How to relax with the help of reiki

Reiki is an energy therapy with roots in the traditional medicines of Asia. The term comes from the Japanese words “rei”, which means universal, and «ki», the vital energy that flows through all living things and that it is about modulating in therapies such as acupuncture or disciplines such as tai chi.

Reiki practitioners act on this energy placing hands on different parts of the body with the aim of eliminating blockages, supporting healing or promoting relaxation and physical and emotional well-being.

Currently there are more than 30 schools of reiki, but the so-called Usui is the most popular. This system has been spread since 1900 from the teachings of Makao Usui, who is considered the founder of modern reiki.

How is a reiki session?

while reiki can be easily practiced in almost any environment, A regular session takes place in a relaxing environment or in a treatment room with a stretcher, but there is no need to undress, as the therapist does not perform massages or manipulations, just lightly touches or places their hands on the body.

The therapist asks the patient what the problem is or what he expects from the session. You can start with a short meditation and then the therapist asks the patient to lie face up or face down to place their hands on different areas.

While doing it, Focuses on a positive intention or a visualization of the patient with the problem solved, connects with the universal energy (reiki) and directs it to the patient’s body.

The therapist focuses on transmit vital energy to different parts of the body. To carry out this transmission, it is necessary to connect or tune in with the energy, with reiki, which is achieved through meditation and purification of the body.

Then energy can be visualized as a light that condenses in the hands and is sent to the body. Before you start, you can rub your hands together to feel the heat, which is a manifestation of energy.

advanced practitioners they resort to symbols that are given to them by their teachers to activate reiki. Although there are protocols for placing your hands, you can always place them where you intuitively feel necessary.

Both the patient and the therapist they can feel energy in various forms: heat, cold, tingling, vibration, pulsation, or a sensation of floating.

After the session, the therapist and the patient can talk about what they have felt.

How does it work?

Reiki challenges our usual way of thinking, even in the field of natural or complementary therapies. In acupuncture, for example, the needles are inserted into very specific places based on an individualized diagnosis. Medicinal plants or nutritional supplements provide active substances. But how can reiki be beneficial if there is hardly any contact? In fact, the treatment can be done remotely, without therapist and patient meeting face to face.

The practitioners themselves do not give great explanations about the mechanism of action, simply trust the energy and experience shows them that beneficial results are produced.

The training of the therapist consists of learning a series of techniques that allow become a vehicle or channeler of energy and include fasting, meditation, concentration, and control of negative emotions.

High levels of mastery can be achieved, but all people have the capacity to connect with vital energy and use it to take care of loved ones and oneself.

how to do reiki yourself

You can practice the following self-treatment sequence once or twice a day, whether you are healthy or suffering from any ailment.

The following practice will take about 20 minutes. You can do it sitting, lying on a sofa, in bed or on a mat, with a cushion under your head and another under your knees.

Before you begin, remember that reiki is the universal life force that is everywhere and supports the body’s natural healing abilities.

Close your eyes, relax your body and mind. She breathes naturally and places her hands in the different positions, holding each one for two minutes. You can lengthen or shorten the times according to your feelings. Gently place both hands over the eyes, without covering the nose. Breathe easily while consciously relaxing the muscles of the forehead, face, and eyes. Place your hands on your temples and relax your jaws. Place your right hand on your throat and your left hand on your heart. Relax all the muscles in the area and feel how they are filled with energy. Bring your hands to your abdomen with your middle fingers lightly touching each other. Move your hands down about 10 cm to place them on your stomach. Place your hands on your kidneys and relax your lower back musculature. Gently place your hands on the balls of your feet. To facilitate this position, you can sit down and cross your legs. At any time you can freely place your hands in other places that you feel tense or that you think need it.

Scientific evidence of the effectiveness of reiki

Although current science does not understand the mechanism of action, a good number of scientific studies have been published that have proven the effects of reiki.

These studies, together with the absence of risks, which do not replace any medical treatment and that there are volunteers who perform it free of charge, have made it possible for some public and private hospitals to allow therapists to enter for care for patients who request it.

In other cases, nurses and nurses with reiki training offer the patient the possibility of discreetly carrying out a session.

From a scientific point of view, the benefits can be derived from the physiological relaxation response, that favors the function of the immune system and the relief of physical and mental tensions.

Effects on the heart and mood

Rachel Lampert, a doctor and professor of medicine at Yale University, conducted a study with 37 patients who had recently suffered a heart attack.

The patients were randomly assigned into three groups: participants who simply rested, those who received a single reiki session from a nurse, and those who listened to soothing music.

The researchers measured the activity of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates heartbeat, breathing, blood pressure and digestion, and found that patients who had received reiki showed the best results in the measure of heart rate variability, an indicator of good prognosis for a heart attack patient.

In addition, the reiki treatment was associated with an improvement in mood (greater feelings of happiness, relaxation, and calm). The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Relieves anxiety and pain

Another study carried out by researchers from the prestigious Harvard University and published by the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine followed 99 patients to determine the effects of a single reiki session and found Significant improvements in symptoms of anxiety, pain, and nausea.

It also helps with depression and insomnia. A study published in the Indian Journal of Positive Psychology showed that women who had received reiki treatment twice a week for 10 weeks symptoms of depression and sleep quality improved.

Other research indicates that Reiki relieves pain after knee surgeries and cesarean sections, in cases of musculoskeletal injury, rheumatoid arthritis, or patients undergoing cancer treatment.

One of these investigations, published in the European Journal of Integrative Medicine, demonstrated that the benefits do not occur to the same extent in simulated reiki sessions, in which the therapist does not focus on an intention or follow the established protocols for the placement of the hands.