I recently received an email from a potential client who asked me the question many people want to know, “does Reiki really work?” It was perfect timing, as I had just strained my lower back while lifting my rambunctious puppy into the bathtub. The evening of the injury, I could barely get up and down without excruciating pain. I spent that night flat on my back in bed. Unable to sleep soundly, each time I woke up, I did self-Reiki. For two days, I continued with my daily self-Reiki practice and meditation.
Then, on the third morning, I woke up and bingo, no more pain. I don’t mean the pain was lessened, I mean zero pain. No problem sitting up or down or walking or bending over. It had simply disappeared. The day before I had considered calling the doctor, as I had never experienced anything quite so painful and exhausting. I have to say that even though I’ve been practicing Reiki since 2007 and have seen countless patients and clients helped in remarkable ways, even I was surprised to have the pain lifted so quickly and efficiently.
While Reiki is most often associated with hands-on healing for others, the main focus of the practice is self-care. This makes perfect sense, since if we don’t take care of ourselves, it is difficult to hold a space of loving compassion for others. As my teacher, Frans Stiene, always says, “I can’t give you a cup of tea if I don’t have one myself.” The system of Reiki provides the perfect tools for a daily self-care program, including hands-on healing for the self, meditations, mantras, symbols and contemplating the Reiki Precepts. This work allows our minds to be freed up in order to create space for our bodies to heal. When we are balanced in body, mind and spirit, we are better able to let go of the grip of physical and emotional pain, anxiety, worry, stress, fear, resentment, anger and an abundance of emotions that we frequently carry around for a lifetime.
Reiki is an incredible gift for others as well. When I was still practicing as a registered nurse and providing Reiki for patients each day, it was remarkable how many of them were able to gently fall asleep even though they had been experiencing 10/10 pain scores prior to their sessions. Patients would describe experiences such as “a sense of relaxation and peace,” “no pain or disturbance was entering my body,” “a gentle shower of love,” “feeling strong and in control,” and “providing a getaway from the stress of surgery.”
So, does Reiki work? It sure does.
Reiki Precepts
For today only,
Do not anger
Do not worry
Be grateful
Practice diligently
Show compassion to yourself and others.
Mikao Usui, Founder of Reiki