What is Reiki?
by Kathy Lee, LMT, Reiki Master
I am often asked what Reiki is and what it means to be a Reiki Master.
In every culture, there is some form of energy healing that is practiced. In China they call the energy "chi", in India it is called "prana", in Japan it is "ki", in Polynesia it is called "mana", in Greek it is "pneuma", in Hebrew it is "ruah". In Christian circles it is called the Holy Spirit and is demonstrated with the "laying on of hands". It has also been called the Odic force, Orgone energy. There are as many names for it as there are cultures. It is as ancient as man himself. In the movie "Star Wars" it is simply called, "The Force".
This energy is vital life force which keeps us alive. It is the force that flows through everything and everyone. It is in people, animals, plants, trees, the sun and the moon and everything else. When this energy is not flowing properly or is depleted; fatigue, illness and dysfunction can arise. Energy healing is when this life-force energy is harnessed and passed from one person to another thus reducing their energy depletion and helping them to attain wholeness and healing. Modern day methods of this kind of healing include Reiki, Healing Touch, Therapuetic Touch, Pranic Healing and Quantum Touch, just to name a few. Many years ago, one client described what he was feeling when I did energy work on him as "being surrounded by God's love". It is the energy of God, of healing, of love, of light, of life itself.
Reiki, specifically, is the Japanese method of energy healing. The word "Reiki" means "Universal life force energy". It is not a religion. It is not a cult. It is merely a method of energy transfer. It is just one of many modern and ancient methods. Being a Reiki Master means that I have completed the highest level of study in Reiki. It also means that I can teach Reiki to other people.
Many people find that they are born with the gift of energy healing. It comes naturally to them with little or no training and when they are least expecting it. This was what happened to me when I started my work as a massage therapist. Later, I took training in Reiki to better comprehend what I was already doing. Today I do "energy healing" more than I actually do "Reiki", per se. What this means is that I have not found it necessary to adhere strictly to the Reiki teachings. I use more of my own intuition and the knowledge I have gained from studying the methods of many famous and successful healers over the past 11 years. I have been a student of metaphysics since I was 11 years old.
In a typical energy healing session with me it is not necessary to undress (unless you are also having a massage at the same time). You will lie down on the massage table and be covered with a blanket and given a pillow if you desire. There will be soft lighting and music to help you to relax. The actual session actually consists of me placing my hands either on you or above you and allowing the energy to come through to you. I normally work at each chakra center (an energy center in your body where the energy enters and exits) and also on areas of blockage. I am able to feel where your body needs more or needs less energy. The idea is to get the energy flowing into areas where it is lacking. The energy is healing and nurturing. My hands typically become very hot and the client is able to feel the energy as warmth and sometimes other sensations such a tingling. It is normal for a client to feel the energy traveling from one area of the body to another. Many people go into a very deep relaxation and many also fall asleep. After a session people tell me they feel very relaxed and deeply peaceful, their stress is gone, and 9 times out of 10 their pain is gone.
I have had the opportunity to do some healing in rather dramatic situations with amazing results. One was when my friend had been in a motorcycle wreck. He was on life support in a coma in intensive care. We did energy healing on him and we were able to watch the life support machines register the changes that took place. His respiration become slower and deeper, the heart rate slowed down, the blood pressure fell. These were all desireable effects, demonstrating the relaxation and possible pain reduction that were taking place. He fully recovered and once he was able to speak again we knew from what he said that he had been aware of all the healing that we were giving him.
Another instance was when my friend had abdominal hernia surgery. He had been released from the hospital the same day of the surgery and that night he was in severe pain. He had already taken his pain pills and it was not time yet to take more. I did the only thing I knew how and that was to do energy work on him. It took about 15 mintues until he was totally and soundly asleep without pain.
I have had elderly clients come to me who are considering knee and joint replacement surgeries. I often do energy work along with massage with amazing results. One man who was 89 years old told me that his knees did not hurt any more and that he was not going to have knee replacement surgery. I have continued to see him every 2 weeks with continued good results. This has become a very common occurance with many of my clients.
I have also worked on many people with stress related disorders such as anxiety and panic attacks. Energy work and Reiki is wonderful for these conditions. I tell people that it is one of the very best ways to calm down and relax even when other methods have failed. It is especially popular for people who don't want to take pills for their tension.
Energy work still amazes me even after practicing it for many years. I believe that in the future energy work will become much more mainstream for healing. Even now, nurses in the northeast routinely take reiki and energy healing classes to be able to do healing work on their patients. For more information see: Demystifying Spiritual and Energetic Healing and also Benefits of Energy Healing .
I love teaching Reiki and energy healing. Anyone who has the desire can do it. It requires no special skills other than a loving and compassionate heart and the desire to help others.
Please contact me if you have any questions. See also my "Testimonials" page for more examples of the healing benefits of energy work.
~Kathy Lee, LMT
Reiki Master