeler, D. (2018) “A Reiki Sense of Well-being.” Anthropology News website, January 24, 2018. DOI: 10.1111/AN.747 (https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/AN.747)
- Beeler, D. (2017) Reiki as Surrender: Evidence of an External Authority. Journal of Contemporary Religion, Volume 32, Issue 3, 465-478. Accepted 03 Jul 2016, Published online: 14 Sep 2017.
- Beeler, D.M. (2016) An Ethnographic Account of Reiki Practice in Britain. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
- Beeler, D. (2013) Reiki embodied: An anthropological approach to Reiki. Durham Anthropological Journal, Volume 19, Number 1 (Special Edition), 63-75.
References
21:57 Judith Orloff, MD at TEDxAmericanRiviera 2012: “The ecstasy of surrender“
26:53 Reiki Home – reikihome.org
