Since ancient times, many cultures have believed that an invisible energy flows through all living things and is connected directly to the quality of health. Reiki is a modern application of that ancient knowledge. Its origins extend back more than twenty-five hundred years to ancient Sanskrit sutras, but the term is Japanese.

Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key) is a gentle hands-on technique for stress reduction and relaxation that helps a client tap into a supply of "life force energy" to improve health and enhance their quality of life. Reiki stimulates the natural ability of the body to self-correct and restore balance while it opens the mind and spirit to the psycho-spiritual sources of illness and pain. A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through you and surrounds you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit and creates many beneficial effects including relaxation and feelings of peace, security, and well-being. Many report miraculous results. Reiki is a simple, natural, and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can benefit from.

Ki means life force. It is also called the vital life force or the universal life force. This is the nonphysical energy that animates all living things. As long as something is alive, it has life force circulating through it and surrounding it; when it dies, the life force departs. When your life force is low, or restricted, you can be more vulnerable to physical illness and mental distress. When it is high, and flowing freely, you are less likely to get sick. Life force plays an important role in everything we do. It animates the body and is also the primary energy of our emotions, thoughts and spiritual life.

It is the divine-consciousness which guides the influx of life force in the practice we call Reiki. Therefore, Reiki can be defined as divinely guided life force energy. This is a meaningful interpretation of the word Reiki that more closely describes the experience most people have of it; Reiki guiding itself with its own innate wisdom.

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History of Reiki

Mikao Usui, Ph.D., is the founder of Reiki. He rediscovered how to access and apply this universal healing energy. Usui was born in Japan in the middle of the nineteenth century. He became a doctor of philosophy and, in the late 1800s, a professor at Doshisha University, a Christian school in Kyoto, Japan. One day he was challenged by his students to demonstrate the healing powers attributed to Jesus. Unable to explain or display this miraculous ability, Usui left the school to embark on an intensive search for the secrets of spiritual healing.

He spent time in the United States studying in Chicago. Though he did not discover the secret of Jesus’ miraculous healing power he was exposed to comparative religion. Through this comparative study he learned that most of the world religions included accounts of healings performed by their spiritual leaders. He returned home and began to travel throughout Japan, where he studied at Buddhist temples searching for the secrets of spiritual healing. He spoke with Buddhist teachers, priests, and monks. He learned that there once was a system of Buddhist healing that was now lost. Along his journey, Usui learned Sanskrit so that he could read the ancient documents in their original language. He eventually discovered a formula for healing in the ancient Buddhist sutras.

Studying this sutra was not enough. Usui sensed that he might unlock the inner meaning of the sutra with sufficient meditation. He retreated to a holy mountain in Japan, where he meditated and fasted for twenty-one days. On the twenty-first morning Usui witnessed a bright light racing toward him from across the horizon. The light struck him and entered his body. After regaining consciousness he perceived a series of symbols composed of light suspended before him. Usui was initiated in this way as the first Reiki master, the Grand Master.

Usui returned to his home, where he practiced Reiki for the rest of his life. As time went on he realized that unless he passed on the healing power and trained other healers, Reiki would be lost again.

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While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is absolutely not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order to receive a session. In fact, Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not. Because Reiki often expands spiritual awareness, many people find that receiving Reiki connects them more deeply with the experience of their own religion. Though Reiki has no theology Dr Usui realized that ethical behavior was necessary to facilitate healing and maintain harmony on all levels. He encouraged simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal across all cultures.

A Reiki master is an individual who transmits healing power through his unblocked access to the universal life force. The Reiki master channels the universal life force into the client. One becomes a Reiki master through a series of attunements provided by another Reiki master. The series of attunements imparts the healing power of the master to the student in such a way that the student becomes a Reiki master who can then heal and attune others.

In 1925, Usui chose Chujiro Hayashi to succeed him as the Grand Master of Reiki so that the healing power of Reiki could be preserved and taught to others. Through a series of attunements and by integrating the teachings of Reiki, Hayashi became the second Reiki master. He opened the first Reiki clinic in Tokyo for the treatment of severely ill individuals. In order to continue the preservation of Reiki, Hayashi initiated thirteen Reiki masters. The thirteenth Master was an American named Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki to the West.

