Category: Reiki Benefits

12 Common Misconceptions About Reiki

12/1/2017

Reiki does not involve physical touch. Although in some Reiki styles (as well as due to legal regulations in different states), some Reiki practitioners may hold their hands just above the receiver’s body, the original practice of Reiki has always involved direct contact and physical touch.
Reiki is a massage. This misconception may arise from the fact that many massage therapists also practice Reiki, and the clients may be unaware when massage ends and Reiki begins. Although Reiki does generally involve light touch, and, in some Reiki styles, it may even involve light patting and brushing over the back and the legs of the receiver, most definitely, Reiki is not a massage. There is no pressure or tissue manipulation during Reiki. The benefits from Reiki arise from energy shift in the body, with the body naturally readjusting itself to the most comfortable position, without manual manipulation.
Reiki is not real. Those people, who claim that Reiki is not real, approach the subject from the perspective of "if you can't see it, it is not real". If you use this kind of argument, then radio waves, electrons, and microorganisms that cannot be seen with a naked eye are also not real. We can't be this narrow minded in the 21st century. If we think this way, we are putting ourselves in the same category with some of our predecessors, who thought that Earth was flat, did not believe that matter was made of particles, and that many diseases were caused by germs. At the time they could not see it, and therefore it did not appear real to them. Fortunately, we have an advantage over them, since we know about many scientific discoveries that revealed what was previously hidden from our view, proving that it is indeed there, and it is real. This allows us to look at the world with an open mind. There are things that do not have an explanation (yet), but let's not ignore them by default, let's give them a chance. The truth about Reiki, is that although the actual Reiki energy itself has not been measured or quantified by science, this does not mean that Reiki does exist. Truth is stranger than fiction, and you really have to experience Reiki for yourself and see the benefits, which can be remarkable for many people. So let's not wait until the science is able to explain the Reiki phenomenon, let's enjoy it now.
Reiki is the same thing as Healing Touch. While both can be considered ‘energy therapies’, and both may have similar helpful effects that promote relaxation and natural self-healing, the origins and the actual practice of these two holistic modalities are quite different. Reiki was founded by Mikao Usui in Japan, and it is heavily rooted in the Japanese culture. Healing Touch was founded in 1989 by an American nurse Janet Mentgen, and it is based on her own experience with Energy work. Reiki (in its original form) involves direct hands-on touch; while Healing Touch practitioners generally have their hands hovering or gliding over the receiver’s body. There are many other hands-on healing techniques that exist around the world, and although there are many parallels between them, they are not all the same.
Reiki is the same thing as Chakra Clearing. Many people associate Reiki with working on the Chakra energy centers of the body. While Reiki may be beneficial for Chakra clearing, in reality, the Indian concept of Chakras was never a part of the original Reiki teaching, but was rather added onto the Japanese healing art of Reiki sometime after the 1970s. Any Chakra balancing and clearing techniques taught as a part of Reiki training, is extra information that was not a part of the technique developed by the Usui sensei.
Reiki is a Religious healing art. Reiki is not a Religious healing art neither in theory, nor in practice. The founder of Reiki, Mikao Usui sensei himself, had clearly stated that Reiki is not a religious healing method.
Reiki is just a placebo effect. Currently, there is no clear scientific explanation for how Reiki works; however, this does not mean that it either does not work or that it is a ‘placebo’ effect. As a medical doctor, I have over ten years of direct observational evidence of the effectiveness of Reiki at inpatient hospice unit, where it was utilized as a complementary therapy. In addition, I have several years of experience of using Reiki personally, and its effectiveness, by far exceeds what one would expect from a placebo effect.
Only few select people can learn Reiki and be good at it. Although some people may have a natural inclination towards holistic healing arts, anyone can learn Reiki. The beauty of Reiki is in its simplicity, and anyone can learn how to do it in just a few days. As with any healing art, practice makes perfect, and ongoing practice is encouraged after the training has been completed, to maintain and improve the Reiki ability.
I can learn Reiki online. Reiki is a hands-on healing art and the process of teaching Reiki involves certain elements that simply cannot be demonstrated or done online. You can certainly learn history of Reiki or various Reiki concepts online, but you may soon discover that when you try using Reiki, it will likely be only marginally effective. (After an online course you may get the “It felt relaxing”, type of a reaction from your clients, as opposed to, “Wow, this was amazing!” that you can expect after learning Reiki from a credentialed teacher at an in-person Reiki seminar.)
Reiki practitioners can absorb their client’s negative energy. Reiki energy flows through the practitioner, and out of the practitioners hands, promoting the flow of natural Ki within the person. The practitioner himself or herself is neither giving his or her energy, nor absorbing the client’s energy. So no “negative” energy can be absorbed by the practitioner.
Reiki can be sent to place, object, or a situation. Reiki can be done on living things, but not on objects or situations. When Mikao Usui developed Reiki, he developed it to help human beings on a mind-body level, and healing of objects or situations was not a part of the original Reiki. So if a Reiki practitioner is using techniques to send Reiki to an object or a situation, then those techniques are actually separate from Reiki as were developed taught by Usui sensei (even if the practitioner has learned them in a Reiki class.)
Reiki does not require regular appointments. Being completely different from something like a massage, Reiki should be done daily (or almost daily) until the problem is resolved. Think of it the way you would think of physical therapy, one session might help, but in order to get the full benefit, you must complete the whole course, and not just one session. With that said, in many cases, people experience immediate improvements of their symptoms with Reiki, and for many Reiki clients just a few sessions are needed to achieve great results.

