Reiki

What is Reiki?

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "Universal Life Force" and Ki which is "Energy". Reiki means "spiritually guided universal life force energy." Reiki is not affiliated with any religion, but is spiritual in nature.e.
Reiki allows you to become energetically balanced physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

Reiki was developed by a Japanese man named Dr. Mikao Usui in the early 1900s and has since spread to all over the world, used in medical facilities such as hospitals and hospices. Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of alternative healing and self-improvement that anyone 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.

How is a Reiki treatment given?

In a standard treatment Reiki energy flows from the practitioners hands into the client. The client remains fully clothed and usually lies down on a massage table. Although not as common, it is also possible that the treatments are given while the client is seated or even standing. The practitioner places her/his hands on or near the clients body in a series of non-invasive hand positions. These include positions around the head, shoulders, abdomen area, legs and feet. Other, more specific positions may be used based on needs of the client. Each position is held for three to ten minutes depending on how much Reiki energy is indicated that the client needs. Reiki treatments can also be given without touching the client with hands held about three to four inches above the body.

What does a Reiki treatment
feel like?
Reiki treatment experiences vary from person to person and from time to time. However, feelings of deep relaxation and comfort are usually felt by all. In addition, Reiki helps one feel less pain and physical discomfort, become more calm and emotionally balanced, and reduce stress and anxiety. As the Reiki energy encourages one to let go of all tension, fear or other negative feelings a state of peace and well-being can be experienced. Some drift off to sleep or report floating outside their bodies or have visions and other mystical experiences. At the end of the treatment, one often feels refreshed with a more positive, balanced outlook.

How does Reiki work?

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 negative thoughts or feelings about ourselves. either consciously or unconsciously. 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.

Can I receive a Reiki treatment while I'm also under the care of my doctor or psychologist?

Yes. Reiki works well in conjunction with regular medical or psychological treatments. If one has a medical or psychological condition, it is recommended that one see a licensed health care professional in addition to receiving Reiki treatments. Reiki energy works in harmony with all other forms of healing, including drugs, surgery, psychological care or any other method of alternative health care. Reiki does not replace traditional medical or therapeutic treatments.

Will I benefit from Reiki if I am in good health already?

Practitioners believe so. If you already are in good health, regularly applied reiki treatments (about once a month) are postulated to enhance your ability to respond to unhealthy elements in your environment and help you to handle stress. Reiki is great as a preventative medicine, promoting the harmonious distribution of energy.
-Answer provided by Cleveland Clinic

Since Reiki is a subtle healing practice that promotes balance, it can be beneficial whether one is ill or in good health. When you are well, Reiki practice can help you stay that way by optimizing your self-healing. When addressing disease, Reiki practice can support whatever conventional medical treatments you and your doctor deem necessary, providing relief from symptoms and treatment side effects, and helping you maintain a hopeful attitude throughout your treatment.

Even more useful than receiving Reiki treatment from someone else is learning to practice Reiki self-care. Once you've taken the First degree class, you have the ability to offer treatment to yourself and informally to family and friends. Most people practice Reiki self-treatment in bed, while awakening or falling asleep.
-Answer provided by Pamela Miles

Is Reiki safe for a pregnant woman?

Yes! Pregnant women and their unborn babies both can benefit from Reiki's gentle and balancing energies. The most beneficial component of using Reiki during pregnancy is that it is safe. Reiki does no harm, only good. Plus, it does not interfere with any other treatments. This makes Reiki a great choice for helping comfort a pregnant woman. Reiki's love energies heal and calm anxieties which are often associated with pregnancy and pending motherhood.
It is also okay for women to receive Reiki attunements during their pregnancy. Some women have chosen to have their babies attuned to Reiki while still in the womb prior to their births. Reiki is a gift whenever it is given or received. Reiki practitioners are taught that Reiki is everyone's birthright. Reiki is not something that is given. Rather, Reiki's inherent energies are embedded deeply inside us. Reiki healing energies are merely awakened when we are attuned.

-Answer provided by Phylameana Lila Desy

What Are the Benefits of a Reiki Treatment?

Reiki Benefits:

Deep relaxation & stress release

Decreased anxiety

Increased serenity & mental clarity

Reconnection with self, other & Higher Power

Balance your energy

Release of emotions & traumatic body memories

Pain relief & control

Create greater vitality

Decreased recovery time from injury & surgery

Increased self-esteem & positive body image

Promote spiritual growth & creativity

Touchpoint Therapy Reiki Class Information

Many prestigious hospitals are offering Reiki as a part of their standard care.

Even Dr. Oz Suggests Reiki!

Dr. Mehmet Oz, a renowned cardiovascular surgeon and host of the third (or possibly second) most popular syndicated television program in America, introduced millions of viewers to the natural healing practice of Reiki as part of a program on alternative and natural remedies. The Dr. Oz Show included not only a segment featuring a demonstration by Reiki author Pamela Miles, but an emphatic recommendation to "try Reiki" as the #1 "Oz's Order" at the show's conclusion.

In a related (and unsurprising) development, the audience member who received a brief Reiki chair session from Miles told Oz and his viewers after only a few minutes of Reiki that her headache was going away.

Oz, whose wife, Lisa, is a Reiki Master, called Reiki "my favorite treatment that could change the future of medicine forever." Reiki was the last of an assortment of featured alternative remedies, including mud baths, herbal remedies, aromatherapy, yoga, saunas, and cupping.

"And joining me today is Pamela Miles," Oz continued. "Pamela has actually been to the operating room with me where we have done Reiki. He pointed out that, like Pamela, "my wife Lisa is a Reiki master, so when the kids get sick, or when I'm out of sorts, she actually comes by, I can't even tell when she's treating me, sometimes she secretly treats me, if she thinks I'm in a bad mood" -- everyone laughed -- "and I see hands moving around, but I actually feel the heat."

As the session began, Oz asked Pamela to explain a little about Reiki.

"Reiki is a balancing practice," she said. "And so rather than addressing the headache or whatever else is the problem, what it does is it influences the person's overall system toward balance, and then as her system becomes more balanced, symptoms tend to fall away. Then over time, for example, if you get headaches, you may find that you get them less frequently."

"Do you feel anything?" Oz asked the Reiki recipient.

"Yes, my headache's going away," she said.

"Let me show you why I think energy has been overlooked," Oz continued, turning to reveal a large microscopic image. "This is an image of a cell. And it's beautiful, isn't it? You see that cell there, and it looks colorful, and look at the blue pattern on the outside. That's the membrane of the cell. That blue area on the outside differentiates life. Because it separates no energy on the outside from energy that's present on the inside. So if you think about it in that way, if the membrane of a cell keeps an energy balance between inside and outside, which is what defines life, if we put those cells together, into an organ, shouldn't the organ have energy? And if you put those organs into a body, shouldn't our bodies have energy? And so many of the ailments that we suffer from can be treated through energy therapies, which will become much more prevalent over the next few years."

At the show's conclusion, Oz did his usual "Oz's Orders" segment: "Here are the three things I want you to remember from today's show. First off, try Reiki. This alternative medicine treatment can manipulate your energy and cure what ails you." And he recommended that viewers boost their metabolisms and check their blood pressure. "Those are my doctor's orders."

(Article from The Reiki Digest)