Kapiolani Community College
Horizons 2003

The Healing Art of Reiki
Angela Chong

“Whether you are looking to ease the effects of a chronic illness or simply feeling fatigued and would like to have more energy on a daily basis, the age-old wisdom of Reiki may offer the help you seek” (Bach 98).

I chose to do my field study project on Reiki. I believe that Reiki can help a person to balance the energy in one’s mind and body to relieve stress. My study took place at the Hale Koa Hotel massage therapy room. A certified massage therapist, Debra Kawamoto, is a Reiki master. I was the receiver for this study, so I know first hand what it feels like to have Reiki done to a person. I have had at least three or four Reiki sessions with Debbie. After a session I feel balanced, as if a load of worries were lifted off my shoulders.

Diane Stein, who has written a book about Reiki as an ancient healing art, writes: “Reiki is a Goddess gift and a true miracle. The more it is used, the stronger the healer becomes, and the more benefit she brings to herself and others. Use it wisely, frequently, and well, and have gratitude for it. The best expression of gratitude for Reiki that I can think of is to use it everyday” (Stein 52).

In Reiki, there is a basic principle that has been changed and re-worded throughout the years: “Just for today I will give thanks for my many blessings. Just for today I will not worry. Just for today I will not be angry. Just for today I will work do my work honestly. Just for today I will be kind to my neighbor and every living thing.” (Stein 27).

But to understand the principle, a person needs to know what Reiki is. Reiki is one of the oldest healing methods known to man. It originated in Tibet and was rediscovered by a Japanese monk named Dr. Usui. Now it is practiced all around the world and in many different forms. Unlike a Shaman, a Reiki master can only use Reiki for good. He cannot harm anyone or anything with the power of Reiki, because it is pure and good. Nothing bad will ever come from it.

Dr. Miako Usui, the founder of Reiki, lived at the end of the Nineteenth Century and was the director and a Christian priest of a small university in Japan. One day some of his students asked if he believed in miracle healing and if Dr. Usui could do any himself. This incident led to Dr. Usui searching for the healing methods of Christ. While searching, he ran into some interesting Buddhist scriptures. He learned the ancient Indian Sanskrit and studied the original writings and healing knowledge. In one of the books that he stumbled upon, he found the symbols and mantras that are the key to Reiki healing.

Dr. Usui spent many years in a Buddhist monastery and became friends with the head abbot. The abbot told him to fast at the holy mountain for 21 days. On the last day of his fasting, while meditating, Dr. Usui saw a shining light in the sky moving toward him. The light struck him in the middle of his forehead, and he found himself in an extended consciousness. He saw many bubbles of rainbow-colored light, and familiar symbols appeared in front of him. They were the symbols from the Sanskrit sutra, and he understood them. He then felt a charge with a powerful healing force running through his body. He was so excited and in a rush to get back to the monastery that he stubbed his toe, causing it to bleed and throb. When he held his hands around his foot, the bleeding and throbbing stopped, and this was his first experience of the extraordinary healing process known as Reiki.

He reached home and after a few weeks at the monastery, Dr. Usui decided to go to the slums of Kyoto to heal the sick. He spent seven years healing, but came to realize that although he healed the physical body, he had not taught a new way of living. Usui realized how important the patient’s own desire to be healthy was in the healing process. “He realized that the sick must ask for healing, and he or she must really want it” (Bach 67). Usui offered his services free of charge, and then decided to travel to teach Reiki so that peoples’ way of the thinking would change and they could be healed. “Before his death, Dr. Usui taught a retired naval officer, Dr. Chijiro Hayashi, the Reiki method and declared him his successor. Dr. Hayashi opened a private Reiki clinic where Reiki practitioners were trained and patients were treated. (Bach 71).

Dr. Hayashi left important documents and reports of various healing methods, guidelines, rules, scriptures, and experiences. Hawayo Takata, a young Japanese woman living in Hawai‘i who had been suffering from many disorders, heard of this healing miracle. She went to see Dr. Hayashi and was healed by Reiki. She soon became his student and in 1941 became Dr. Hayashi’s successor. By 1980 she had initiated 22 Reiki masters; and from that point on, Reiki has been passed down from master to pupil. Today there are many variations of the Reiki healing method. So in a way, Reiki is learned through enculturation, “a process in which the culture that any generation acquires is passed to succeeding generations, resulting in an accumulation of knowledge” (Bailey and Peoples 26). Now there are many resources on the Internet, in books, and many Reiki masters worldwide to learn from.

As humans, we all have a universal life energy. Rei describes the cosmic, universal energy, and Ki means the fundamental life force flowing in all living things. Honervogt defines Reiki as “a natural and simple healing method which allows you to absorb more life force energy. The Reiki method vitalizes your life force and balances the energies in your body” (22). The Reiki giver is the channel through which the universal life energy is conducted, so no personal energy is lost by the giver. Reiki usually helps healing of all kinds and relieves pain and acute symptoms quickly. It also has a positive influence on spiritual growth. Reiki affects each person differently, but it always acts wherever the receiver needs most help.

