4.
Energy
Healing
I. OUTER JOURNEY
Reiki is a form of alternative therapy commonly referred to as energy healing. It emerged in Japan in the late 1800’s and is said to involve the transfer of universal energy from the practitioner’s palms to their patient.
Energy healing has been used for centuries in various forms. Advocates say it works with the energy fields around the body.
Some controversy surrounds Reiki, because it is hard to prove its effectiveness through scientific means. However, many people who receive Reiki say it works, and its popularity is increasing. A Google search for the term currently returns no less than 68,900,000 results.
A 2007 survey shows that, in the United States (U.S.), 1.2 million adults tried Reiki or a similar therapy at least once in the previous year. Over 60 hospitals are believed to offer Reiki services to patients.
Fast facts on Reiki
Here are some key points about Reiki:
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Reiki is a form of energy therapy.
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Despite skepticism in some circles, it is growing in popularity.
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It involves the transfer of energy by laying on hands.
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Reiki’s advocates say it can treat many conditions and emotional states.
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Small studies show that Reiki can slightly reduce pain, but no studies have shown that it is effective in treating any diseases.
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Some hospitals in America and Europe offer Reiki, but insurance rarely covers it.
What is Reiki?
In Reiki, the practitioner transfers energy by placing their hands over or on the patient.
The word “Reiki” means “mysterious atmosphere, miraculous sign.” It comes from the Japanese words “rei” (universal) and “ki” (life energy). Reiki is a type of energy healing.
Energy healing targets the energy fields around the body.
According to practitioners, energy can stagnate in the body where there has been physical injury or possibly emotional pain. In time, these energy blocks can cause illness.
Energy medicine aims to help the flow of energy and remove blocks in a similar way to acupuncture or acupressure. Improving the flow of energy around the body, say practitioners, can enable relaxation, reduce pain, speed healing, and reduce other symptoms of illness.
Reiki has been around for thousands of years. Its current form was first developed in 1922 by a Japanese Buddhist called Mikao Usui, who reportedly taught 2,000 people the Reiki method during his lifetime. The practice spread to the U.S. through Hawaii in the 1940s, and then to Europe in the 1980s.
It is commonly referred to as palm healing or hands-on healing.
What happens in a Reiki session?
Reiki is best held in a peaceful setting, but it can be carried out anywhere. The patient will sit in a comfortable chair or lie on a table, fully clothed. There may or may not be music, depending on the patient’s preference.
The practitioner places their hands lightly on or over specific areas of the head, limbs, and torso using different hand shapes, for between 2 and 5 minutes. The hands can be placed over 20 different areas of the body.
If there is a particular injury, such as a burn, the hands may be held just above the wound.
While the practitioner holds their hands lightly on or over the body, the transfer of energy takes place. During this time, the practitioner’s hands may be warm and tingling. Each hand position is held until the practitioner senses that the energy has stopped flowing.
When the practitioner feels that the heat, or energy, in their hands has abated, they will remove their hands and may place them over a different area of the body.
Some Reiki techniques
The techniques involved have names such as:
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Centering
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Clearing
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Beaming
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Extracting harmful energies
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Infusing
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Smoothing and raking the aura
Some Reiki practitioners will use crystals and chakra healing wands, because they find these can enable healing or protect a home from negative energy.
However, Annie Harrington, Chair of the Reiki Federation of the United Kingdom (U.K.), told Medical News Today:
“Reiki relies on no other instruments beyond the practitioner. We do not use crystals, powders or wands as a general rule. However, one of the benefits of Reiki healing is distance healing (where Reiki is sent over several miles) then, many practitioners will use crystals to assist with the energy vibrations.”
Sessions can last between 15 and 90 minutes. The number of sessions will vary, depending on what a client wishes to accomplish. Some clients prefer to have one session while others have a series of sessions to work on a particular issue.
Health benefits
According to practitioners, the healing effects are mediated by channeling the universal energy known as qi, pronounced “chi.” In India, this is known as “Prana.” This is the same energy involved in tai chi exercise. It is the life force energy that some believe surrounds all of us.
This energy is said to permeate the body. Reiki experts point out that, while this energy is not measurable by modern scientific techniques, it can be felt by many who tune in to it.
Reiki is alleged to aid relaxation, assist in the body’s natural healing processes, and develop emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.
It is also said to induce deep relaxation, help people cope with difficulties, relieve emotional stress, and improve overall wellbeing.
People who receive Reiki describe it as “intensely relaxing.”
Conditions that Reiki has been used to help treat include:
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chronic pain
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neurodegenerative disorders
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fatigue syndromes
According to the University of Minnesota, patients who have undergone a Reiki session may say:
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“I feel very refreshed and seem to be thinking more clearly.”
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“I think I fell asleep.”
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“I can’t believe how hot your hands got!”
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“I feel more relaxed than even after a massage.”
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“My headache is gone.”
Cancer patients who have Reiki say they feel better after. This may be because it helps them relax. Another reason, according to Cancer Research U.K. could be that the therapist spends time with them and touches them. This has a soothing effect on patients who may be overwhelmed by invasive therapy, fear, and stress.
Individuals report different experiences. Some say that the practitioner’s hands become hot, others report cooling hands and some people feel pulsating waves. The most common reports are of a release of stress and deep relaxation.
II. INNER JOURNEY
The Bars® are 32 unique points on the head that correlate to different areas and aspects of life. During an Access Bars session, a practitioner gently touches these points to release the electromagnetic charge of all thoughts, ideas, attitudes, decisions, and beliefs that may have limited you in the concerned life areas.
How does it work?
Access Bars has assisted thousands of people to change many aspects of their lives. People report better health, ease of sleep, weight loss, better sex and relationships, relief from anxiety, less stress and so much more...
Imagine if someone could press a button and mute that voice in your head that tells you that you’re not good enough or that you can’t accomplish what you dream about? Any limitations that you create in your life are connected to your thoughts, ideas, attitudes, decisions, and beliefs about it. Lightly touch the bars-points and you begin to clear away what’s locked up that keeps you from believing you can have the life you’ve always known is possible.
One of the life-changing components that happens naturally with each Access Bars session is the element of receiving. How often do we just let go, lower our barriers, and allow another person to truly gift us? Learning to receive is a key to inviting more of what you’re asking for into your life. Access Bars facilitates receiving, different than any other modality in this reality.
WHAT DOES IT FEEL LIKE IN THE BRAIN DURING A SESSION EFFECTS ON ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
What is a session like?
Do you remember the last moment in your life when you were totally relaxed and nurtured and cared for? Or has it been a little too long since you received healing and kindness without any judgment of your body or your being?
Everyone is different so there is no “normal” Access Bars session. Each session will be different, every time, even if you repeat with the same person.
What is most often reported is that there is a sense of complete relaxation. Many people go to sleep – even in a very noisy environment. Some people have images come to them, others feel sensations in their bodies such as buzzing, tingling, warmth, twitches or shivers.
There is no right or wrong way and the best way to find out what Access Bars will be like for you is to try it for yourself!
GO
BEYOND
