Reiki questions
I’m interested in learning Reiki however I feel half sceptical about the subject. If you don’t mind, I was hoping you could give me some reassurance.
What influenced you to learn Reiki?
What is the greatest reassurance for you that Reiki is effective?
Great questions!
I too hold a healthy scepticism about Reiki and most things, to be honest. The possibilities of things beyond our current knowledge base hold much interest as well.
I was first introduced this alternative therapy about 20 years ago and the mind, body, spirit or energy connection has always been something I’ve been drawn to since being a child. The search for answers to life mysteries was probably the leading influence in beginning this journey. I started my Reiki training prior to a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Disorder. Having been a certified aerobics instructor and personal trainer along with my professional dance experience gave me a great understanding of the physical systems of the body, yet dealing with stress and the effects of emotional turmoil a bit beyond my ability to cope.
Obtaining a Yoga designation and deeper research, I found that scientifically there was a connection to thought and its effect upon the body. There seems to be little question in scientific circles and research that stress has a tremendous impact upon the physical body, as I learned first hand dealing with IBD.
Firstly, in being able to relax the body as is part of Reiki, engaging the relaxation response upon the physical system, which brings more blood to the digestive organs and more oxygen to all physical systems, thus there is an increase in immune function and the digestive process which allows the body to assimilate nutrients more effectively. The body itself generates various energies in its daily function, heat, electrical and biochemical. Heat generated through the light touch or radiating from the hands, again brings greater blood flow to those areas, thus there is an effect upon the muscles of the body, relaxing and again increasing blood flow. The relaxation of the muscles helps to open the nerve channels within the body, thus increasing the ability of the body to respond to nervous stimuli, therefore an increase in this transmission to the brain and being more relaxed the mind is better able to react appropriately.
Science is now beginning to understand quantum effect. Thought and energy do have an effect upon our physical selves. When we walk into a room we may feel certain energies, welcome or otherwise, with our friends and family we can sense their moods and react accordingly. There are a couple of books that show how mood can affect the freezing of water and how different crystallizations are obtained based on these emotions. The emotions created by thought are radiated like the heat of our bodies, heat becomes light, whether perceptible to our senses at this time or not. Now, we have both energy and light that have an effect upon us. This gives some plausibility to the existence of energy systems in the body, as with acupuncture which stimulates channels of energy which can be understood by relating them to the nervous channels and the plexi of the physical body, thus chakras, meridians or nadis associated with them, are not quite so improbable.
Lastly, in researching energy and matter, we find that all things are matter. This matter is a compressed from of energy (all energy being equal with atom formations) and has a gravitational pull. Even as small as our bodies may be we too have this energy as well. So like the moons effects upon the oceans of the earth, so too is it possible that we can have an effect upon others based on this premise. Reiki being Japanese for universal (Rei) energy (ki or chi), we are merely connecting to that which we are all part of or are composites of energy which forms matter.
I have been symptom free of my IBD for over 2 1/2 years with my self Reiki sessions and Yoga practice. I volunteer at a cancer support centre providing Reiki and those clients certainly feel more relaxed and comfortable at the end of a session. It may not cure, but it certainly improves their feeling of well-being.
My life has completely changed for the better that is only a reassurance for myself. It is only through direct experience that we can understand for our self whether something is to be part of the path we follow.
May your journey on a path to light be one of ease!
©T.S. (Tim) White
March 30, 2008