The Healing Starlight

What Is Usui Reiki ?

Reiki (/ˈreɪki/ RAY-kee; Japanese: 霊気) is a pseudoscientific form of energy healing, a type of alternative medicine originating in Japan. It enhances the body’s natural healing ability and promotes wellbeing.Reiki  is Japanese for ‘universal life energy, and is also a word used to describe a system of natural healing, This tradition was founded by Mikao Usui'in the early 20th century and evolved as a result of his research, experience and dedication. 

We live in a world of energy that nourishes and maintains all living things. When this energy flows uninterrupted there is balance and harmony within and around us, and we experience a sense of well being. It is based on qi("chi"), which practitioners say is a universal life force, although there is no empirical evidence that such a life force exists.

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Reiki treatment stands on its own as a healing practice and is also safely used to support orthodox and complementary medicine. Reiki doesn’t interfere with or diminish the intended effects of other health or medical practices.

Reiki treatments are increasingly accepted in health and community care facilities including hospitals, hospices and cancer support units. For example, at the SolarisCare Cancer Support Centre at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Reiki is the most accessed complementary health treatment for cancer and leukaemia patients. Many patients report significant improvements in their level of pain, fatigue, nausea and breathing.

There are many variations of Reiki, but in essence Reiki treatments can help the body emotionally or spiritually. It is a tradition that is open to any belief system. 

Reiki treatment is a process that anyone can enjoy in the normal course of their life. Reiki can be used alongside other conventional or complementary treatment and often helps to provide emotional support during recovery. The practice is taught by Reiki masters / teachers who have trained in the tradition passed on in person from master to student.

How Many Treatments Will I Need ? 
This varies from person to person. In general most problems will take time - healing is a process rather than an event. Acute problems generally heal faster than chronic ones and if your problem is of long standing it may require treatments over a longer period of time. Your practitioner may suggest a number of treatments close together or 4 treatments on consecutive days. However you should feel free to make the decision about the spacing of treatments yourself. You are ultimately responsible for your own health and well being. 

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What Happens During A Treatment ? 
The practitioner will usually give a short explanation of what the treatment involves. You may be asked some details, including a brief medical history. You will be asked to lie down (or sit if this is easier for you) but will not be asked to remove any clothing except for things which could restrict your breathing or comfort, such as shoes or spectacles. Reiki will go through clothing, blankets. Treatment is given by the practitioner placing their hands gently on your body in a pre-determined sequence of hand positions, spending several minutes holding each position.

These hand positions are non-intrusive and cover both the front and back of the body and are sometimes varied to give Reiki to areas where it is specifically needed. If you find any of the hand positions uncomfortable please tell the practitioner. The touch should be gentle, light and comfortable; there is no massage or manipulation. You may feel sensations such as heat, tingling, coolness or throbbing under the practitioners' hands or in other parts of your body, or you may feel very little. Many people experience a sense of well being and relaxation, or fall asleep; sometimes a treatment is energizing. There is no right or wrong way to experience Reiki. The treatment will normally at least 1 hour. 

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What do Reiki treatments do?

Reiki is a safe and soothing treatment that can be:

 

•  Comforting when life is tough 

The relaxing nature of Reiki can be very helpful to people especially at difficult times in our lives. We can all feel overwhelmed or disconnected, sometimes there is a real sense of isolation, both emotionally and spiritually. Reiki treatments can bring feelings of peace, centeredness and an ability to cope better with the challenges of life. 

Reiki can be beneficial in circumstances that are short term, but can also support people dealing with long-standing conditions, helping to bring comfort, acceptance and a more positive outlook.

 

• Supportive during pregnancy 

Reiki can be wonderful for pregnant women. Treatments can be very relaxing and enjoyable for the mother.

 

•  Calming for children 

Children usually love Reiki. The length of a session is often shorter than it would be for an adult.

 

•  Reassuring for animals 

Animals also respond well to Reiki, they too seem to find it relaxing and soothing.

 

•  Helpful at the end of life 

In such cases Reiki can be a great comfort, helping to promote a sense of peace and acceptance for the dying and their families.

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Awaken your heart, mind and body – experience the healing art of Reiki.

• Are you ill, in pain, or in distress and seeking help to cope with your situation?

• Are you feeling low or anxious?

• Does everything feel ‘just too much’ at times?

• Need a way to recharge and gain peace of mind?

Reiki can help;

An abundance of anecdotal evidence about the benefits of Reiki treatment has been a catalyst for credible research into the effects of Reiki. The National Institutes of Health USA have trials underway to investigate the effect of Reiki on stress, fibromyalgia, AIDS, prostate cancer, painful neuropathy and cardiovascular risk factors.

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Reiki has many benefits;

Here are eleven of the most commonly recognised benefits of Reiki for you and for others

1. Experience the reduction of stress and pain in a single Reiki treatment

2. Accelerate the healing of your physical tissue (body), mind (thoughts and beliefs), heart (emotions) and spirit (alignment)

3. Alleviate your fatigue, re-energize yourself both mentally and physically

4. Increase the clarity of your mind, enhance any problem solving and improve your memory retention

5. Sustain increased feelings of your self-confidence and self-esteem

6. Ensures your health and wellbeing are increased and sustained

7. Your intuitive skills develop quickly

8. Reiki facilitates improved communication and concentration at all levels

9. Reiki can increase your creativity at all levels, professionally and personally

10. Expect a noticeable improvement in your relationships at work and at home

11. Reiki always compliments, supports and enhances all orthodox and alternative medicines, therapies and practices

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Alzheimer Disease

Mikhail Kogan MD, Hwee Soo Jeong MD, in Integrative Medicine (Fourth Edition), 2018

Reiki

Reiki offers light touch to patients and is believed to reduce stress and stimulate self-healing by optimizing autonomic nervous system and HPA axis. Reiki appears to reduce stress, anxiety, and pain in dementia patients.139 Caregivers can be easily taught delivering Reiki to patients. One of the authors (MK) assisted in implementing longitudinal Reiki program at a local retirement community, where an integrative team provides Reiki sessions and teaches self-Reiki to staff and residents. 

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Stress Management, CAM Approach

K. Krebs, in Encyclopedia of Stress (Second Edition), 2007

Reiki

Reiki comes from the Japanese word meaning universal life force energy. The practitioner serves as a conduit for healing energy directed into the body or energy field of the recipient with or without physical contact with the body. The vast majority of reports on the effectiveness of reiki appear in popular rather than scientific literature; however, one study showed that reiki can increase hemoglobin and hematocrit levels. The study compared 47 people participating in reiki training and a small control group of 9 healthy medical professionals. The study found a significant increase in the hemoglobin and hematocrit levels among the reiki group and no significant change in the control group.

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Energy Therapy

Ellen Zambo Anderson, in Complementary Therapies for Physical Therapy, 2008

Reiki

Reiki is an energy-based approach to healing that originated in ancient Tibetan Buddhist teachings. Reiki was “rediscovered” in the 1800s and, consistent with other therapies based on Asian medical systems, assumes that physical and emotional impairments are linked to abnormalities of a person's energy or biofields. A more complete description of Reiki, including its history, its application in health and healing, and a review of its scientific literature, is presented in Chapter 17, along with a discussion of integrating Reiki into a plan of care for a person with a history of breast cancer.