What is Reiki?

Definition

Reiki is a traditional energy healing system proposed for the treatment of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual diseases. Mikao Usui developed Reiki in the early 20th century from Tibetan Buddhist scripts while on a 21 day retreat on Mount Kurama in Japan. Practitioners channel naturally occurring electromagnetic energy, which they direct into the areas of the body that require treatment, via their hands. Reiki can be hands off, but generally practitioners place their hands slightly above the body, for ethical reasons. Reiki came to the West in 1938.

The name Reiki derives from the Japanese pronunciation of two Japanese characters that describe the energy itself: rei' (meaning 'universal') and ki (Chinese qi, here meaning 'energy' or 'life force'). There are over 140 different styles of Reiki.

Theories and Practice

Traditional Japanese Reiki is based on a three-energy-body system, that is, we are composed of a physical body, and emotional body and a spiritual body. Reiki allows practitioners to channel specific frequencies of energy to work on each of the bodies directly. Once all three bodies are fully healed, it creates a oneness  or enlightenment, as it is more commonly termed.

Many Reiki practitioners believe that the energy is intelligent which "knows what to do," or "where it is needed the most". This is a Western add-on and bears no relation to the traditional form of Reiki. The founder of Reiki, Mikao Usui worked on conditions directly. The way Reiki was originally taught the practitioner would place their hands over the area that is damaged and treat it directly.

Therapeutic Practice of Reiki

Benefits of Reiki

Reiki can accelerate the healing of physical problems, and balance the emotions. It may also provide a closer connection with inner wisdom.

Reiki encourages and supports positive personal change such as improving the diet, having more rest, exercise or leisure time, and may reduce the need for alcohol and tobacco. Reiki can allow us to respond more calmly to all events, and build on a more resourceful state of being. Reiki is a gentle energy and may be used safely by all ages, including the newborn, pregnant mothers, surgical patients, the frail and the elderly, regardless of their state of health. Reiki can enhance everyday life, and regular sessions help to ward-off illness and fatigue.

Reiki is a non-invasive therapy that can be used without fear of any side-effects or overdose. It may be used with confidence alongside conventional medication or natural remedies because it acts in a complementary way. Reiki is being used in GP surgeries, hospices, cancer support groups, post-operative recovery, drug rehabilitation, prisons, HIV/AIDS centres, and care of the elderly.

There have been reports of positive effects of Reiki treatment in papers published in some medical journals promoting alternative medicine. Cited benefits include relaxation and increased immunity, reduced heart rate, improved blood pressure, reduced pain, reduced anxiety and depression. Scientific journals have published studies comparing Reiki's effect to that of a placebo.

What happens in a treatment

A session is usually carried out with the client lying down or sitting, in a comfortable and peaceful environment. There is no need to remove any clothing. The practitioner places their hands gently, in a series of positions, on or over the body. The client's system automatically draws in only as much Reiki as needed, using it in whatever way is most appropriate at the time. Reiki may be felt as a flow of energy, mild tingling, warmth, coolness, other sensations, or nothing at all. Reiki is deeply relaxing, eases stress, and has a calming effect. Treatment is enhanced if one can rest for a while afterwards and drink plenty of water to help the body detox. Be responsive to the needs of your body, for example, resting if tired, and allow the energy to continue its work after the session ends. The beneficial effects may be felt for several days.

Usui taught that practitioners can also channel Reiki energy through other parts of their bodies (for example, their eyes or their breathing). Intention is the primary method for directing the flow of the energy. Depending on the skill level of the practitioner, Reiki energy can be used for healing either in physical proximity or from a distance. The ability to channel Reiki energy usually awakens within someone after a Reiki Master performs an "attunement".

Training

Usui Reiki Method

Mikao Usui's Reiki method spread widely. Correspondence courses over the Internet even offer distance training. To achieve a complete education in the "Usui method of Reiki Healing," three courses are necessary: the 1st degree course, the 2nd degree course, and the master course. The specific content of each of these courses varies widely from one teacher to another, depending on personal philosophies. A typical set of courses is something like the following:

• First Degree Reiki courses teach the basic theories and procedures of how to work with Reiki energy. The channel through which Reiki energy passes to the practitioner is said to be widened through four "attunements" given to the student by the teacher. Students learn hand placement positions on the recipient's body that are thought to be most conducive to the healing process.
• In the Second Degree Reiki course, the student is given three symbols that are supposed to enhance the healing. One is for physical healing, another is for emotional healing, and the other is for distance healing; at a certain point in space or time.
• As part of the Third Degree, or "Master Course", students become a Reiki "master" through the third initiation; they learn how to initiate students and have the option of teaching Reiki courses themselves. The student learns a further master-level symbol in this course as well as the method of attuning others. In some cases the third level is broken into smaller stages of attunements from the teacher; the attunements for the first, second, and third level may also be administered in stages.

