Reiki

What Is Reiki

Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is based on the idea that an unseen life force energy (Ki) flows through all of us and supports our life. If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy. Reiki is a healing technique based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy into the patient by means of touch, to activate the natural healing processes of the patient’s body and restore physical and emotional well-being. The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words – Rei which means, God’s Wisdom or the Higher Power” and Ki which is “life force energy”. So Reiki is actually “spiritually guided life force energy.”

Reiki is a holistic modality. A holistic perspective sees health as a dynamic state of balance with considerable resilience in the overall system. A healthy person can withstand a certain amount of stress and bounce back. This is because the human body’s ability to heal includes various self-regulating mechanisms that maintain overall balance, which is known as homeostasis.

After a person experiences sudden, intense stress or even moderate stress consistently, over a period of time, the body’s ability to regulate itself becomes compromised and health declines. At the simplest level, it appears that Reiki helps lessen the impact of stress, releasing tension from the entire system. Not only does the person move toward his or her own unique balance of body, mind and spirit, but also, the body’s own healing mechanisms often begin functioning more effectively.

A University of Minnesota article said the following about Reiki:

How exactly does Reiki release tension and help the body heal? That question has yet to be answered. Although there is increasing research evidence documenting the effects of Reiki (such as lowered heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones; increased immune strength), we have only broad theories as to what causes these effects or the pathways through which the healing occurs.

The multileveled, rapid response to Reiki suggests a complex process that engages many body systems, simultaneously or in quick succession, shifting the body from domination by the “fight or flight” (stress) response to the relaxation response, and supporting the body’s own healing mechanisms Some researchers theorize that Reiki’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing effect is triggered on a subphysical level, perhaps in what science refers to as the biofield.

What is the biofield?
The biofield is the term medical science has adopted for the intricately layered vibrational energy field that is said to surround and penetrate the physical body