Reiki – experience the universal energy and lifeforce for relaxation and healing of pain, anxiety and depression
Reiki is a complementary health approach in which practitioners place their hands lightly on or just above a person, to direct energy and help facilitate the person’s own healing response. It’s based on an Eastern belief in an energy that supports the body’s innate or natural healing abilities.
Reiki was developed in Japan by Mikao Usui in the 1920s. The term comes from two Japanese words: “Rei,” which means universal, and “ki,” which loosely translates to a lifeforce of energy.
Reiki has been studied for conditions like pain, anxiety, and depression. It’s a complementary treatment, which means you use it along with proven traditional medical treatments. It doesn’t cure or get rid of any health conditions by itself. There are no known side-effects and it is completely safe.
How Does Reiki Work?
You lie on a massage table, fully dressed, while a practitioner places their palms on or just over different body parts that are thought to be hubs for energy. The practitioner positions their hands in up to 15 different ways. They decide how long to leave their palms in each spot based on the flow of energy that they perceive they’re feeling through their hands.
Even though you’re resting on a massage table, the practitioner isn’t giving a massage, using pressure, or manipulating your joints. They’re simply using gentle touch at most.
You might feel sensations like heat, tingling, or pulsing where their hands are, or throughout your body. Or you might not notice any changes. Some people get so relaxed that they fall asleep.
A Reiki session usually lasts about 50 minutes. Cost of session $100.
Does Reiki Help With Anxiety?
It might. A review of studies found that hands-on Reiki was better than a placebo (a “fake” treatment that researchers use to compare with results of a real treatment in a study) at doing things like lowering resting heart rate and blood pressure. The researchers said that Reiki has also been found to be more effective than placebo at easing anxiety, pain, and depression and at boosting quality of life and self-esteem in people with long-term health conditions.
If you’re getting Reiki for a health condition, you’ll still need to follow your treatment and see your doctor like you usually do. Reiki doesn’t replace your regular medical care. It is complementary.
