What is Reiki?

A study done in 2007 by the National Health Interview Survey indicates that 1.2 million adults and 161,000 children received one or more sessions of energy healing therapy such as Reiki in the previous year. According to the American Hospital Association, in 2007, 15% or over 800 American hospitals offered Reiki as part of hospital services.

Reiki Administered at a local medical office (c) 2010-2014

What is Reiki? 
Reiki is a Japanese hands-on healing modality that is natural non-invasive and promotes healing. It is primarily used for stress reduction and relaxation, but is all effective in relieving pain, depression, and panic disorders.  Reiki is also assists in promoting the healing of fractures as well as alleviating many other physical and emotional challenges.


This form of healing is based on the idea that an unseen life force energy flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. The practitioner administers the treatments by laying the hands.  If one is frequently sick or under a lot of stress, the chances are one's life force energy is low.  Now if the life force is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.  Reiki is a very simple and natural method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that anyone can use to improve their quality of life. This safe alternative is effective in helping many known physical and psychological illnesses and always creates a beneficial and positive effect. Reiki does work in conjunction with all other alternative or traditional medical treatments.


Reiki is not taught, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class through a process called and an attunement.  During an attunement a Reiki master allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of life force energy to improve one's health and enhance the quality of life.  This healing method has been taught to thousands of people from all over the world.


Reiki comes from the Japanese words Rei meaning Higher Power or Wisdom and Ki meaning Life Force Energy. 


What does a treatment feel like? 
A reiki treatment gives you sense of warm energy surrounding your body as well as flowing through you.  When undergoing a treatment, you are treated as a whole meaning your mind, body, and spirit.  A sense of well-being and peace is felt with many miraculous results. 


Is this Religious? 
No, even though it is spiritual in nature.  There is no structured faith base or dogma crossing all cultures.  It works not matter what faith you have as it's natural healing uses universal spiritual laws to promote wellness and peace.  However, this can enhance your own faith and religion.Check out our Calendar or Events page for more information.   Contact us in Hingham, Massachusetts, to learn more about Reiki treatment for stress reduction, spiritual healing, and relaxation.

Check out our Calendar of Events page or Services Page for more information.  Review what others say in our testimonials


Small selection of what others have said about Laura's Reiki treatments and or classes:


"I have attended, one of Laura's Reiki meditation and attunment evenings and came away feeling like a new person..."


"The Reiki one course was a unique and powerful experience and yet another opportunity to open the portals into the spiritual world. Laura walked us through the important aspects of the origin of Reiki, led each of us through the attunement process and gave us ample opportunity to practice what we had learned. She is a knowledgeable and a patience teacher...."


"...She is an awesome teacher and a beautiful soul!!!"


"It was an awesome learning experience..."


"I left my skeptism at the door because I'm curious if all I've known and all that I've had is really all that I'll ever be...After just a couple visits I know I'm more...I've learned to cut the string of baggage past..."


"Without the help I have received here I do not know where I would be today or who I would be."

Reiki Can Do No Harm or Can It?

Reiki can do no harm or can it? Just as in any profession, there are many wonderful reiki professionals who do amazing work and many individuals receive the many benefits of reiki. However, there are also downsides.  So, before I answer that question, I want to tell you a story.

I was teaching an anatomy and physiology class at a college in Boston. There was a section in one of the chapters talking about links to stress related illnesses and the benefits of meditation as a treatment option. I went on my normal tangents talking about how reiki, acupuncture, and other alternative therapies have benefits as well. I elaborated on each on what benefits, for what purpose and cited types of studies and research done.

I also discussed my professional experiences teaching and practicing meditation and reiki in a medical environment as well as how I teach them and why I teach them a certain way. I also discussed my volunteer work with trauma victims especially, but not limited to, domestic abuse survivors.

During break I had a few students inquire and ask questions about alternative therapies and about reiki in particular. At the time, I assumed their questions were out of curiosity.

A couple days later I received an email from one of my students through one of the websites I have written articles for. She wanted to know if reiki could help her because she was a survivor of child sex abuse and for the last 20 years everything she has tried has not helped her.  She had tried reiki once before about 5 years ago, but she said it felt like "someone put voodoo" on her. She talked about the class and how what I said made sense to her. She wondered if "this reiki thing" could really help her to finally heal and move on with her life.

Why am I telling you this story? This story is one of many stories of survivors of abuse having a negative experience with reiki. It did not matter if it was an alternative healing night, a referral from a psychiatrist or physician, or a student. The stories began to stack up as to why these individuals never sought reiki again until they met me. It always puzzled me, but also knew there was a reason even it I did not know it at the time.