It was Hawayo Takata's desire to be cured of a serious illness that took her on a journey from her home in Hawaii to Hayashi's Reiki clinic in Japan. Two Reiki practitioners treated her each day. She reported that she could feel the heat of the energy coming from their hands so strongly that she thought a machine generated it. In an effort to expose them, Takata, whisked away the long sleeves from the practitioners arms only to discover their innocent hands. She was cured of her illnesses and pursued training in Reiki eventually achieving Reiki Master.

In 1937, Takata returned to Hawaii and establish Reiki there. Between 1970 and 1980, Takata initiated twenty-two Reiki masters. These twenty-two teachers have taught others throughout the world. Joseph Lee was trained by one of these original Masters, John Harvey Gray.

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All energy healers use Ki but not all access Reiki. The Chinese place great importance on the life force or what they call Chi or Ki. They have studied it for thousands of years and have discovered there are many different kinds of Chi. The "Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine" which is over 4,000 years old, lists thirty-two different kinds of Chi or Ki. Reiki is a special kind of life force that is only channeled by someone that has been attuned to it. Healers who have not received the Reiki attunement from a Reiki Master are not using Reiki but some another kind of energy.

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Reiki activates the body's natural ability to heal itself; it minimizes your sense of helplessness when facing disease or trauma, and brings your body back into harmony by relieving physical, spiritual, and emotional blockages. Reiki helps alleviate the discomfort caused by aches and pains, stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and life changes. Increased energy and vitality, a strengthened immune system, accelerated healing, the cleansing of bodily toxins, and improved overall health are associated with Reiki.

For many, Reiki awakens creativity, enhances intuition, and stimulates the internal motivation to make better choices regarding mental, physical, and spiritual health. Reiki can be applied to people of all ages. Infants and children can thrive when given this universal life energy. The process can help keep their pathways open throughout the course of development, allowing for continual renewal of the body, mind, and spirit.

This gentle and sweet treatment is pleasant to receive and does not involve any manipulation of muscle tissue. It is safe for all individuals. Reiki is the modern application of an ancient healing art that acts by harnessing and channeling the life energy around us for the purpose of facilitating health and well being. It can be used as a safe adjunct to psychotherapeutic and any medical treatments.

Reiki is both powerful and gentle. In its long history of use it has aided in healing virtually every known illness and injury including serious problems like: multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and cancer as well as skin problems, cuts, bruises, broken bones, headache, colds, flu, sore throat, sunburn, fatigue, insomnia, impotence, poor memory, and lack of confidence.

Reiki also has had a positive affect on minor irritants like headaches or stomachaches, bee stings, colds, flu, tension and anxiety. The side effects of regular medical treatments have also been reduced or eliminated. This includes some of the negative effects of chemotherapy, post operative pain and depression as well as improving the healing rate, reducing hospitalization time and nurturing optimism.

In some cases people claim they have experienced complete healings which have been confirmed by medical tests before and after the Reiki treatments. However, while some have experienced miracles, that cannot be guaranteed. Stress reduction with improvement in ones physical and psychological condition are what most report. If a client has a health condition, and wants to be treated with Reiki, it is recommended that they do so under the supervision of an enlightened medical doctor or other health care professional.

• Support of the body's natural ability to heal itself.
• Reduced sense of helplessness when facing disease or trauma.
• Return of harmony within the body.
• Relief from physical, spiritual, and emotional blockages.
• Less discomfort caused by aches and pains, stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and life changes.
• More energy and vitality.
• Less stress.
• Strengthened immune system.
• Accelerated healing.
• Elimination of toxins.
• Better overall health.
• More creativity.
• Improved intuition.
• It can be applied to people of all ages.
• It is safe for all individuals.
• It promotes the health of animals as well.

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The theory underlying how Reiki works emphasizes the intricate and reciprocal relationship between body, mind, and spirit. We are alive because life force is flowing through our bodies by means of subtle pathways. This life force also flows around each of us as a field of energy. Life force nourishes the organs and cells of the body, supporting them in their vital functions. When this flow is disrupted or distorted the organs and tissues of the body become less efficient and eventually their functioning is compromised.

