INFO ABOUT REIKI
WHAT I'VE SEEN REIKI DO
some specific outcomes I've experienced, both as a Reiki recipient & Reiki provider
REIKI (RAY-KEE) IS A FORM OF ENERGY HEALING, WHERE THE PRACTITIONER DIRECTS REIKI - UNIVERSAL LIFE-FORCE ENERGY - INTO THE RECIPIENT USING ESTABLISHED TECHNIQUES
"Reiki" (pronounced "RAY-kee") is a combination of two Japanese terms:
"Rei" means universal, omnipresent – present everywhere at the same time. It's associated with divinity & the higher self.
"Ki" (similar to the Chinese "chi") is the non-physical vitality that gives life to all living things. It's associated with the chakras.
Together, "Reiki" means universal life-force energy.
In its simplest form, a Reiki healing involves the practitioner placing their hands on or near the recipient's body. Energy flows through the hands into the recipient, providing the healing experience. The practitioner moves their hands to different body areas to ensure a full and complete healing.
Reiki can also be practiced remotely. Someone in Australia can send Reiki to someone in Alaska using an established distance-healing technique. This can be done while the two parties are communicating (e.g. over Zoom), or it can be done even without any direct interaction between the parties.
Reiki can also be performed on animals, plants, and even inanimate objects like cars and airplanes. Reiki is universal - it has no limits. Instead of seeing Reiki as something only done during one-on-one sessions, we can treat Reiki as an approach to life, and thereby bring a calming & healing spirit to everything we do.
The practice of Reiki traces its origins to ancient energy healing practices from India & China. In its modern form, Reiki was developed by Dr. Mikao Usui in Japan in the late 19th century. Usui & his students created the specific series of techniques & practices followed by Reiki practitioners around the world today.
Everyone has the natural ability to channel Reiki. Reiki is universal & omnipresent, after all.
However, without proper training & initiation, our ability to channel Reiki is limited.
In Reiki training, practitioners undergo several processes to strengthen their connection to Reiki energy.
One process is attunement: a certified Reiki practitioner initiates the student into Reiki by performing an attunement ceremony. The ceremony awakens the student's natural Reiki abilities & attunes the student's energy to the frequency of Reiki.
Another process is learning the secret symbols & prayers that activate Reiki energy in the body. The student learns these from their teacher & practices them over-and-over until they are second nature.
A third process is practicing Reiki on oneself & others. This allows the student to learn through experience, experimentation, & feedback.
Reiki recipients typically report results like these:
- feeling relaxed & grounded
- going into a trance-like state
- feeling a connection to spirit & deceased loved ones
- seeing soothing colors & patterns
- feeling a cathartic release of emotional energy
- crying, sighing, & other expressions of relief
- feeling stress & worries vanish
- pain relief, & even complete cessation of pain
Reiki is never recommended as a substitute for conventional medical treatment. Reiki can be a powerful complement to conventional medical treatments, providing patients with relief & healing beyond what conventional methods can provide on their own.
To learn more about Reiki generally,
HOSPITALS AROUND THE COUNTRY OFFER REIKI TO THEIR PATIENTS
Esteemed hospitals throughout the United States offer Reiki to their patients.
Here a few examples:
: "Reiki treatment, training, and education are now available at many esteemed hospitals in the United States, including Memorial Sloan Kettering, Cleveland Clinic, New York Presbyterian, the Yale Cancer Center, the Mayo Clinic, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital."
USA Today reported that, as of 2007, 15% of U.S. hospitals were offering Reiki to patients:
a list showing a few of the many hospitals currently providing Reiki:
SCIENTIFIC STUDIES CONFIRM REIKI'S EFFECTIVENESS
A simple Google research will direct you to a number of scientific studies testifying to Reiki's effectiveness.
