What is Reiki?

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. 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.

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.

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.

Its use is not dependent on one's intellectual capacity or spiritual development and therefore is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds.

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.

While Reiki is not a religion, it is still important to live and act in a way that promotes harmony with others. Mikao Usui,  the founder of the Reiki system of natural healing, recommended that one practice certain simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony,  which are nearly universal across all cultures.

““The secret art of inviting happiness The miraculous medicine of all diseases Just for today, do not anger Do not worry and be filled with gratitude Devote yourself to your work. Be kind to people. Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer. Pray these words to your heart and chant these words with your mouth Usui Reiki Treatment for the improvement of body and mind.””
— The founder, Usui Mikao

What are the benefits of Reiki?

1. Relieves pain, anxiety, and fatigue

From Healthline

According to a review of randomized trials trusted Sources, reiki may help to reduce pain and anxiety, though more research is needed. It may also help to reduce fatigue. 

A 2015 study trusted Source found that people being treated for cancer who received distant reiki in addition to regular medical care had lower levels of pain, anxiety,  and fatigue. These levels were significantly lower than the control group, who only received medical care. Participants had 30-minute  sessions of distant reiki for five days.

In another 2015 study, researchers looked at the effects of reiki on women following cesarean delivery.  They found that reiki significantly reduced pain, anxiety, and the breathing rate in women 1-2 days after having a cesarean delivery. The need for and the number of analgesic pain killers was also reduced. Reiki didn’t have an effect on blood pressure or pulse rate.

A 2018 study trusted Source compared the use of reiki to physiotherapy for relieving lower back pain in people with herniated disks.  Both treatments were found to be equally effective at relieving pain,  but reiki was more cost-effective and, in some cases, resulted in faster treatment. 

2. Promotes Harmony & Balance

Reiki helps to promote harmony and balance. It is an effective, non-invasive energy healing modality that enhances the body’s natural healing ability whilst energizing and promoting overall wellness. Reiki works directly on restoring balance on all levels and works directly on the problem and condition instead of just masking or relieving symptoms.

3. Creates deep relaxation and helps the body release stress and tension

Reiki provides a space where you can be more aware of what is going on inside your body and mind. To learn to listen to your own body and make wise decisions regarding your well-being from this place. Being more present means you are in your body, which helps you to access even more that inner knowing and wisdom that we all have!

4. Dissolves energy blocks and promotes natural balance between mind, body and spirit

Reiki treatments can bring about a calmer and more peaceful state of being, in which a person is better able to cope with everyday stress. This mental balance also enhances learning, memory and mental clarity.  Reiki can heal mental/emotional wounds and can help alleviate mood swings, fear, frustration and even anger. Reiki can also strengthen and heal personal relationships.  Because Reiki enhances your capability to love, it can open you up to the people around you and help your relationships grow.

5. Assists the body in cleansing itself

We spend so much time in the stress-reactive fight/flight phase that it becomes our ‘norm’ and our bodies literally forget how to return to balance.  Reiki reminds our bodies how to shift into the parasympathetic nervous system (rest/digest) self-healing mode.   It allows you to sleep better and digest better which is important to maintaining health and vitality. The more you are in this space, the more you can be active and productive without being stressed, exhausted or burnt out.

6. Clears the mind and improves focus, helps to “Gound”

Reiki can support you in staying centred in the present moment rather than getting caught up in regrets about the past or anxieties about the future. It can strengthen your ability to accept and work with the way events are unfolding even when they don’t follow your desires or timetable. You begin to react to situations, people and yourself in a  supportive way rather than acting out of habit.

7. Aids better sleep

The number one outcome of receiving a Reiki session is relaxation.  When we’re relaxed, we sleep better, our bodies heal better, we think more clearly, and we relate to each other more genuinely. Often clients will experience deep relaxation during their Reiki session and sometimes a deep sleep during the session as well.

8. Accelerates the body’s self-healing ability as you start to return to your natural state

Reiki healing quickly returns you to your natural state or at least gets your body moving in the right direction.  That means your breathing, heart rate and blood pressure improve.  Breathing deeper and easier is one of the first things to happen during a  self-practice or treatment received from someone else. When we breathe better, our minds naturally settle. Science supports that. As your respiration deepens your body moves into parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) dominance i.e. the rest/digest phase. Your body was made to function primarily in the rest/digest phase rather than the more commonly experienced fight/flight phase.

9. Helps spiritual growth and emotional cleansing

You do not need to be into spirituality to enjoy the benefits of  Reiki. Yet, for many, they receive Reiki treatments to support themselves through their self-healing journey i.e. spiritual growth / personal development.  Reiki addresses the whole person, rather than targeting individual symptoms. It can create profound, often subtle shifts from deep within your own being. What does that look like? Guidance about what to do around difficult situations can come more easily. Or it may inspire a  change in attitude or belief about your situation. Suddenly, you see your condition from a fresh perspective and are able to deal with it in a  more positive way. Or it might direct you to the right kind of action needed which is guided from within.

