About Reiki

According to the International Center for Reiki Training, Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy. The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words – Rei which means “God’s Wisdom or the Higher Power” and Ki which is “life force energy”. So Reiki is actually “spiritually guided life force energy.”

A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing. Many have reported miraculous results.

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.

We are alive because life force is flowing through us. Life force flows within the physical body though pathways called chakras and meridians. It also flows around us in a field of energy called the aura. Life force nourishes the organs and cells of the body, supporting them in their vital functions. When this flow of life force is disrupted, it causes diminished function in one or more of the organs and tissues of the physical body.

The life force is responsive to thoughts and feelings. It becomes disrupted when we accept, either consciously or unconsciously, negative thoughts or feelings about ourselves. These negative thoughts and feelings attach themselves to the energy field and cause a disruption in the flow of life force. This diminishes the vital function of the organs and cells of the physical body.

Reiki heals by flowing through the affected parts of the energy field and charging them with positive energy. It raises the vibratory level of the energy field in and around the physical body where the negative thoughts and feelings are attached. This causes the negative energy to break apart and fall away. In so doing, Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways, thus allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way.

Reiki Can Never Cause Harm

Because Reiki is guided by the God-consciousness, it can never do harm. It always knows what a person needs and will adjust itself to create the effect that is appropriate for them. One never need worry about whether to give Reiki or not, or where to go on the body to give reiki. In addition, because the practitioner is not doing the healing, it is also much easier for the ego to stay out of the way and allow the presence of God to clearly shine through.

What Can Be Treated?

Reiki has had a positive affect on all forms of illness and negative conditions. It has aided in healing virtually every known illness and injury including serious problems like: multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and cancer as well as more minor problems such as skin problems, cuts, bruises, broken bones, headache, stomach ache, bee stings, colds, flu, sore throat, sunburn, fatigue, insomnia, depression, PTSD, impotence, poor memory, lack of confidence, tensions and anxiety, etc. Side effects of regular medical treatments have also been reduced or eliminated. This includes the negative effects of chemotherapy, post-operative pain and depression as well as improving the healing rate and reducing the time needed to stay in the hospital.

It is always beneficial and works to improve the effectiveness of all other types of therapy. If a client has a health condition, and wants to be treated with Reiki, it is recommended that they do so under the supervision of an enlightened medical doctor or other health care professional. Reiki always helps and in some cases people have experienced complete healings which have been confirmed by medical tests before and after the Reiki treatments. However, while some have experienced miracles, they cannot be guaranteed. Stress reduction with some improvement in ones’ physical and psychological condition are what most experience.

Brief History of Reiki

Reiki is believed to have been associated with Mikao Usui who is credited with rediscovering the root system now called Reiki. His tradition and methods were passed through several grandmasters of Reiki. Today, Reiki takes many forms, however, The Usui System of Natural Healing is still the form most widely practiced. Practitioners and Master Teachers are trained through an initiation process where Masters pass on their knowledge and expertise to their students.

Description of a Typical Session

An in-office Reiki session is usually 60 to 90 minutes long, depending on how much healing is desired. A discussion will usually take place at the beginning of an initial session with a Reiki Practitioner. They will describe the session to the client, give the client an opportunity to discuss any particular problems or issues they are experiencing and ask them what they are hoping to achieve from their session. For the actual session, the client will rest comfortably on a massage table on their back with their shoes removed.

Reiki can be performed with the client sitting comfortably in a chair as well. Unlike massage therapy, no articles of clothing are removed and a client is always fully clothed; loose, comfortable clothing is suggested. A session can either be hands-on, where a Practitioner will apply a light touch during the session, or hands-off where they will hold their hands slightly above your body. If a client prefers not to be touched they can indicate this to the practitioner before they begin.

The session will then proceed with the Reiki Practitioner moving through specific standard Reiki hand positions beginning at the person’s head or feet. Each position is held for three to ten minutes depending on how much Reiki the client needs at each position. A recipient of Reiki might feel a warming sensation or a tingling during the session or nothing at all but sheer relaxation. The session should be very pleasant, relaxing and invigorating.

All individual sessions are done in person in my office.