| As a little boy, I was greatly moved by the story of | | | | and considering the recalcitrant nature of the patient |
| Prometheus, the Greek God, who defied heavenly | | | | distance Reiki treatment was recommended. The |
| laws to bring light and fire to mankind. I was amazed | | | | practitioner decided to use a teddy bear as a proxy |
| at the compassion the prompted him to court | | | | for the patient. |
| suffering for the sake of others. I would feel very | | | | Day one: Ms.NS was very excited about the magic |
| sad that he was eternally bound over for this great | | | | that was going to be performed on her. She |
| act of compassion. | | | | promptly went to lie down at the specified time. |
| I have wept many silent tears for him. When I first | | | | Ms.NS felt a slight tingling warmth in her body as the |
| learnt Reiki and began practicing I felt as if | | | | treatment began. She savored the feeling |
| Prometheus had handed over a special gift of light to | | | | wonderingly. Gradually her muscles began to relax and |
| me personally-a light so soft, gentle, compassionate | | | | she slipped into deep sleep. She woke up after two |
| and healing that I am constantly moved by its beauty | | | | hours feeling relaxed and strangely peaceful. She was |
| and grace! | | | | not very sure whether the 'magic' was working or |
| Reiki is a compassionate energy. It flows from | | | | she was just imagining it. Anyway she had slept |
| source to destination in an involuntary, uninterrupted | | | | peacefully after a long time. |
| wave. It is faster than human thought and is innately | | | | Day two to four: Ms.NS found the one hour specified |
| intelligent. There are no obstacles that can retard the | | | | very soothing and she was eager that the magic |
| flow of the energy. An expressed wish for Reiki is all | | | | should work. During the treatment the warmth |
| that it demands and once that exists the person is | | | | seemed to be intense in some parts and not in |
| immediately enveloped in the warmth of the healing | | | | others. While describing the sensation she said the |
| energy. | | | | warmth began at her feet and traveled up her body |
| Distance healing in Reiki is based on the principle that | | | | till it reached her head. She could immediately sense |
| Reiki transcends all limitations of time and place. Unlike | | | | that the treatment had begun as the warmth |
| Prometheus, Reiki cannot be bound even by the | | | | seemed to be associated with the treatment. Later |
| Gods. Reiki can be transmitted to a person living in | | | | the practitioner confirmed that she had the habit of |
| Mars or Jupiter or you can send Reiki to a situation | | | | starting her Reiki treatment from the soles of the |
| that you anticipate will happen in the future. Often | | | | feet contrary to the normal practice of beginning |
| healers use proxies provide themselves with points | | | | with the ears and head. |
| of reference for the different chakras. They may | | | | On day four, the practitioner was held up by another |
| use the photograph of the person, a teddy bear or | | | | patient and was fifteen minutes late in starting the |
| even their own Knees and upper thighs to position | | | | treatment. She was planning to ring up Ms NS and |
| their hands over the chakras of the absent person. If | | | | inform her that she had been delayed and to |
| they are doing Reiki to a situation, they may project | | | | apologize for the same, when the phone rang. She |
| the situation in their minds eye or visualize it in front | | | | was surprised to receive a call from Ms.NS demanding |
| of them and do Reiki to it. Yet others make | | | | why she had not started the treatment in time! |
| affirmations on pieces of paper, which they place in a | | | | Day five to ten: Ms.NS was very comfortable. She |
| Reiki box and send energy to the affirmation. This | | | | was feeling more positive towards life and had |
| kind of distance healing is made possible by invoking | | | | recovered from her lethargy. The painful cramps in |
| appropriate distance healing Reiki symbols. | | | | the stomach had also considerably reduced and she |
| Case Study | | | | had even begun to feel hungry. She was now eating |
| Ms NS lives all alone in a large City. She had never | | | | two meals a day and keeping it down. She could take |
| married and did not have any relatives who could live | | | | active interest in all that was happening around her. |
| with her and care for her. Her friends have all passed | | | | She even spent some time talking to her maid about |
| over. She is 87 years old and did not want to go into | | | | her family. She read the papers and even watched |
| an old age home and is vehement about maintaining | | | | TV for sometime. On the tenth day she ventured |
| her independence. She spends her time assisting the | | | | for a short walk to the park and helped a little girl |
| local church in its social activities. She visits the parks | | | | dress her doll. She was absolutely certain that Reiki |
| in the evening and spends the time watching the | | | | was magic and it had brought her new friends and |
| children at play. She has no friends and hates visitors | | | | relationships along with health. |
| of any kind. It is as if she has closed the doors on all | | | | Day eleven to twenty one: Ms.NS was gradually |
| human contact other than those she chooses to | | | | recovering her strength. She faithfully adhered to her |
| indulge in. She has an income that has allowed her to | | | | Reiki treatment and informed the Priest at the local |
| lead a leisurely life and an apartment to call her own. | | | | church that she was having "treatment by magic" |
| She has a daily help who does her cooking and | | | | and she was feeling great. She was convinced that |
| cleaning for her. | | | | the magic had removed her tumor and she would not |
| Everything was fine so long as her health was good. | | | | require an operation. She donated lavishly for the local |