Laura's students administering Reiki.
(c)2010-2014 All Rights Reserved.

So now back to the question. Reiki can do no harm or can it?

Reiki itself can do no harm. It is a Japanese energetic touch therapy with roots that go back to Ancient Tibetan Buddhist healing as do many other alternative therapies.  Reiki works with the electrical conduction system of the human body, BUT with the wrong practitioner it may give the appearance it can do harm.  The problem is not with reiki, but with the unqualified reiki person working with someone who has experienced trauma.

In the case of my student, the reiki worked. It was the lack of training or communication by the practitioner that caused the problem that exacerbated the healing crisis she felt making her feel as if “someone put voodoo” on her.

Sadly, over the years, I have seen too many well intentioned reiki practitioners take a 6-8hr workshop and want to profess their expertise in reiki. That is not reiki, but ego talking. If you are teaching this or have been taught that, there is a misconception, and it needs to change.

Working with trauma victims, requires more than just reiki training. You must know the clinical signs and symptoms of trauma and in my opinion, have some sort of clinical or medical training in one or many areas such as trauma, abuse, first aid and cpr, psychology, grief, post traumatic stress, etc.

There is a lot of scientific data research citing the many benefits of reiki as a treatment option especially for diagnoses such as anxiety and depression which tends to plague many victims, and speaking as a survivor of abuse myself, reiki DOES work. 

Reiki is also used in medical offices and hospitals all over the country as part of an integrative therapy approach. Boston area hospitals that offer reiki as part of their programs include: Boston Children's Hospital, Dana Farber and Brigham and Women's. Nurses are also able to get CEUs. So you see reiki itself, has become a viable treatment options for many within the medical community.

A study done in 2007 by the National Health Interview Survey indicates that 1.2 million adults and 161,000children received one or more sessions of energy healing therapy such as Reiki in the previous year. According to the American Hospital Association, in 2007, 15% or over 800 American hospitals offered Reiki as part of hospital services.

Out of ignorance, I see so many well intentioned reiki teachers and practitioners exacerbating serious medical problems and shedding a negative light on the good reiki can do as viable healing modality by preaching that anyone can do reiki on anyone as reiki can do no harm. Again, it is not the reiki doing harm, but the unqualified reiki practitioner.

How?

With an unqualified reiki professional, a victim who already experiences fear, mistrust, and guardedness, these symptoms can significantly worsen.

A qualified reiki professional does the proper client intake, knows when the client is ready for actual healing to take place, there is proper communication between practitioner and client, and if healing crisis takes place a qualified practitioner knows what to do and knows where to refer the client if medical intervention or treatment is required.

With statistics such as, one in three women experience abuse in their lifetime, the chances a reiki professional will encounter a client with trauma is great.  Domestic abuse has hit epidemic proportions in this country and is expected to remain steady until the economy improves, laws to protect victims are enforced and resources to organizations that work with victims are improved.

This is not taking into account other traumas from events such as our military servicemen returning from war or Hurricane Sandy or 9/11.

Of the 1.7 million veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, 300,000 (20percent) suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression.[i]   According to the VA, about one-in-five female veterans have post-traumatic stress related to "military sexual trauma", a catch-all category that includes everything from sexual harassment to rape.[ii]

For 9/11 survivors, “at least 10,000 firefighters, police officers and civilians exposed to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center have been found to have post-traumatic stress disorder.”[iii]

“Statistics say that only 5% of those who survived 9/11 in New York City went on to experience symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But in the case of Hurricane Katrina, 33% later suffered symptoms. This is a very high percentage, even for an extremely traumatizing event.”[iv]

With these numbers and statistics, it is imperative, the manner in which reiki is utilized needs to be given much consideration.

The reiki practitioner who looks out for their client first, will set ego aside and do the right thing by referring those clients to a professional better qualified to work with those individuals.

If you have ever experienced some form of trauma in your life whether it be abuse, rape, natural disasters, loss, war, or the like, then please understand that not all reiki professionals are the same just like not all doctors or therapists are the same. Seek out a reiki professional with training or professional experience in the related fields you seek and ask questions.

As a reiki professional and a survivor of abuse, I can attest to you the many wonderful benefits reiki has to offer especially in healing issues surrounding abuse.

This article was intended to help educate both well intentioned reiki practitioner as well as educate the general public on why choosing the right reiki professional is critical to your overall health, healing and overall wellbeing.