P.S.: I am using the word "Reiki" referring to both Reiki energy (靈氣 - REI-KI) as well as the Reiki technique developed by Mikao Usui (心身改善臼井靈氣療法 - SHIN SHIN KAIZEN USUI REIKI RYOHO ) You can easily understand which "Reiki" I refer to based on the context.

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Who Has Benefited From Learning Reiki?

8/1/2017

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Since I am not certain if your question refers to immaterial vs. material benefits, I will attempt to respond to both options.

I have been observing Reiki in action for about a decade during my work at an inpatient hospice unit as a medical doctor. The observational evidence of the positive effects of Reiki and other “alternative” modalities have left a lasting impression on me, to the point that I have learned Reiki myself and have been actively practicing it since 2013, in addition to my medical practice. I do not have a scientific explanation of how Reiki works, but I continue seeing impressive results with Reiki on a daily basis.

So to answer the immaterial side of you question, I can tell you that those people, who have learned Reiki and are practicing it, are benefiting others by helping them on a mind-body level with this impressive healing art.

In addition, learning and practicing Reiki has a profound positive impact not only on the receiver of Reiki, but also on the practitioner himself or herself. For example, since I’ve learned Reiki, I am a better, kinder person. I am more relaxed and able to deal with stress a lot better. I worry less and I’ve become a lot more open-minded. Reiki has allowed me to let go of the ego-fueled directions in life, and has helped me focus on what’s really important instead. Learning Reiki has allowed me to take a path less travelled, but also the path, where I can be more true to who I am and to who I want to be, the best version of myself.

As far as the financial benefits, as with anything in life, I am sure that there are people, who may be using Reiki for financial gain. For example, I’ve seen online Reiki courses that offer Reiki mastership after a few-hours-long training. This can only be viewed as either a misunderstanding on the part of the person who is offering this type of online class (hopefully), or as a money-making operation, since Reiki is a hands-on healing art, and Reiki training includes a process that cannot be performed virtually.

With that said, we don’t have to let a few ‘bad apples’ spoil the whole batch. The vast majority of people who learn Reiki, offer it relatively cheaply and often for free. Reiki is a calling, and although many Reiki practitioners can make a living doing Reiki, overall, the majority are certainly not doing it just to make money, but rather to help others.

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How Useful is the Course of Reiki?

