Reiki: a hands on healing therapy

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In the early to mid 1990's, Reiki was pretty much an unknown word in the UK, there were few books on Reiki in the major stores and it had yet to be discovered in a meaningful way.

From the year 2002 it would be difficult to find a village in the British Isles where there are not a number of Reiki Practitioners. There has been an enormous proliferation and it has been written about in all manner of publications including the national press. So what has enabled this particular energy healing therapy to take off in such a big way?

To discover that we have to understand in basic terms what Reiki is. Very simply, it is a natural hands on healing technique whereby people can give treatment to themselves as well as others in the easiest possible of ways. It requires no particular academic or intellectual input so is suitable to people of all ages from the youngest to the most elderly. Because it is not linked to any belief system it can be equally effective on highly sceptical people as well as those open to the concept of hands on healing. Reiki requires little effort mentally or physically. All that is necessary is to place a hand on a body to enable the healing energy to flow.

There are two ways by which a person can receive a Reiki treatment - from a professional Reiki practitioner and/or to become attuned to the Reiki energy to enable one to give treatment to oneself. Being attuned to the energy usually takes just two days but more on this process later.

Reiki's Origins

This most ancient of Healing Arts was rediscovered in the late 1800's / early 1900's by Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese gentleman. He devoted his life to determining whether it was possible for any human to be able to heal. Through many years of study, research and meditation that involved learning different languages and much travel (notably China, Tibet and India) he rediscovered Reiki. Reiki's origins go back thousands of years beforehand.

It is my belief and understanding that when humanity was first of all created we all had this natural ability to heal. But with the evolution of time and humanity losing much of its spirituality, we became unaware that our Creator gave us this great gift. I am personally sure that children still have this healing ability but only very few carry this forward into their adult lives. There are a few natural healers who are aware of their gift but generally they are very few and far between.

So for the vast majoity of us, it takes something like Reiki to reconnect us with our Divine right and ability to be able to heal. It is through Dr. Usui's efforts that we now can carry this on.

Dr. Usui spent the rest of his life practising and teaching this method of hands on healing. The Usui System of Reiki Healing continued to be taught by Reiki Masters who trained in the traditions passed down from Master to student.

Reiki brought to the west

Mrs. Hawayo Takata brought Reiki to the Western world. A resident of Hawaii, she had been initiated a Master by Dr Usui's successor, Dr. Hayashi, in 1938. Between 1970 and December 1980 (when she died), Mrs. Takata initiated 22 people as Reiki Masters. As far as most people's awareness is concerned, that is the total number of Masters in the West at that time. (A Reiki Master is the only person who can train others in Reiki).

Between 1981 and 1985 Mrs. Takata's granddaughter, Phyllis Lei Furumoto, initiated between 300 and 500 people as Masters. A great change took place in 1988 when Phyllis determined that any experienced Reiki Master could also initiate others as Masters. Up to that point Phyllis Furumoto was the person predominantly initiating students as Reiki Masters. It was from this change that Reiki started exploding around the world and Reiki took off in a really massive way. From a few hundreds in the 1980's there are now thousands upon thousands around the world who are Masters. Masters now routinely attune others as Masters.

To give an essence of the extent of the explosion of Reiki, in the six years from 1989 to 1995, 1% of Germany (1 million people) were initiated into Reiki. And now Reiki is so big globally, I would think that numbers are almost too vast to count.

Different types of Reiki

Over time a form and structure had been created that Reiki should be practised and taught in a particular way and this was described as the Usui System of Reiki Healing. This included nine guiding elements which involved the pricing structure for learning Reiki, length of training between the three levels and how one is trained as a Master etc.

However with the globalisation of Reiki, with it being Westernised, with the input and changes made by individuals, and with the instant culture we all now live in, Reiki in many ways has changed out of all recognition from its origins. In a year 2000 Directory about 25 different types of Reiki were listed with most being off shoots from the original Usui Reiki technique as defined by Mrs. Takata and Phyllis Furumoto.

