What is Reiki?

Reiki, “universal life force energy” is a non-religion based complementary health approach that is practiced on oneself and also with others with the goal of facilitating the body’s own innate healing response to restoring physical and emotional well-being. It’s classified by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health as energy medicine.

In our busy, stressful world where we often live in a sympathetic state of being (fight – flight – freeze), we greatly inhibit our body’s natural ability to heal as intended. With the power of human touch and the intention of using the universal life force energy that is available to all of us, from my experience, I believe that while there is a mystery to Reiki, the therapeutic touch of Reiki also helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system needed for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients, detoxification, healing, and most importantly, inner peace.  When given with others, Reiki is shared via hand placements on or above a fully clothed body. When used on oneself it could also be considered a form of self-guided meditation with the addition of hand placements or even the visualization of hand placements on the body. I sometimes use Reiki hand placements on myself during mindful meditation to help me get grounded.

What Can Reiki Help and Who is a Good Candidate?

Reiki has been used by professional athletes, is currently used in many hospitals around the country (including in the operating room, and provides much needed relief in disaster/trauma situations such as 9/11 where practitioners around the country set up Reiki stations for emergency responders, family members of those lost or injured, and to anyone else who needed it.

Studies are positive and growing for a variety of conditions including pain, anxiety, fatigue, depression, heart conditions, cancer recovery and more. A search on pubmed brings up many promising results (“Reiki” also sometimes referred to as “healing touch” or “therapeutic touch” brought up a total of 2564 results as of this writing), including a randomized control trial for patients with cardiac diseases that was published in 2024. According to The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, there are no known contraindications connected with Reiki and Reiki does not interfere with any medical procedures or drug treatment that may be prescribed by a physician. Reiki can be used by and is for anyone, you don’t even need to believe in it to benefit. Reiki treatments are not intended to be used instead of or to delay medical treatment – Reiki complements both conventional and holistic approaches to healing and recovery.

Choosing a Reiki Practitioner

As with any practitioner, it’s important to choose your Reiki practitioner wisely as there is no governing licensing board. There are many different lineages which originate from the original source, Mikao Usui of Japan, in the early 1920’s. And, not unlike the practice of yoga, there are some slight differences in the way practitioners are trained. I don’t think it’s right for me to say who is and isn’t okay or what is or what is not right for you – that’s for you to decide. Check out who the practitioner is and see (and feel) if you have a gut sense if they are right for you.

I discovered Reiki during a very emotionally trying period of my life and found it extremely helpful. I completed my Reiki 1 training over a trimester of school with Reiki Master Terry Jordan from EastWest Reiki, LLC via Village Home Learning Center. I later went on to attend additional in-person training sessions with Terry for Reiki II and then some years later, I went on to complete the in-person training required to receive my Reiki Master/Teacher certification in January 2017.

Why Do I Do and Share Reiki?

As I shared above, the practice of Reiki helped me through some difficult emotional times and lead me on a path of further holistic healing which included radically changing my nutrition. My youngest son has significant struggles up to about age 12. We recognize now, he spent much of the time with his autonomic nervous system stuck in sympathetic mode (fight – flight – and freeze). I shared Reiki with him while I was learning and I cannot know for sure but my gut tells me that Reiki definitely played a part in his healing.

As a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I recognize that although nutrition in food can make a significant difference in healing one’s body, I see that healing is truly a holistic approach – healing the mind, body, and spirit. We also need good sleep hygiene, a low toxic burden from our environment (including our relationships), vibrant food prepared with love, love, meaning, self-acceptance, forgiveness of self and others, community, sunshine, true relaxation and movement. I’m sure I didn’t cover it all but I do know, while nutrition is foundational, it’s not the only path to full healing.

My Reiki Services

Because much of my work is based out of my home office where I do not bring clients due to my pets, my Reiki service is mobile for now.  I will gladly travel close by my Cedar Mill home to your home, work, and depending on the circumstances, with you to support you during medical treatments/procedures. If I need to travel further, I may need to charge an additional fee for travel time – thank you for your understanding. If finances are of concern, please don’t hesitate to reach out and work something out with me.