Reiki
is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation
that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying
on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life
force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to
be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we
are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it
is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which
means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which
is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually
guided life force energy." A treatment feels like a wonderful
glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki
treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind
and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include
relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing.
Many have reported miraculous results.
Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual
healing and self-improvement that everyone 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.
An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to
use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred
to the student during a Reiki class. This ability is passed
on during an "attunement" given by a Reiki master and
allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of
"life force energy" to improve one's health and enhance
the quality of life.
While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion.
It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe
in order to learn and use Reiki. In fact, Reiki is not
dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe
in it or not. Because Reiki comes from God, many people
find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the
experience of their religion rather than having only an
intellectual concept of it.
Practitioners use a technique similar to the laying on
of hands, in which they claim to be channels for energy
("Ki") guided by a universal spirit or spiritual nature
("Rei") — flowing through their palms to heal a person
wherever they may need healing. A study in Alternative
Therapies (Jan/Feb 2005 issue) said that in 2002 there
were over one million U.S. adults who had experienced
Reiki treatments. Reiki is controversial because there
is no scientific evidence it works by any means other
than suggestion or the placebo effec
