What is Reiki?

Reiki involves using your hands to direct or channel the body’s energies and heal the patient. This works because it is believed that energy has its own intelligence, which when it is channeled automatically works on the body part that is most in need of it.

A Buddhist by the name of Mikao Usui founded Reiki in the early 1900’s. He claims that after a long time of fasting and meditation he heard voices that revealed the “keys of healing.” This practice then spread as he taught his followers who taught others.

A Reiki session involves having the patient lye face down while the practitioner moves their hands over the patient’s body. The patient may feel nothing or may feel various sensations such as heat, cold or tingling as the energy moves throughout their body.

This practice is controversial because there is no governing body to standardize training or license practitioners. There are also many different Reiki “schools,” each of which teaches methods and practices that are slightly different. These schools include Wiccan, Celtic, Tibetan and Southwestern American. The strict schools require that a person complete three classes before becoming a Master and being able to teach others.

Most doctors question if Reiki really works. They point out that research indicates that it is not beneficial and fear that people may seek Reiki treatments instead of those that are proven to work for serious medical conditions.

Some people have even compared Reiki to the Christian faith healers’ practice of lying on hands. This is why many Reiki practitioners prefer to be called “spiritual healers” because the patient does not have to believe in anything in order for the treatment to work. Many practitioners even claim that you do not even have to believe in the Reiki treatment itself for it to work.