
How does Reiki work and promotes health?
Reiki is an energy healing technique that promotes relaxation, reduces stress and anxiety through gentle touch. Reiki practitioners use their hands to deliver energy to your body, improving the flow and balance of your energy to support healing. Mikao Usui developed reiki in the early 1900s, deriving the term from the Japanese words rei ...
What is reiki and how can it help me?
Reiki, performed here by Hong Kong healer Corie Chu, is an alternative therapy in which energy is channelled to treat physical and emotional woes. It is gaining followers as an effective complement to Western medicine. Photo: Camilla W Photography Ian Mok first experienced reiki three years ago, when he was living in London.
What is reiki, and does it really work?
What is Reiki, and Does it Really Work? Reiki is a safe, gentle, non-invasive form of natural hands-on, energy-based healing. It promotes relaxation, stress reduction and symptom relief to improve overall health and wellbeing. A reiki master explains the basics and what it can do for you.
Does Reiki have side effects or risks?
While the NIH reports no harmful side effects of reiki, some practitioners acknowledge the possibility of patients experiencing not only anxiety, but also short-term upset stomach, light-headedness, and fatigue. The danger arises when patients trade conventional care for only reiki.

The health benefits of reiki
Reiki promotes relaxation, stress reduction and symptom relief to improve overall health and well-being. It can:
Can reiki replace traditional treatments?
No. Reiki treatment should not be used as a substitute for the consultation of a physician or a psychotherapist.
What happens during a reiki session?
Reiki treatments typically last about 50 minutes. During a session, you’ll lie on a massage table fully clothed, as your reiki practitioner gently places their hands, palms down, on or just above your body in specific energy locations. They use a series of 12 to 15 different hand positions.
How does reiki help you?
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 in a small 2016 study found that reiki was helpful in improving the quality of life for women with cancer.
What is Reiki healing?
Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique. The predominate 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.
How to get trained in reiki?
If you want to get trained in reiki, you’ll need to do an attunement process with a reiki master. A reiki master is someone who has been attuned to the highest level of reiki. The attunement process opens up your body so that you’re able to transmit healing energy, and lasts for your entire life.
Why do you put your hands on your body during a reiki session?
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.
How to meet with a reiki practitioner?
At your first appointment, you’ll meet with your reiki practitioner. You’ll have a short introduction or chat about the process and your expectations or intentions. Let your practitioner know about any symptoms you want addressed or if there are places in the body on which you’d like them to focus.
How long does reiki last after delivery?
They found that reiki significantly reduced pain, anxiety, and the breathing rate in women 1-2 days after having a cesarean delivery.
How much does a reiki session cost?
The cost of a reiki session will vary based on where you live and the duration of the session. In general, you should expect to pay $50-$100 per session. This treatment is generally not covered by health insurance.
What Is Reiki?
Reiki is a Japanese energy healing technique that involves the transfer of qi (or chi) through a practitioner's palms, usually through direct touch or "laying of hands". (In Eastern medicine, qi is the energy life force that flows through all of us, and the intent is always to balance qi in order to achieve optimal health.)
What to Expect From a Reiki Session
Again, every person is different, so the key is to not have any concrete expectations. "If you do decide to try it, make sure to go in with an open mind," says Patel. "The Reiki is always working, and because it's energy, the more you open to it, the easier you're able to receive the full benefits during your treatment."
The Benefits of Reiki
"So many!" says Patel. "I've personally seen it help me with extreme back pain and anxiety. I've witnessed tremendous shifts in my students and clients over the years as well."
What Is Reiki?
The term “reiki” comes from the Japanese words “rei,” meaning universal, and “ki,” which means vital life force energy that flows through all living things. Some practitioners describe reiki as acupuncture without the needles.
The History of Reiki
There are at least 30 slightly different branches of reiki, but Usui is by far the most popular form. Usui is the method practiced and taught in Japan as early as the 1900s by Makao Usui, who is credited as the founder of modern reiki.
What to Expect During a Reiki Session
While reiki can easily be done in just about any setting, a typical reiki session takes place in a relaxing environment or treatment room, akin to massage therapy. Newton holds some of her reiki sessions in well-ventilated outdoor spaces.
Potential Health Benefits of Reiki
The most well-documented benefits of reiki revolve around the relaxation response, which practitioners say invokes the body’s natural healing process.
