Valley Health Magazine

By Stella A. Espinoza, D.C.

It's that time of year again. Time to let go of the stress of the holidays and use the remainder of the winter to relax indoors, perhaps bundled up with a cup of tea. During this time, we naturally find ourselves reflecting on the year that has just passed and making plans for the one to come. Many of us are searching for new ways to improve our health, vitality, relationships, and our sense of peace and purpose.

We write lists of resolutions: exercise regularly, go on a diet, save money, spend more quality time with the kids, pay more attention to my husband/wife, organize time better, quit smoking, lose weight, etc., etc. It's no wonder that by the time you finish writing your annual To-Do list, you are so overwhelmed with all the things you need to self-improve, you are ready to shred that list in a million little pieces and throw it away. The million-dollar question becomes then, "What can I do to make my goals for the New Year obtainable?"The solution is easy. To heal your body, get all the clarity you need, and to find peace, you need to relax.

Easier said that done? Well, maybe. But, there's a little ancient Eastern secret that has made its way Westward. And, it's the perfect complement to just about any kind of treatment method you may have already tried. That secret is Reiki.

What is Reiki?
Reiki, pronounced Ray-Key, is a Japanese therapy used for stress reduction and relaxation. It consists of "laying on of hands" by a certified Reiki practitioner who moves their hands in a set of positions over the body. The certified practitioner has been trained to "open up space" in the body for the recipient and the Divine to directly connect. This is not as obscure as it sounds. Think about traditional Christian prayer. Often times, in an act of faith, people will "lay hands" on someone who is ill or in need. Through their faith and belief in God, health may be restored, needs fulfilled, or tension released. This is essentially the same process that Reiki follows. The practitioner directs energy from the universal life energy" to the recipient, allowing the patient's body to find self-healing, or fulfill their own needs. Again, there's no need to focus too much on the abstract here. Each person who seeks Reiki does so for individual reasons, and thus, will have an individual outcome (see Effects of Reiki opposite page). If you're seeking spiritual clarity, Reiki may help you find it. If you want to rid your neck of tension, Reiki is good for that, too.

Brief History
In the early 1900's, Dr. Mikao Usui discovered Reiki when he climbed Mt. Kurama in Japan. It was during a 21 day fast that he felt Reiki "over his head" and he was "spiritually awakened." He received the secret Reiki symbols that allowed him to use Reiki for healing; he began to use Reiki to heal his family of their ailments. Eventually, Dr. Usui started a Reiki Institute in Tokyo, Japan. He treated many people with Reiki and also taught Reiki classes and "attuned" (trained) 16 Reiki Masters. After he died in 1926, one of the 16 Reiki Masters, Dr. Chujiro Hayashi continued teaching Reiki and giving treatments at the clinic.

The Reiki Master that is credited with bringing Reiki to the U.S. mainland is Hawayo Takata. She lived in Hawaii until she became very ill and was told she needed to have surgery. In an attempt to find an alternative method of treatment, she went to Tokyo to Dr. Hayashi's clinic. She was there for 4 months and received Reiki treatments almost every day. By the end of that period, she was healed. She stayed in Japan and received Reiki training and attunements and eventually became a Reiki Master. She returned to Hawaii and began teaching Reiki classes there before she traveled to the U.S. mainland, bringing her teachings with her. Before she died, she had trained 22 Reiki Masters.

What does a Reiki session consist of?
Before beginning any Reiki treatment, it's a good idea to talk to a few different practitioners and decide which you are most comfortable with. Like any professional relationship, be sure you feel a sense of trust and commitment with your practitioner.

The treatment is usually done with the patient on a massage table. The recipient is fully clothed and can be lying down or sitting up. The Reiki practitioner's hands can be touching the body or be slightly above the body, whichever is more comfortable for the person receiving treatment. If the person is uncomfortable with the practitioners hands directly on their body, the hands can be placed a couple of inches above the body and the treatment will be just as effective. Because Reiki is about the flow of energy, the positioning of the hands is the most important factor, not the aspect of physical touch.