If you have never experienced reiki before, I suggest you give it a try. I have personally witnessed the many benefits of reiki, which is why I have become so outspoken about this challenge.  Just like anything else, understand not all reiki practitioners are trained alike or practice reiki alike. If you have a reiki story you wish to share related to this topic, I would really like to hear from you.

I sincerely hope the information given served as informative, beneficial, and healing. 

ABOUT LAURA
Laura Healing With Spirit is a Registered Certified Medical Assistant, An accredited Shihan (teacher) in Jikiden Reiki, and  Reiki Master Teacher in the Usui Tradition.  She has over 15 cumulative years in the holistic and allopathic health fields and has incorporated energy medicine in her line of work since 2006.

With Laura’s diverse background, Laura has a very unique way of teaching and working with her clients than what is typically seen in mainstream reiki which is why many certified reiki practitioners opt to take her courses to better fulfill their personal or professional healing needs. Laura also has extensive training and experience working with trauma victims and domestic violence over the past 6 years. She has a keen sense of awareness when working with her clients that many chronic illnesses, major life events and past life challenges often appear as potential energetic blocks during reiki treatment sessions.

NPO- Jikiden Reiki Institute Member. 


ICRT Reiki Membership Association - Affiliate Member
We are an Affiliate Member of  ICRT, and follow a code of ethics, and standards of practice.  Its purpose is to maintain a professional image for our members while at the same time preserving the spirit of Reiki and assisting members in creating a thriving Reiki practice. By becoming a member, we'll be associating with an organization that has the reputation of providing accurate, up-to-date information on the history, practice, and scientific study of Reiki. Affiliate members must abide by the following requirements: Use ICRTclass manuals purchased from www.reikiwebstore.com when teaching Reiki I, II,ART, Master and Karuna Reiki® classes. One manual must be provided to each student. Abide by the RMA Code of Ethics. Abide by the RMA Standards of Practice. Place the RMA logo on member’s web site home page (if member has a website).Affiliate members must be Usui Reiki masters. Reiki training must have taken place with teacher in person. (no Internet, distant, CD, or book only training accepted).    Contact us in Quincy, Massachusetts, to learn more about Reiki treatment for stress reduction, spiritual healing, and relaxation.
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/LauraHealingWithSpirit
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©2010-2014 Laura Healing With Spirit. All Rights Reserved. This information is for general educational uses only. It may not apply to you and your specific medical needs. This information should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation with or the advice of your physician or health care professional. Communicate promptly with your physician or other health care professional with any   health-related questions or concerns.  Be sure to follow specific instructions given to you by your physician or health care professional.




REFERENCES:

[i] RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, Invisible Wounds of War, 2008
[ii] J. Kitfield, National Journal, 2011
[iii] Anemonia Hartocollis, 10 Years and a Diagnosis Later, 9/11 Demons Haunts Thousands, TheNew York Times, August 8, 2011.
[iv]by SusanneBabbel, Ph.D., MFT, Bridging the mind-body gap, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder After 9/11 and Katrina, Psychology Today; September 12,2011.

The Reiki Effect

Graphic created by Laura Healing With Spirit (c)2014 All Rights Reserved.

The Reiki Effect - Reiki is a Japanese complementary alternative mind body medicine therapy that works with the human body's bioenergy field. It uses vibrational, or subtle energy, administered most commonly by a light touch to assist the body's ability to heal itself.

Reiki has gained acceptance and popularity over the years and is widely used and accepted as an effective therapeutic treatment in many medical offices and hospitals across the country.

As time goes on, there are more and more medical studies coming out on the efficacy of Reiki as a viable alternative treatment option. It is also used in conjunction with other conventional medicine treatment options.

This graphic summarizes the benefits of Reiki when administered by a qualified Reiki Professional.

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Laura Healingwithspirit, RMA, RMT is a Reiki Master Teacher, Spiritual Medium, Public Speaker, and Teacher with over 15 cumulative years in healthcare with the last 7 years specializing in holistic health. She specialized in using Reiki as an effective treatment option in healing trauma associated with abuse such as domestic abuse, child abuse, and sexual abuse.

Services offered: Medium Readings, Medical Intuitive Readings, Angel, Oracle, and Tarot Readings, Energy Assessments and Healings, Reiki, Yuen, Holistic Health, Stress Reduction, Spiritual and Holistic Health Coaching.

For more about Laura, visit www.healingwithspirit.webs.com