Consult A Sleep Medicine Specilaist
Visit with a sleep medicine specialist to evaluate your sleep issues, discuss various sleep options and more, including an at-home sleep study.
Risks and Side Effects of Reiki
Multiple studies report no adverse effects of reiki, likely because it’s a noninvasive treatment. Practitioners note clients usually report feeling relaxed after a session, but some feel energized.
Reiki Caveats
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, reiki has been “studied for a variety of conditions, including pain, anxiety, and depression, but most of the research has not been of high quality, and the results have been inconsistent.”
How does Reiki work?
During a Reiki session, the practitioner will place their hands on certain areas of the client’s body using specific positions, covering the main organs or essential body systems. Once the hands are in contact with the body, energy begins to flow to the areas according to the client’s needs.
What is a distant Reiki session?
Similar principles apply during a Distant Reiki session, except that the practitioner need not be present. A proxy will be used to represent the client’s body and a special procedure will be performed that only advance Reiki practitioners are trained to perform. Distant Reiki is as effective as Hands on Reiki. Distant Reiki sessions are not only used for body pains, illnesses or emotional issues, but can also be used for situations, for example to aid an upcoming interview or the positive outcome of a surgery.
Can animals be touched by Reiki?
Animals love and respond well to Reiki. However usually Distant Reiki is applied as some animals may find it hard to be still for long periods of time or they may not like being touched in sore areas.
What is Reiki self treatment?
Reiki self-treatment is a way to benefit from the therapy in your own home. There are 10 positions that can be done during your Reiki self-treatment.
How to understand Reiki?
The best way to understand Reiki is to view it as our “experienced sense of being alive.”. Reiki therapy is a gentle touch therapy that involves the placing of the therapist’s or patient’s hands on various locations on the patient’s body to promote relaxation and a sense of calm.
How to do Reiki with hands?
Figure 1: Starting Reiki Session Hand Position (1-2 Minutes) Hand Position 2: Gently place both hands on top of the head. See figure 2. Breathe in deep and relaxed breaths. Focus your attention on your hands on the top of your head.
Why is Reiki important?
Reiki energy strengthens the body’s natural healing abilities. Patients are encouraged to perform their Reiki self-treatment whether they feel well or not. View your Reiki self-treatments as special times you can set aside during the day to be peaceful and calm.
How to relax your face?
Again, breathe in deep and relaxed breaths. Focus your attention on your hands over your eyes. For your breathing comfort, try not to place your hands over your nose. Allow this hand position to relax the muscles and skin in your forehead, face, and eyes.
How long should I do Reiki?
Set aside a regular time each day to perform your Reiki self-treatments. It is suggested that you start with a 20-minute self-treatment first thing in the morning and then another 20-minute self-treatment at the end of the day.
How to do self treatment?
Unless you need someone present in the room for your care and safety, consider performing your self-treatments alone in the room. Create a quiet environment without distracting noise.
What is Reiki therapy?
Reiki is a form of alternative therapy often called energy healing. It’s based on an Eastern belief in an energy that supports the body’s natural healing abilities. If you're looking for a natural way to relieve pain, ease stress, or help your body heal, Reiki may be an option.
How long does Reiki treatment last?
There is no typical Reiki session. What your treatment will be like and how long it takes depends on your practitioner. Some sessions take 15 minutes. Others may last an hour and a half. At your first visit, your practitioner will want to know about any health problems or pain you have.
Why do Reiki practitioners put their hands on their body?
Some experts think that when a Reiki practitioner puts their hands on or above your body it can help make a weak biofield stronger. Others believe it makes you feel better by shifting your body from a tense "fight or flight" mode to a more relaxed state.
Does Reiki help with cancer?
Since Reiki is often used to relieve chronic pain, local groups that help people with cancer or fibromyalgia might help you find someone. Because it started as a folk healing treatment, no special background or degree is needed to do it.
Is Reiki good for you?
So, many doctors are waiting to make a judgment until more research is done. Reiki is believed to be safe, but it shouldn't replace any of your regular medical treatments.
Does Reiki cover health insurance?
While this question can be answered many ways, be cautious about anyone who says Reiki can cure a disease. Reiki isn't always covered by health insurance. If you decide to try it, check with your health plan.
