Tell me About Reiki!

Maybe you’ve heard of Reiki, or maybe you haven’t. Maybe you have a vague idea about what Reiki is, or maybe you get regular treatments but you couldn’t explain it to your friends or family if put on the spot. Regardless, here is a down-and-dirty the therapy that is becoming commonplace in today's society. What Is Reiki?

Reiki (pronounced ray·kee) is a complementary therapy based on Eastern beliefs that harness the vital power of energy healing. It has been around for a long time and has undergone rigorous scrutiny from many corners of the medical and holistic worlds, and it continues to thrive. Why? Well, because it works!

In the case that you're a history buff, Reiki originated in Japan and was developed in the late 19th century. It now serves many important purposes in and out of medical settings. Through non-invasive and non-manipulative touch, Reiki practitioners seek to—

• Improve a patient’s overall wellbeing

• Increase a patient’s level of energy

• Lessens a patient’s pain and the perception of pain

• Lowers a patient’s stress/promotes relaxation

Reiki practitioners either use gentle touch or place their hands right above a person’s body to work with the body’s existing energy fields and to help guide the energy toward balance and healing.

So the short answer: Reiki is a form of energy healing.

What Does It Mean That Reiki Is a Complementary Therapy?

Reiki is complementary, meaning it works best alongside other traditional medical programs or treatments for any acute issues.

It has been studied and shown to help people reduce anxiety, depression, and pain, for example. But many people choose to pair their Reiki therapy with counseling, physical therapy, or other pain management programs. This is welcomed and encouraged.

Decades ago, some medical professionals around the world weren’t sure how Reiki would fit in with scientific medical programs or therapies. In these modern times, these same professionals have started (or continued) to see the wonderful benefits of implementing Reiki in addition to a patient’s prescribed medical path.

Working alongside other traditional therapies, Reiki has incredible power to impact patients and improve their overall well-being.

One of the reasons Reiki makes such an excellent complementary therapy is that it is non-invasive, doesn’t involve any unhelpful side effects and doesn’t get in the way of any other form of treatment a patient may be receiving at the time. Even medically fragile patients have benefited from Reiki.

Because it is considered low-risk and high-reward, Reiki is becoming increasingly welcomed into medical centers around the world that once stood in opposition to it simply because they did not fully understand it.

The gentle and soothing nature of Reiki is helpful for all patients. A study by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health concluded that “Reiki hasn’t been shown to have any harmful effects.”

As we become more familiar with non-Western ways of treating the body, mind, and soul, people are increasingly open to alternative forms of treatment, including Reiki.

Because Reiki is a form of Eastern alternative energy therapy that you can’t physically see, it has been harder to study or prove scientifically. And therefore it is harder for some in the scientific or medical community to accept it as efficacious.

But what isn’t as hard to accept is the number of people who have repeatedly gotten the help and relief they need and have been able to alleviate painful symptoms associated with illness and improve their overall well-being.

The reason Reiki has stood the test of time is that it has worked for so many people.

Resources: Howard, C. (2022, June 6). Everything you need to know about reiki healing. IARP. Retrieved February 17, 2023, from https://iarp.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-reiki-healing/