What is Reiki and How Does It Work

Learn the history of Reiki, how reiki healing works and discover how it may be able to help you heal and grow.

What is Reiki

Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique. The predominant form of reiki practiced throughout the world today, also known as Usui reiki, was created by Dr. Mikao Usui in the early 20th century. It’s a complementary or alternative health approach. Reiki does not directly cure diseases or illnesses. Instead, it’s used to manage symptoms and improve general well-being.

During a reiki session, the practitioner places their hands either directly on you or just above you to bring about healing. The belief is that the practitioner is able to stimulate your body’s natural healing abilities.

History of Reiki

Reiki practiced in the United States today was developed by the Buddhist priest Mikao Usui (known as Usui-Sensei) in the 1920s, according to the International Association of reiki professionals. An International Center for Reiki Training report notes that there is evidence other styles of Reiki were practiced in Japan before Usui created his style, known as Usui Reiki, but these earlier styles weren’t widely known.

After three weeks of fasting and meditation on Mount Kurama, a sacred mountain north of Kyoto, Japan, Usui claimed to have first experienced feeling Reiki energy. Though Usui had been starving and near death from fasting, the burst of intense healing energy gave him a sense of vitality and awareness that he’d never felt before. Shortly after his experience, Usui opened a clinic in Tokyo to practice the healing technique.

After this, Hawayo Takata, a Japanese-Hawaiian Reiki master, began teaching Usui’s modality in Hawaii in the 1930s, and it travelled to the rest of the United States in the 1970s. 

As early as the mid-1990s, physicians, nurses, and other medical staff who had learned Reiki began using the technique in hospitals around the United States, and Reiki continues to expand as more and more people experience benefits from it,  Today, Reiki is used in both hospital inpatient and outpatient settings as a complementary therapy for surgery, cancer, and AIDS.

How Does Reiki Work

As Reiki becomes a more common healing modality in our society, many people wonder exactly what it is, how it works, and what evidence exists to show its effectiveness. 

Reiki works by tapping into the human body’s electrical and magnetic fields. Our heartbeat is regulated by an electrical field that can be measured by an ECG or EKG, our brain produces a lower-level electrical field, and every cell in our body creates small amounts of electricity which contribute to a magnetic field, due to the positive and negative charges of the outer and inner cell walls. When you go to get an MRI scan, the internal mechanism producing the images of soft tissue is your body’s magnetic field.

The job of a Reiki practitioner is to harness the client’s energy field and help move energy throughout the body to alleviate stuck points or energy blockages. Practitioners don’t cause the healing, they simply serve as a channel for the energy to move in the client. Many clients report feeling great relaxation and a release of tension through Reiki.  

5 Benefits of Reiki Healing

1. Relieves pain, anxiety, and fatigue

Reiki may help to reduce pain and anxiety, though more research is needed. It may also help to reduce fatigue.

A 2015 study  found that people being treated for cancer who received distant reiki in addition to regular medical care had lower levels of pain, anxiety, and fatigue. These levels were significantly lower than the control group, who only received medical care. Participants had 30-minute sessions of distant reiki for five days.

In another  2015 study ,researchers looked at the effects of reiki on women following cesarean delivery. They found that reiki significantly reduced pain, anxiety, and the breathing rate in women 1-2 days after having a cesarean delivery. The need for and number of analgesic painkillers was also reduced. Reiki didn’t have an effect on blood pressure or pulse rate.

2. Treats depression

Reiki treatments may be used as part of a treatment plan to help relieve depression.  Researchers looked at the effects of reiki on older adults experiencing pain, depression, or anxiety. The participants reported an improvement of their physical symptoms, mood, and well-being. They also reported more feelings of relaxation, increased curiosity, and enhanced levels of self-care.

Larger, more in-depth studies are required to expand upon these findings.

3. Enhances quality of life

The positive benefits of reiki can enhance your overall well-being. Researchers  found that reiki was helpful in improving the quality of life for women with cancer. Women who had reiki showed improvements to their sleep patterns, self-confidence, and depression levels. They noted a sense of calm, inner peace, and relaxation.

Larger studies are needed to expand on these findings.

4. Boosts mood

Reiki may help to improve your mood by relieving anxiety and depression. According to results from a  study , people who had reiki felt greater mood benefits compared to people who didn’t have reiki. The study participants who had six 30-minute sessions over a period of two to eight weeks showed improvements in their mood.

5. May improve some symptoms and conditions

Reiki may also be used to treat:

• headache

• tension

• insomnia

• nausea

The relaxation response that happens with Reiki may benefit these symptoms. However, specific research is needed to determine the efficacy of reiki for the treatment of these symptoms and conditions.

Looking To Try Reiki in Santa Monica?

Book a session at our studio in Santa Monica or at your private home. Contact us to learn more.