What is Reiki?
Reiki is a form of Japanese energy healing, in which the practitioner transfers energy to the recipient through the palms of their hands. Written as a traditional Japanese Kanji, the word Reiki is composed of two parts. Rei means Spirit or Higher Power, and Ki refers to life force energy, or the energy that gives us life. The concept of Ki is not unique to Japanese culture, as life force energy is also one of the founding principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
However, for Reiki, Ki refers to the energy channeled by the practitioner during a session. Put together, Rei and Ki means ‘Spiritually Guided Life Force Energy’, however translation to another language often strips the kanji of some essential meanings. The essence of Reiki is an intimate connection to Universal life force energy.
This connection is usually strongest on the side of the practitioner, who acts as a channel during a session.
The practitioner, or ‘Reiki Master,’ goes through a series of attunements and lessons before completing their training. These attunements intimately connect the practitioner to the power of Universal energy. Attunements also allow the practitioner to be a clear channel for the energy. This does not mean that the practitioner is better or more spiritual than the client. Instead, the attunements serve as a way to clear the practitioner of their own spiritual dust, allowing energy to flow through them without becoming polluted.
During a session, the practitioner channels Universal energy to flow through their bodies, eventually exiting through their hands. Because the hands serve as an exit point, Reiki sessions often rely on the ‘laying on of hands’, in which the practitioner either places their hands just above or lightly rests them on the recipient’s body. This connection allows the energy to flow through from practitioner to recipient.
This flow activates the innate healing power of the recipient’s body.
While many Reiki sessions are performed in-person, Reiki can also be performed across space and time. This means that the practitioner does not need to be in the same room, or even the same moment, as the recipient. I will explain this more later, but for now, think of distance Reiki as a form of energetic prayer.
The practitioner is not ‘healing’ the recipient. Instead, the recipient’s body heals itself as a result of exposure to the clarity of Ki energy. Because Universal energy is pure, exposing an ailing patient to the energy creates a healing effect.
The Quantum Connection: A Scientific Perspective
The concept of healing simply by the laying of hands on a person’s body may seem impossible. However, quantum mechanics helps to explain the practice and principles of Reiki.
We know that energy makes up everything around us. Basic chemistry proves this principle: atoms are the building blocks of life, and electrons, neutrons, and protons make up these atoms. These particles are essentially positively or negatively charged energy waves.
Quantum mechanics suggests that particles, the things that make up matter, function as waves, or vibrations. Science has proven that in the presence of stronger or clearer vibrations, lesser or weaker vibrations will be taken over. This means that if you place a strong vibration in the middle of several weaker vibrations, the weaker vibrations will change to match the stronger vibration.
Because of the vibrational nature of the Universe, the application of strong and weak waves as listed above also applies to the most basic building blocks of life. The ability of stronger or clearer vibrations to impact weaker frequencies explains one of the main principles of Reiki. Reiki relies on the idea of Universal energy (in this case the stronger energy) influencing a weaker energy (in this case the recipient’s body). We can see how Reiki echoed the findings of quantum physics long before they were scientifically proven.
Distance Healing Explained
In addition to impacting each other based on their strength, waves can become entangled. This means that particles interact with or change other particles, without needing to be in close proximity. Particle ability to influence other particles regardless of space and time ties into the concept of distance Reiki. During distance Reiki, the practitioner does not need to be in the same room or time as the recipient, and yet the benefits of the Reiki session are still felt.
Although Reiki is just beginning to be studied in a scientific setting, its effects have been anecdotally consistent. Over 200 hospitals in the United States now offer Reiki as a treatment option. In addition, the principles and effects of Reiki also contain concepts similar to the practices included in parapsychology.
To sum up, Reiki is a healing technique in which the practitioner channels energy into the recipient by means of touch, activating the natural healing processes of the patient’s body. Possible benefits from a Reiki session include relieving physical pain and mental distress, including anxiety, depression, and fatigue.
Have you received a Reiki session, and, if so, what was your experience?