Here are a few examples:
: "Results: A total of N = 1411 Reiki sessions were conducted and included in the analysis. Statistically significant improvements were observed for all outcome measures, including positive affect, negative affect, pain, drowsiness, tiredness, nausea, appetite, shortness of breath, anxiety, depression, and overall well-being (all p-values <0.001). Conclusions: The results from this large-scale multisite effectiveness trial suggest that a single session of Reiki improves multiple variables related to physical and psychological health."
: "overlapping data from some of the stronger studies support the ability of Reiki to reduce anxiety and pain, and suggest its usefulness to induce relaxation, improve fatigue and depressive symptoms, and strengthen overall wellbeing."
: "this meta-analysis revealed that Reiki was an effective approach in relieving the pain"
: "Reiki applied to patients before upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was effective in reducing stress and anxiety and in increasing comfort."
: "Researchers found that Reiki had a larger impact on patients’ overall emotional state and showed a significant increase in heart-rate variability within three days, indicating a reduction in stress."
: "Relaxation and peace: The most common words used to describe the feelings evoked during a Reiki session were 'relaxed,' 'relaxation,' and 'relaxing.' Patients also expressed feelings of peacefulness, warmth, and calm. Symptom relief: Patients described relief from both psychological and physical symptoms, such as anxiety, stress, fatigue, muscle tension, stiffness, and pain. They often described this relief as being simultaneously psychological and physiological (not distinguishing between mind and body). Physiological response: Several patients wrote about how the Reiki sessions lowered their blood pressure or reduced their heart rate, perhaps a physical indication of the relaxation response. Sense of connection: Some patients wrote about how the Reiki session produced a sense of connection with others (such as deceased relatives) or with their own authentic emotions, prompting a profound feeling of well-being. Positive thinking and sense of healing: There were a number of participants who credited the Reiki sessions with providing a sense of healing and helping them to think positively about their body’s capacity for healing. Freedom and release: A few participants felt that Reiki allowed them to be emotionally vulnerable and to experience a sense of freedom by alleviating the burden of their diagnosis."
MEDIA OUTLETS WRITE ABOUT REIKI'S EFFECTIVENESS & BROAD APPEAL
Various media outlets have published articles about Reiki's history, widespread appeal, & effectiveness. Here are a few examples:
Forbes - "What is Reiki And How Does it Work?" : "Reiki may sound 'new age' to some, but it’s anything but new. In fact, it’s a form of energy healing with roots in ancient cultures. Reiki uses what’s known as universal life force energy—ki or qi—to improve people’s lives and ailments."
The Atlantic - "Reiki Can't Possibly Work. So Why Does It?" : "Reiki, a healing practice codified in the early 20th century in Japan, was until recently an unexpected offering for a VA medical center. In Japanese, rei roughly translates to 'spiritual'; ki is commonly translated as 'vital energy.' A session often looks more like mysticism than medicine: Healers silently place their hands on or over a person’s body to evoke a 'universal life force.' A Reiki treatment can even, practitioners believe, be conducted from miles away."
U.S. News & World Report "What Is Reiki?" : "Terri Reynolds, 56, knows the exchange well. She says, 'Reiki.' They say, 'Huh?' She says, 'Energy healing.' They say, 'Hocus-pocus.'
But for Reynolds, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2011, reiki is anything but. The practice – which usually involves a practitioner placing his or her hands on or above a client to facilitate that person's healing energy –taught her how to quiet her mind after surgery and six months of chemotherapy."
Medical News Today - "Everything You Need to Know About Reiki" 2#what-is-it: "Reiki is a type of energy healing. According to practitioners, energy can stagnate in the body where there has been physical injury or even emotional pain. In time, these energy blocks can cause illness. Energy medicine aims to help the flow of energy and remove blocks in a similar way to acupuncture or acupressure. Reiki practitioners believe that improving the flow of energy around the body can enable relaxation, relieve pain, speed healing, and reduce other symptoms of illness.
Healthline - "What Are the Benefits of Reiki and How Does It Work?" "5 Health benefits of reiki:
1. Relieves pain, anxiety, and fatigue
2. Treats depression
3. Enhances quality of life
4. Boosts mood
5. May improve some symptoms and conditions"