Actual treatment will consist of the practitioner placing their hands in various positions on or above the body to release tension, promote relaxation, and rejuvenate the body so that it may find ways of self-healing. There are 13 different positions for the front of the body and feet, and 5 for the back.

If a person wishes, they may receive Reiki training and attunements so that they may perform this therapy on themselves and others.

Effects of Reiki
There are various effects a person may experience when receiving Reiki treatments. These range from the physical to emotional and spiritual responses. Examples of each may be:
•  Physical – decreased muscle tension in a specific problem area such as the shoulders, neck or back. Reiki can relieve  pain and assist in the healing of chronic ailments.
•  Emotional – calms a person by decreasing anxiety or nervousness and replacing those emotions with a sense of peace and wellbeing. Many people express increased clarity of thought after each session.
•  Spiritual– helps a person create a  better connection with the Divine.
Some people express that they feel nothing after a Reiki session except an overall sense of relaxation. This does not mean that Reiki is not working. In fact, it's doing the job it is supposed to do: allowing a person to find a state of relaxation where the mind, body, and spirit can connect with the energy it needs to heal, be inspired, etc.

Like everything else in life, each person experiences and expresses things differently. Some Reiki recipients have described feelings of lightness or weightlessness, almost like a floating sensation while on the therapy table. Some patients, as they move into a state of deeper relaxation, become more aware of all the natural sensations in their body. Some people express feeling very relaxed, while others were certain that they had entered into a deep sleep during treatment.
In many cases, Reiki recipients say they feel very happy, joyful, and carefree after a session. In fact, some have said that everything looks brighter, like cleaning the film off of a window.

Sometimes, Reiki patients feel they have experienced a spiritual, emotional, or mental release. They describe the experience as having a big weight lifted off of them and they have an emotional response, including joy, weeping, etc. Keep in mind that it is not the Reiki itself that is causing this response, but rather the recipient's individual spiritual beliefs and connection.

Some other benefits of Reiki are that many recipients who have chronic pain notice a reduction in symptoms, even after just one treatment. Keep in mind, Reiki is not meant to be a replacement for medical treatment, but can serve as a complementary supplement  to whatever form of pain management you and your doctor have agreed upon.

Who can benefit from a Reiki Session?
Anyone who is seeking relaxation can benefit from a Reiki session, including those who:
• Suffer from anxiety and stress.
• Want to help lessen the side effects  of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy.
• Suffer from the pain of arthritis.
• Want to minimize anxiety before  undergoing a surgical procedure.
• Have a terminal illness and suffer  from fear or anxiety about death.
• Suffer severe trauma from a physical  or emotional event.

Levels of Reiki: What qualifications does your practitioner have?
There are 4 levels of the Reiki attunement process. They are Reiki level I, II, ART (Advanced Reiki Training) and Master. At each level the student receives instructions on practicing self-Reiki and on giving Reiki treatments to another person. At levels II, ART and Master, the students are taught the secret Reiki symbols which help to amplify or intensify the Reiki treatment. The Reiki symbols are sacred. They are kept secret out of respect to the Reiki tradition. They are revealed only to levels II and higher. Once a student has completed training for levels I, II and ART, they can then take the training to become a Master. At this level, they will be able to teach and attune students themselves.

These are the different levels of training practitioners can obtain. In searching for a Reiki practitioner, check to see what qualifications they possess. It's not necessary to receive treatment from a practitioner at the Master level for it to be effective. The most important component of receiving treatment is to be comfortable and confident in the relationship you have with your practitioner. Reiki is about the flow of energy, and so having good energy with your provider is essential. As stated before, what you get out of Reiki largely depends on the reasons you sought it. Whoever you choose as your practitioner and for whatever reason has brought you to it, may you experience the richness of what Reiki has to offer.

About The Author: Stella A. Espinoza, D.C. is a practicing Chiropractor and Reiki Master in Fresno, CA. She graduated from Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in 1998. Before practicing Chiropractic and Reiki, she was a Licensed Vocational Nurse for over 30 years and a Shiatsu Therapist for 20 years.
www.espinozachiro.com