What it is
Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a gentle and natural energy healing system. One of the oldest known healing methods, it originated in Tibet and was rediscovered in the 19th century by a Japanese monk named Dr. Mikao Usui. The Usui System of Natural Healing is named after Usui and has been handed down by Master Reiki Masters ever since. The Japanese word, “reiki”, consists of two syllables: “rei”, which means “universal”, and “ki”, the “life force energy”, corresponding to Chi in the Chinese system of Qigong and acupuncture, and to concept of prana in the various Indian systems of yoga. Therefore, Reiki refers to the healing qualities of the universal life energy.
Today, people practice Reiki all over the world. Many hospitals, clinics, and hospice centers now offer Reiki as a complementary therapy administered by volunteers or trained specialists in multiple modalities. Reiki is a wonderful complement to massage therapy, cranio-sacral work, and psychological therapy.
What are you doing
Reiki works on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level. Use a precise method to combine this universal energy with the body’s innate healing powers. Reiki is not intended to replace professional medical advice, but rather to complement other treatment modalities by encouraging very deep relaxation. When the body relaxes deeply, it can begin to heal.
Reiki practitioners do not diagnose or prescribe medications. Instead, they allow healing energy to flow through their hands. Receptors often perceive this energy as heat or tingling. Many fall asleep during treatment sessions, allowing the body to relax and regenerate.
Reiki works with the human energy system, which consists of meridians (energy channels) and chakras (energy centers). Traditional Chinese Medicine identifies twelve major meridians, plus a governing and functional channel, that run as pathways up and down the body. Although acupuncture was once considered completely “alternative,” research has shown the correspondence between major acupuncture points and scientifically discovered nerve pathways and trigger points. Similarly, the chakras, seven major energy centers that run from the base of the spine to the crown of the head, appear to connect through nerve groups with endocrine glands whose function or malfunction results in feelings and physical states associated with those energy centers. The study of the meridians and chakras spans thousands of years, and Western medicine has recently confirmed what Chinese and Indian scholars professed so long ago.
A Reiki practitioner does not need to understand the human energy system in order to support it. Through mechanisms that most people find mysterious, Reiki flows where it needs to go the most. In this way, it acts as what herbalists call an “adaptogen” – it energizes areas of weakness while diminishing areas of overstimulation. This makes sense, considering Reiki’s status as “universal life force energy”. Nature always seeks balance. A concentrated salt water solution placed in fresh water results in a slightly saline combination. Yin yang scales. As Reiki flows through the body, the energy is redistributed in a balanced and natural way.
Why it works
As mentioned above, Reiki works by allowing the body to relax enough to heal itself. As a gentle and adaptogenic form of energy, it integrates and reconnects all levels of healing: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. This is important for everyone’s healing, but especially for TBI survivors. In some ways, TBI provides the best illustration of the need for multilevel healing. A physical injury affects mental processing and emotions. Depending on the location of the brain damage, someone may lose the ability to feel sad or forget how to do sequential tasks. Synapses become so confused that survivors often answer “random” questions, based on the connections the brain makes at the time. Rational thinking (mental level) becomes challenging. Depression (emotional level) affects the majority of TBI survivors, partly due to neurochemistry and certainly due to chronic pain and loss of lifestyle. To stay positive during recovery, many survivors find themselves turning to spiritual quests.
This spiritual questioning naturally follows a wound that destroys the sense of self. If a physical injury can eliminate all the things we think we know about ourselves, what is left? What is that underlying Consciousness? Does the universe really hit random hits or did this injury happen for some reason?
If everything happens for a reason, what could TBI carry as a message? Going back to the idea of chakras, TBI is a seventh chakra problem. The seventh chakra is located at the crown (top) of the head and is associated with the hypothalamus and pineal glands, spirituality, unity consciousness, and the colors purple and white. Tradition says that whenever an illness or injury hits a particular chakra, spiritual problems related to that chakra will aid the healing process. Well, the seventh chakra is THE spiritual chakra. The crown of the head provides our closest connection to “God Consciousness” or “Universal Love”. This chakra also controls all the other chakras, in the same way that the brain influences the entire body. For most survivors, TBI presents challenges in how to find the path of life, open up to a greater sense of connection and service, embrace the footprints of Divinity in everyone and everything, and come to recognize an underlying order. In the universe.
Because Reiki addresses all levels of healing, it also helps balance the spiritual elements so crucial to recovery. However, unlike other forms of energy work, Reiki does it in a very gentle way. Kundalini energy, for example, also known as the human potential that is coiled at the base of the spine, does not appear as soft. Powerful, strong and potent, yes, but if you wake up too quickly, the Kundalini energy can cause symptoms similar to a TBI. Reiki, on the other hand, always works as an adaptogen. It does not force quick changes. Instead, allow the healing to unfold and unfold in its own time and in its own way. Since the seventh chakra represents the culmination of all the other chakras, we could extrapolate that TBI and other neurological problems demand compassion and respect. These are extremely complex and dynamic health problems. Trying to force recovery never works, because that would require replacing something that we don’t fully understand. Ultimately, TBI offers an opportunity for integration in the deepest and deepest way. Many TBI survivors actually possess strong spiritual, creative, and healing gifts, so the recovery and healing of their soul offers the potential to make dramatic differences in our world. Reiki honors this mysterious process and creates a safe space for transformation.
Where to find
As Reiki continues to gain recognition among healthcare providers, you may find it more and more alongside other modalities such as massage and psychological therapy. Many hospitals and hospices also offer Reiki to help patients feel nurtured and gently supported. You can look for brochures or business cards at local health food stores or alternative magazines, or ask for referrals from friends and family. The International Association of Reiki Professionals (IARP) offers an online search for practitioners and teachers via zip code: http://www.iarp.org.
In general, you want to choose a Reiki practitioner that you are comfortable with. A standard Reiki treatment lasts one hour; however, Reiki integrated with other techniques may take more or less time. You can also receive Reiki remotely, as Reiki practitioners Level 2 and above have learned how to “send” Reiki through Distance Healing. The Reiki distance healing process is too complex and complicated to cover here; however, it does not differ in effectiveness from an in-person session. That said, some people prefer in-person sessions because they enjoy a human connection and / or a spa-like experience.
A few words about the different levels: Someone with Level 1 Reiki knows all the traditional hand positions to treat people on the body (with a light touch) or above the body. (Unless combined with massage or some other modality, Reiki never involves tissue manipulation.) Reiki Level 2 practitioners also know special techniques to increase energy flow, create mental / emotional balance, and heal past trauma. A Reiki Master or Reiki Master has studied advanced energy techniques and can offer something known as Attunement Healing, a powerful technique that encourages the recipient’s Higher Self to take a more active role in recovery. Many people experience dramatic changes after a Healing Attunement.
How to learn
Reiki certification requires completion of the required courses for each level, along with initiations from a certified Reiki teacher. The attunement process cleanses and opens the meridians and chakras in such a way that Reiki begins to flow through the hands. After an initiation, students can provide Reiki treatments to others and to themselves. Therefore, Reiki classes offer an inexpensive way to receive ongoing treatment. Rather than paying others for sessions, students can treat themselves as needed. Reiki classes empower survivors and even offer the opportunity to earn income while disabled. When selecting a Reiki Master, students should look for someone with whom they can relate. TBI survivors would also want someone who understands their different learning style and individual needs.