Alternative and holistic treatment methods are growing in both their presence and popularity, and being utilized as healing tools, supporting both Allopathic Medicine and individual overall wellness.
I wanted to answer a few questions about Reiki and Energy Healing practices. In this blog, I will attempt to provide some of the wisdom I have both studied and gleaned through experience regarding the practices, while also honoring the historical roots of Reiki, what you can expect during an Energy Healing session, and how adding Energy Healing into your personal wellness routine can support you.
Please know, this practice is subjective, and this blog alone is simply offering you a brief perspective and a sharing of knowledge, which is not intended to be conclusive, but to provide you an overview and a deeper understanding of Energy Healing.
To begin discussing Energy Healing, I would like to begin by discussing Reiki, as Reiki is the foundation of my Energy Healing practices, and I hold deep appreciation and reverence of the cultural practices which made possible the now widespread accessibility for all humans to deeply benefit from this healing art and way of life.
Some refer to working with Energy Healing techniques and tools as Energy Medicine. Over time, my own opinion of what Energy Healing consists of has expanded to include any actions and practices that intentionally seek to engage working with the energy of the body to support overall wellness on all levels.
Some Energy Healing practices include Pranic Healing; Qi-Gong; Yoga and Breathwork practices, but also can include Chiropractic care, Acupuncture, and Ayurvedic Treatment and more.
Intuitive development practices, such as engaging in mindfulness, mindful or channeled journalling, and the use of divination tools—Tarot & Oracle cards; understanding your Astrological natal birth chart and exploring the influence of Astrological transits, Human Design, and Ennegram can all be very supportive in cultivating a deeper understanding of how your personal energy is naturally showing up, along with how to work with that energy to your growth and benefit.
Incorporating plant medicine, teas, herbal supplements, working with crystals, aromatherapy, walking in nature, dancing to your favorite music, meditating and engaging your breath, and salt baths are also very supportive ways to engage and work with your energy more intentionally, bringing in vibrations of support through the action step.
The History and Origins of Reiki
Honoring the history of Reiki, often just referred to as Reiki, in it’s original form it was referred to as Usui Reiki, after Dr. Mikao Usui, who is credited as the founder of Reiki. Although, there is some debate as to whether Dr. Usui discovered or rediscovered this healing art. Reiki is the most commonly used modality for energy healing and is probably the most recognizable.
Variations of Reiki have been developed over time, which you may have also heard of, such as: Ryoho; Jikiden; Holy Fire; Kundalini; Seichim/Sekhem Reiki, etc. There's no exact origination date for when Reiki came into being as a healing practice, however many
texts provide a date of the mid-1800s.
Originating in Japan, as with many ancient healing practices, theknowledge and instruction of the practice of Reiki was passed down from Master to Student, verbally through oral instruction, 1:1 training and mentorship. Eventually the student would become the Master, and they would then train and mentor others. The lineage of the healing practice was, and still is, emphasized, as this was a reflection of the integrity of the student and the sacred knowledge being cared for.
A written record of the practice and healing art of Reiki followed years later with contributions
added from Masters of the Usui Lineage. Madam Hawayo Takata is credited with bringing Reiki to the West. She was an American, born of Japanese heritage, and after her own healing and years of mentorship in Japan, became a Reiki master in 1938. She is revered for allowing Reiki to flourish, not only in the Western Hemisphere, but across the globe, as she created greater accessibility for others to learn Reiki.
It is understood that Energy Healing practices originated in other areas of the world as well, such as Egypt, India, Germany, Celtic lands, Mayan culture, and within indigenous tribes all throughout the World. All are similarly believed to be verbally taught and learned through mentorship passed down from Elders, as these practices originated before written text. One of the miracles of Reiki, is the written texts, once created, survived. It is believed written texts containing knowledge from other Energy Healing practices were destroyed over time, through war and colonization.
If we break down the word epidemiologically, “Rei” translates to spiritual, Divine Energy, and “Ki” translates to life force, creation energy. So, it's a practice of the merging of Divine, spiritual energy with a person’s life force energy. The merging of this energy during the application of Reiki is understood to bring the recipient into harmony vibrationally, within and without, on all levels of their being: physically/mentally/emotionally/spiritually.
The energy of Reiki seeks to return all energy back into it’s most harmonious state.
It is important to note here that Reiki is Universal and can be applied to all that is found in the natural world in which we live. Reiki can be offered to not only people, but also pets, plants, properties, business entities, circumstances-such as sending Reiki into a relationship, into future plans-such as a work schedule, and can also be sent into past circumstances. Basically, Reiki can be beneficial with all peoples, places, things you encounter throughout your life, so get as creative in your practice as you are inspired to be!
