What is Reiki - Demystifying an Ancient Healing Art

What is Reiki, how does it work, and how can it help you?

The National Center for Complementary and Alte
ative Medicine (NCCAM), which recently published its’ 2008 survey on CAM usage in the United States, defines Reiki as a healing practice that originated in Japan. Reiki practitioners place their hands lightly on or just above the person receiving treatment, with the goal of facilitating the person's own healing response. In the United States, Reiki is part of complementary and alte
ative medicine (CAM).

The word Reiki itself means ‘universal life force,’ and refers to the energy that flows through all living things in order to sustain life itself. According to NCCAM, current Reiki practice can be traced to the spiritual teachings of Mikao Usui in Japan during the early 20th century. Usui's teachings included meditative techniques and healing practices. One of Usui's students, Chujiro Hayashi, further developed the healing practices, placing less emphasis on the meditative techniques. An American named Hawayo Takata learned Reiki from Hayashi in Japan and introduced it to Western cultures in the late 1930s.

The type of Reiki practiced and taught by Hayashi and Takata may be considered traditional Reiki. Numerous variations (or schools) of Reiki have since been developed and are currently practiced. For those who are interested, I have been trained in the Usui method, and practice a more traditional form of Reiki.

Reiki can be used for relaxation, stress reduction, and symptom relief, in efforts to improve overall health and well-being. Reiki has been used by people with anxiety, chronic pain, HIV/AIDS, and other health conditions, as well as by people recovering from surgery or experiencing side effects from cancer treatments. Reiki has also been given to people who are dying (and to their families and caregivers) to help impart a sense of peace.

I have found that children respond particularly well to Reiki, and I have had good results with children who have been diagnosed with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I have also used it extensively to help women recovering from trauma, such as sexual or physical assault.

During a Reiki session, the client lies down or sits comfortably, fully clothed. The practitioner's hands are placed lightly on or just above the client's body, palms down, using a series of 12 to 15 different hand positions. Each position is held for about 2 to 5 minutes, or until the practitioner feels that the flow of energy—experienced as sensations such as heat or tingling in the hands—has slowed or stopped. The number of sessions depends on the health needs of the client. Typically, the practitioner delivers at least four sessions of 30 to 90 minutes each.

I routinely incorporate Reiki into every traditional massage therapy session for every one of my clients. I find that combining the energetic healing of Reiki with traditional massage helps my clients get to the root cause of their physical problems, which often lie in the stress they carry, or the trauma they have experienced in their lives.

In her seminal book Essential Reiki, Diane Stein writes that “the act of laying hands on the human or animal body to comfort and relieve pain is as old as instinct. When a child falls and scrapes her knee, she wants her mother to touch it (or kiss it) and make it better.” Loving touch is the basis for all touch healing techniques.

For me, Reiki is the embodiment of love, caring and nurturing. It is loving, healing touch. As Diane Stein writes, “Reiki is love, and in this time of planetary crisis, we need all the love we can get.”