Have you ever heard of a healing treatment known as acupuncture without the needles? That’s what some people call Reiki, an ancient art of Japanese healing that’s grounded on energy. Reiki is known for alleviating stress, promoting relaxation, and helping people deal with emotional trauma. Reiki can even be used for pain relief.
In today’s modern world, studies indicate that stress is a major contributor to the leading causes of death such as coronary heart disease, cancer, and stroke. Chronic stress harms the immune system, which in turn can manifest into a physical illness. The physical side effects of stress are not to be underestimated. Many factors make you more susceptible to stressful stimuli such as genetic vulnerability, personality type, coping mechanism style, and external social support.
Unfortunately, life can be very demanding, so you could grapple with a multitude of stressors daily. Stress from parenting rambunctious kids to dealing with a challenging occupation or toxic people in your life are all common sources of stress. If you’re feeling stressed out, you have to find ways to cope and relieve your stress. Otherwise, anxiety and stress will make itself apparent in the form of chronic pain, muscle tension, upset stomach, irritable bowel, migraines, sleepless nights, poor concentration, anxiety, or depression.
All hope is not lost, because you can seek natural remedies to ease stress. Apart from conventional therapy sessions and prescription medications, you can try alternative treatments such as Reiki.
This energy-based healing practice from Japan has become popular and more accepted as complementary to Western medicine. Below, we’ll discuss the healing power of Reiki and how it can improve your well-being and quality of life.
Reiki: The Basics
The word Reiki stems from two Nihongo or Japanese words: “rei” or universal and “ki” or life energy. When combined, the term means “mysterious atmosphere, miraculous sign.” This spiritual definition aligns with the fact that Reiki has roots in Buddhist Sanskrit scriptures. Some people even call it a spiritual practice.
Reiki is a form of energy healing that people have practiced 2,500 years ago. However, the most current form of Reiki was rediscovered in 1922 by Mikao Usui. Practitioners believe that energy could stagnate in the body, especially in areas with injury or if there’s emotional trauma. The stagnant energy eventually blocks the body’s energy pathways resulting in illness.
Practitioners help by channeling energy from the universe to remove blocks and restore energy flow. The concept is somewhat similar to acupuncture and reflexology, which are therapies that also deal with energy. However, with Reiki, there are no needles or specific pressure points involved.
In this healing art, the Reiki master or practitioner is the conduit of energy using gentle touches and transferring positive energy. Keep in mind that the human body, which is full of cells that are constantly vibrating, is full of energy. At the same time, the environment is also filled with untapped energy waiting to be harnessed with the help of a trained Reiki practitioner.
The Reiki master restores the energy fields in the body by transferring universal energy from the heat of his palms to the body of the receiver. This practice provides a life force that enhances self-healing. That’s why Reiki is also dubbed hands-on healing or palm healing.
Does Reiki Work to Alleviate Stress, Anxiety and Grief?
Many believe in the power of Reikie because of how it helps the body relax. It is a healing practice that lessens the blow of various stressors by supporting the human body’s natural ability for self-healing and regeneration. Proponents of Reiki and those who use it for treatment believe that since it improves energy flow, it could enable relaxation, relieve stress, alleviate anxiety, minimize grief, mitigate pain, hasten healing, and reduce other illness symptoms.
Hong Kong-based Reiki healer, Corie Chu, shares that this practice aligns with people who ascribe to a “back to basics” philosophy by relying on what’s natural and organic when it comes to addressing their ailments. It is very effective in dealing with everyday stress by balancing energy and helping people develop spiritually.
The healing therapy of Reiki can help alleviate stress and anxiety, or help you manage grief, by doing the following:
- Promoting Harmony: With energy transfer, the body can restore balance across all systems, including the spirit and mind. When there’s harmony, people feel more at ease, relaxed, and positive. A study published in the Oncology of Nursing noted how chemo patients who did Reiki reported increased comfort and a greater sense of well-being.
- Releasing Tension: Reiki promotes pure relaxation with gentle touches, allowing the receiver of energy to release tension and stress. The energy transfer makes people feel lighter, helping them be more attune to their inner selves and find that core that gives them peace. For this reason, the Pain Management Nursing journal suggested Reiki could help with anxiety and depression.
- Breaking Energy Blockades: When energy pathways are blocked, they can result in anxiety, sadness, pain, and anger. Since Reiki transposes universal energy into the body, it clears energy blocks. As a result, positive energy flows, resulting in better mental clarity, a happier mind frame, and physical healing.
- Cleansing Toxins: Reiki reminds the body to go into a state of rest. Only in this state can there be self-healing and repair. Thus, with Reiki, the body cleanses itself of useless energies and supports the immune system. Those who receive Reiki protect themselves against burnout and illness. It removes toxins via digestion while promoting emotional cleansing at the same time.
- Focusing on the Present: One of the core goals of Reiki is to help people become more mindful and stay in tune with the present. With positive energy transfer, the mind can let go of past hurts and worries about the future. Instead, focusing on the here and now fosters acceptance of how life unfolds and promotes a more positive disposition towards people and circumstances. If you’re grieving, focusing on the present and future will help tremendously.
- Promoting Better Sleep: Practitioners and receivers concur that they feel very relaxed after a Reiki session, so they sleep better. Sleep is essential for healing and boosting the immune system. A good night’s rest allows people to function better both physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Benefits of Practicing Reiki
The main benefit of doing Reiki with a certified practitioner is relaxation. When you relax, you loosen up your muscles and take away tension. Your blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate stay at normal levels.
These results are the polar opposite of what happens to the body when you feel stressed, grief, and anxious. These responses your body manifests when you’re in “fight or flight” mode hurts your overall health.
Fortunately, Reiki is effective in helping you attain a deep level of physiological and mental rest.
During your first Reiki session, an “energy scan” will be performed to evaluate which areas of the body need attention. The Reiki master might gently hover their hands over certain body parts to transfer energy.
Is Reiki Right For You?
If you want to mitigate stress and achieve better mental focus, you could benefit from Reiki. Much of the pain and discomfort you feel could stem from deep-seated issues and unresolved trauma. Reiki could help unblock these areas so you can release your burdens and improve your overall health.
But, of course, Reiki should not supersede any advice from your primary care physician. When you try something new, it should be under the supervision of your doctor. You can also take a CircleDNA test to assess if an underlying condition might be at play, such as a possible genetic mental health disorder.