10. Compliments medical treatment & other therapies

Reiki is a wonderful complement to conventional medicine and helps relax patients on the levels of the mind and physical body. When a  patient is relaxed the healing process is accelerated. People sleep much better and are calmer following Reiki treatments.  The beauty of Reiki is that it is non-invasive and is administered in a very gentle manner. The Reiki practitioner can give Reiki without touching the body in cases where patients have burns or major injuries.   Reiki is safe to use if you have medical conditions such as epilepsy,  diabetes or heart conditions. You may receive Reiki treatments if you are undergoing chemotherapy. Pregnant women can have Reiki treatments to support them through all stages of the pregnancy. Reiki is for everyone!

11. You can learn Reiki yourself

Many clients will learn Reiki for themselves by attending a Reiki Level 1 course (in which they can self-treat)  so they can boost their own energy levels on a daily basis. Some are drawn to Reiki to support their physical healing, some want to delve deeper into their personal development and most have experienced the benefits of reiki and wish to be able to support themselves that way regularly.

How Does Reiki Work?

We are alive because the life force is flowing through us. Life force flows within the physical body through pathways called chakras, meridians and  nadis. 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, either consciously or  unconsciously, negative thoughts or feelings about ourselves. 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.

Do All Healers Use Reiki?

All healers use life force or Ki, but not all use Reiki. Reiki is a  special kind of life force that can only be channelled by someone that has been attuned to it. It is possible that some people are born with  Reiki or have gotten it some other way. However, most healers who have  not received the Reiki attunement from a Reiki Master are not using  Reiki but another kind of life force. People who already do healing work  consistently report an increase of at least fifty percent in the  strength of their healing energies after taking the Reiki training.

This was verified for me when I first began teaching Reiki. There were two clairvoyant healers I knew who had highly developed abilities. They could easily see the life force flowing through a person's body, as well as see the aura and chakras. They could also communicate with a  person's guides and Higher Self. They were adept at moving negative psychic energy out of the body as well as channelling healing energies.  In my twenty years of metaphysical work, they were the most accurate and effective psychic healers I had met.

They told me later they had doubted there was anything I was teaching they couldn't already do, but that they took the Reiki training anyway, simply to support me in my  new work. After the attunement, they were amazed at the difference they could feel between the healing energies they had been using and Reiki.  They said the Reiki energies were more powerful and of a much higher frequency. They noted also that Reiki didn't have to be guided like the  other healing energies they were using, and that the Reiki energies  began flowing without having to enter an altered state. They also  indicated the attunement process itself was a powerful healing  experience, releasing restrictions relating to their healing work they  had unknowingly acquired when they were healers in past lives. They were  very pleased they had taken the class.

Reiki Can Never Cause Harm

Because Reiki is guided by the God-consciousness, it can never do harm. It always knows what a person needs and will adjust itself to create the effect that is appropriate for them. One never need to worry about whether to give Reiki or not. It is always helpful.

In  addition, because the practitioner does not direct the healing and does  not decide what to work on, or what to heal, the practitioner is not in  danger of taking on the karma of the client. Because the practitioner is  not doing the healing, it is also much easier for the ego to stay out  of the way and allow the presence of God to clearly shine through.

Energy is Never Depleted

Because it is a channeled healing, the Reiki practitioner's energies  are never depleted. In fact, the Reiki consciousness considers both practitioner and client to be in need of healing, so both receive treatment. Because of this, giving a treatment always increases one's  energy and leaves one surrounded with loving feelings of well-being.

Can Anyone Learn Reiki?

The ability to learn Reiki is not dependent on intellectual capacity,  nor does one have to be able to meditate. It does not take years of practice. It is simply passed on from the teacher to the student. As soon as this happens, one has and can do Reiki. Because of this, it is  easily learned by anyone.

Reiki is a pure form of healing not dependent on individual talent or acquired ability. Because of this, the personality of the healer is less likely to cloud the significance of the experience. The feeling of  being connected directly to God's healing love and protection is clearly  apparent.

The Attunement

Reiki is not taught in the way other healing techniques are taught.  It is transferred to the student by the Reiki Master during an  attunement process. This process opens the crown, heart, and palm chakras and creates a special link between the student and the Reiki source.

The Reiki attunement is a powerful spiritual experience. The attunement energies are channelled into the student through the Reiki  Master. The process is guided by the Rei or God-consciousness and makes adjustments in the process depending on the needs of each student. The attunement is also attended by Reiki guides and other spiritual beings who help implement the process. Many report having mystical experiences  involving personal messages, healings, visions, and past life  experiences.

