Reiki Healing Therapy — What Is It?

You might have heard about Reiki before and probably have some understanding of it. That is not surprising, as spiritual practices like Reiki, Mindfulness, Yoga, Tai Chi, and many others are growing in popularity. However, many people have not heard of it and have no idea of what Reiki is. My goal is to answer the often asked question: what is Reiki?

What is it?

In short, Reiki (pronounced ray-kee) is a gentle, holistic healing technique originating from Japan. It involves the use of energy to promote and enhance the body’s ability to balance, heal, and recover itself.

From this limited explanation usually given by some sources, more questions can arise. You might be wondering what the word Reiki even means. How can this mysterious energy help our bodies heal? How does it work? What benefits can it bring? Indeed, I will do my best to answer some of the following questions you might have. I will also try not to use confusing or difficult terms and explain it in a simple language.

Meaning of the Word Reiki

Reiki can be translated from Japanese as “universal life energy,” “spiritual energy,” or “spiritually guided life force energy.” The word Reiki is composed of two Japanese symbols: Rei and Ki.

"Rei" is defined as wisdom and knowledge of the whole Universe or as the Higher Intelligence that guides the creation and functioning of the universe.

"Ki" is translated as the life force energy. This energy can also be known as Chi (Qi) in China or Prana in India. It flows through everything around us. This life force energy also flows through us. It travels within our physical bodies and flows around us in our energy field called the aura.

Flowing energy nourishes the organs, tissues, and cells of our bodies, supporting them in their vital functions. When this flow of life force is disrupted, it can cause the diminished function of our organ systems and negatively affect our overall wellbeing. Therefore, it can lead to the development of various physical, emotional, or mental health problems.

The life force energy is responsive to our thoughts, feelings and attitudes. It becomes disrupted when we accept and emanate negative thoughts, feelings, behaviours, or attitudes toward ourselves, others, or the world we live in. This negativity attaches itself to our energy field, disturbs the function of the energy centres in our bodies and causes a disruption in the energy flow.

How does Reiki work?

Energy is all around us. When thinking about energy, we usually start referring to different energy forms like electricity, heat, chemical reactions, sound, or radiation. Reiki also is a form of energy, but it works at a higher frequency and vibration. Reiki therapy uses this energy to promote and enhance the body’s ability to balance, heal, and recover itself. Reiki energy heals by flowing through the affected parts of the energy field and the body, clearing and balancing them, thus allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way. Reiki is a safe treatment which cannot harm. It is not a religion. There is nothing you must believe in and there is no need to change your beliefs in order to use Reiki.

Benefits of Reiki

Reiki works at a much deeper level than just our physical bodies and problematic symptoms. It reaches to where there may be deep physical, emotional and mental imbalances and treats their source. One of the greatest Reiki benefits is stress reduction and relaxation. It triggers the body’s natural healing abilities (immune system) and speeds up the healing process. Reiki has been helpful for many physical issues, emotional wounds and past traumas. It can also stimulate personal and spiritual growth, increase confidence and positivity and encourage healthy lifestyle changes. I could write a whole different post about benefits of Reiki and I most likely will do so in the future.

I hope this information was useful to you and simple to understand. In the future, I will be writing more on this and other related subjects to provide even more clarity and useful advice for everyday life.

Thank you for reading!

If you would like to ask me a question, suggest a topic you would be interested to read about or book an appointment for Reiki treatment you are very welcome to write to me at [email protected], visit my Facebook Page or find me on Instagram @reikihealwell :)