Reiki healing, very simply put, is a technique used for transferring healing energy from the giver to the receiver. The word “Reiki” means universal life energy or universal life force.
During a special initiation ceremony, therapists are attuned in order to be Reiki practitioners. This attunement opens a channel for energy that flows through the Therapists body giving Reiki to the recipient. The energy goes to where it is needed most in the recipient and can be on a physical, mental, emotional or spiritual level. Often the receiver of Reiki finds the process very calming and can easily slip into a deeply relaxed state during the Reiki session.
The form of Reiki Healing we know of today was developed in the early 20th century by Dr Mikao Usui, who was a Japanese Buddhist monk. Usui was born in the small village of Taniai-mura, his family had lived there for 11 generations. He first developed this form of healing for people to be able to heal themselves, as well as giving treatment sessions to others.
Very often one’s energy system can be out of balance and receiving a Reiki treatment can have the effect of increasing and balancing our supply of life energy. We can heal much more easily and quickly in this balanced state and Reiki helps strengthen the healing process.
Reiki tends to be given with the receiver lying fully clothed on a massage couch. You may have heard of chakras, which are energy centres within the body that are used in Eastern traditions. Reiki enters the client’s energy field and body through the chakras. There are seven major chakras, the crown, third eye, throat, heart, solar plexus, sacral and finally the base chakra.
A Reiki session is carried out by working down through the chakras, starting at the head, the crown chakra. The Reiki is delivered through another chakra on the palm of the giver’s hand. The therapists hand is held over the chakras of the recipient whilst giving Reiki. The universal energy flows through the giver out through the palms of their hands and into the receiver via the chakra.
How the receiver feels during a Reiki session can vary enormously. Some people don’t seem to feel much at all, but the majority of people report feeling the heat or sometimes the coolness of the giver’s hands. Seeing colours while you have your eyes shut is another thing that can happen, very often these colours are related to the colours of the chakras. Clients often say that they can feel tingling at the chakra, near to the giver’s hand. I have also been told of tingling and a feeling of movement in other parts of the body during a treatment.