What is Reiki?

A Brief Version by Hil Ohrstrom, Reiki Master Teacher

Reiki is a Japanese form of hands on healing that was founded by Mikao Usui of Japan and brought to this country in the 1930’s. It is a popular and effective form of energy medicine or alternative healing that is used by people all over the world and in numerous hospitals and clinic settings. The word Reiki has been translated as ‘spiritual energy” or “universal life force energy.” 

There has been a great deal of new learning about the actual roots of Reiki in recent years thanks to the work of Frank Arjava Petter and Bronwen and Frans Stiene and others. Although its influences include Tendai Buddhism, Shugendo, Shintoism, and the martial arts, Western Reiki is not a religion, but rather a form of healing that works well whatever the beliefs of the recipient or practitioner.

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This video is an intro to Reiki, by Jessica Miller. Her subject has an ongoing cough (over the last 4 months) and some pain in the left rotator cuff. In addition to the Reiki she does a little sonic healing. This is part one of three. Two and three are below.

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Reiki is a very effective means of stress reduction through energy work that supports the body’s own inner healer by using light gentle touch or breath work and other advance techniques within a person’s energy systems either on the clothed body or above it within their auric field.

The Reiki practitioner serves as a conduit or channel for the spiritually guided energy and the Reiki goes where it is needed in order to balance the client’s energy system. Simply put, people are much more likely to be healthy when in balance, and to invite discomfort when they are not. Reiki can help with that balance. Nor, should it be implied that only people with health problems can benefit from Reiki. It is wonderful for people who simply wish to treat themselves to a very pleasant experience.

Most people are familiar with the word “chi” that is used in acupuncture and the martial arts. “Ki” is the Japanese equivalent of “chi”. Blockages of our Ki can have a negative effect in many ways. Have you ever had a blockage in the fuel system of your automobile? It didn’t work very well, did it?

Now think about what might happen if your life force were blocked. You might begin to feel out of balance, stressed or dragged down and weak. You might suffer emotional, spiritual or physical discomfort and symptoms. Reiki works to decrease and eliminate blockages from our energy system in order that the Ki flow as it is meant to.

Clients have found Reiki to be helpful with any number of situations including stress, emotional issues, recovery from surgery, chronic pain, alcohol/drug abuse and a whole host of other issues. For obvious reasons, Western Reiki practitioners do not recommend Reiki instead of treatment with a physician, but Reiki can and does work well as a complimentary treatment with medicine.

Reiki sessions are normally carried out with the client lying fully clothed on a massage table or seated in a chair. Many western Reiki practitioners follow a set protocol of prescribed hand positions to channel Reiki while many others rely on scanning the body and utilize intuitive positions.

A Reiki session normally lasts between 60 and 90 minutes although they can certainly be both shorter, or longer if the situation warrants that. Some practitioners recommend a series of sessions; many of us find that it is best to individualize the treatment to the person. 

You may also have heard of distance healing. Life force energy can go anywhere with intent and Reiki has specific and effective techniques for distant healing which can be sent around the world to people or to situations that people are facing. Energy can go anywhere across space and time with positive intent for the client’s highest good and many people over the world have experienced the benefits of distance Reiki when unable to go for a personal session.

In fact, distance Reiki works well with pets and animals that often have firm boundaries with humans about personal space. There are many websites that discuss the benefits of Reiki and there are probably practitioners near you. You might like to give it a try!

• © 2006 by Hil Ohrstrom, Reiki Master Teacher.

Part Two

Part Three