Reiki FAQ
What is Reiki?
Reiki is a holistic healing practice meaning that it treats the whole person: mind, body and spirit.
What is the difference between healing and curing?
I believe healing to be a very active internal process. It does take some personal work on your part to get to the point of where you are actually healed on all levels of being: emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual.
Our culture here in the west, has mostly grown up with only the curing aspect of medicine. "Curing", meaning that your illness or disease is gone and you physically and, most likely, mentally feel better. Yet something is inherently missing from that form of medical treatment.Suppose you were "cured" of a major disease. It probably took lots of talk to several doctors, different approaches to painful treatments, ups and downs, emotional stress, etc. So even though you are cured, you have all of this emotional and physical baggage left from the process that you have to deal with.
Healing is what you want to do in between the time of diagnosis and the cure. It's how you are able to cope better with what you are going through. It's like being cared for on all levels, through the process, rather just being given an end result.
Curing is a passive, external process. It treats the symptoms but not necessarily the root cause of the problem.
A series of Reiki treatments before, during, and after your medical process can help considerably to keep you on the path of healing. Even if you are not suffering from a medical treatment process, life in itself, is full of its own processes.
Reiki can help keep you balanced and ready for the next stage.And finally, even at the end of life, you can benefit from the peaceful healing that Reiki can bring.
Is Reiki Religious?
Reiki is a spiritual healing practice. It is not religious. There is no dogma attached to it.
Where does Reiki come from?
The person who founded Reiki was a Japanese man named Dr Mikao Usui. He was a Buddhist and his main purpose for practicing was to end suffering. Even though he was a Buddhist, Reiki, is not tied to any religion. His scope of practice does adhere to some precepts, which can be applied to any religion or form of spirituality.
He taught:
Just For Today: Do Not Worry.
Just For Today: Do Not Anger.
Just For Today: Honor your neighbors and all living things.
Just For Today: Work hard and honestly.
Just For Today: Give thanks for my many blessings.
Reiki came to the US by way of Mrs. Hawayo Takata who was trained by one of Usui’s students. Most all practitioners of Usui's Reiki can trace their lineage (master to student) back to Takata and Uusi.
What can Reiki Treat?
Reiki doesn't "treat" anything. It balances your system which allows your body to turn on its own self healing mechanisms.
When your bodily systems are not balanced, symptoms of dis-ease can occur.
What is a typical treatment like?
A typical treatment lasts between an hour to an hour and a half. Reiki is administered by light touch to a fully clothed person. First on the front of the body, then on the back. Reiki is also unique in that if a patient is not comfortable with light touch, it can be administered with hands a few inches above the body.
Because each person is unique, how they perceive reiki varies per individual. It is not uncommon to feel warmth , slight pressure or light tingling sensations in the area that is being treated or throughout the body. Sometimes, no sensation is reported. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t working. That is simply how that particular individual reacts. In general, the universal feeling reported is one of harmony and deep relaxation. The perfect way to unwind after a busy day!
After the treatment, there is time to discuss any feelings or sensations and answer questions.
Do I have to be present to receive a treatment?
No. You can receive a full treatment from a distance and it is just as effective.
How can Reiki be used to help?
Pamela Miles, author of Reiki, A Comprehensive Guide, put it best when she mentioned that "...it can be used therapeutically and as an intervention along with standard medical treatments. Because it is a balancing practice it is not symptom or condition specific. You can use it as a stand alone therapy, during procedures or spot treatments. And you don’t need to believe in it in order for it to work".
Reported benefits of treatment include: deep relaxation, pain management, reduced anxiety, improved sleep and digestion, enhanced well being, faster recovery from surgery, and reduction of side effects from medicines.
Who can benefit?
Anyone at any age and at any stage of life can benefit. Animals and plants, too!Can I learn to do Reiki?Yes you can! You can use Reiki as a safe complement to standard medical therapy. If you are ill, you can treat yourself with Reiki. If you are a caregiver, you can learn Reiki to treat those you care for. You can become a professional and make a rewarding career by treating others. The potential for Reiki is limitless. Please contact me if you are interested in learning this amazing practice.
Clinical FindingsReiki is increasing its credibility as more hospitals are creating reiki programs or allowing volunteers to come in and give Reiki to their patients. Right now there are around 60 hospitals in the United States that are doing this.
Many patients report side effects of medication being reduced, less anxiety and stress, and some experience quicker surgical recovery.
Although there has yet to find the reason WHY Reiki works, it is believed that Reiki may stimulate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system which induces the body relaxation response. The parasympathetic system is responsible for returing the body's heart rate, blood pressure, digestive function and hormone levels back to normal after an episode of deep stress.Yoga, Meditation, Tai Chi, Deep Breathing, Self Hypnosis all induce this response. And so does Reiki. This is why it is considered an "applied meditation".
