What is Reiki?
Reiki is a soothing, yet powerful system of healing with a basis in eastern practices and teachings. It consists of a series of gentle, non-intrusive touches through which the practitioner channels healing energy into the recipient at a deep level. It is not a New Age practice or religion.
Reiki is a Japanese word. The Japanese script, known as Kanji, can be translated in several different ways. The most simple and direct translation given by Mrs. Hawayo Takata who introduced Reiki to the West, is "Universal Life Force". Rei = universal, Ki = life force.
There are also other translations with slightly different nuances. The kanji symbol for "Rei" can also be translated to mean something pure, goodness, the divine. "Ki" can also be interpreted to mean the heart, mind, spirit, or life giving energy. Each combination of these translations has a slightly different emphasis, and it is generally accepted that the most simple translation is Universal Life Force.
In eastern teachings Ki, or Chi as it is also known, is the energy that is the source of all life. When something is alive it has energy flowing through it, when something dies this energy leaves. Eastern teachings state that when Ki is flowing freely we are less vulnerable to illness, when Ki energy is blocked or slowed we are more likely to become ill.
Reiki treatments allow pure Reiki energy, or Universal Life Force, to be channelled through the practitioner's hands, to a person's areas of need to help rejuvenate their flow of Ki. In doing so Reiki promotes deep healing at all levels of a person's being.
A Short History of Reiki
The modern use of Reiki was rediscovered and developed in Japan by Mikao Usui at the end of the nineteenth century.Mikao Usui was born in the village of Taniai-mura, now known as Miyama-cho, in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, on August 15th 1865. He grew up in a Tendai Buddhist family with a sister and two brothers. It is known that Mikao Usui trained in martial arts from childhood. One martial art he studied was Kiko, an eastern practice involving the development of increased levels of Ki energy within the body. Kiko is the Japanese version of the Chinese practice known as Chi-Gung.
Throughout his life Mikao Usui was known to have been extremely interested in healing practises, studying intensely. He found that many healing methods depleted the practitioner's life energy levels and he wanted to explore the possibility of being able to do healing work without diminishing a person's own supply of life energy. It was during a 21 day period of intense meditation, known as Isyu Guo sponsored by the Tendai Buddhist Temple on Mount Kurana in Japan, that Mikao Usui received the knowledge and ability to channel Reiki.
Mikao Usui went on to train approximately 2000 people in the use and practice of Reiki before his death in March 1926.
Do not worry, and be filled with gratitude
Devote yourself to your work. Be kind to people.
Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer.
Pray these words to your heart
And chant these words with your mouth.
Reiki Training: Learning the Reiki Path for Personal Growth
Everyone has the ability to learn to use Reiki. It requires a desire to follow a path of personal growth and spiritual development. The first step in the process is Attunement to Reiki at Level 1.At this level I will guide you through the basics of Reiki practice and teachings. I will perform a ceremony designed to open your being to channel Reiki energy. This ceremony is known as an Attunement. It is not possible to learn how to channel Reiki from books. A person has to undergo an attunement performed by a Reiki Master Teacher.
Once the attunement has been completed it cannot be undone. You will always be able to channel Reiki energy as a result of the attunement.
One of the results of an attunement can be what is known as a "healing response". The intensity of a healing response differs from person to person. Some clients have physical symptoms as part of their healing response, and others emotional symptoms.
The healing response happens as a result of your body undergoing intense clearing as a result of the Reiki energy flowing through you. In the days and weeks following an attunement the Reiki energy works intensely to clear energy blockages. Usually, the higher the level of attunement, the more severe the healing response. I advise clients to allow roughly 30 days following an attunement to involve a period of intense healing.
A Reiki student can choose to study Reiki at 4 different levels:
Level 1: At this level a student is able to give self-treatments and treatments to family members and friends.
Level 2, Practitioner: At this level a student is introduced to further aspects of healing work, including distant healing.
Level 3A, Master Healer: At this level a student is able to strengthen their connection to Reiki, making a lifelong commitment to their own spiritual journey.
Level 3B, Master Teacher: At this level a student has made the highest level of commitment to their Reiki journey and is able to teach and attune others.
Reiki Level 1 Attunement - £100
A full day's session held in my treatment room. From 10am - 4.30pm.The day includes:
Meditation session. The History of Reiki, What Makes a Reiki Healer, The Reiki Principles, How Reiki Works, The Chakra System, Contra-indications, Preparing for Treatment, Cleansing Your Healing Space, The Treatment, Taking Care of Yourself, Hand Positions for Self-Healing, Hand Positions for Whole Body Healing, The Attunement. Reiki 1 Certificate and Manual, including details of recommended reading. On-going support is always provided in the weeks following training.
Reiki Level 2 Attunement - £150
A full day's session held in my treatment room. From 10am - 4.30pm.The day includes:
Meditation session. Discussion on healing since attunement at Level 1, your experiences using Reiki for self-treatments and treatments of others, and the spiritual aspects of your journey. Further healing techniques and energy awareness work - including practical work sensing energy blockages. Question and answer session. Further short meditation in preparation for attunement ceremony. The attunement. Introducing the Reiki symbols, how to draw and use the symbols. Distant healing. Sending energy into the future, sending energy into the past. The use of Reiji Ho and Byosen Ho. Sensations and feedback, clearing your healing space before and after treatment, purification ritual. Reiki Level 2 certificate and manual including details of further recommended reading and self-study. On-going support is always provided in the weeks following training.