The courses can be expensive, especially the third (master) level. Although voluntary self-regulation is being introduced later in 2007, or early 2008. There is much variation in training methods and speeds as there is no regulation of Reiki. Students on the traditional path may be made to wait a year or more before being allowed to learn stage two, and thereafter many more years before being taught the Master level. Some traditionalists maintain that any method that teaches Reiki "quickly" cannot be teaching the real thing, because there is no substitute for experience and patient mastery of the art. Traditionally Reiki level 1 and 2 was taught as a short course, for two hours a day over a five day period. There was no gap required between these two levels. Students would then develop with these levels and progress further when they were ready, if at all. There was no fixed time gap it was purely down to an individual's progress. The time gaps between Reiki courses were introduced after Mrs Takata and are a Western addition.

With the many varied ways that have been used to teach Reiki, there have emerged points of controversy between different groups, teachers and practitioners. Controversies exist on topics such as the nature of the Reiki energy itself, fees charged for courses and treatments, training methods, secrecy of symbols and attunement methods.

Various statements are made about legitimacy or authenticity between various schools of Reiki, especially since different schools have emerged which have seven levels of Reiki training, compared to the three levels in the Reiki Alliance. Political disagreement exists between some schools; so for example a practitioner of one teacher may be unwelcome to practice Reiki with another teacher's Reiki group. Some schools do not recognise other schools as true Reiki.

The 'Reiki Grandmaster'

Many conservative schools are based around claims of Hawayo Takata's many student teachers competing as the true "Grandmaster" of Reiki or teaching exactly as Takata herself taught. In recent years, however, many teachers connected in some way with Hawayo Takata do not strenuously claim to be appointed as the "Grandmaster of Reiki" as they once did in the past. Phyllis Furumoto (the granddaughter of Takata), for example of the "Reiki Alliance" seemed to cease claiming this title around the same time that it was found that historically no such title ever existed once the Japanese schools were discovered by Western Reiki schools. Barbara Weber Ray of the "Radiance association" still makes the claim. Often these "Grandmasters" attempt to trademark the term "Reiki" in their particular country or countries of interest. Such actions are very unpopular in the wider Reiki community and no trademarks have ever been granted in any country except Germany. However, Phyllis Furumoto obtained this trademark and holds it in trust for the greater Reiki Community. In the UK and many other countries the term 'Reiki' is deemed to be generic and not able to be trademarked.

What to look for in a Reiki teacher [Ref 1]

A Reiki practitioner or teacher should ultimately take responsibility for the welfare of their clients and have honesty, integrity and underpinning knowledge of their subject. Don't be afraid when you ring up for a treatment or Reiki course to ask plenty of questions about how the practitioner or teacher works with Reiki. If the answers they give you seem ambiguous and forced, then look elsewhere. (The main thing is to trust your intuition, it does not matter how knowledgeable someone may seem, if you feel that something is not quite right then trust your instincts.) It does not matter if someone says they have practiced Reiki for 20 years or 5 months, if they don't understand what they are doing! Below you will find some criteria to look out for when deciding where to go for Reiki.