The flow of life force is also influenced by our thoughts and feelings. As we go through life, we can be negatively influenced by experiences that traumatize our emotions and taint our thoughts about our self and the world. As we begin to accept these damaging thoughts and feelings on both conscious and unconscious levels, our systems become weakened, and our access to the universal life energy becomes diminished. Reiki masters are empowered to unblock the energy pathways in others, allowing the universal life force to flow more freely through them.

Reiki promotes healing by flowing through the affected parts of the energy field and charging them with positive energy. It raises the vibratory level of the energy field in and around the physical body where the negative thoughts and feelings are attached. This causes the negative energy to break apart and fall away. In so doing, Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways, thus allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way. Reiki can never cause harm. Because Reiki is guided by divine-consciousness it responds precisely to what a person needs and will adjust itself to create the effect that is appropriate for them. One never needs to worry about whether to receive Reiki or not. It is always helpful.

You should not stop seeing a regular doctor or psychologist in order to receive a Reiki treatment. Reiki works in conjunction with regular medical or psychological treatment. If one has a medical or psychological condition, it is recommended that one see a licensed health care professional in addition to receiving Reiki treatments. Reiki energy works in harmony with all other forms of healing, including drugs, surgery, psychological care or any other method of alternative care and will improve the results. Reiki is safe for pregnant women. Many women have received treatments with great benefit to them and their unborn child. Babies love Reiki. It is very healthy for them. Reiki automatically adjusts to what the baby needs.

Most of the time a person will feel relaxed and uplifted by a Reiki treatment. However, sometimes a person will have what is called a healing crisis. As a person’s vibration increases, toxins that have been stored in the body will be released into the blood stream to be filtered by the liver and kidneys and removed from the system. When this happens, sometimes a person can get a headache or stomachache or feel weak. If this happens, it is a good idea to drink more water, eat lighter meals and get more rest. The body is cleansing as part of the healing process so this is a good sign.

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A Reiki session takes place in a quiet, private setting. It is recommended that clients wear loose, comfortable clothing. Clients always remain fully clothed. The session is performed with the client reclining on a treatment table while the practitioner stands or sits. Reiki is a gentle but powerful bodywork technique. The Reiki energy enters the practitioner and radiates through his hands, which are placed in various positions where it is directed into the body or energy field of the client. These include positions around the head and shoulders, the stomach, and feet. Other, more specific positions may be used based on the clients needs. Each hand position is maintained for several minutes to allow the energy to saturate the area. The whole treatment usually lasts fifty minutes.

In addition to having a planned approach, the practitioner also relies on highly developed intuition when selecting particular areas of the body for treatment. As the client’s body draws in the channeled energy, healing is facilitated by the increasing flow of Ki through the affected parts of the energy field, charging them with extraordinary vitality. The practitioner raises the vibratory level of the energy field in and around the body. Through this energy transmission from practitioner to client, Reiki clears and heals the client's energy pathways, allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way, uninterrupted by blockages that have now been removed.

What one experiences during a Reiki treatment will vary from person to person. However, feelings of deep relaxation are usually experienced by all. In addition, many feel a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through them and surrounds them. As the Reiki energy encourages one to let go of all tension, anxiety, fear or other negative feelings a state of peace and well-being is experienced. Some drift off to sleep or report floating outside their bodies or have visions and other mystical experiences. Some feel more in tune with their inner selves. Some feel unconditional love from the Universe. Some feel a renewal of their spirit. At the end of the treatment, one feels refreshed with a more positive, balanced outlook.

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Response to Reiki varies from individual to individual and condition to condition. Your response is uniquely your own and can't be compared to anyone else's — even those cases that may appear to be similar to your own. The number of sessions needed varies widely — from just one up to three or more a week over the course of several weeks. The length of time and number of sessions needed is extremely variable and depends, among other factors, on the complex layers of injury and trauma that may mask the original cause of the problem as well as the body's defense mechanisms.

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Joseph Lee is a skilled and sensitive body worker with over seventeen years of experience as a Reiki practitioner. He received his Reiki I attunement and training from John Harvey Gray in 1988, and received his Reiki II attunement and training from John Harvey Gray in 1997. (John Harvey Gray is one of the original 22 Reiki Masters directly created by Hawayo Takata.) In 1999, he received his Reiki Master attunement and training from Reiki Master Salma Al Hassanni Al Alami.

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