Becoming a Reiki channel

Absolutely anybody can become attuned as a Reiki channel (otherwise known as a Reiki student or Reiki practitioner). Learning Reiki has always been regarded as an Oral tradition. A student has to attend a Reiki class led by a Reiki Master and be attuned by that Master. Reiki was not something that could be learnt out of a book or other source (although I now hear that it is taught in certain alternate ways). In my tradition there are four Reiki attunements in a class and when complete, the ability to be a channel remains with that student for life.

From that point any person (and animal) you touch will automatically be offered the Reiki energy. It is not an energy that has to be projected by the practitioner to the client. Rather it is offered to the client. At an unconscious or subconscious level the recipient will be aware that the healing energy is available and will therefore draw whatever energy it needs. On that basis, it can never cause harm as it only ever works to the highest good.

Healing oneself

For most this is the major reason for becoming a Reiki student. The major emphasis is to give oneself healing on a daily basis. Just by placing our hands on our body we can achieve this. When the energy is channelled it works on the four dimensions of humanity as we are aware of them; physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Reiki is an ideal way of looking after ourselves. The better able we can look after ourselves then the better we can look after other people.

It is a transformational energy that works on our past (healing things like past traumas, grief issues, etc.) the present and the future. Reiki will always lead to a greater sense of balance, well-being and harmony.

The second level

There is the Second level that students can proceed to. In my Tradition there is a minimum of three months before one can do this having learnt Reiki, although in more recent lines of Reiki this can be done sooner. There is no need or requirement to do this level, but if one feels so called that is fine. It is for people who wish to deepen their commitment to using Reiki in their lives as well as doing absent or distance healing for which we are given sacred symbols.

Master level, or third degree

To teach Reiki one has to be attuned at Master level. In my tradition this has always been regarded as a calling from the heart and is not undertaken lightly. Very rigorous training is involved over a period of one to four years and sometimes longer. One is under the tutelage of a very experienced Master and attuned as a Master only when the Tutor Master knows the student is ready. Thus the variance in training time. Rather than a goal, Reiki Mastership was regarded as a pathway and a way of being. As such it is a massive commitment.

In more recent traditions Reiki Masters tend to be initiated as Masters through a simple Reiki attunement process over say a weekend rather than go through any training as such.

Experiencing Reiki

The experience of receiving Reiki is usually one of relaxation, calm, and peace. Falling asleep during the process is quite common. Professional treatments are usually given on a treatment table with the client fully clothed and covered with a blanket. The Practitioner's hands are placed in a series of key positions on the head, the front, and back of the body with a full treatment lasting 60 - 90 minutes.

Reiki can be used for conditions ranging from mild disorders to terminal illnesses and from stress to depression. There is a big difference between healing and curing but where no cure occurs, often the recipient will benefit in a substantial way emotionally and mentally. This can be particularly valuable in the case of terminal illness.

A Reiki class could perhaps be described as the best First Aid Class one can ever do. It enhances the body's natural ability to heal itself and works in conjunction with all other complementary therapies as well as traditional medication. It is totally safe, gentle and yet powerful. I believe it works by putting the body into a state of balance and in that sate of balance healing can take place.

Considering a class or treatment?

With Reiki now being taught and practised in such diverse ways, it is important for anybody considering a treatment or a class to check out the Practitioner or Master beforehand. For instance:

• What is their experience?
• How long was their training?
• Who trained them?
• Can you speak to clients they have treated or taught?
• Have they been recommended?
• How about meeting or talking to them beforehand?

There is no overall body of accreditation in Reiki so it is a matter of checking out any possible Master or Practitioner yourself.

The Reiki Association is a community of Reiki people in the UK that produces a Masters Directory and a Practitioner Referral List. It is not any form of recommendation as any Reiki person can have an entry, but it can suggest people in your locality.

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