The Benefits of Reiki Healing

by Demetra Adams, TRM

What is Reiki, and how does it work?

We exist in a Universe of energy, frequency and vibrations and our bodies are made up of energy – we are vibratory beings. “Ki” also known as “prana” or “chi” is the life force energy that flows though us and around us; it sustains us and allows us to be physically alive. If your life force energy is high, you feel “in the flow,” vibrant and enthusiastic. In this state, you are at ease, happy, inspired and filled with radiant health. If your life force energy is low or blocked, you are more likely to feel stress, anxiety, get sick or feel tired. 

Reiki is the transfer of the highest healing energy from one being to another, enhancing vitality and harmony on all levels of our being: physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Reiki originates from a Japanese system developed by Dr. Mikao Usui in the early 1900s. It is connected to a lineage of energy healing known for thousands of years in Eastern traditions. It is a natural, gentle and powerful practice that anyone can receive, and also learn, to help themselves and offer healing to others. This healing therapy always works to the recipient’s benefit and allows our energetic system to come into its natural alignment and flow with optimum ease.

A Reiki practitioner is able to draw in the life force energy and share it with others, allowing it to flow in and around one’s body to help bring body, mind, spirit and emotions into balance and harmony. The Reiki treatment works to dissolve or clear energetic blocks in one’s being, enabling the harmonic movement of energy within the body to be strengthened and amplified. Reiki assists in creating a relaxation response and a mind-body state conducive to healing. The process is guided by the recipient’s own innate wisdom for healing and helps return the body to its default setting of balance, health and well-being.

What can I expect in a Reiki session?

The session will start with an intake and discussion of any issues or symptoms you are working with, as well as a conversation about the process. Let the practitioner know if there are any places that are sensitive to touch. Clients are fully dressed during the session and lie face up on a treatment table (or a mat). Usually soft, relaxing music or nature sounds will be playing in the background. The practitioner will lightly place their hands on various parts of the body or have their hands hovering over your body. Often clients experience a warmth, coolness or vibration where the practitioner’s hands are, and some people report seeing colors or visualizations. Some people may fall asleep, and for others, the treatment may bring up a lot of emotions. Others may experience a deep sense of relaxation and calm. Allow whatever experience happens for you – this is part of the healing process.

What are some of the health and healing benefits of Reiki?

Reiki creates an optimal healing environment for the body, and can provide many health benefits, including stress reduction, relaxation and boosting the immune system. Reiki helps to balance the mind and emotions, and helps generate inner peace and tranquility. Regular treatments can bring about a calmer state of being, which helps reduce anxiety and aids in coping with everyday stress. It can assist with insomnia and reduce pain and depression. Reiki energy can enhance self-awareness and spiritual growth, and help one receive clarity into their life, as well as increase intuition. Reiki improves one’s capacity for empathy and love, allowing you to connect with people on a deeper level.

Energy healing helps move difficult or repressed emotions out of the body and mind, eliminating “stuckness” and emotional pain that may manifest in the physical body. Reiki offers relief during emotionally turbulent periods in life and can help processing grief and sorrow.

Reiki can improve digestion, elimination and circulation. It can accelerate the body’s self-healing abilities and speed up recovery from surgery or long-term illness. It helps in adjusting to medicine/treatment, and also tends to reduce side-effects, such as for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

How can I learn Reiki?

Becoming trained as a Reiki practitioner in the Usui System of Natural Healing consists of  three degrees of training and certification, culminating at the Master level. In the Reiki training, the ability to channel energy from the Universe to another person is passed on by a Reiki Master Teacher during an Attunement process through which the body is opened for the transmission of healing energy. The Attunement process upgrades one’s life force energy, and lasts your entire life. 

Information about Demetra’s upcoming Reiki Trainings can be found here.