Questions About Reiki
This page features some common questions and answers about Reiki.
About Reiki
1. What is Reiki?
Reiki is a gentle, non-invasive, hands-on method of energy transfer. Energy flows through the hands of the practitioner into the body of the person being treated. It harmonizes and optimizes body/mind processes.
Reiki is a simple technique developed early in the 20th century by Dr. Mikao Usui. While on a meditation retreat on Mt Kurama, a holy mountain in Japan, Dr Usui became aware of Reiki energy and discovered that it enhanced his healing abilities. The term comes from two Japanese words, “Rei,” meaning “universal,”, and “Ki,” or “life force energy.” Reiki can be loosely translated as “universal life-force energy.”
2. How does Reiki work?
Reiki works by increasing the “life force energy” that flows through us and around us and causes us to be alive. The life force is responsive to our thoughts or feelings, and can become disrupted and diminished by negative thoughts or feelings, especially about ourselves. If this energy is low we are at greater risk of becoming sick or stressed. If our life force energy is high we are more likely to be happy and healthy.
Reiki provides a positive boost of “ki,” which raises the energy field’s vibratory level in and around the negatively affected areas of the body, causing negative energy to dissipate and fall away. Thus, Reiki restores the healthy, natural flow of the life force.
3. Is Reiki a religious practice?
Reiki is not a religion. It is a philosophy of care that teaches practitioners to relate to a person’s core or essence rather than their personality; to listen without passing judgment, to be willing not to know or understand the “why’s” underlying a patient’s symptoms; and not to view a patient’s response to Reiki treatment as a personal achievement. The practitioner provides a conduit for the universal life-force energy but does not control the process.
Dr. Usui taught his students 5 precepts:
Just for today, do not worry.
Just for today, do not anger.
Honor your parents, teachers, and elders.
Earn your living honestly.
Show gratitude to every living thing.
Private Reiki Sessions
1. What happens when you receive Reiki treatment?
A Reiki treatment typically lasts 90 minutes. Clients remain fully clothed and usually lie on a massage table. The practitioner may first perform an assessment of the client’s condition or may begin Reiki immediately. The procedure consists of the practitioner placing his or her hands on or directly above a number of positions on the client’s head, torso, and feet. Reiki does not involve massage or the application of pressure.
Reiki energy flows through the practitioner before leaving the hands and flowing into the client. The process provides treatment to both the client and the practitioner. The practitioner may gain insights about what the client needs to know to heal more completely.
The experience of Reiki treatment is unique for every individual. A feeling of deep relaxation is virtually universal. People receiving Reiki treatment feel a radiant glow that flows through and around them. Body, emotions, mind, and spirit are all affected, bringing about a sense of serenity, security, and well-being. Some people may have visions or out-of-body or other mystical experiences. Paradoxical feelings of being relaxed and alert, detached while having enhanced clarity, and vulnerable yet safe are common.
2. Is Reiki safe?
Since Reiki is completely benign and noninvasive, the effects are entirely beneficial. Because the flow of Ki is actually guided by a higher power rather than the practitioner, it always knows what the individual needs, and makes adjustments accordingly. Reiki helps to remove unhealthy thoughts or feeling from the unconscious mind/body, thereby restoring a healthy flow of Ki.
The immediate effects of Reiki treatment are usually a feeling of spiritual uplift and goodwill. Sometimes, toxins that have been stored in the body may be released to the bloodstream and circulate through the body before being removed through the liver or kidneys. This cleansing process may cause one to have a headache or stomach ache or feel weak. Drinking more water, eating lighter meals, and getting plenty of rest can help reduce discomfort.
3. Does Reiki replace conventional medicine?
Reiki has been shown to help improve general well-being and can be beneficial in the treatment of virtually any medical or psychological problem, including headache, anxiety, heart disease, cancer, and epilepsy. Patients requiring treatment for medical or psychological conditions should work with licensed healthcare providers while they receive Reiki. Reiki treatment works in conjunction with conventional medicine, and has been shown to enhance the benefits of psychotherapy, surgery, and drugs.
Increasingly, Reiki is offered as a part of integrated care at hospitals and other healthcare facilities. For example, at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Reiki has been used successfully to help control disease symptoms and treatment side effects including pain, anxiety, nausea, and sleep disturbance. In addition, Reiki has helped long-term cancer survivors achieve a more positive self-image, and has helped patients with terminal disease to achieve serenity. Reiki has also helped relieve the stress and emotional burden experienced by those caring for seriously ill family members.
Learning Reiki
1. How does one learn Reiki?
Anyone can learn to practice Reiki. No special skills, prior experience, or educational degrees are required. Reiki is not “taught,” but rather is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. Through a series of “attunements” administered by a Reiki master, the flow of Reiki energy within the student is enhanced, which allows the student to then facilitate the flow of Reiki energy to others.
2. What are the levels of Reiki?
In the lineage of Mrs. Hawayo Takata, who brought Reiki to the United States from Japan, reiki training consists of three levels, designated Level 1, Level 2, and the Master/Instructor Level. The NYC Reiki Center strictly follows the teachings of Mrs. Takata, as it is through her direct lineage that we were trained. And we teach our Reiki courses almost word-for-word as they were passed down to us through her lineage, following the oral tradition of Japan.
3. When are classes taught?
The NYC Reiki Center offers classes and workshops throughout the year. Please check our class schedule page for a listing of upcoming classes and workshops.
