SOPHIA'S WELL

Reiki Therapy

Patsy and other available Reiki Practitioners provide Reiki for spiritual treatment of health issues or to improve physical, emotional, mental, and/or spiritual wellness. Whether Reiki is the primary treatment modality or used with other techniques, Reiki works at the deepest level of healing. Patsy often uses Reiki in combination with massage, acupressure, polarity, craniosacral work and/or vibrational healing as it provides a distinctive healing touch to the bodywork session. Reiki is often used within a Spiritual Direction session to focus soul energy and accelerate healing. 

What is Reiki Ryoho?

The Japanese word Reiki is made up of two Japanese characters shown above. The first top character, the word rei, refers to spirit, sacred, or even soul. The bottom character, the word ki, (known as chi in Chinese) essentially translates as “energy” or "life force." The term Reiki is used in two ways. First, it may be used to refer to an energy that is spiritual or sacred in origin. Second, it may be used to refer to a specific method of energy healing popularly known as Usui Reiki Ryoho. Although a contemporary approach, it has its roots in the ancient healing practices of Qigong.

Reiki Ryoho is a simple but powerful spiritual healing method that reduces stress and induces deep states of relaxation promoting the body’s natural tendency toward self-healing. It quickly strengthens and brings the energy body into balance and harmony, and attunes it to a higher vibration. The system of Reiki was introduced in Japan in the early twentieth century by Usui Mikoa, a spiritual healer and mystic and later brought to the United States by Mrs. Hawayo Takata in the 1970's.

For more online information about Reiki visit the following websites: www.IHReiki.com; www.reiki-evolution.co.uk; www.reiki.org; or www.iarp.org.

Reiki as Spiritual Practice

As a spiritual practice, Reiki serves many who are "spiritual but not religious". For some, Reiki even extends their personal religious practice to include the sense of embodied spirituality or sense of inner peace that Reiki practice often provides. The simple principles and practices of Reiki serve a spiritual need for many who are drawn to Reiki. The foundational principles of Reiki are consistent with religious and psycho-spiritual values. 

Reiki Ryoho is spiritual healing with a compassionate light touch. Many people experience Reiki energy as having divine origins, interpreting the energy as Divine Love, Compassion, Divine Light or even the healing aspect of the Holy Spirit. Although without a religious intent, it has a highly spiritual in affect.

Similarly, most spiritual healing practitioners see the energy they work with as coming from God or the Holy Spirit as they understand It from their language, religion, or culture. So if you are open to receive, Reiki activates your connection to the primordial divine healing source, however you interpret or understand it from your cultural or religious experience. Thus, Reiki reinforces your own internal connection to the Spiritual Source as you understand It. It always has a loving or compassionate feel to it or its not Reiki.

Reiki as Enerywork

Reiki therapy is not massage or acupressure, although it can be and is often used in combination with other therapies. It is an energy or spiritual healing method that is administered primarily through the hands of a Reiki practitioner who has been trained, initiated and empowered to be a conduit for Reiki. Reiki therapy treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind, and spirit inducing beneficial effects including relaxation and inner feelings of peace and harmony that often spill over into relationships. 

Life force energy naturally flows through all living things. Reiki practitioners understand that everyone needs to connect with their own source of healing energy. One’s own ki or energy should be strong and free flowing resulting in a body-mind-spirit that is balanced and vital, reflecting a positive state of wellbeing. When one’s life force energy becomes weak, disturbed, split or congested it can eventually lead to symptoms of physical or emotional imbalance. One can not live in physical form very long with blocked life force energy. Reiki naturally restores or improves balance to the energy body inducing harmony, integration, and vitality to the etheric-physical body.

Reiki is a safe method of natural healing and self-care that anyone can benefit from. It is also complementary to other medical or therapeutic techniques. In addition, it has been shown to help promote recovery from illness and injury. Known research documents an increase in the benefits of medical, surgical and allopathic treatments with reduced pain in chronic and acute conditions, better response to treatments, and response to palliative care when integrated with Reiki sessions.

The Reiki practitioner does not diagnose medical conditions. When treating someone with Reiki the therapist allows an unlimited source of "pure healing energy" to flow through them into the client's energy body. The pure healing energy is drawn through the therapists heart and hands according to the client’s need at the moment. The therapist is a conduit through which the energy flows, creating a "healing space" that the client can utilize to bring their own energy system into balance. The Reiki practitioner may use their intuition to guide their hands in a session, but it is the Reiki that is both the inherently "intelligent and compassionate" source of healing energy.

