| > | | | | between sixty and seventy-five minutes, depending |
| | | | on one’s specific needs. Personally, the longest |
| Reiki is a valuable healing tool which involves the | | | | session I ever performed was two hours in length. |
| practitioner placing his or her hands on the client | | | | The practitioner will hold their hands over a certain |
| without actually manipulating the body in any way. | | | | area longer if they sense that more healing energy is |
| This makes Reiki an ideal healing tool for people who | | | | needed in that area. During the session, both the |
| suffer from all kinds of conditions, both physical and | | | | client and the practitioner may feel different |
| emotional. Many hospitals now offer Reiki healing to | | | | sensations in different areas of the body, such as |
| their patients as a means of relaxation and faster | | | | extreme warmth, tingling, or a deep relaxation. These |
| healing. This article discusses what is involved in a | | | | sensations are clues as to where the healing energy |
| Reiki session and what training a Reiki practitioner | | | | is needed and indicate that the energy is definitely |
| undergoes. | | | | working. If a person is receiving a session because of |
| In a nutshell, Reiki is a healing art that can help people | | | | emotional or subconscious needs, they may |
| with various types of physical and emotional healing | | | | experience feelings of emotional "release" and relief. |
| needs. It involves the healer placing his or her hands | | | | After the session, one definitely feels that something |
| on or over the client without actually manipulating any | | | | has changed for the better. |
| parts of the body. You may have seen similar healing | | | | At the Sufletesc Center located in Saint Louis Park, |
| modalities such as healing touch and therapeutic | | | | Minnesota, I practice the original Usui System Of |
| touch. But Reiki is not the same thing. Nor is Reiki the | | | | Natural Healing According To Hawayo Takata. Since I |
| same thing between its practitioners. The oldest and | | | | began practicing Reiki in June of 1998, I’ve |
| most potent form of Reiki is formally known as The | | | | taken care of many people who have said to me |
| Usui System Of Natural Healing According To | | | | that they have been to other Reiki "practitioners" but |
| Hawayo Takata. It is called this because it was | | | | somehow felt an enormously powerful difference |
| discovered by Dr. Mikao Usui in Japan and was | | | | between what I did and what they received from |
| developed by Mrs. Hawayo Takata. "Reiki" was the | | | | others. I then explain to them that there are |
| word Dr. Usui used to describe his discovery. Since | | | | different types of Reiki out there, and what I do is |
| being introduced by Takata to the United States in | | | | the unadulterated version. This leads to the discussion |
| the 1970s, Reiki has become diluted and intertwined | | | | of what is involved in the training of a Reiki |
| among other "healing" arts and modalities. Some | | | | practitioner. First of all, you CANNOT learn Reiki in an |
| people have even "invented" their own styles of | | | | all-in-one weekend that costs only $100. I have had |
| Reiki. | | | | Reiki "Masters" (teachers) ask me about things that I |
| But what is Reiki, really? How does it work? That is | | | | do that they never learned. In the original Usui |
| summed up in the word itself. "Ki" is the word to | | | | system, there are three degrees of practice. The |
| describe the universal life force that keeps | | | | First Degree practitioner works with physical |
| everything alive and in motion. Ki, or chi, is the force | | | | conditions. The Second Degree practitioner can take |
| that gives your heart the energy to beat, your lungs | | | | care of emotional and subconscious healing matters |
| to breathe, your brain to think, and for you to | | | | and can even perform healing sessions in-absentia |
| become inspired. "Rei" means "movement." Thus, we | | | | (from a distance). Then there is the Master level. |
| have the practice of moving the life force energy in | | | | While the practitioner is complete in his or her abilities |
| order to create a healing effect. We all have the | | | | at the second degree, the Master is the one who |
| ability to do this to some degree. We always feel | | | | attunes and teaches others. The cost of training in |
| just a bit better when we hold our ankle for a while | | | | the original method is $150 for First Degree, $500 for |
| after tripping off a curb. A child feels more soothed | | | | Second Degree (after a three month training period), |
| and happy when we hold our hand over his or her | | | | and, after a three-year period of practice, one can |
| cut finger. In effect, we are moving energy to | | | | become a Reiki Master for $10,000, which entails a |
| create healing. The Reiki practitioner is specially | | | | lengthy, detailed apprenticeship. |
| attuned to do this in a much more magnified way, | | | | The most important thing for you to know is that it |
| and the magnification of the moving force of energy | | | | can help you no matter what ails you, what bothers |
| has many implications. It can help a headache to go | | | | you, what pent up emotional disturbances you may |
| away. It can help a deep cut heal without scarring. It | | | | suffer from, or what strange addictions you may |
| can help a person concentrate better while studying. | | | | have. It is also beneficial to the person who wants to |
| And it can help a person overcome deep emotional | | | | maintain their state of wellness. Many hospitals offer |
| hurts. It is a powerful healing force that balances the | | | | Reiki to their patients to help them relax before a |
| energies within the body to bring a state of wellness | | | | procedure and to heal faster afterwards. There has |
| to all of its parts and to the whole. | | | | even been a study done several years ago at the |
| A complete Reiki session is best performed in a | | | | Cleveland Clinic Heart Center in Cleveland, Ohio |
| relaxing environment, a quiet studio or office with | | | | proving that people who receive Reiki healing do |
| soft music or sounds that are pleasing to the ear. | | | | recover faster from open heart surgery. Several |
| The client lies on a massage table but is not | | | | other studies have been conducted since that time. |
| unclothed at all. The practitioner then places his or her | | | | When I am caring for a chiropractic patient who is |
| hands on or over different body areas, twelve on | | | | experiencing a tremendous amount of muscle tension |
| the front side of the body and five on the back. | | | | and mental apprehension, I place my hands on them |
| Even though no private areas are involved, the client | | | | for several minutes, if they are willing to accept the |
| has the right to let the practitioner know on which | | | | treatment. This relaxes the patient, which allows the |
| areas they do not feel comfortable being touched. In | | | | chiropractic adjustment to be delivered with greater |
| that case, the practitioner can hold his or her hands | | | | ease and less stress. Reiki has helped me to be a |
| over the area, and the client receives the same | | | | better chiropractor. It can certainly help you to be a |
| healing benefit. A complete session lasts anywhere | | | | healthier person! |