Article: Reiki

If I could only have/use ONE holistic healing modality, this would be the one.  Once you have learned it, you don't need anything else in order to practice it besides your hands -- and not even that if you pursue training beyond first degree Reiki and practice distance healing.  It is always with you, you can't lose it or forget it, and no other props or tools are required. Healing doesn't get any more holistic than Reiki, which is just pure, balancing, healing energy; it's also the simplest to learn.  The word "Reiki" is Japanese for Universal (Rei) Vital Force Energy/Chi (Ki).

My first experience with receiving a Reiki treatment was in response to a mild crisis situation.  Two days before leaving on a cross-country trip with my family to take my daughter to college, I woke up feeling spacey and brittle, disconnected in a way that was unfamiliar and scary.  Because of my previous experiences with adrenal exhaustion and the stress leading up to the trip, I knew this was not a good sign.  I was nervous as I drove my kids to the dentist in the next town to get my daughter's teeth checked; I wasn't sure I should even be driving in that condition.   I'd had the presence of mind to grab a phone book to take with me and, as my daughter was getting her teeth cleaned, I checked the yellow pages for holistic practitioners.  I had thought to call an acupuncturist in the area, but felt drawn to the advertisement of an Ohashiatsu practitioner, who made an appointment with me for that afternoon.  Although I didn't realize it when I made the appointment, I later learned that Reiki was an integral part of her healing practice.  As she worked on me, I had the distinct impression that I was exactly where I needed to be and that I was safe in her hands.  About an hour and a half later, it was obvious that she had literally put me back together again.  She advised that I go home and rest the remainder of the day, and I felt completely able to make the trip.  I experienced several other treatments with her after returning home, and while Reiki was not the only modality she used, it was significant.  A few years later, when Reiki kept showing up in my path and seemingly calling me to learn more, I remembered the safety and healing I had experienced and began to learn everything I could.

Reiki can be a difficult practice to learn about without other philosophies being attached to it, so the following resources are the result of a long search and many hours spent reviewing the books currently available.  I have done my best to describe them in a way to assist you in determining which will be the most beneficial to your investigation and/or training on my website.

Hope that helps!
--Moyne