I came across this introduction to Reiki video that sums up the process very well.

Enjoy.
 
FAIRHAVEN, Mass. — BankFive and WSAR have named New Bedford native Judith Rego as the 163rd Hometown Heroine. Rego was recognized for her admirable volunteer efforts helping terminally ill patients receive comfort through Community Nurse & Hospice Care. Friends, family, CN&HC employees and volunteers, bank employees, and community leaders were on hand at an award ceremony held at the agency's headquarters at 62 Centre St. in Fairhaven. "Using Reiki, she has been able to relieve the pain of her patients and increase the quality of their lives for the time she works with them," said William Vickery, branch manager of BankFive's Fairhaven Office. "She gives her time not only comforting and easing patients, but also consoling and helping their families and caregivers. She is truly a remarkable person." A retired educator, Rego is no stranger to serving the needs of others. In retirement, she learned Reiki, a method of energy balancing and healing through the palms of one's hands. She uses this unique skill to heal patients in their homes and help them to feel at peace.

Rego is also actively involved in bereavement assistance groups sponsored by CN&HC and has helped the agency and its staff with fundraising efforts and events.

"Knowing that patients are calmer and comforted gives me a great deal of satisfaction," Rego said. "I enjoy helping them to feel at peace and appreciate receiving the award. I will continue to do my part in helping patients maintain their dignity and quality of life."

The Hometown Hero Award was established in 1993 by BankFive in cooperation with radio station WSAR to recognize individuals in our community for heroic deeds, acts of kindness, and selfless efforts to make the SouthCoast a better place for all of us. Since its inception, BankFive has honored 163 Hometown Heroes.
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110422/NEBULLETIN/105010338/-1/NEWSMAP


 
In a recent study published by the journal, Research in Gerontological Nursing, Reiki was found to reduce pain. depression and anxiety in older patients in a community setting such as nursing homes.

Study participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental or wait list control group. The pre- and post-test measures included the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form, Faces Pain Scale, and heart rate and blood pressure.

A quick summary from the report.

Significant differences were observed between the experimental and treatment groups on measures of pain, depression, and anxiety; however, no changes in heart rate and blood pressure were noted.

Analysis of treatment notes and interviews revealed five broad categories of responses:
• Relaxation
• Improved physical symptoms, mood and well-being
• Curiosity and a desire to learn more
• Enhanced self-care
• Sensory and cognitive responses to reiki.
 
Here is an interesting article about a healthcare professional that was on the fence about Reiki, and now uses it as complimentary therapy for her patients. Click the link to see the entire article.

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/lifestyle/health/x863181409/Reiki-complements-healing-of-traditional-medicine?img=2

ROCKFORD, Ill. — Her training as a registered dietitian and master’s level health-care administrator left Cathy Keith with little regard for complementary medicines and therapies such as Reiki.

“I was definitely thinking this was all out on the fringe and kind of woo-woo, foo-foo,” Keith said.

Now, she makes Reiki — a therapy using a light touch or hands placed near a patient’s body to assist the idea that energy as a universal life force can be channeled for healing — and a half-dozen other mind-body services available to patients as manager of SwedishAmerican Hospital’s Holistic Health Services.

Keith changed her mind about complementary therapies when she heard what patients said after they had received the treatments.

“I decided to be more open-minded about the possibilities,” she said, “and I set out to engage in more educational and experiential activities so I could make a decision for myself. I became less dogmatic about yes or no, or black or white.

“Suddenly, there was a lot more gray and I had to say maybe there’s more to this than I understand.”
 
By Jack Bleeker

April 2010

 

With groups like the Society of Integrative Oncology, a multi-disciplinary organization of professionals, touting the advantages of complementary cancer treatment and recovery, new methodologies, including Reiki are gaining in popularity. More and more cancer centers and oncologists are beginning to recognize the benefits that these treatments – once dismissed with a snicker by those “in-the-know” – are providing for those who just don’t know where to turn to address issues like the pain and stress associated with cancer and its conventional treatments.

