Reiki - The Spiritual Treatment

A "laying on of hands" Eastern therapy using a technique — according to practitioners, a "spiritually guided universal life force energy" called “ki” — for stress reduction and relaxation, based on the knowledge that this unseen universal life force energy flows through all living things and is connected directly to the quality of health.

Reiki techniques are said to be capable of balancing the body's energy on a physical and emotional level, and to be very effective in the treatment of emotional and mental distress as well as chronic and acute physical problems; in addition, practitioners claim it promotes spiritual focus and clarity.

Developed in the early 1900's in Japan by a man called Mikao Usui, Reiki is believed to have been based in Tendai Buddhism and Shintoism ancient philosophies and techniques.

In Tibet, thousands of years ago, ancient healers and mystics studied many types of unseen natural energies. These oriental sages developed a system of sounds and symbols for universal healing energies. Various healing systems, crossing many different cultures, emerged from this single root system, including the ones in which Reiki is based on. There are many variant's of Reiki being practiced today. See Alternative Medicine.

Whole body treatment

In a typical whole-body Reiki treatment, the practitioner asks the recipient to lie down, usually on a massage table, and relax. Loose, comfortable clothing is usually worn during the treatment. The practitioner might take a few moments to enter a calm or meditative state of mind and mentally prepare for the treatment, which is usually carried out without any unnecessary talking.

The treatment proceeds with the practitioner placing his hands on the recipient in various positions. However, some practitioners use a non-touching technique, where the hands are held a few centimetres away from the recipient's body, for some or all of the positions. The hands are usually kept still for 3 to 5 minutes before moving to the next position. Overall, the hand positions usually give a general coverage of the head, the front and back of the torso, the knees and feet. Between 12 and 20 positions are used, with the whole treatment lasting 45 to 90 minutes.

Some practitioners use a fixed set of hand positions. Others use their intuition to guide them as to where treatment is needed, sometimes starting the treatment with a 'scan' of the recipient to find such areas. The intuitive approach might also lead to individual positions being treated for much shorter or longer periods of time.

It is reported that the recipient often feels warmth or tingling in the area being treated, even when a non-touching approach is being used. A state of deep relaxation, combined with a general feeling of well-being, is usually the most noticeable immediate effect of the treatment, although emotional releases can also occur. As the Reiki treatment is said to be stimulating natural healing processes, instantaneous 'cures' of specific health problems are not usually observed. A series of three or more treatments, typically at intervals of 1 to 7 days, is usually recommended if a chronic condition is being addressed. Regular treatments, on an on-going basis, can be used with the aim of maintaining well-being. The interval between such treatments is typically in the range of 1 to 4 weeks, except in the case of self-treatment when a daily practice is common.

Spiritual practice

Many practitioners use Reiki as the basis of a spiritual practice, or to augment other spiritual practices. The cornerstone of Reiki spiritual practice is a daily one hour self-treatment,[68] conducted in a meditative frame of mind. As well as maintaining physical, mental and emotional well-being, this practice is understood to induce spiritual growth, potentially leading to self-realization.