Intro to Reiki - Part 2

Is Reiki physical, mental, or emotional? Everyone I listened to after a Reiki session describes what they physically feel in a different way. Some people feel warm or cool sensations that remind them of water flowing through their body. Others feel something they describe as soothing electric tingles. On one occasion, someone explained that it felt as if sparkling stardust was being transferred to their bodies. There are individuals who say they feel very little while the session is happening, but later experience a deep sense of tranquility and well-being. People with hyperactive and anxiety related disorders have said that Reiki sessions help them stay calm and focused mentally. Others have expressed that they felt emotionally rebalanced or could let go of inner child issues after Reiki therapy. Every individual is different and typically has their own unique physical, mental, and emotional responses to a Reiki session.

In an attempt the question: Is this just some woo-woo New Age gimmick or does Reiki actually work, I would like to share with you a few of my personal experiences with Reiki energy.

My son broke his foot several years prior to my Reiki attunement. At the time, I had never heard of Reiki, much less imagined that I would become a practitioner in the future. While we were waiting for him to be seen in the emergency room, I asked my son if he would like for me to “pray” while sending energy with my hands to his throbbing foot. He said “sure mom,” so I placed my hands around his injured foot. We closed our eyes and I asked for help from both our higher selves and any angelic forces that happened to be within earshot. We did this silently for about 15 minutes.

After I finished, he explained that my hands had felt like little heating pads and his foot felt a little tingly, but the pain was gone. The physician who looked over my son’s x-rays told his father and myself that it was a nasty fracture and our son could expect to be in some form of a cast for the next 4-6 months. Over the course of the next few weeks, I would repeat the prayer and light touch method on my son’s foot anytime he experienced pain. The pain would subside and his foot would feel better. Six weeks later a physician expressed shock at how rapidly the broken foot had completely healed. The physician said that my son’s foot healed so quickly and strongly after six weeks that he did not see a reason for him to remain in a cast or brace any longer.

A friend was the first in our group to become a Reiki practitioner. She asked me to accompany her to the Level III Reiki class held almost three hours away from where we live. I have always loved the city where her classes were held and needed a weekend getaway. While she was in class, I would walk around the downtown area or sit outside the classroom and read. About half way through, the Reiki Master asked if I would like to be the person my best friend practiced on since there were an odd number of students that day. Of course, I agreed.

The first exercise was to practice pulling anything that caused pain out of a person’s energy field. About a year before, I had an intense, and frankly terrifying, experience with a non-physical entity that forced me to move from my home of 12 years. During this psychic attack, it had felt as if a searing hot ice pick was being driven through the left hemisphere of my brain. For the year following the attack I would experience frequent headaches in this specific area of my head.

When the Reiki Master asked me what I would like to have removed, I began explaining this area and my concern that something had been implanted into the energy field of my brain. She asked if I was ready to release anything in this area that was causing me pain. I replied that I would love for it to be gone, but that it was an intense experience and I didn’t know if it was possible to remove it. The Reiki Master became very serious and explained that I had to believe that it could be removed and it would be. My friend successfully removed whatever was in my energy field and I have not experienced any head pain in that area since. After this experience, I realized how important it is for the Reiki practitioner and their client actually work together during a therapy session.

So to answer a question from above: does Reiki really work? Well, ultimately that depends a great deal on whether or not the client is open to accepting Reiki and willing to believe in the power of the life force energy that a practitioner transmits. I can also report that several cancer centers within a two hour radius of where our group lives have volunteer Reiki practitioners who provide therapy sessions for their patients. Let me be clear, we are NOT claiming that Reiki can “cure” anything or that it should be used to replace traditional medicine. Instead, think of Reiki as a complementary service for the non-physical energy fields around your body. It promotes relaxation, stress reduction, and a general sense of well-being.