A Typical Session

A Reiki session is usually 30 to 60 minutes long unless incorporated in other modalities. A discussion will take place during the first session with a professional Reiki practitioner. For the treatment, the client will rest comfortably on a massage table with their shoes removed along with any metal accessories and leather belts. Also, Reiki can be performed with the client sitting comfortably in a chair. Unlike massage therapy, the client is treated fully clothed. Loose, comfortable natural fibre clothing is suggested.

A session can either be hands-on, where a practitioner will apply a light touch during the session, or hands-off where they will hold their hands slightly above the body. If a client prefers not to be touched they can indicate this to the practitioner before the session begins. Reiki may even be performed at a distance.

The session proceeds with the Reiki practitioner systematically moving through a specific hand position protocol or the practitioner may use an intuitive approach to meet specific needs of the client. A recipient of Reiki might feel a warming sensation or a tingling during the session or nothing at all but sheer relaxation. The session should be very pleasant, relaxing. The client may leave feeling invigorated or may have a feeling of floating. The affects of the treatment may last for several days. 

Reiki is a powerful tool for stress reduction and relaxation. Many people also regularly use Reiki to maintain a more vital sense of wellbeing, not just to assist in healing. Reiki is not a guaranteed cure for any disease or illness. Therefore, clients will be advised to continue seeing their medical doctor or other health care provider for any specific medical conditions.

SUMMARY: HOW REIKI WORKS IN A NUTSHELL

Reiki and other energy healing practitioners understand that an illness is an expression of some part of the body-mind-spirit complex that is not functioning well energetically. Reiki works by helping release energy imbalances or disturbances in the energy field that could eventually lead to or has already led to a physical, emotional, or mental problem. In the event illness has manifested in the physical body, the intention of the Reiki practitioner is to facilitate self-healing by clearing blockages and congestion, improving deficient or excessive energy disturbances, and correcting imbalances in the electromagnetic circuits of the body that prevent the free flow of vital life force energy. By clearing the energy field or energizing the system with Reiki, optimal conditions for self-healing are restored. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the person's own connection to soul is ultimately in charge of all healing.

Reiki Training and Development

with Rev. Patsy

Pathways to Inner Healing

This all day workshop provides information and activities to support your inner healing and spiritual growth, provide techniques for self-care, and much more. The morning session is informational and the afternoon session is experiential. Lunch and snacks are provided.(4-6 hours)  

21-DAY PROGRAM

Participate in a 21-day guidance program to assist you in developing daily practices necessary to build and maintain a living Reiki experience. This is a good option for those who do not want a more formal training, but would like to master the basic spiritual and meditation practices of Reiki. This is also a requirement for the Comprehensive Reiki Program described below. Discuss program options with Patsy.

Comprehensive Reiki Program

This is a comprehensive course combining the first and second Reiki levels. Learn to use Reiki healing techniques for your self as well as your friends and family. Besides learning the Five Elements of Reiki, you experience Reiki through learning activities, interactive sessions, documented practice, and service. You learn the symbols and mantras, practice exercises and healing techniques and receive several Reiki attunements to develop your energetic connection, which takes you to ever deepening levels. There are various ways that this course is administered.

Advanced Training

There are two levels of advanced Reiki training beyond first and second degree Reiki.

Advanced Reiki Training (ART) leads to the designation of Reiki Master Practitioner. It is an extension of Reiki II and covers the spiritual basis of Level III. This level allows you to use Reiki as a holistic healing or energy work practitioner and charge for treatments. To do so, be sure to check with local and state regulations and check out insurance options. 

To teach Reiki or to attune others to any level of Reiki, you must continue through the completion level III. Reiki Master Teacher is the third degree professional level. Both advanced levels are taught using an apprenticeship model. 

CONCLUSION

Reiki reduces stress, induces relaxation while clearing and balancing the bio-energy field. Often a client will want to learn to do Reiki treatments for self or family healing. After having experienced the benefits of Reiki, the client may take a course of study with Reiki attunements given by a Reiki Master Teacher that enables the person to more effectively channel Reiki and to learn self-treatment techniques.

Reiki practice has other benefits as well. Although not a religion, Reiki may be used as a transpersonal psychological or spiritual practice. Simple Reiki principles and techniques support the development, growth and transformation of emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of the self. Some of these practices will be discussed in future articles about Reiki.

For more information about Reiki treatments or classes, contact Reiki Master Teacher Patsy Walker Fine at 209-418-9003 or email at [email protected]

© 2009 (Please do not copy without permission from Patsy Walker Fine.)