REIKI

Reiki may sound “new age” to some, but it’s anything but new. In fact, it’s a form of energy healing with roots in ancient cultures. Reiki uses what’s known as universal life force energy—ki or qi—to improve people’s lives and alignment.

WHAT IS REIKI & HOW DOES IT WORK?

Reiki was developed by Mikao Usui in Japan in the 1920s. It is a relaxing form of healing therapy that is applied through non invasive, non manipulative gentle touch. It’s a balancing energy that enhances your body’s ability to self-heal. 

It works with your system on a physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual level to rebalance itself towards health and wellbeing. Practitioners focus on sensing energy blocks and moving the energy for the greatest good of the client.

Reiki involves gentle, calming and powerful lightly laying of hands just above and/or on the body, in a slow progression of hand positions. 

Clients usually report feeling relaxed after a session, but some feel energized, depending on the nature of the problem. Overall, the person will leave in a better mental and physical space.

BENEFITS OF REIKI:

  • Reduce stress 

  • Help with sleep issues & insomnia 

  • Ease pain

  • Help with depression

  • Enhance happiness

  • Give emotional clarity

  • Boost quality of life and self-esteem  


THE SCIENCE BEHIND REIKI:

While the debate on how best to study integrative therapies such as Reiki is gaining steam, research attempts have been and continue to be made. Nonetheless, research into Reiki is just beginning. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has completed five studies looking at Reiki's ability to benefit people with diabetes, advanced AIDS, prostate cancer, fibromyalgia, and stress.

Other published studies have looked at the effect of Reiki on measures of stress hormones, blood pressure, heart rate, and immune responsivity, and on subjective reports of anxiety, pain and depression. The studies to date are typically small, and not every study is well designed. However, overlapping data from some of the stronger studies support the ability of Reiki to reduce anxiety and pain, and suggest its usefulness to induce relaxation, improve fatigue and depressive symptoms, and strengthen overall wellbeing. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews contains a review on the use of touch therapies (including Reiki) for pain and a protocol for use of Reiki for psychological symptoms.

Reiki has been increasingly offered as part of workplace wellness programs to address burnout and improve skills in healthcare and other industries, as well as in university wellness centers.

Read this article from the scientific research of Mary Ann Lieber https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/acm.2019.0022