            Complementary therapies - not to be confused with “alternative” therapies, which are unproven treatments – have gradually made their way to the forefront of cancer care as well-known oncologists who are lauded experts in their field begin to promote these supportive treatments as a natural part of cancer care. Even the National Institutes of Health operates a National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, researching complementary therapies and then recommending proven ones for integration into cancer programs nationwide, including those associated with mesothelioma cancer.

            Lately, the ancient form of spiritual healing known as Reiki (pronounced Ray-kee) has earned plenty of attention as a potential complementary therapy for all kinds of cancer, including mesothelioma. Rooted in Tibetan Buddhism, Reiki was “rediscovered” in the early 20th century and became particularly popular in the late 1990s as Reiki Masters began to teach non-Buddhists that life energy flows through all persons, this technique strives to increase the life force energy of a sick individual, therefore helping him achieve better health and happiness.

            Like many complementary therapies, Reiki takes a holistic approach – treating mind, body, and spirit – and is safe and natural. Many cancer patients who have tried it note an overall feeling of peace, relaxation, and well-being when the treatment is complete. Totally non-invasive, Reiki therapy involves the laying of hands on the fully-clothed patient by the Reiki practitioner. His/her hands travel through 12 different positions, staying in each place for about 5 minutes for a total of about an hour per treatment. The feeling of invigoration or tranquility results from the fact that Reiki causes the body's molecules to vibrate at a higher intensity, hence, dissolving energy blockages that lead to disharmony and disease, Reiki masters note. This assists in controlling pain, easing stress, or lessening side effects of traditional treatments like chemotherapy, including nausea and other debilitating problems for mesothelioma cancer patients. It is also believed to improve immune function.

            With continuous positive reactions from many cancer patients, mesothelioma clinics such as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center offer Reiki classes for cancer patients, including Sloan Kettering mesothelioma patients on a regular basis as well as in-service classes for their hospital staff. Other well-known hospitals to jump on the Reiki bandwagon include Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Columbia Presbyterian, the Yale Center, and Cancer Treatment Centers of America. The list continues to grow as patients use tools like the internet to advertise their positive reactions to this ancient healing art, enticing others to give it a try.

           

References:

 

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicines (http://nccam.nih.gov/)

Society for Integrative Oncology (www.integrativeonc.org

Chemocare.com, http://www.chemocare.com/complementary_medicine.asp)

The International Center for Reiki Training ( www.reiki.org)

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (www.mskcc.org)
 
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As more and more hospitals are starting to offer Reiki as a complementary therapy, it is being widely accepted as a legitimate treatment. Just the accounts alone from doctors an patients are truly amazing. It shows how much more can be learned about the human body as our science evolves.

Here are a few excerpts from the article:

http://blog.syracuse.com/cny/2010/03/a_healing_energy_now_in_hospitals_reiki_musters_critics_and_fans.html



"Crouse surveyed 390 patients who received Reiki between January, 2008, and December, 2009. Patients were asked to rank their stress levels before and after treatments on a scale of 0 to 5, with 0 being no stress and 5 being high stress. They also ranked their pain before and after treatments.The average patient's stress score was 2.77 before Reiki and .97 after Reiki. The average patient's pain score was .99 before Reiki and .78 after. "The evidence, although it's not in peer-reviewed journals, speaks for itself," Treatman said. "We're not only in the business of yanking out gallbladders, but also making the patients' experience here more comfortable."

Michael North, a chronic pain patient at the VA Medical Center, swears by Reiki.

North, 54, of Tully, suffers from pain related to lower back and neck problems. The U.S. Coast Guard veteran has had three surgeries over the past 24 years.

North has tried painkillers, but they don't help. He said he has a hard time relaxing. North said Reiki is the only thing that eases his anxiety. He got his first treatment in 2001 from Nancy J. Barnum, a nurse practitioner in the VA's pain clinic.

