Mastering Reiki

By: Andrea Sipcic

Reiki is considered a spiritual healing modality, with Japanese origins. The word Reiki comes from the Japanese word, Rei, meaning "Universal Life," and Ki, meaning "Energy." It is a form of spiritual healing and not based or affiliated with any religion or religious practice. It is essentially considered the life energy that flows through all living things. The central belief with Reiki practitioners is that all living things have the ability to connect with their own healing energy, and access it in a way that allows them to strengthen their own energy, thus supporting their own personal healing.

“I saw that it was my method or outlet to help people. I saw that it was a way that I could pass information on to other people and get them on a path to better health for themselves and helping the world on a wider scale. For every seed I plant, they plant one too, ” explained Reiki master, Michael Swance. Swance looks to encourage others to become Reiki practitioners as he believes everyone has the level of compassion within them and the capability to heal either themselves or others.

"It’s like creating more leaves on branches. It’s all a point of passing it on and getting people aware of their own abilities,” he said.

Furthermore with this belief, a person’s energy (their ki) is meant to be not only strong, but freely flowing, like water in a river. When this is not the case, there may be blockages or weakness within one’s body, spirit and/or mind. This could potentially cause disharmony and dis-ease within the body. Swance has seen some patients walk away from anti-depressants and medications, or cut them down, some even in half. Some doctors have heard about the changes within clients, leading them to explore Reiki for themselves.

“You can't just look at what has to be cut out. You can’t look at what you need to put into somebody to make this disease go away. You ’ ve got to look at the root of why it’s happening,” said Swance. Reiki can aid in the flow and unblocking of this energy. A Reiki session consists of the client ideally on a massage table, face up, where the practitioner may perform a light, hands-on session, or, if the client prefers not to be touched, this is possible as well. The session itself involves the practitioner using their hands to go through specific Reiki positions and techniques, using their own energy along with the patient’s, starting at either their head or feet. The session is always meant to be one of relaxation and ease, where warm/tingling sensations may or may not occur, but being perfectly normal either way.

There are several immediate and long term benefits that may be experienced from Reiki sessions.The frequency, of course, may be dependent upon the potential severity of any condition/s that the client may have. Jessica was initially skeptical about the Reiki process. She found herself questioning where the energy was coming from, how it was being transferred, and why she wasn’t feeling anything. After some time and further sessions, her ability to feel and process the energy developed and allowed her to notice a difference.

“It was really detoxing emotionally. Old repressed emotions were stuck there. When you release those emotions, your body will feel better," explained Jessica.

Some of the benefits of Reiki include:

Tension and stress relief

Increased relaxation and sense of calm

Increased energy, strength, and stamina

Removal/break down of energy blocks and imbalances

Rid the body of toxins and impurities

Greater mental clarity and focus

Trauma and emotional healing

Improved sleep

Increased ability to self-heal

Greater harmony and balance within the mind, body, and spirit