Debbie explains, “If a person is suffering from stress, he or she may react with physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, frequent colds.” These symptoms indicate too much stress and an imbalance of the energy system. To relieve these symptoms, energy has to be restored. Reiki can balance these energies, helping you to relax, reducing stress and strengthening the immune systems. Reiki allows one to experience a higher energy vibration, a state of enhanced equilibrium and well-being. It is a form of touch healing that has its roots in Buddhist Sanskrit scriptures. They reconnect to the source of Universal Life Energy and strengthen the receiver. This energy is the power that lives and acts in all created matter (Honervogt 58).

Reikki should never be used as a substitute for medical care or medication. It can help incisions to heal more quickly because the intense energy allows the body to draw in what it needs. Reports in books and on the web describe how Reiki has helped a person get over physical and mental illnesses, emotional, and spiritual. Reiki can be used to heal animals, plants, precious gems and stones, and even food. People also use it to enhance energy and for personal protection, and meditation. “I have found that Reiki has improved me in every facet if my life. On the health side the eczema on my legs has cleared” (Honervogt 105).

A Reiki session usually starts off with all jewelry and accessories being removed from the healer and receiver. Shoes are removed, and tight clothing is loosened. The room is cleansed with the first symbol (symbols are connections to an energy force) and charged with positive energy; hands are washed with cold water before the treatment begins and after the healing is done. At the beginning of a session, the healer will stroke the receiver’s aura in a smooth, curving form, starting at the head and working down to the feet. The healer does this because it has a relaxing effect on the receiver and prepares the person for the treatment. It is usual to start a Reiki treatment by treating the head. The hand positions have a strong effect in relaxing and balancing the whole body. After the head, the healer will treat the front of the body to deepen the whole healing process. The healer balances the organs and stimulates the energy centers on the front of the body. The healer will put his hands in one area for about three to five minutes; if the healer takes longer, he has probably found a problem area or an imbalance of energy. Debbie says that she can feel a tingling and throbbing feeling in her hands when she is working on a problem area.

Sometimes blocked feelings may be released, causing emotional reactions. One time Debbie was in a session with a girl, who had just been left by her boyfriend for her good friend. At the time she was also struggling through school. As Debbie was working her way down her client’s body, she had felt the imbalance of energy in the receiver’s fourth chakra. She kept her hand there for a good 10 minutes, and the receiver started to cry so hard that even Debbie was shocked. But Debbie’s client told her that she had been keeping all those emotions deep inside her for a long time, because she felt like she couldn’t talk to anyone about it, she told Debbie that she thinks that Reiki had helped her let all her emotions flow out of her.

After the front of the body is complete, the healer will then treat the back, which allows further letting go of tensions, thoughts, and feelings. While lying on his front, the receiver feels more protected, so healing and relaxation can happen at deeper levels. Lastly the healer will work on the receiver’s legs and feet. The legs and feet carry the whole weight of the body. Problems in this area indicate a hesitation and fear of moving forward in life. By applying Reiki, the healer releases the energy and brings the awareness to take the right steps in the right direction. In the background there is relaxing, meditative music playing, and at the end of the session, the healer will smooth the aura three times and draw an energy line from the coccyx up over the head, and lets the receiver rest for a while. Debbie always tells me to drink lots of water after each session because it helps to eliminate the toxins from our bodies

There are seven different chakras; each has a designated name, color, organ, and theme. Each reflects a aspect of personal growth. (See table) A blocked energy flow in one of the chakras will lead to an imbalance. Most of the time, there is too much energy in the head and not enough in the lower body. The healer has to put one hand on the root (first chakra) and the other on your forehead or Third eye (sixth chakra). He will keep his hands there until he feels a balance between both chakras. Each chakra regulates the organs in its area. The chakras on humans are placed in a vertical line down the center of the body, front and back.

Debbie says that when her hands are in the chakra that has a problem—for instance, if she puts her hands on the solar plexus and you’re having a power trip—she will see the designated color shine brighter in comparison to everywhere else. Then she will ask the person if anything is wrong in the area of that particular chakra, in this instance, problems with power, strength, fear. Debbie says that the solar plexus is the most powerful chakra, because it is the source of power. Food is assimilated at this center and its physical correspondence is the pancreas gland or liver. Energy is gained by food; we eat it and receive the energy we need to go on with our life.

Reiki can be divided into three different degrees. The transition from each degree is like a rite of passage. How far and how fast a person can become a Reiki master depends on that individual. No special conditions or equipment are required to learn and practice Reiki, but people who want it usually tend to have a readiness and ability to receive it.