What is the role of the practitioner during an Energy Healing session?
The Energy Healing Practitioner is essentially grounding, evoking Reiki energy through use of symbols, and opening themselves up as a channel for this Universal, Spiritual Energy to flow through their body in order to help balance the life force energy of the recipient. The practitioner will use their hands to work just outside the body, within their auric field, and gentle hand positions on the body. The recipient will typically lie comfortably on a massage table, covered with a blanket, and with their clothing on but their shoes removed.
Whether you are having energy work done to you, working on yourself, or providing energy healing for another, Universal life force energy is being channeled to remove any blockages and to help restore the balance of the energetic flow within the body, which is working with the energetic meridians. Our energetic meridians are a system of channels through which vital energy, or Qi/Ki, flows. Our energy meridians and our autonomic nervous system are related and work together in the body.
(For more information on energy meridians, researching Chinese Medicine is a good place to begin.)
How does Reiki and Energy Healing work?
New and older scientific understandings are beginning to merge, bringing a greater understanding to why Reiki and Energy Healing practices have been effective
and supportive healing modalities used for centuries, and new scientific discoveries are now further validating these ancient techniques.
To begin to understand the mechanics of energy healing, we must think in terms of what we remember learning in science, beginning with everything in this Universe is composed of energy. Energy can be understood through frequency and vibration. The study of physics and quantum physics further helps us understand energy. Entrainment is the tendency of for two objects, in this case particles of energy, to lock into phase with one another seeking to vibrate in harmony.
During Reiki and Energy Healing, this would be the “Rei” energy flowing from the practitioner to entrain with the “Ki” of the recipient, in order to establish vibrational harmony on all levels within and around the recipient. Physics has shown that the tendency during the process of entrainment follows that the particles (of energy) tend to adjust to the strongest vibrating particle, which is Rei(ki).
The science of Epigenetics, newer developments in Neuroscience, and the discovery of the Higgs-Boson particle, all relatively recent, further opens the understanding of how Energy Healing is actually working. We now know that our consciousness is contained/travels in and throughout the water molecules in our body, just like an interconnected electric current. Our thoughts, our emotions, our physical body are all functioning together creating our overall vibratory frequency. The work of Dr. Joe Dispenza and Dr. Bruce Lipton can offer you an idea of just how far reaching the implications of this new information extends into our overall wellbeing, with the potential to be completely life-changing.
The Higgs-Boson particle was discovered through experiments done at the CERN large Hadron Collider. Also referred to as the “God Particle”, as the ability to detect this particle proved the existence of a field of energy, historically referred to as The Etheric Field. This field is a quantum field of energy that flows and connects matter across space and time; timeless and existing everywhere at once, from which all matter is created.
This is the same field of energy that inspired the work of Nikola Tesla and Einstein.
Whether you want to refer to this as the Etheric field, Spirit, the Source of all that is, Creation energy, Pure Love, or as God, it is my belief that this field is composed of “Rei”, Universal Divine Energy.
Mainstream science hasn’t yet fully integrated this knowledge into practice, and many still hold the belief that such a field does not exist, even sometimes referring to it as ‘woo woo’. Thanks to the work of Greg Braden, information about the discovery of the Higgs-Boson particle and how science can now validate the existence of a Spiritual field of omnipresent energy, further validating Energy Healing modalities.
Who can learn and provide Reiki Energy Healing?
In short, we all can. Our aliveness provides us constant and instant access to the Life Force energy always flowing through our bodies. Anyone feeling called to learn these healing techniques can- everyone has that ability to perform it, it's just really a matter of getting attunements, studying and learning the practice of Energy Healing, and, in my personal
opinion, working with a healing mentor to assist the new healer in processing what they are feeling and experiencing during a session with a client, and cultivating how this beautiful healing modality is likely activating their own unique intuitive healing gifts, which I believe we also each carry within us, and the attunements of Reiki often unlocks or amplifies the unique gifts we each carry.
How can Reiki Energy Healing Benefit you?
As previously mentioned, Reiki works to seek balance and harmony within and without, which extends beyond the physical body, but also works to bring improvements to mental and emotional health, and is quite beneficial in times of more focused periods of personal growth, development, and transformation. In practice, I have personally found Energy
Healing to be quite beneficial in working on healing experiences of stress/overwhelm, and trauma.
As such, I believe Reiki and Energy Healing practices to be ongoing self-care healing practices that can be incorporated into daily living, and over time have the ability to significantly shift the quality of a person’s life in a more harmonious way, if they are not already experiencing the harmony they seek. Energy Healing and Reiki meet you exactly where you are right now, bringing you full acceptance, balance, growth, and prosperity, encouraging harmony in all ways!