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on 31/10/2022 When we’ve had an anxious or tiring week, we usually book a spa session for the weekend, but have you considered Reiki? Reiki healing is a powerful way to feel better and reduce your stress with minimal effort on your part. Continue reading to learn the benefits of Reiki and how it’s performed.
What is Reiki and what are its Benefits?
The art of Reiki (pronounced ray-kee) is a spiritual healing practice originating from Japan, with it literally meaning universal (rei) life energy (ki) in Japanese. The practice was founded by Mikao Usui in the early 20th century and has been passed through generations of Reiki Grandmasters to become the Reiki that we know today.
Reiki uses an energy-based healing that improves the health and quality of life of an individual. It requires the practitioner to channel the universal healing energy and transmit to the client through a series of hand positions on, or above, the body. This process affects the energy fields around the body and unblocks any stoppages of energy.
The most compelling evidence for the benefits of Reiki come from personal anecdotes of individuals who have experienced immense healing. It is not for nothing that Reiki is now a part of treatment in hospitals and healthcare facilities globally.
Reiki healing can be used to help with a wide variety of illnesses and conditions stemming from any kind of physical, mental, or spiritual issues. As an alternative therapy, the effects of Reiki may not be the same for any two individuals, but it usually offers a warm and deep relaxation. With 4 of its greatest benefits being:
1. Alleviating Pain
Reiki has been found to be effective in alleviating patients of pain, fatigue, and anxiety. However, while randomized studies have found consistent results in this, science has been unable to find consistent cause. One of the leading beliefs being that Reiki helps reduce the emotional aspect of pain, in turn helping reduce our stress and tension throughout our body.
2. Lowering Blood Pressure
While Reiki is incredibly relaxing, results have found that its not just the atmosphere. Reiki has been found to reduce our blood pressure significantly when compared to other treatments. This in turn helps to fight off heart problems, ensuring a long and healhty life.
3. Improving Mental Health
For those suffering from depression and other such mental health problems, Reiki has been found a solid approach to helping improve mental health. By helping provide more energy to their entirety, patients are better able to maintain positive moods, often reporting back better mental states.
4. Reducing Negative Side-effects of Long-term Treatments
Perhaps one of its most useful benefits is as a complementary medicine. Due to its non-invasive nature, Reiki is perfect as a low-investment partner to more effective but risky treatments. As such, Reiki can help fight off the often common side-effects from traditional treatment such as tension, insomnia, and headaches.
What are the Long-term Benefits of Reiki?
If done for prolonged periods of time persistently, Reiki can be great at reducing stress and alleviating symptoms. By doing so, Reiki can help fight off health and heart problems that would otherwise have been sure to negatively impact your life.
How long do the Effects of a Reiki Session Last?
While the effects of a Reiki session on you will ultimately vary from person to person. Some accounts seem to describe benefits as lasting for days, others months, and some even longer. The biggest factor on its long lasting effects seeming to be the person’s lifestyle. With patients living more stressful lives seeming to report shorter periods of effect over others.
How does Reiki Affect You?
Reiki is a form of therapy which is natural in every sense. It has no religious affiliations or background and is available to everyone. Reiki is also a form with very mixed results, patients often reporting different levels of effectiveness depending on their receptiveness to the treatment.
However as a complementary form of treatment Reiki is incredibly gentle and non-invasive. Reiki offers only the benefits of feelings of wellbeing and relaxation without any risk or concerns. The only concern may be for individuals with past trauma if they are uncomfortable lying in a room with a stranger. With no case for any negative side-effects, there is little reason not to at least try Reiki and see how it affects you.
Remember, Reiki is not meant to replace any medical treatment plan but be used in conjunction with other traditional forms of medicine. It is always advised to consult your doctor when planning to use Reiki for healing purposes and to aid with any medical conditions. You may also use it alongside other complementary treatments such as acupuncture or massage.
What should I expect during a Reiki Healing session?
For your first session you will spend some time with the practitioner to discuss the process as well as your expectations or intentions. At this time, you should inform them about any medical conditions you want addressed or if there are particular places in your body that require attention. Highlight any injuries or places that are sensitive to touch.
A typical Reiki session will proceed as follows:
- You will lie on a Reiki table or chair for the treatment. You may even be covered with a blanket.
- The practitioner usually plays soft, soothing music but it can also be performed in silence. Sometimes the practitioner may use crystals to help harness the energy.
- The practitioner places their hands on or above your body, focusing on your head, shoulders, stomach, and feet for approximately 3 to 10 minutes each.
- You may experience a sense of warmth or cold, a tingling, some twitching, or a rumbling tummy.
A complete Reiki session can last from 60 to 90 minutes and involves minimal talking. Just relax and let the healing energies take over.
In addition to the above, you may experience other sensations. Do not attach meaning to whatever arises: simply observe and allow it to pass. The depth of your experiences increase as you attend more sessions and relax into the process. It is pleasant to receive and people often report a deep feeling of relaxation and calm as the main benefits of Reiki.
Can I learn Reiki healing?
Those looking to learn Reiki must go through an attunement process. This is usually done by a Reiki Master who has attuned to Level Three, the highest possible level of Reiki. The attunement process is necessary to open up your body to receive and accept the universal healing energy and it is something that stays with you for the rest of your life.
There are three levels in Reiki and you can choose how far you want to learn. There are many courses across Australia to provide you with the training. A course typically lasts around eight hours.
Once you have completed Level Three, you become a Reiki Master. You do not require any health board licenses to be certified of the same and are free to study and practice Reiki as you see fit.
Do not rush through the sessions. Allow some time between each course to gain some experience and refine your skills. Once done, you are free to perform Reiki on other people, plants, animals, and even yourself.
Where to Start Looking?
If you’re considering trying a Reiki treatment, then you need to find a suitable Reiki professional. A professional will have attuned to at least the second level of a Reiki and be properly insured. They must be adept with first aid skills and be members of a professional Reiki association.
Remember that Reiki is not a treatment for medical conditions; it is at best a complementary alternative therapy. Avoid practitioners who claim that Reiki will cure serious disesases and never be afraid to ask for their credentials or proof of professional association membership
If you’re unsure where to start, then Avaana has you covered. Avaana can help you compare and contrast your local Reiki practitioners. Book with Avaana today, and even get up to 20% off your first booking!
Be well, feel good and smile a lot!