"Within a matter of minutes after barely touching my forehead, all of a sudden it felt like every problem just flushed out of me," North said. "I couldn't believe it."


Reiki is growing by leaps and bounds and I am truly amazed at how many people are opening up to it. When you have trained medical professionals, the people who are supposed to be the most skeptical and cautious about recommending new health treatments not only recommending, but learning how to do it themselves, why not give it a shot!
 
"Reiki is one of many forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) recognized by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. CAM is defined as a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine.In December 2008, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the National Center for Health Statistics released findings on Americans' use of CAM, based on information from 23,393 adults 18 and older and 9,417 children 17 and younger. According to the study, about 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of children are using some form of CAM." ~ http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20100313/APC0404/3130523

This is a very large study showing that almost 40%  of adults in the US are using some sort of complementary alternative medicine. It is important to note that these therapies be viewed as complementary and should never replace a hospital or doctors visit for someone who is seriously ill or hurt.

What CAM can do, for example, is offer an alternative for many people who don't want to take pain medication for the rest of their lives. There can be some terrible side effects and if the pain can be managed by a few Reiki treatments a month, why not?

There is a definite growth in the amount of people willing to go outside the box when it comes to treating what ails them. What would be interesting is to see what is causing this growth. There are definitely more people speaking out about it, such as the Dr. Oz video on my homepage. Maybe that will be the subject of my next entry....until then I wish you well.
 
I know a lot of people have never had the chance to experience the effect reiki can have on their lives. I would like to spread this wonderful gift as much as I can so I am offering one hour sessions for $35. This is for first timers who are curious about reiki. Mention the website and I will be happy to treat you at the discounted rate.
 
 After receiving my certification in Reiki II, I wanted to gain a better understanding of where Reiki comes from and how it works together with the other energies of the body. I could feel this amazing energy flowing from my hands into other people, but I wanted to know how it was having such a profound effect on people. I found my answer in The Spirit of Reiki, in chapter 7, written by Walter Lubeck. Here is a summary and my interpretation of how all the energies of the body interrelate and why Reiki is so effective.

In the Japanese language, the word "ki", is the general term to describe all of the life energies. What I discovered is that there are 7 different forms of ki that work to together as a system to regulate the mind and body. These 7 energies build upon each other, each containing different aspects of control and power. The seven energies are as follows.

1. Kekki
2. Shioke
3. Mizuke
4. Kuki
5. Denki
6. Jiki
7. Reiki

Kekki has the greatest power but the least amount of ability to organize. At the other end, Reiki has the greatest ability to organize, but a limited ability to directly effect without the lower level energies. Think of it as the lower energies being all of the workers on the production floor and the Reiki being the management. The workers are greater in numbers and power, but without organization and delegation from the management, your system would not work.  

Here is a brief description of each individual energy.

1. Kekki - nourishing strength
Kekki is akin to blood and is associated with the 1st chakra. It is the clay from which organs and tissues of the body are molded. In its pure form, it has no structure. It requires delegation from the higher energies. This energy is created through nourishment. Whether it be through food or human interaction, kekki is being created.  When kekki is directed and formed into a new process, it is transformed into a higher energy. Kekki is the vital powering force of the body, but needs direction. It receives is direction from the following energy.

2. Shioke - binding structure
Shioke is the glue that holds the kekki together. Think of Kekki as the bricks and shioke as the mortar that keeps the bricks standing. Shioke energy is gathered from a sense of purpose. By accepting our earthly existence as meaningful, we give our structure a purpose to remain standing. If shioke is destroyed, the kekki contained within it is free to leave and nourish another structure.  Shioke is also associated with the 1st chakra. In order to fulfill its purpose of existence, it requires meaningful interactions with other people (kekki). This is why people tend to surround themselves with like minded individuals, other people who live with a similar purpose.

