What is Reiki and How Can it Help You?

Reiki is a Japanese technique that is used for stress relief, healing and for other types of medical issues. The Reiki comes out of the practitioner's hands and feels like a "heat" to the individual receiving the treatment. A full Reiki treatment usually lasts about an hour and is very non-intrusive. The individual can remain fully clothed and usually goes through half the session on their back and the remaining half of the session on their stomach, face-down. A Reiki table is similar to a massage table. The Reiki practitioner may burn incense or play soft music during the treatment. The individual receiving the treatment can speak to the practitioner or may remain silent. The Reiki sort of does what it wants and goes where it needs to, so it is not uncommon for the individual receiving the Reiki to feel the Reiki heat going to a different part of their body than where the practitioner's hands are resting.

Reiki can help the individual heal both internally and mentally, as well as physically. It can help relieve muscle tension and can be used to unblock chakras or emotional barriers. The Reiki concentrates on the chakras and clearing the aura.

There is more than one level of Reiki practitioner, with the final and third level being the master level. Someone who is a Reiki I practitioner will still have strong Reiki energy and will still be able to make a big difference in the healing process, however, as you jump levels, you learn more techniques, gain more energy and more Reiki "signs" to use during the process.

One of the unique things about Reiki is that the person giving the Reiki treatment may also benefit from the healing. The Reiki practitioner is simply a "filter", of sorts, for the Reiki, filtering the negative energy out of the individual receiving the treatment. It doesn't mean that the practitioner will begin to feel the pain that the individual is feeling, but the practitioner may sense more pain in specific areas. A lot of a Reiki practitioner's technique has to do with intuition and feeling.

Check with your local health food store, metaphysical or occult shop or in the phonebook for further information about becoming a Reiki practitioner or receiving a Reiki treatment.