| The day she fell ill, she lost confidence in herself and | | | | blind school and spent time with the children there. |
| became very depressed. For the first time she | | | | She felt so good that she wanted to resume her |
| became aware of an intense need for companionship. | | | | normal routine, but the Doctor advised her against it. |
| She realized that she had alienated herself from her | | | | He insisted that she should resume normal activities |
| relatives over the years and she could not recall even | | | | only after she has had her operation. Ms.NS called him |
| one person who would come to her aid in times of | | | | a fool and refused to believe that she had a tumor in |
| need. She lay in bed worrying about little things that | | | | her stomach. She told him that the "magic" had rid |
| she would normally have taken in her stride. She | | | | her off the tumor and she would have no operation |
| could not eat or sleep and was constantly vomiting | | | | done on her for a non existent problem. In despair |
| and purging herself. She was in constant pain and she | | | | the Doctor called in a colleague for another opinion. |
| could feel her condition worsening day by day. The | | | | The second Doctor examined the test results and |
| Doctor, who came in to attend on her, suggested | | | | concurred with the diagnosis. He wanted to examine |
| that she go to the hospital for treatment. Ms.NS | | | | the patient before he gave the final verdict. When he |
| could not bear the thought and refused to even | | | | saw Ms NS, he could not believe that it was the |
| entertain it. She even repelled his suggestion that she | | | | same person whose results he had seen. He began |
| should go into hospital for taking some of the | | | | to doubt the results and suggested that another set |
| required tests. She insisted on him treating her | | | | of tests be carried out to confirm the correctness of |
| ailment at home. She informed him that she had | | | | the results. Ms.NS became stubborn and refused to |
| never been ill and this discomfort she is experiencing | | | | come in for the tests. However, the second doctor |
| could not be anything very worrisome. However, the | | | | intrigued her by remarking that the tests were being |
| Doctor was worried. He could feel a bulging growth in | | | | done to prove that the magic had worked. She |
| her abdomen and he wanted the tests done for | | | | thought about it for some time and then agreed for |
| confirming or negating his suspicions. After a lot of | | | | the tests. All tests proved negative. The tumor that |
| threats and persuasion Ms. NS agreed to go into the | | | | was clearly visible in the scans of the first test was |
| clinic for the tests. The tests were positive. A tumor | | | | no longer present in the second set. |
| clearly showed up in the scans. Though the tumor | | | | Ms NS has not learnt Reiki. She tells everyone she |
| was not cancerous, it was large and growing and it | | | | meets that she was cured by a Witch Doctor. This is |
| would give her considerable pain if it was not | | | | not the case with the Doctor. He feels humbled and |
| removed immediately. An operation to remove the | | | | acknowledges in the spirit of Hamlet that there a |
| tumor was recommended. Ms.NS was shattered. She | | | | many things in the heaven and earth that he knows |
| tried to push away the reality of her illness and | | | | nothing about. He has enrolled himself for the first |
| rapidly descended into maudlin self pity. She would sit | | | | degree course in Reiki and recommends it as a |
| for hours in her chair dazed and uncomprehending. | | | | supplementary treatment to all his patients. His friend |
| She would refuse to see visitors and would allow the | | | | still holds the belief that the first tests had been |
| Doctor in after a lot of argument. A Nurse, who was | | | | mysteriously wrong in diagnosis and that Ms.NS had |
| assigned the task of persuading Ms.NS to undertake | | | | probably never had tumor. However, he is willing to |
| the operation, was an advocate of Reiki. She | | | | wait and watch the impact of Reiki on his friend's |
| suggested that Ms.NS should be coaxed into having a | | | | patients and even recommends some of his terminal |
| Reiki treatment first. Maybe it would help her accept | | | | patients for Reiki in the spirit of experimentation. |
| the situation better and get her to agree to an | | | | Reiki is an energy that flows towards those who are |
| operation. The Doctor was not very happy with the | | | | ready and willing to receive it. When a patient downs |
| situation, but agreed to talk to Ms.NS about it. | | | | his defenses and demands a cure, he opens himself |
| Ms NS was hoping and praying for a miracle and their | | | | to receiving and benefiting by Reiki energy. Ms. NS |
| description of Reiki gave her a feeling that it was | | | | for reasons of her own was completely open and |
| some kind of magic that would help her avoid an | | | | receptive. She was completely conscious of the |
| operation. It would also help her postpone the need | | | | impact of the energy flow in her body and |
| to take a decision about going into the hospital for | | | | unconsciously became a container that captured and |
| the operation. She also liked the idea as she did not | | | | retained the energy in her body. It helped remove |
| have to go out to the clinic to undertake the | | | | the negativity in her life and the tumor that had |
| treatment. She had only to lie down in her home at a | | | | manifested as a physical evidence of her negative |
| specified time and relax. She was doing that all the | | | | reactions to life. Reiki clearly requires both the healer |
| time anyway. A Reiki practitioner was located by the | | | | and the person being healed to give and receive the |
| Nurse. A 21 day one hour session daily was agreed to | | | | energy unquestioningly. |