The first degree, Reiki I, teaches things primary to self-healing, but you can also heal others by direct contact, known as direct healing. The healer places his or her hands upon the other person. Healers must be totally non-judgmental. This person may hear things that are horrifying, but cannot react. The healer’s job is to make the person expressing these emotions feel safe and to listen. So in a way, a Reiki healer has to have a holistic perspective on things in life and has to free his mind of all stereotypes.

Each participant of the first degree is given four attunements, which are called energy transmissions. He or she will then receive a transfer or reactivation of Universal Life Energy. These attunements adjust the vibrations of the Reiki student to a higher vibration of the Reiki power, allowing more energy to flow through the body. They increase the vibration frequency of the four upper chakras: the fourth is the heart; fifth is the throat; sixth is the third eye; and the seventh is the crown. The attunements of the first degree mainly open the physical body so that a person can take in more energy and allow more of that energy to flow out of them. A Reiki I also learns how hand positioning can affect certain organs and body parts, and is taught more hand positions needed for the healing of certain illnesses and also for first aid.

Reiki II is the second degree. In Japanese, this degree is called Oku Den, meaning a more thorough exploration of the self, or deeper knowledge. In this degree, one learns the technique to help a person use the energy in non-physical dimensions, such as sending healing energy across a distance, referred to as distance healing. It’s basically the transmission of light energy to a person who isn’t near you. Also the Reiki II learns a special method of handling any deeply emotional and mental problems, developing intuitive powers, and enabling one to open oneself to deeper meanings of messages. A Reiki II is also given the confidential Reiki symbols and corresponding mantras, which increase energy and generate a higher light vibration within oneself. Using symbols is a great responsibility; that is why only a Reiki master will be able to decide if a person is ready to move on to Reiki II. One learns symbols to enable understanding of the meanings of the messages that are being seen.

The first symbol is the cho-ku-rei, used to increase power. In Reiki it is known as the light switch. Next is the sei-he-ki, used traditionally for emotional healing. This symbol brings divinity into human energy patterns and aligns the upper chakras. Lastly is the hon-sha-ze-sho-nen. This symbol has many different variations and versions because of its complexity to remember and draw. Like the other Reiki symbols, it is written in Japanese and is meant to transmit a picture. It appears in a shape of a tall pyramid, and resembles the human body. The symbol spells a sentence that translates as “No past, no present, no future.” Most healers are taught that this symbol is used for distance healing; it is the energy that transmits Reiki healing across distance, space and time. This is the most powerful and complex of the Reiki II energy keys. The second-degree attunement increases the energy in the chakras. This attunement sharpens intuition and the imagination, needed for mental and distance healing.

Reiki III is the highest a person can go in the Reiki path. When one has accomplished Reiki III, he is considered a Reiki master. A master has to make a commitment to practice, teach, and live Reiki. The training for this degree is a process of growing into the mysteries and depths of the healing processes. The precondition to becoming a Reiki Master is at least three years of practice and experience before even considering it. This master interacts with all aspects of life and makes it integral to everything that he does. There are two third-degree symbols that are learned. First is the dai-ko-myo, meaning the temple of the great beaming light, or the one with the Mahayana heart of giving; this symbol is used to heal the soul. The second is called raku, meaning completion, achievement of lower nirvana, and emptiness of self-resistance. In Reiki it is used from ground to feet for grounding and for drawing the energy from the universe into the body. Debbie says when she holds sessions, it’s as if someone is telling her to relay a message to that person. She sees colors and feels different vibrations from different parts of the body, varying from person to person.

Reiki usually helps with healing of all types. It has a positive influence on spiritual growth and affects each person differently. My first Reiki session with Debbie was during mid-terms. I was stressed out from school. She felt my anxiety and stress so she took me in the back and had me lie on my back on the massage table to see if Reiki might help. She instructed me to relax, close my eyes, and then placed her hands over my body. I could feel an intense heat coming from her hands, and when her hands were placed over my heart, I felt as if my heart was going to beat right out of my body. Every sensation was different wherever she placed her hand. But I felt it the most as she lifted my head. It felt as if someone were spinning my head like a basketball on their finger. It was so intense that I had to have her stop. I didn’t feel sick, just really dizzy. She stopped for a few seconds and went back to doing it again. After a while it began to slow down, and she placed her hands over the same places that she started off with from head to toe. She said the message she heard during that session was telling me to relax and take things slow. I had too much information in my head; I had to take things one at a time. I felt light as a feather, and much more relaxed.

From my research, I feel that Reiki can help to relieve stress. Stress is thought to be the reaction of the body to the demands of daily life. If a person suffers over a prolonged period, the body loses vitality and resilience. Reiki helps a person to attain and keep inner strength and clarity, bring negative feelings into harmony with a higher energy vibration. Universal Life Energy lets one transform feelings with lower frequencies into positive feelings with a higher frequency. I would like to do more research, and have more Reiki sessions because it helps me. It’s a healing practice that I would like to learn and master myself.

Table taken from The Power of Reiki by Tan maya Honervogt, pp. 88-89.