Illustration by Maya Chastain
Reiki (rei = “universal spirit,” ki= “vital life force”) is an 1800s palm healing technique based on the idea of energy flow throughout body systems. In a typical healing session, the Reiki therapist moves his or her hands over the receiver’s body, leading to a healthy energy flow and stimulating inner self-healing abilities (Anderson and Wolk-Weiss 2009).
The term "Reiki" is a Japanese word where "Rei" means "universal" and "Ki" means "life changing."
The "life force" is reffered to as the "chakras," "meridians," or "nadis" by Reiki therapists. These life forces may be disrupted by traumatic experiences.
An "Aura" is a colorful energy that surrounds every living individual.
A "Reiki Practitioner" is someone who performs the service of Reiki palm healing
A period of time where an individual lies down in their clothes and sometimes a light blanket for a period of time. The Reiki therapist will hover or gently brush their hands above the individual.
Some experiences people have shared include memory flashbacks, tingling, vivid visions, temperature changes, and light sensitivity. The experience does not involve any pain infliction.
Centering and Grounding - a meditation period.
Smoothing and Raking - involves breathing exercises and sage burning. This stage cleanses the aura.
Beaming or Scanning - a focus on improving specific locations of the body.
Clearing of Space - main component of Reiki and consists of energy directing.
(Bubert 2021)
The idea of Reiki was founded by Dr. Maiko Usiui, a Buddhist monk who aspired to find a healing method unattached to religion, making it available to everyone. Born into a wealthy Buddhist family in 1865, Dr. Usui received a good education and found interest in medicine, psychology, and theology. His beliefs lead him into a twenty-one day fast in a cave on Mount Kurama. On the 21st day, Dr. Usiui spotted ancient Sansktri Symbols that led to the birth of Reiki. He immediately developed a healing clinic in Kyoto, Japan, where he taught the process to Dr. Chujiro Hayashi (Anderson and Wolk-Weiss 2009).
19th century map of Japan
After Dr. Usiui’s death, Dr. Hayashi began his own Reiki clinic in Tokyo and spread the belief to a larger audience. There, he trained multiple Reiki Masters and added hand positions to the process. One of his patients, Hawayo Takata, discovered the clinic after being told she needed major surgery (International Association of Reiki Professionals 2021). The Reiki process fully healed Takata, so she trained as a Master Practitioner and spread the idea to the United States. She trained twenty-two Reiki Masters and the idea of Reiki has continued to spread throughout the world since.
Throughout the years, Reiki has transitioned into a more complex process. In a typical Reiki session, the patient lays fully clothed and flat on a massage table. The practioner places his or her hands for 3 to 10 minutes in each position. The hand placement leads to the flow of energy between the magnetic fields (Everyday Health Newsletters 2020). A theory that explains the process is known as the “biofield” phenomenon. The electrical field produced throughout the body produces negative and positive charges within cells, leading to the formation of magnetic fields. Reiki revolves around the interaction between two human magnetic fields guiding physiological and psychological functions (VanderVaart et. al. 2009)
The credibility of Reiki’ healing effects is often questioned among people. In 2019, a study done in the United States demonstrated the physical and psychological effectiveness of the Reiki practice. Through the duration of the study, 999 Reiki practitioners instructed their clients to fill out a Positive and Negative Affect Survey before and after their session. The analysis included surveys from 1411 sessions and found a statistically significant improvement for negative affect, positive affect, drowsiness, anxiety, appetite, and overall well-being (Dyer, Natalie L., Ann L. Baldwin et. al. 2019). The results of this study suggest the authenticity of healing Reiki can do on the body.
Overall, Reiki sessions continue to modernize as more people participate in the practice. The belief of healing by energy forces continues to appear throughout the world.
Benefits, costs and further explanation of how Reiki therapy works
https://www.healthline.com/health/reiki
Structural explanation of expectations of a typical reiki session
https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-can-i-expect-typical-reiki-session
Learn about the relationship between parts of the body and emotions
https://reikiamazes.com/list-of-body-parts-and-related-emotions-to-give-reiki
Transcription from a tape recording that shows Hawayo Takata discussing Reiki with students
https://www.reiki.org/mrs-takata-talks-about-reiki
Further information on the origin of Reiki
https://iarp.org/history-of-reiki/
Anderson, Ellen and Cindy Wolk-Weiss. 2008. Reiki. Complementary Therapies for Physical Therapy. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/reiki.
Bubert, L. 2021. Demystifying Reiki, the Energy Healing Practice that Some Swear by. Greatist. Retrieved December 4, 2021, from https://greatist.com/health/reiki.
Colton, G. 1855. Colton's Japan: Nippon, Kiusiu, Sikok, Yesso and the Japanese Kuriles. New York: Colton. Retrieved December 3rd, 2021 from the Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/2004629150/.
Dyer, Natalie L., Ann L. Baldwin and William L. Rand. 2019. A Large-Scale Effectiveness Trial of Reiki for Physical and Psychological Health. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/acm.2019.0022.
VanderVaart, Sondra, Violette M. G. J. Gijsen, Saskia N. de Wildt and Gideon Koren. 2009. A Systematic Review of the Therapeutic Effects of Reiki. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine: 1157-1169. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/38098004_A_Systematic_Review_of_the_Therapeutic_Effects_of_Reiki.