The field of energy medicine involving putative energy fields is based on the fundamental premise that all physical objects (bodies) and psychological processes (thoughts, emotions, beliefs and attitudes) are expressions of energy. Therefore, all bodies are believed to be infused with a “subtle” energy or life force. This life force is known by a variety of terms corresponding to different traditions. This is what the Chinese call ‘chi’, in the Judeo-Christian tradition it is called spirit, and in Ayurvedic medicine it is represented in the doshas.
Quantum physics says that as you go deeper and deeper into the workings of the atom, you see that there is nothing there – just energy waves. It says an atom is actually an invisible force field, a kind of miniature tornado, which emits waves of electrical energy. Those energy waves can be measured and their effects seen, but they are not a material reality, they have no substance because they are… well, just electricity. So science now embraces the idea that the universe is made of energy, in fact everything is energy.
We are of course made up of atoms, as well as animals and plants which again is merely energy that vibrate to it’s own frequencies. It is also the energy used in any energy therapy such as Reiki, Hands on Healing and the many other types of energy therapy work. It can even be measured outside the body for a certain radius, depending on the mood and it is called your aura.
Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) is a Japanese name consisting of 2 words Rei and Ki meaning spiritually guided life energy (commonly known as Universal Life Energy), an energy which animates us all and is found all around us.
Reiki is a form of alternative medicine developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui. Since its beginning in Japan, Reiki has been adapted across varying cultural traditions. It uses a technique commonly called palm healing or hands-on-healing.
Reiki can be used for many ailments like reducing stress, relieving pain, headaches, stomach upsets, back problems, asthma – respiratory problems, PMT, menstrual problems, sinus, anxiety and many more.
Reiki – a powerful and gentle healer
- Promotes natural self-healing
- Balances the energies in the body
- Balances the organs and glands
- Strengthens the immune system
- Treats symptoms and causes of illness
- Relieves pain
- Clears toxins
- Adapts to the natural needs of the receiver
- Enhances personal awareness
- Relaxes and reduces stress
- Promotes creativity
- Releases blocked and suppressed feelings
- Aids meditation and positive thinking
- Heals holistically
Although it has not yet been able to be measured by conventional methods, therapists who work with this type of energy claim that they can see it with their own eyes or that they can sense it with their hands or bodies.
In therapies involving this subtle energy field, it is believed that health is determined by the overall flow and balance of a person’s vital life force energy. Imbalances or blockages in the natural flow of the subtle energy fields in the body cause illness.
Reiki was brought to the US in 1937 by Hawayo Takata and has gradually gained in popularity. A study done in 2007 by the National Health Interview Survey indicates that 1.2 million adults and 161,000 children received one or more sessions of energy healing therapy such as Reiki in the previous year. According to the American Hospital Association, in 2007, 15% or over 800 American hospitals offered Reiki as part of hospital services.
The popularity of Reiki in hospitals has been largely driven by requests from patients and by nurses and doctors who have experienced its value. They report that Reiki reduces stress, decreases the amount of pain medication required, improves sleep and appetite, and accelerates the healing process. It has also been reported to reduce many of the unwanted side effects of radiation and drugs, including chemotherapy.
A research study at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut indicates that Reiki improved patient sleep by 86 percent, reduced pain by 78 percent, reduced nausea by 80 percent, and reduced anxiety during pregnancy by 94 percent.
The benefits of Reiki treatment found at the Cleveland Clinics:
A Reiki treatment may:
- bring a peaceful, deep relaxation
- dissolve energy blockages and tension
- detoxify the body
- support the well-being of the client who is receiving traditional medical treatments that are debilitating, such as chemotherapy and radiation, surgery, kidney transplants, etc
- supply universal life-force energy to the body
- stimulate the body’s immune system
- help to relieve pain
- stimulate tissue and bone healing after injury or surgery
- increase the vibrational frequency of the client on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels