What is Reiki?

Reiki (ray-key) is a Japanese healing art of channeling energy through the palms of the hands. It is a hands-on healing therapy, a therapeutic approach to promote healing. This energy healing technique promotes relaxation, reduces stress, anxiety, and improves the flow and balance of the individuals energy to support healing.

Reiki is made up of two Japanese words. When broken down rei translates to “God’s, Higher Power, Universal wisdom,” and ki refers to the “vital life force energy” that flows through all living things. This subtle energy is also known as chi in Chinese healing and prana in Sanskrit. This subtle energy is the essence of all things vitality, intelligence, and possibility. An inadequate or imbalance of this energy or flow is “thought” to be associated with mental, emotional distress, dis-ease, and …

Reiki practitioners utilize the principles of the invisible or unseen “life force energy” that flows through all living things to assist in stimulating the bodies innate healing capabilities. When in balance, the individual naturally feels enhanced vitality, and more harmonious. The practitioner innately trained has a single intention… to act as a conduit to spiritually (universal) guided life force energy for the greater good of the client. However, the client is always encouraged to take responsibility and participate in their healing by consciously choosing to improve oneself and health. 

It is assumed that it was in the 1900s Mikao Usui developed the healing modality known as Reiki. The teachings and practices of Reiki were revealed to Usui after a fasted 21 day meditation on Mt. Kurama in Kyoto. He immediately began practicing on himself and family members. 

What Usui Mikao taught was called ‘Usui do’ – ‘the way of Usui’, and what he practiced on people would most likely have been called ‘Usui teate’- meaning ‘hands-on’. Early students had never heard of the word Reiki in relation to the entirety of Usui Mikao’s teachings. Only once it came to the West was the word ‘Reiki’ turned into the name for a system. (ihreiki.com)

Although Reiki originated with a specific aim, over time people began to come to Usui for various reasons and needs. A man obviously dedicated to the greater good and higher consciousness; he found it far better to share this treatment, benefits, and his philosophic teachings with the general public. In 1922 he settled, opened a practice and that is exactly what he did. As he continued to encourage, I much agree, a pure and healthy mind can cultivate and invite happiness… miraculously cure dis-ease.

Reiki is now used all over the world, including in hospitals, hospices, veteran, trauma, private and personal care centers. You can research and find many prestigious mentions and published conversation. The treatment has become a well known complimentary form of wellness and health treatment. 

What to expect in a local Reiki treatment session? 

For each Reiki treatment or session, you start with a questionnaire, and then often will have an introduction conversation. This is a time to communicate your intention, desires or outcomes for the treatment and any additional information you might desire to share. Ideally this is a relaxing meditative time, with minimal to no “talking”… or ideally “thinking”. There is nothing for you to worry about or do in a session… other than allow yourself to relax, rest, and recharge. Even the “communication” has little necessity.

You will start the session by lying on your back on a massage table. You are fully clothed and often covered as needed due to climate. I am often innately guided in a unique way to set a comfortable, safe, and sacred space for your session. Anything else that might be needed to get started also being presented. It is common to start with some gentle music and meditative time to allow the body and mind to relax before starting. When necessary I will give any guidance or instructions. Throughout the session you might feel me place my hands in specific positions on the body from head to toe. Sometimes there might be literal touch and other times, you might simply feel the close proximity, warmth, vibration, or subtle energy of my hands presence. Treatment usually is done while on your back and stomach at some point during the session. 

People generally fall into a deep relaxation, trance or meditative state. Often reporting the sense of waves of pleasant buzzing or vibrational energy through their body. Healing is not always a conscious understanding, nor something that the mind can grasp or make sense of.

What have other people found working with Reiki?

In essence, Reiki treatment aids in the stimulation of inner harmony, balance, and health. It vitalizes the body’s natural healing processes, and fosters mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. This can be quit inclusive… although not always consciously understood.

Others have found it assisted with acute and chronic pain, insomnia, body weight insecurities, PTSD, imposter syndrome, life transitions or traumas (shifting in living arrangements, relationships, career, death, heartbreak, mental/emotional/physical trauma, sprains, pre-op, post-op, circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and infections), feeling, connections, self embodiment, and …

Having a treatment session, what to expect after a treatment or session? 

Living in this thing we call the human experience is quite the miraculous adventure. I am not convinced that there is anyone on the planet that has “it” all figured out. However, with a lot of intentional and mindful direct experience and seeking from the heart, many “coincidentally” come to some very similar happenings and realizations. One is that the body appears to be an incredible messenger to the whole (emotion, mind, body, spirit) and it over time keeps a very encompassing journal. As we traverse life, we by nature tend to store a lot of information, emotions, trauma, and etc in the body. This suppression overtime becoming an irritant and if not well managed early on, it tends to later manifest as dis-ease in the physical body. When using healing modalities that work with and manage this, the client will on occasion experience surfacing, purging and/or subtle to complete significant shifts in how they think, feel, respond,  or take action to follow. Surfacing can be thoughts, emotions, or energy in the body. Purging can be in many forms as the body releases the energy that has been trapped over time.

In essence, energetic healing treatment aids in the stimulation of inner harmony, balance, and health. It vitalizes the body’s natural healing processes, and fosters mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. This can be quit inclusive …

You are always welcome to contact me after a session with any questions, concerns or assistance in processing something that has surfaced.