Reiki

What is it?

The word Reiki contains two Japanese characters, ki, meaning vital life force or energy, and rei, meaning universal spirit.

Reiki is a non-invasive, hands-on therapy where the practitioner acts as a conduit to enhance and restore the client's universal energy and vitality. This increase in universal energy promotes the body's natural ability to heal. People say Reiki has a replenishing effect that restores balance, energy and flow.

The healing technique originated in Japan with Dr Mikao Usui in the early 20th Century. and is used by many people today to manage symptoms and improve general wellbeing. You will also find the practice under the name Usui Reiki after its founder.

How does it work?

Based on the belief in a universal life force,

Reiki works with subtle energy known as ki in Japanese, chi in Chinese and prana in Sanskrit. This unlimited energy is understood to be the essence beneath the vitality and intelligence of the universe. Organised into energy systems that interact with each other between both individuals and the environment, the life force can be exchanged and received. It can also become depleted.

Practitioners believe that an imbalance of energy fields or inadequate life force is associated with conditions of physical and emotional disease.

Back in the early 1900s, Usui realised that the energy he had discovered gave him the ability to heal and transfer the capacity to access and use the life force.

He understood that healing the spirit was as important as healing the body and that those who used Reiki as an exchange could achieve and maintain their health more than those who only received it.

During the treatment,

A Reiki session usually lasts 60-90 minutes and the client sits or lies in a supported, comfortable position. The practitioner places their hands either just over or on different body areas. What the practitioner is doing is drawing universal energy through their hands to 'top up' areas that are lacking.

The practitioner can feel the subtle changes in the energy as it surges through their hands and knows when to move on to a new body part.

Practitioners will either intuitively determine what is needed for each client, or they will follow a prescribed course of hand positions—typically 10-20.

Interestingly, practitioners of this technique believe that most people cannot connect with Reiki energy due to past trauma; mental, spiritual, physical or emotional. In this case, a Reiki Master is able to open blocked energy channels allowing the life force to flow freely.

Is this for you?

From an academic perspective, Reiki is hard to pin down for what it ‘is’ , and with that perspective, it is even harder to measure what it actually ‘does’. Whether it does anything at all but the ten percent placebo effect. Science is not yet on its side.

For that reason you may find yourself on thin ice thinking this could be the cure to your pain. It is said to be an energy healing technique that promotes relaxation and reduces stress and anxiety, as well as to strengthen the natural ability of the body to heal itself.

For someone with fibromyalgia or other chronic pain, the latter would be very useful, potentially helping and stimulating a body that is forever in fight mode.

However, do keep in mind that aside from a good contact or a compelling story of someone you know, there are few guarantees for it to be of any benefit.

It is understandable that even though no proper evidence of its working is there, you would still want to try it out. Often, the alternative is to be stuck with all the complaints that you have, and a feeling of doubt if you are trying hard enough.

In these kind of moments it is important to do your research.

Make sure to prepare yourself as well as you can: be clear upfront about your complaints, make sure you write down its intricacies and what a good outcome of the treatment would be for you. What would 20% improvement look like? And 50%?

Another important step is to make sure that you’re able to track your progress in some way, so you’re not spending money left, right and center without any idea of impact. How can you measure the result of the Reiki sessions in relation to the pain that you have?

If you have any of the complaints listed for which Reiki may be an effective treatment and you’re (financially) ok with it not having the impact you hope, Reiki could be a next step for you.

However for the sake of your mental health, it may be better to not expect too much.

It is best to see signing up for a treatment like this as a gamble.

What is my experience?

I could not say that Reiki has been part of my journey towards healing my chronic pain at all.

I’ve done a couple of Reiki sessions and I love the sentiment and the cleansing, but I would not say it had any effect on how my body felt afterwards.

However, as with Cranio-sacral therapy, I did feel lighter after the treatment. During the treatment I felt safe, held, and if all my doubts and resentment towards my pain had a space to be. The treatment is incredibly gentle, and I did cry; soft, silent tears. As well, I got to a better breathing rhythm and got to quiet my mind and relax.

For that reason, if I’m stressed or totally down because of something, I don’t think it is a bad way to give myself a break and connect to myself.

As it is quite affordable (in some places) the barrier to try it out is not that high. Though I would not in any way have any healing expectations, for me it is much more about a ritual or moment to check-in with myself, let go of tension, be aware of my breathing and have some time where my mind is not spinning in all directions. I would however not use this as a part of my formula to get my body in a better state.

How can I try this?

If you’re interested in this treatment, and you have no one in your network that can recommend you someone, Google is your best friend. With the above key-words and desired area you should get quite a lot of result. Please check out my article on How to book a treatment for the first time here.

Disclaimer:

This blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion and dis­cus­sion about health, treatments and related sub­jects. I try to shine light on a vast and often ambiguous arena by sharing my own experiences. The words and other con­tent pro­vided in this blog, as well as any linked mate­ri­als, are not intended and should not be con­strued as med­ical advice. I’m not a medical expert. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical con­cern, he or she should con­sult with an appropriately-licensed physi­cian or other health care worker.