Reiki Level 3A Attunement/Master Healer - £200
Attunements are available at this level. Please call for course details and dates.Reiki Level 3B Attunement/Master Teacher - £200
Attunements are available at this level. Please call for course details and dates.
Reiki and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(C.F.S.)/M.E. is a disabling, debilitating condition, classified by the World Health Organisation as a neurological disease. Previously dismissed by many to be a "psychiatric paradigm", C.F.S./M.E. has now been proven to be a "genuine biomedical disease entity" (International Research Round-Up from I.A.C.F.S, Florida, Interaction, Issue 59, March 2007). Genetic studies show considerable differences in the gene expression and mitochondrial responses of C.F.S. patients compared to people without C.F.S.Having lived with the illness for 12 years I have first hand experience of the difficulties and tremendous physical limitations imposed on those who live with it.
I understand that each individual has to find what suits them best and am not proposing a cure for M.E. My aim in writing this is to offer what help I can to others who have been diagnosed with the condition. I have found Reiki invaluable in the long term management of the symptoms of M.E.
Reiki is a holistic system of healing, which means it works on the body at all levels, physically, emotionally and spiritually, all at the same time.
Reiki offers a gentle, balanced approach to supporting an already depleted and struggling physical system. Daily treatments allow the body time to work on healing itself. The deep relaxation brought about during treatments promotes better, more satisfying sleep, and as a result the body has the opportunity to again rest and heal itself. Daily Reiki treatments can help in the management of the chronic pain associated with Fibromyalgia. Reiki also provides relief from mental fatigue and the brain fog associated with M.E.
Reiki supports on an emotional level at a time when you are probably at your most vulnerable. M.E. forces big changes both within the family and on a professional level. Many people are forced to leave work, and a lot of changes often take place personally as a result of a drop in income and the inevitable strains on relationships. I know that I felt very much as if everything I knew and had worked hard for was being stripped away, and I lived with a huge sense of loss as a result. The deep relaxation induced during the Reiki treatments allowed me to take some time out from the worry and fears I encountered as a result of M.E. Reiki supports the grieving process, promoting the release of emotional tension.
Most importantly, Reiki provides a deep sense of well-being.
Going for an initial Reiki treatment is a great way to begin. A treatment from a Reiki practitioner experienced working with clients with M.E. will provide a gentle introduction to Reiki. You can then decide if you would like to try a short course of treatments to help manage your specific range of symptoms. Then, if you find that Reiki has been beneficial for you, you can consider being attuned to Reiki at Level 1. For me, it has been the ability to give myself treatments on a daily basis that has made the most significant difference to the long term management of the symptoms of the illness.
If you would like more information on Reiki and M.E. or are looking for a Reiki practitioner in your area, please feel free to contact me without obligation. I am happy to help.
Reiki as a Support to Those on the Autistic Spectrum and to Those with Learning Differences
In my work as a Reiki Master I have spent time working with clients with autism and learning differences and their carers. I give sensitive, gentle, soothing Reiki treatments specifically designed to help promote relaxation and rest without causing any further anxiety or distress to clients who would otherwise find new situations and encounters with "new" people uncomfortable and difficult.People with autism and /or learning differences often have difficulty understanding and making sense of social situations, social interactions, and their surroundings. As a result, many find the world a frightening and confusing place. To help them make sense of this they develop patterns of behaviour which add a routine and structure to what would otherwise be a terrifying world. Some prefer to maintain a distance between themselves and others and do not like to be touched. Many people with autism and/or learning differences live with very high levels of anxiety, and yet are not able to understand and learn many of the techniques available to aid with relaxation.
There is a wide variety of techiniques available to aid with relaxation. I am involved in using meditation, breathing and visualisation techniques alongside Reiki to help provide a means by which clients can have relief from their own particular anxieties. However, all of these techniques rely on a client's understanding, learning and being able to put into practise specific actions in order for them to benefit.
Reiki is different. It is a completely passive therapy. All that is required is a willingness to sit with the therapist.
Reiki sessions provide a means by which people with autism and/or learning differences can enjoy deep relaxation and have relief from high levels of anxiety, without having to learn and put into practise any specific technique.
Permission is sought from the client, their support team and the client's G.P. before treatments commence, and relevant consent forms are signed. Consultation notes are completed after each treatment, and written progress reports are given to each client and their support team in order to monitor each client's progress.
Each of the sessions is client-led. Each client chooses whether they would like a treatment, and leaves when they feel they want to. Each client is treated in their own home, sitting in a comfortable chair, supported with cushions and blankets. Treatments are generally given through the client's hands. Some clients are treated through the arms/ head and shoulders, but only after a number of treatments and only when they feel completely comfortable and trusting of me. Gentle music is played. Each client's support worker is present during their treatment. Feedback is given to each client before, during and after each treatment, and support workers are informed of each client's progress.
Clients with autism and learning differences have seen great benefits from their treatments. Some of these benefits include improved sleep patterns, improved ability to relax, an increase in tolerance towards friends and peers, an increase in the desire to express emotion through laughter, an increase in curiosity towards friends and peers.
All of my clients with autism request further treatments. Those who are not able to verbalise their request smile when they see me and offer me their hands. Most of my clients have become extremely tactile towards me, offering their hands without request and reaching out to be touched.
Due to my work as a teacher I have been fully CRB checked a number of times. I have recently undergone a further CRB check to update my files.
I am available to work with organisations or charities supporting people with autism and/or learning differences. If you would like further information regarding Reiki as a support to those with autism and/or those with learning differences, please contact me. I am very happy to help.
