Let’s get straight to the punch line for this post: With Reiki, as with life, there are no guarantees. I wish there were, but there are not.
I’m writing this because as a Reiki Master I often have the following exchange with potential clients.
Client: “Will Reiki help with my . . . [fill in any physical or mental health ailment]?”
Janice: “Reiki will provide a state of deep relaxation where your body, mind, and spirit can reach their full potential for healing.”
Client: “Is there a guarantee this will heal me?”
Janice: “There are no guarantees. However, it will help you achieve a state of deep relaxation where your highest healing good can be achieved. When we’re relaxed our body heals faster, our minds are clearer and more creative, and we can relate with each other more authentically.”
Client: “What percentage chance is there that Reiki will heal my . . . “
Janice: “Reiki is a healing practice. I don’t have a number to quantify it.”
Client: “I’ll try something else with a guarantee.”
What is the something else with a guarantee? Does the medication you take come with a guarantee that it will heal you? Do you know how it heals you? Is it possible that it is your mind and your body’s natural abilities that are healing you?
Dr. Andrew Weil’s book, “Spontaneous Healing,” addresses this exact phenomena where a patient’s body is healed without conventional medicine’s intervention, even in the case of severe and prolonged illness. He writes:
“I regard the placebo response as a pure example of healing elicited by the mind; far from being a nuisance, it is, potentially, the greatest therapeutic ally doctors can find in their efforts to mitigate disease . . . Unfortunately, this view of placebo medicine is very much out of fashion today. . . . If a drug begins to work in too many different conditions, most doctors lose interest in it, because they think lack of specificity means lack of an underlying mechanism. In other words the drug could be — perish the thought! — merely a placebo.”
So, Reiki . . . maybe it’s a placebo, maybe its effectiveness really is all in your mind, and, definitely, there are no guarantees that it will work. Why, then, should you spend your time and money on a Reiki treatment? Here are a few compelling anecdotes:
- A seven-year-old girl fractured her humerus and required surgery to insert three pins. The post-surgery recovery time was slated at 6-weeks, minimum. The girl received daily Reiki treatments and recovered in half that time – 3 weeks.
- A 45-year-old man had knee surgery. He asked his wife, a level 2 Reiki practitioner, for treatments on his knee. At his 6-week follow-up visit the orthopedic surgeon was shocked by the speed of his healing. He called in his colleague to show him the progress of healing and recovery that the man had achieved which was what they normally see at 12 weeks or more post-operatively in people 10-15 years younger than the man.
- A 60-year-old woman, grieving the death of her husband and living with the side effects of chemotherapy treatment for her breast cancer, received a Reiki session once a week for six weeks. After two treatments she reported an improvement in the quality of her sleep and increased energy. After three treatments she reported that the neuropathy in her hands and feet had stopped. After six treatments, she said, “I have my life back.”
Won’t you give Reiki a try? Yes, there are no guarantees, but there is a good chance you’ll feel great and facilitate your body’s natural healing abilities.
Wishing you abundant wellness!
I wish it were true that Reiki is a cure-all for human suffering, but it’s not. Even practicing Reiki at the Master level, one still experiences the fullness of life with its highs and lows. However, the difference is that one is able to observe, manage, and detach from the experience of one’s emotions in a healthy way by connecting with universal life-force energy.
nk the answer is, “yes,” in some important ways. Reiki can be a catalyst for change in our personal lives which can lead to significant change in how we interact with others. When we experience the healing that Reiki can bring about in our minds, bodies, and spirit, we are able to move forward with positive action. Bringing these positive acts into the world helps to create a world filled with love and light rather than darkness and pain.
Ah, to be at peace, to be centered, calm, and focused. Reiki is like the moment during meditation where you are completely at peace, balanced, and free. Though, most people find Reiki to be much easier than meditation. Perhaps that is why it’s receiving so much attention recently.
Reiki is enough for me. I don’t need to practice any other healing modalities. I am not drawn to learn a variety of other techniques.