Gandalf- sounds as if you have chronic back pain ,same as me- I haved tried Reiki and many different modalaties of healing- some worked and some were placibos as you mentioned- what I have found as the best solution to my back pain and it can be extreme- is a combination of chiropractic adjustments preferably one who is into kinesteology and trigger-point massage- the masssge has helped me tremendously- it is not as advasive as rolphing which i tried- see if you can find a massage therapist in your area most will be spiritual minded people