• Make sure the practitioner or Reiki teacher belongs to an accredited Reiki association and teaches an accredited course. Also be aware that different associations follow different codes of practice and their members teach in different ways.
• Speak to the Reiki practitioner first by telephone to be sure that you feel comfortable with the practitioner. Make sure that they are empathetic, candid and can readily answer any of your questions. If a Reiki healer cannot make you understand what they are talking about they don't understand it themselves.
• Ask the practitioner lots of questions about how they work with Reiki to make sure it suits you. Many practitioners are not willing to work on specific conditions which is fine if all you want is a treatment purely for relaxation, but if you have anything that needs treating make sure you go to a practitioner who works actively with Reiki and will work directly on your condition(s).
• If you are going for a Reiki treatment and you are female it is probably safer to either go and see a female practitioner or take a friend with you for the first treatment.
• Some Reiki websites offer distant treatments or attunements. This can be extremely misleading. The qualifications will not be recognised and you don't know what sort of treatment or course you will be getting. It is much better to see a practitioner directly and if you are learning Reiki it is important to learn from a qualified teacher who will offer you the support you need during and after the course. Distant attunements can be at the very least completely ineffectual and at the worse very dangerous. Remember that you are letting someone you have never met before make changes to your energy field, so make sure you feel safe with them.
• If you are undertaking a Reiki course make sure that the course is certified and that manual and post course support are included. Some Reiki teachers do not provide you with a manual and it will hard for you to remember everything you have learned and practice Reiki effectively after you have completed your course.
• Be very wary of Reiki teachers that offer bargain deals such as learning Reiki I, II and III all in one weekend. You cannot become a good Reiki Master in one weekend. It is a huge responsibility to teach Reiki and to practice Reiki on others and learning all the Reiki levels in one weekend will leave you deflated, frustrated, lacking in a good foundation of knowledge and most probably completely unable to use Reiki effectively.
• Reiki Level I if it is traditional Usui Reiki should have 4 attunements, Level II should have one attunement and Master level should have one attunement. These are the number of attunements the founder of Reiki Mikao Usui used.
• Some Reiki teachers say it doesn't matter how many attunements you have, you will still be able to use Reiki. The attunement process connects you to the source of the energy and raises your frequency as well as placing the Reiki symbols into various parts of your body to enable you to be an effective channel for the energy. They are a vital part of a Reiki course and it is imperative that you are attuned properly if you want to be an effective Reiki practitioner yourself.
• Reiki attunements should not involve blowing on the person, Tibetan bells, gongs or any other unnecessary paraphernalia unrelated to Reiki. You are not receiving a traditional Usui attunement if any of the former is involved in the attunement process. It might be best to ask the Reiki teacher before you sign up for a course what is involved when they give you attunements.
• Be very wary of Reiki teachers that offer Reiju or empowerments instead of attunements. Reiju or empowerments are what Mikao Usui used to give to the students he saw daily or weekly and they raise your frequency in tiny steps, enabling you after years of practice to use Reiki for healing purposes. Usui gave attunements to the students he only saw once or twice to dramatically raise their frequency in one go because he wouldn't be seeing them on a regular basis. This enabled Usui's students to use Reiki instantly to heal.
• If a Reiki teacher tells you that there needs to be a gap between Reiki Level I and II you would be better off looking elsewhere. It is in fact much better to learn Reiki I and II together. The reason for this is that Reiki Level I only enables you to heal on a spiritual level and everybody has physical and emotional traumas that need healing. By learning level II straight after you will be able to heal yourself on every level so if during your cleansing period anything physical or emotional surfaces you will be able to heal it effectively. You will also be able to heal others on a physical and emotional level, working on conditions directly. With level I you can only heal spiritually so you may be left feeling frustrated that you cannot heal more effectively. Other teachers argue that there should be a period of three months between Reiki I and II, to allow for adjustment to the changes people experience [Ref 2].
• Be sure to check that the Reiki teacher or practitioner has a lineage which extends all the way back to the founder of Reiki, Mikao Usui.
• Ask the Reiki practitioner if they have ongoing treatments or would only treat a client for a certain period of time. A good ethical Reiki practitioner should not see a client for more than around 6 - 8 treatments (unless the client has a serious or terminal condition that requires ongoing treatment). Some Reiki healers will treat someone for years but a good healer should help you to empower and take responsibility for yourself and get you back to good health in as few treatments as possible, rather than taking your money for years on end.
• Beware of Reiki practitioners or teachers with big egos! Reiki is a gift from God or the Universe (whichever label you prefer) and a wise healer is humble and accepts that the energy of Reiki is infinite and limitless in its potential. A Reiki practitioner should accept responsibility for their client and treat whatever their client comes to them for treatment.
• A good Reiki practitioner/ teacher should accept that Reiki has contraindications and be willing to discuss these with their client or students. Reiki cannot be given in certain circumstances, for instance someone with a pacemaker should NOT have Reiki because the pacemaker is electromagnetic and so is Reiki, therefore the Reiki may potentially alter the speed of the pacemaker.

These guidelines are by no means exhaustive.

Resources

Reiki General

The Reiki Regulatory Working Group

The Reiki Regulatory Working Group (RRWG) was set up by representatives of a number of Reiki organisations in collaboration with the Prince of Wales s Foundation for Integrated Health. The RRWG provides a forum for the exchange of views, concerns, standards and best practice with the intention of working towards Voluntary Self Regulation of Reiki and creation of the single UK Register of Professional Reiki Practitioners.

The Halls of Reiki

The Halls of Reiki contains extensive information on Reiki, as well as hundreds of links to other Reiki, Alternative Therapy, Metaphysical, Spiritual and New Age sites. There is also a Book Store, Hall of Music and a Healing Chamber.

International House of Reiki

International House of Reiki provides an online store, podcasts, articles and lots of other information about reiki.

Professional Member Associations

The UK Reiki Federation

This is the site of the main Reiki association in the UK.

The Reiki Association

Professional membership for practitioners trained in the Usui System (Usui Shiki Ryoho)

The UK Reiki Alliance

UK Reiki Alliance provides UK network of teachers and practitioners.

Books

The Reiki Sourcebook

Bronwen and Frans Steine 2003, O Books.
Reviewer: Jackie Taylor www.merlintherapy.co.uk [Download PDF of Review]

Journals and Magazines

Get in touch with your recommendations

Reiki Products and Suppliers

Get in touch with your recommendations

References

Unless indicated information is sourced from Wikipedia. Content has been edited http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/reiki.

1. Dawn Mellowship (2005) www.reikihealersandteachers.net
2. Jackie Taylor (2007) www.merlintherapy.co.uk

Contributors to this Guide

Note the opinions expressed here do not represent a consensus view. Each contributor, if there is more than one, may not agree with all the opinions expressed. If you would like to add or edit any parts of this guide, please contact the Editor at editor@comptogether.co.uk with your contribution.

Dawn Mellowship Reiki healers and teachers

Jackie Taylor Merlin Therapy

 

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