The attunement can also increase psychic sensitivity. Students often report experiences involving: the opening of the third eye, increased intuitive awareness, and other psychic abilities after receiving a Reiki attunement.

Once you have received a Reiki attunement, you will have Reiki for the remainder of your life. It does not wear off and you can never lose it. While one attunement is all you need for each level to be attuned to  that level, additional attunements bring benefit. Experimentation has found that additional attunements of the same level add to the value of that level. These benefits include refinement of the Reiki energy one is  channeling, increased strength of the energy, healing of personal  problems, clarity of mind, increased psychic sensitivity, and a raised  level of consciousness. At the Reiki support groups sponsored by the  Center, additional attunements are usually given by someone who has taken Third degree in Reiki, with no extra fee required.

The Reiki attunement can start a cleansing process that affects the  physical body as well as the mind and emotions. Toxins that have been  stored in the body may be released along with feelings and thought  patterns that are no longer useful. Therefore, a process of purification  prior to the attunement is recommended to improve the benefit one  receives. See below for specific instructions on preparing for an  attunement.

  • In a standard treatment Reiki energy flows from the practitioners hands into the client. The client is usually laying on a massage table but treatments can also be given while the client is seated or even standing. The client remains fully clothed. The practitioner places her/his hands on or near the clients body in a series of hand positions. These include positions around the head and shoulders, the stomach, and feet. Other, more specific positions may be used based on the clients needs. Each position is held for three to ten minutes depending on how much Reiki the client needs at each position. The whole treatment usually lasts between 45 and 90 minutes. In an online/distance treatment, the client would sit or lay down in a comfortable position and prepare to receive Reiki via distance. The treatment usually lasts between 45 and 60 minutes.

  • Most of the time a person will feel relaxed and uplifted by a Reiki treatment. However, sometimes a person will have what is called a healing crisis. As a person’s vibration goes up, toxins that have been stored in the body will be released into the blood stream to be filtered by the liver and kidneys and removed from the system. When this happens, sometimes a person can get a headache or stomach ache or feel weak. If this happens, it is a good idea to drink more water, eat lighter meals and get more rest. The body is cleansing as part of the healing process so this is a good sign.

  • Mrs. Hawayo Takata (Takata Sensei) brought Reiki from Japan to the West in 1937 and continued to practice and teach until her passing in 1980. Because of her devotion, Reiki has been passed on to millions of people all over the world, and the numbers continue to grow! And as you will see, if it wasn’t for her, Reiki most likely would never have been discovered by the West and even in Japan would have been practiced secretly by only a small number of people.

  • Although Reiki energy is spiritual in nature, Reiki is not a religion. Practitioners are not asked to change any religious or spiritual beliefs they may have. They are free to continue believing anything they choose and are encouraged to make their own decisions concerning the nature of their religious practices.

  • Reiki is a very simple technique to learn and is not dependent on one having any prior experience with healing, meditation or any other kind of training. It has been successfully learned by over one million people from all walks of life, both young an old. The reason it is so easy to learn that it is not taught in the usual way something is taught. The ability to do Reiki is simply transferred from the teacher to the student through a process called an attunement that takes place during a Reiki class. As soon as one receives an attunement, they have the ability to do Reiki and after that whenever one places their hands on themselves or on another person with the intention of doing Reiki, the healing energy will automatically begin flowing.

  • A Reiki attunement is the process by which a person receives the ability to give Reiki treatments. The attunement is administered by the Reiki Master during the Reiki class. During the attunement, the Reiki Master will touch the students head, shoulders, and hands and use one or more special breathing techniques. The attunement energies will flow through the Reiki Master and into the student. These special energies are guided by the Higher Power and make adjustments in the students energy pathways and connect the student to the source of Reiki. Because the energetic aspect of the attunement is guided by the Higher Power, it adjusts itself to be exactly right for each student. During the attunement, some students feel warmth in the hands, others may see colors or have visions of spiritual beings. However, it is not necessary to have an inner experience for the attunement to have worked. Most simply feel more relaxed.

  • Yes, Reiki can be taught to anyone. I recommend that a child be old enough to understand what Reiki is and that the child request to receive Reiki.

  • Yes, this is one of the wonderful benefits of Reiki and is why it is such a wonderful technique for the new millennium...

  • The word Reiki is composed of two Japanese words - Rei and Ki. When translating Japanese into English we must keep in mind that an exact translation is difficult. The Japanese language has many levels of meaning. Therefore the context the word is being used in must be kept in mind when attempting to communicate its essence. Because these words are used in a spiritual healing context, a Japanese/English dictionary does not provide the depth of meaning we seek, as its definitions are based on common everyday Japanese. As an example, Rei is often defined as ghost and Ki as vapor and while these words vaguely point in the direction of meaning we seek, they fall far short of the understanding that is needed.

Frequently Asked Questions