Reiki: A Journey of Healing

Almost thirty years ago, I was encouraged by a close friend of mine to attend a Reiki training. When I asked her why and what it was about, she simply said, “Just go. I know it is right up your alley.” I had no idea what she was talking about, but I trusted her judgment about what would be good for me. I registered with some anxious anticipation and went to my first weekend training in Reiki.

Little did I know that it would be the beginning of a journey in appreciating and working with energy that I had heretofore intuitively sensed, but had not had the language to talk about.

The training was given by someone who would become a longtime mentor and friend. It was a combination of becoming attuned to the body and being attuned to the energy that is both in and around us. It was an initiation into a lineage of teachers who had passed down their knowledge of how to help balance the body’s energy by connecting it to the Universal Life Force (Reiki). It is believed that by doing so, many physical, emotional or spiritual issues can be mitigated, sometimes even helping them to disappear.

I am a generally skeptical, yet paradoxically curious and open person. While I am attracted to new ways of understanding how the mind and body work, I can become critical and search for the hidden "Achilles heel" of any particular process. I listened to my teacher, noting her buoyant enthusiasm all the while challenging us: “Don’t believe me, just listen to your own body and judge for yourself.”

via Unsplash

What is Reiki?

Reiki is the laying on of hands to transmit energy. It is a humble practice that reminds us that the healing energy comes through us, not from us; we are simply the conduits. When we focus the energy on the person with whom we are working, it will move to the source of imbalance. This may be body, mind or spirit.

We don’t have to know where the imbalance is, so there is no pressure to “fix” anything. We were reminded dozens of times to let go of our ego and to “trust the Energy.” Our innate wisdom would open the body to where it is needed. Since there is no distinction between body, mind and spirit, symptoms in one area could actually be a reflection of an imbalance in another. We are becoming ever more aware of this truth today.

My Experience of Body-Mind Connection

In my own life, overly optimistic ideas about my responsibility to keep everyone in my family happy led to chronic Vertigo. When I realized the source of the dizziness and began to slowly let go of the pressure of people-pleasing, my Vertigo was resolved, almost miraculously. What I came to appreciate was how my body developed just the right symptom, dizziness, to teach me what needed to change in my life in order to regain my equilibrium. 

via News Medical

Another companion symptom was chronic back pain, like that which my father suffered from. I had often wondered if it was an unconscious way of staying connected to him and to honor the suffering he had in his life. It literally felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, just as he did. When Josephine, our Reiki teacher, asked for a volunteer to demonstrate where to place our hands on the back positions, I jumped at the opportunity to check out the legitimacy and effectiveness of Reiki. She put her hands on my back and began talking about what organs the positions were targeting.

As she did this, I relaxed into a semi-aware state. I began to feel like I was floating. Then, quite surprisingly, my back clicked almost as if I were in physical therapy. The relief was instantaneous; I was a believer in something quite simple, but remarkable. 

Another unexpected byproduct of the weekend was a strong sense of courage—a trait that was not my signature quality. By the end of the weekend, I had decided to quit my job without any clear ideas about future plans. I felt confident that it was the right decision. Looking back, I realize it was a defining moment in my life that put me on a path of trusting the Energy and, as Josephine often reminded us, “not to worry.”

My Reiki Experience with Others

I have been practicing Reiki for over 30 years now. I have offered it to clients who were overwhelmed with anxiety and grief, given it to family and friends who were suffering from medical, relational or emotional issues, and used it for myself to put me in right relationship with myself, others and God. Our teacher gave many examples of how Reiki could be used and how it can help heal our burdens; there are three particular cases that stand out from my own practice.

One was a friend who had to undergo chemotherapy for breast cancer. She was terrified of the side effects, so I offered Reiki before and after her treatments. She was convinced that it helped control her nausea and gave her the courage to go on.

Another was a man who was referred to me because of behavior that had seriously harmed a younger family member. He suffered tremendous guilt and remorse and worked hard to understand his own fall from grace and how it had disillusioned his beloved family who had looked up to him. Despite all his work, he could not forgive himself.

Soon after he completed therapy, he developed incurable cancer and suffered great pain. I visited him in the hospital and offered Reiki, which he gladly accepted. Though he mostly slept through the sessions, by the second treatment, he reported feeling “like a cool breeze was blowing inside his body.” I was happy the Reiki had relieved some of his pain, and I would return a few more times.

Then, I received a call from his daughter who reported that her father had asked for a family meeting. In that gathering, he formally made amends for hurting them so deeply. It was an emotional sharing for all of them; it was only then that he could complete his work of forgiving himself. While the Reiki did not cure his cancer, it helped him transition peacefully the next day, having finally reconciled with himself and his family in a way no one could have previously hoped for. 

via Experience Life

The third example is a young girl who I had worked with some time before, who was suffering from a pulmonary condition as a result of severe asthma. She had so much difficulty breathing that she had to leave school and became bedridden. Her family was devastated because no medical intervention was helping her. When I heard of her condition, I offered Reiki. The family was so desperate that they agreed. 

Since hers was a chronic condition, I offered four consecutive sessions. The girl was very quiet until the end of the first session. By the second session, she began to chat while on the Reiki table. She remarked that she was glad in a way that she had this medical condition. Upon hearing that, I offered her time to talk. 

This shy, quiet girl began to describe how her being ill gave her a good excuse not to see her father, who lived in a separate home. She eventually described her fear of his rages and sometimes inappropriate, uncomfortable behavior toward her. We agreed to include her mother the next day after Reiki to discuss her worries. When I asked what would make her feel safe, she replied that she didn’t want to have to see or talk to him for a year. Her mother agreed, and we made a plan to speak to her father about giving her the space she asked for. 

The next day, her mother reported that it was the first night she had slept through the night in months without struggling to breathe. When she came in for her fourth treatment of Reiki, she was lighter and talkative, unlike her previously somber and sad sessions. Just two weeks later, she returned to school—to her doctors’ surprise—having no ill effects from her six month struggle to breathe; Reiki seemed to have had a curative effect on her life-threatening symptoms.

While these examples seem so miraculous, I must admit that I was terrified for a long time about not giving Reiki correctly. I have come to realize that this fear is just another manifestation of my ego delusion: that anything is the result of my intervention skills. Now, when I catch myself worrying about falling short, I am reminded of the Apostles in Christian Scripture who also needed to learn to trust and follow the Spirit who would guide and inspire them. I often think of the Prayer of St. Francis, “Make me an instrument of Your Peace,” to keep me humble, or the Reiki Commitment Prayer to keep me in the present moment:

“Just for today, I will not worry.
Just for today, I will not anger.
I will honor all living beings.
I will work with integrity.
I will give thanks for all my blessings.”

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My Gratitude to Josephine Miranda, Reiki Master in the Usui System of Reiki Healing.