Reiki and Energy Work: Helpful Healers

Where did Reiki Begin?

Reiki is a Japanese method of healing brought to the United States through Hawaii. Most systems we use in the west come through Mikao Usui (1865-1926) As a hands-on (or hands-off) healing modality, reiki may be considered among the ancients form of healing. The passing of healing intention or caring energy from one person to another is a basic and beautiful form of healing. With Reiki, the practitioner is attuned or ignited into a certain way of using the Rei-ki, universal life force energy. The reiki worker is a channel for energy. Certain practitioners, like Andrea-Marie, are certified in several forms of Reiki. It is always a good idea to expand Reiki knowledge and practice!

What is the Energy Body?

Many traditions of healing work directly with the energy of the body. For example, acupuncture directly addresses the channels or meridians which run through the body. Maintaining the health of the energy flow is the main goal of acupuncture. Your acupuncturist may say things like “the Qi is low in your liver”, or “ the energy is stagnant in your liver.” The treatment for this will be a protocol around the meridians for the liver. 

Energy Medicine

This is a term used by Donna Eden, has a core principle that, Eden describes as “subtle, invisible energies are at the root of human health, behavior, and consciousness.”

Like acupuncture and Energy Medicine, Reiki healing addresses the subtle energy of the body. The chakra system represents part of this energy system. Each chakra governs and impacts an area of the body helping to maintain health on all levels. Your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs impact the way in which energy moves through your body. 

Consider how you feel when you are sad. Consider how you feel when you are happy. What does the energy of sadness feel like compared to the energy of happiness? 

You Are Made of Energy

Emotion is energy. Thoughts are energy. Your life energy is a stunning collage of your emotional and mental states. All of this is impacted by your life experience. Reiki energy work helps you to keep a balance in the emotional, mental, and physical aspects of yourself.

A Reiki treatment is like plugging directly into life-force energy (qi or prana). Whatever state your energy may be in, reiki helps to balance, regulate and enhance. 

How is Reiki Organically Shamanic?

We might say that reiki is organically shamanic as it can work in the past, the present, and the future. We can send healing back in time and we can send healing and protection ahead of time. Also, reiki, or life force energy, is always looking to create balance. In shamanism, we use life force energies to help balance a body or an environment. In addition, reiki is a crown chakra opener. If you receive an attunement, ignition, or reiki healing you are receiving energy through your crown chakra. Any time we agree to open up our crown chakra we are opening up to the opportunity to tune in to our own intuition. Although intuition is not necessarily a shamanic vocabulary word, we may say that a shamanic healer or medicine woman (or man) is using intuition when listening to wisdom from non-ordinary sources. 

What do Studies Say About Reiki?

Many Studies Reveal The Efficacy of Reiki And Shed Light on Reiki’s Power

Many studies, see list below, speak to reiki as helpful in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. One study cited “We found that even by a conservative estimate, 82.6% of individuals who received Reiki had positive experiences. Reiki produced clinically meaningful and statistically significant short-term reductions in distress, anxiety, depression, pain, and fatigue. Qualitative data suggest that Reiki evoked a relaxation response for many and positive spiritual changes for some. Reiki also appears to produce short-term, clinically meaningful reductions in symptoms that may be particularly relevant to pain management, mental health, and palliative care.

Another study concluded:

“The results from this large-scale multisite effectiveness trial suggest that Reiki improves multiple variables related to physical and psychological health.”

These links, current for February 2023, provide useful data regarding the benefits of Reiki Healing. 

• https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2019.0022?download=true&journalCode=acm
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31638407/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28181973/
• https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1534735413503547
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5871310/

Click HERE to find a comprehensive list of  links!

Post Notes of Understanding

It is important to note that certain types of healing, western or alternative, may be right for one person, while not another person’s cup of tea. This blog is meant to help clarify how reiki and other forms of healing are useful in the treatment of trauma. Also, please remember reiki, shamanism, and intuition are not affiliated with any kind of organized religion and represent pathways of healing available to anyone.