Saturday, April 30, 2011

The Intelligence of Reiki

In the course of a Reiki treatment, I often pick up information about the client which I usually share afterwards. The specifics for each individual can be wildly different from week to week. (If ever we needed proof that we are not the same person moment to moment, here it is!) When something I pick up seems a little far out or illogical (i.e., no history of that with this client), I feel a bit timid about sharing the information. Such was the case with L. recently.

"Weak in the knees," I told her. "I kept hearing that phrase, "weak in the knees."

"Wow," she exclaimed. "My son's been having knee problems. He might need surgery, and it's been on my mind," she explained. "That blows my mind."

When she turned to leave, I realized that with all the attention on the knees, I had almost forgotten what had happened at her head. I called after her:

"Oh, and there was something going on in your sinuses."

She stopped and turned toward me. "You're kidding!" she said, wide-eyed.

I told her about the sinus clearing I felt happening as I worked on her head.

"Okay, now I have to tell you about this morning."

She proceeded to share the details of a distinct yet uncharacteristic sinus event that had taken place a few hours previous at a business meeting. L. found this correspondence of my sensations to her experiences quite remarkable. She walked away shaking her head in amazement.

On another day, it was E.'s brain that was especially prominent in the treatment. The left side felt shriveled and much smaller than the right. This didn't make sense to me, and nothing like it had ever turned up in any of her previous sessions. Still, what I'd sensed was very distinct, so I shared it. The look on her face confirmed it made sense to her. She proceeded to tell me of her son's brain deficits--on the left side--and the current legal struggle they were facing related to his disabilities and circumstances, which she was troubled about.

In each of these cases, was the situation receiving Reiki? the client? or the client's son? Was E. experiencing "sympathetic shrinkage"? Was L. developing weakness in her knees by focusing on her son's weakness? I don't know. Had these questions come up during the treatment, I might have looked or asked for the answers. But what matters in my view is that in all cases, what needed treating got treated.

I love this about Reiki energy: it knows where to go, and goes there. It knew J. had a heaviness in the heart and went there. It rooted out C.'s self loathing and went there. It showed me V.'s High Priest energy, and M.'s eight-year-old self--all in service to the client and what he or she needed at that moment in time.

Recently, not long after the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, P. came for a treatment in Braintree. The music playing during her session, selected by a fellow practitioner, sounded Japanese to me. I thought maybe it had triggered the remarkable experience I had while treating P., so I didn't share it with her. But then she remarked about it as she got up from the table.

"Oh, that music," she said, and touched her heart.

I decided to tell her what had happened. As I treated P., I felt the unbroken link of being--all humanity, all life. It felt very clear and very logical to me, as it was happening, that I was conducting a healing treatment for Japan. I felt the Reiki--concretely and actually, not conceptually or metaphorically--reach the Japanese people and land.

P.'s eyes filled with tears, and she started nodding. "That was my intention when I got on the table," she told me. "I wanted some of this to go to them."

"Well, it did," I said.

And it had. In no uncertain terms, it had. This is the intelligence of Reiki. This is the power of intention, of thought. This is the function of a clear channel. What a beautiful and wonderful thing.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Reiki According to Western Medicine

Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that most everyone can benefit from. It has been found to be effective in helping every known illness, including cancer. It may be used in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote quality of life. Reiki energy is non-invasive and safe.

~ Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University Medical School


Research on various types of energy work has shown that, in addition to deep relaxation, Reiki can promote a reduction in anxiety, muscle tension, and pain, can promote accelerated wound healing, and can promote wellness and a greater sense of well-being. It is useful during illness, after injuries, pre- and post-op, as well as for health promotion.

~ Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT