What is Reiki? and Does it Work?
What is reiki? Where did it originate?
Reiki is a healing modality that uses “universal energy” to send healing into the clients body. This form of energy is known through out many cultures and religions. Universal energy is known as ki in Japanese, chi in Chinese, and prana in Sanskrit.
The word Reiki comprises the two Japanese characters, rei, meaning universal spirit, and ki, meaning vital life force or energy. While there is some speculation on the founding of reiki most agree that Mikao Usui (1865-1926) discovered a universal healing energy while he was fasting and meditating near Mt. Kurama. Having received this healing energy he worked to develop a system to share universal energy with others. Usui realized that healing the mind and spirit is equally as important to healing the physical body.
What happens in a reiki session?
During a reiki session the practitioner will place their hand just above your body using different hand positions and symbols stopping at different parts of your body. Often times these areas are in line with where the chakras are considered to reside within the body. Some practitioners will intuitively spend more time on certain areas. Music, aromatherapy, light, color, deep breathing, and light touch may be incorporated into a session to add in the relaxation and overall experience.
Reiki sessions are often preformed on a massage table. Unlike traditional massage you remain fully clothed. Reiki can be preformed while seated or is even offered remotely through video conference platforms.
What are some health benefits to reiki?
The overall goal of reiki is to use the universal energy that is channeled into your body through the reiki practitioner to promote relaxation, healing, and reduce tension within the body.
Some other potential health benefits include:
Provide deep relaxation
Relieve pain
Reduce feelings of anxiety
Promote better quality sleep
Improve overall mood
Help speed up healing after surgery or physical injury
regulation of the autonomic nervous system
Lower heart rate/blood presure
Does reiki really work?
Reiki is not meant to be a replacement for other medical treatments or care. Reiki is considered by many to be an alternative or holistic medicine. Reiki is gaining acceptance within more traditional settings and is being recommended in conjunction with traditional medical treatments.
As reiki is becoming more popular and beginning to be more accepted into the mainstream medical community the research on its effectiveness is also expanding.
In 2005 William Rand, founder and president of the International Center for Reiki Training, began introducing reiki programs into hospitals. Rand helped to develop what is now known as the touchstone process. The touchstone process is a rigorous peer review process the analyze the scientific studies conducted about reiki. This has helped to compile summaries of the scientific data that has been collected in a critical and impartial way.
Recently there was a large scale study conducted at Harvard University that concluded those receiving reiki treatments saw improvement in pain, drowsiness, tiredness, nausea, appetite, shortness of breath, anxiety, depression, and overall well-being