Hands-on healing
Reiki
I love Reiki because it is relaxing and rejuvenating. This calming healing practice helps clients to connect more deeply with their physical bodies and give them some love. The best part is, all the client has to do is lie there. That's it! Consciously, no effort is needed on the part of the client. As a practitioner of Reiki, I enjoy it when my client's body absorbs the energy like a sponge, resulting in restoration and balance.
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So what exactly is this? The word Reiki can be simply translated as “spiritual essence” (Anders, Andrew. Michigan Reiki, 2014). According to my teacher, Reiki Master Andrew Anders, Reiki is energy that exists throughout the universe. The hands-on practice of Reiki Ryoho is a Japanese spiritual practice that works with energy to support healing and personal development (Anders, 2014). From a scientific perspective, Reiki supports homeostasis and “the body’s own internal communication processes via the autonomic nervous and endocrine systems” (Kusiak, Julie. “An Introduction to Reiki Therapy The Science and The Research.” Presentation, Beaumont Hospital of Royal Oak, 2014.).
When Reiki is applied therapeutically, it is known as hands-on healing. Clients who select to this treatment remain fully clothed on a massage table. I gently place my hands on certain areas of the client's body and let the wonders of Reiki do the rest. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) classifies this type of Reiki practice as “energy healing” (Anders, 2014).
Distance healing sessions are also available by request.
Scientific Facts
Reiki is not some woo-woo, hippie healing technique.
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Reiki is often used to treat depression and stress.
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As of 2007, more than 800 hospitals in the United States offered Reiki therapy.
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In clinical settings, Reiki is a popular low-risk intervention for cancer that has been shown to reduce fatigue, reduce anxiety, reduce pain, and improve the quality of life.
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Reiki has been proven to reduce pain and lower anxiety in surgical patients.
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When Reiki is used as an intervention for Alzheimer’s and aging, patients display an improved memory and behavior, as well as reduced anxiety, depression, and pain.
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A 2002 study in Hartford Hospital, Connecticut, found that in “1,480 Reiki sessions”, patient’s reported a “94% reduction in stress/anxiety, 86% improved sleep… and 78% reduction in pain” (Kusiak, 2014).
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In a 2014 program evaluation of Integrative Reiki for Cancer Patients, studies found that there was “more than a 50% decrease in self-reported distress, anxiety, depression, pain, and fatigue” (Kusiak, 2014).
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There are no serious side effects or risks.
​References: Kusiak, Julie. “An Introduction to Reiki Therapy The Science and The Research.” Presentation, Beaumont Hospital of Royal Oak, 2014
I've read about using MDMA and psychotropic drugs as part of therapy to help the patient drop deeper into the psyche to access trauma. Without ever having done that myself, I feel like my Reiki sessions with Hannah are like that.
We can do years of therapy in an hour on her table [without substances]."
E.B.
"Where the mind goes,
the ki (energy) flows."
Andrew Anders