7/1/2017

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There are several ways to understand this question, and I will provide the answers to all of the following potential meanings:

How useful is the course of reiki (is it worth learning)?
How useful is the course of reiki (do I need to take a formal course, or can I learn on my own, without taking a class)?
How useful is the course of reiki (as in getting a ‘treatment course’ of several Reiki sessions in a row)?

To answer the first version of this question, I’d like to say that learning Reiki can be most definitely useful, whether you wish to pursue a career as a Reiki practitioner, or if you simply wish to learn it for household use. In particular, in my experience (as well as in the experience of other Reiki practitioners), it can be very helpful for minor illnesses (colds, upset stomach, headaches, insomnia), minor injuries (cuts, bruises, minor burns), stress, anger, frustration, anxiety, and more. It can be very helpful for symptoms such as pain, nausea, etc., as well as with emotional and/or spiritual suffering. In addition, not only can it be used in a home environment, but Reiki can also be helpful if you don’t have access to medical care (traveling in remote areas, in case of being in a natural disaster zone, or when assisting someone after an accident while waiting for an ambulance, and so on). To summarize, learning Reiki can be very useful.

As far as how to learn Reiki, I would most definitely recommend taking an in-person course, as Reiki cannot be learned in any other way. You can certainly find a lot of information about the history of Reiki online or by reading Reiki books, which may give you a good starting point; however, because of the nature of this Japanese healing art and because of how it is taught, it is impossible to learn it online or from reading a book. There are several inherent processes to learning Reiki that must be done in person and cannot be skipped. If those essential elements are dropped, you may find that the technique you learn is not very effective, and truthfully, it cannot be called Reiki at that point, as it will no longer be the true authentic Reiki in the way it was originally taught and practiced, but a different healing art (similar to Reiki, but different). So, taking an in-person Reiki course is the best way to learn Reiki.

Finally, if you are inquiring about getting a course of Reiki sessions, then it is definitely a great idea if you have any chronic conditions or serious concerns (as opposed to new, and/or minor symptoms). Your Reiki practitioner will be able to recommend the duration of the Reiki course. Think of it the way you would think of a course of antibiotics or of a course of physical therapy. One pill or one session can help, but it may not be enough. Ideally Reiki should be done daily or nearly daily, until the problem is resolved. In my experience, however, it may often take just one session or only a few sessions to address various wellness concerns, often to my disbelief as a medical doctor (we do not understand how Reiki works from the medical perspective, and in all honesty, the effectiveness of Reiki is often shocking to me, since medically-speaking, it should not work, but it does). Getting a course of Reiki sessions can be very useful, especially when trying to address long-standing, serious concerns.

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Does Reiki Heal?

1/1/2017

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I’d like like to answer your question from a medical/scientific point of view and from the Reiki experience perspective.

Reiki is a natural Japanese wellness method for body and mind that involves a light touch. As a medical doctor, I can tell you that from a medical perspective, there should be no healing effects (other than relaxation, perhaps) from any method that involves hands-on healing; however, I have observed Reiki in action for well over a decade now, and I have no doubt in my mind about its positive effects on healing.

Technically and legally speaking, we should probably refrain from using the word “healing”, since it implies scientific/medical evidence of effectiveness of a licensed clinical treatment modality, which Reiki is not. It is neither scientifically proven, nor it is a licensed healing profession. I would like to add however, that although currently, there is no scientific proof that Reiki heals anything, I am certain that it is only a matter of time before we will learn otherwise.

From my observation of Reiki as a medical scientist, I can tell you that people receiving Reiki report improvements in physical symptoms, reduction in emotional suffering, and they also often share that they gain clarity or have a healing spiritual experience, not to mention feeling more relaxed and better overall with Reiki. I would say that probably about 50% of people receiving Reiki say that it felt “amazing”. I personally see Reiki as a mind-body-and-soul healing art, and in my experience, not only it can be very helpful for healing on multiple levels, but it appears to be beneficial significantly beyond the placebo effect.

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12 Common Misconceptions About Reiki

Who Has Benefited From Learning Reiki?

How Useful is the Course of Reiki?

Does Reiki Heal?

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