3. Mizuke - energy of emotions and relationships
Mizuke allows us to come together as physical beings and experience emotions. It is considered the "ki of water" and is associated with the 2nd chakra. It is the force of relationships and devotion. This energy is created when we accept that we each contribute in our own creative way in the eternal dance of life. Consider Mizuke as the city planner. It takes the brick(kekki) and mortar(shioke) buildings and plots their locations where they can best serve one another. With out mizuke, the structures would become isolated as they are not mobile by themselves. Think of your life with out the help of your relationships with other people to move it along. In order for the relationships to become lasing, meaningful experiences, mizuke must be shown the way by kuki.

4 Kuki - self-fulfillment
Kuki is about growing and becoming conscious of the self. It is called the "ki of the gasses" and is associated with the 3rd chakra. This energy is created when we accept who we are and use our individuality to shape our lives. Kuki gives us the motivation to choose our path in life and experience who we are. It also keeps us on course when other people try to divert us from our path by creating boundaries. Kuki could be likened to the imaginary lines that divide cities and countries. Countries have different goals and sets of rules and in order to thrive they create boundaries so people living within them can establish a direction in which they all want to go. In order for the individual needs to be mutually beneficial to the collective, denki is needed.

5. Denki - considerate growth
As we are on our paths to self fulfillment, we need to be conscious of the other people around us who are trying to accomplish the same thing. Denki is an energy that brings consideration of others. It is called the "ki of thunder" and is associated with the 4th chakra. It is associated with thunder because after the initial fear of the loud "crack", a calming effect follows that allows us to act in an ethical and considerate manner. If we were to dismiss the thunder as harmless, we would not benefit from the full effect of denki. Many would call our initial reaction to the thunder fear, but that feeling comes from self-preservation, which comes from loving what we are. This is denki. We cultivate this energy when we realize that our own growth should not come at a cost to another being. Denki produces feelings of love, empathy, and tolerance. You can think of denki as the United Nations. The U.N.'s original intended purpose was to act as a governing body that would keep the peace between all developing nations. The next energy is needed to keep development from becoming stagnant by becoming to integrated with the community.

6. Jiki - the teacher
Jiki is the law of attraction in action. It is the force that magnetically pulls the people and situations into your life for your highest good and learning. We cultivate this energy by accepting the meaningful challenges that come from our lasting relationships and everyday situations. If we resist, we are working against jiki and we will be forced to repeat this lesson until we accept it, learn from it, and evolve. This is our only responsibility in this world. Trusting our inner teacher that pulls our lessons towards us over and over again.  Jiki is associated with the 5th chakra and is called the "gathering force. As far as structures and governing bodies are concerned, the next step up from the U.N. is the universe. Jiki is the universe acting in mysterious ways to teach us lessons. For all of these energies there must be something that provides homeostasis or balance to the entire system, a controlling force on the highest level.   
 
7. Reiki - spiritual power
Reiki is the energy that organizes all of the previous structures. It is translated to the "divine creative force" or the "source of all life". It aligns the inner child, middle, and higher self. It creates an order in which all 3 personalities are operating as one rather than working against each other. It is literally the God energy that has an understanding far beyond anything we can conceive. There are so many things going on in our bodies that keep us alive that we are not even consciously aware of. Where do you think  that management is coming from? Our heart beats, cell production, breathing(at times), healing, the list goes on. Reiki is an aid to all these processes. It aligns our being and brings us closer to the Source. Reiki is associated with the 6th chakra.
  • Reiki connects without binding
  • Reiki stimulates without overexciting
  • Reiki separates without causing isolation
  • Reiki calms without causing rigidity
  • Reiki directs our attention to life and love in the heart
  • Reiki creates clarity without a lack of involvement
  • Reiki wakes us up and supports the development of all latent potentials
After reading this material and writing about it, I have a far better understanding about how and why Reiki works. I hope whoever is reading this does as well.