Reiki is a holistic healing practice meaning that it treats the whole person: mind, body and spirit.
What is the difference between healing and curing?
I believe healing to be a very active internal process. It does take some personal work on your part to get to the point of where you are actually healed on all levels of being: emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual.
Our culture here in the west, has mostly grown up with only the curing aspect of medicine. "Curing", meaning that your illness or disease is gone and you physically and, most likely, mentally feel better. Yet something is inherently missing from that form of medical treatment.Suppose you were "cured" of a major disease. It probably took lots of talk to several doctors, different approaches to painful treatments, ups and downs, emotional stress, etc. So even though you are cured, you have all of this emotional and physical baggage left from the process that you have to deal with.
Healing is what you want to do in between the time of diagnosis and the cure. It's how you are able to cope better with what you are going through. It's like being cared for on all levels, through the process, rather just being given an end result.
Curing is a passive, external process. It treats the symptoms but not necessarily the root cause of the problem.
A series of Reiki treatments before, during, and after your medical process can help considerably to keep you on the path of healing. Even if you are not suffering from a medical treatment process, life in itself, is full of its own processes.
Reiki can help keep you balanced and ready for the next stage.And finally, even at the end of life, you can benefit from the peaceful healing that Reiki can bring.
Is Reiki Religious?
Reiki is a spiritual healing practice. It is not religious. There is no dogma attached to it.
Where does Reiki come from?
The person who founded Reiki was a Japanese man named Dr Mikao Usui. He was a Buddhist and his main purpose for practicing was to end suffering. Even though he was a Buddhist, Reiki, is not tied to any religion. His scope of practice does adhere to some precepts, which can be applied to any religion or form of spirituality.
He taught:
Just For Today: Do Not Worry.
Just For Today: Do Not Anger.
Just For Today: Honor your neighbors and all living things.
Just For Today: Work hard and honestly.
Just For Today: Give thanks for my many blessings.
Reiki came to the US by way of Mrs. Hawayo Takata who was trained by one of Usui’s students. Most all practitioners of Usui's Reiki can trace their lineage (master to student) back to Takata and Uusi.
What can Reiki Treat?
Reiki doesn't "treat" anything. It balances your system which allows your body to turn on its own self healing mechanisms.
When your bodily systems are not balanced, symptoms of dis-ease can occur.
What is a typical treatment like?
A typical treatment lasts between an hour to an hour and a half. Reiki is administered by light touch to a fully clothed person. First on the front of the body, then on the back. Reiki is also unique in that if a patient is not comfortable with light touch, it can be administered with hands a few inches above the body.
Because each person is unique, how they perceive reiki varies per individual. It is not uncommon to feel warmth , slight pressure or light tingling sensations in the area that is being treated or throughout the body. Sometimes, no sensation is reported. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t working. That is simply how that particular individual reacts. In general, the universal feeling reported is one of harmony and deep relaxation. The perfect way to unwind after a busy day!
After the treatment, there is time to discuss any feelings or sensations and answer questions.
Do I have to be present to receive a treatment?
No. You can receive a full treatment from a distance and it is just as effective.
How can Reiki be used to help?
Pamela Miles, author of Reiki, A Comprehensive Guide, put it best when she mentioned that "...it can be used therapeutically and as an intervention along with standard medical treatments. Because it is a balancing practice it is not symptom or condition specific. You can use it as a stand alone therapy, during procedures or spot treatments. And you don’t need to believe in it in order for it to work".
Reported benefits of treatment include: deep relaxation, pain management, reduced anxiety, improved sleep and digestion, enhanced well being, faster recovery from surgery, and reduction of side effects from medicines.
Who can benefit?
Anyone at any age and at any stage of life can benefit. Animals and plants, too!Can I learn to do Reiki?Yes you can! You can use Reiki as a safe complement to standard medical therapy. If you are ill, you can treat yourself with Reiki. If you are a caregiver, you can learn Reiki to treat those you care for. You can become a professional and make a rewarding career by treating others. The potential for Reiki is limitless. Please contact me if you are interested in learning this amazing practice.
Clinical FindingsReiki is increasing its credibility as more hospitals are creating reiki programs or allowing volunteers to come in and give Reiki to their patients. Right now there are around 60 hospitals in the United States that are doing this.
Many patients report side effects of medication being reduced, less anxiety and stress, and some experience quicker surgical recovery.
Although there has yet to find the reason WHY Reiki works, it is believed that Reiki may stimulate the body’s parasympathetic nervous system which induces the body relaxation response. The parasympathetic system is responsible for returing the body's heart rate, blood pressure, digestive function and hormone levels back to normal after an episode of deep stress.Yoga, Meditation, Tai Chi, Deep Breathing, Self Hypnosis all induce this response. And so does Reiki. This is why it is considered an "applied meditation".
