What is Reiki and how can it help?
Posted on 16th November 2020 at 14:03
“Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing.”
So says the International Centre for Reiki Training, so what is that all about then? Well hopefully I can explain, but lets start with my own Reiki journey and how I discovered it.
I was initially sceptical and when chatting to a friend who told me she was now a Reiki Master my reaction was to laugh because it sounded odd. Fortunately she convinced me to attend one of her reiki courses to see for myself. Well I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to prove that I was right and it was all made up, so I went along. I have to say that course changed my life. Learning about reiki and how and why it does what it does introduced me to a world of relaxation therapies that I didn’t know existed. Although I had meditated on and off before, I hadn’t fully appreciated what I was doing, but learning about reiki opened my eyes to the possibilities of a calmer more relaxed mind and how all of that can help to deal with stress.
Reiki has been around for thousands of years in one form or another although in its current guise only around a hundred years or so, and it really helps. The basic principle is to channel universal energy into a person to help boost their own chi energy and clear blockages that lead to emotional and physical pain. I have spoken at length about how physical pain often comes from emotional pain and how when we are stressed or anxious our bodies react with physical symptoms so its always worth looking at emotional or mental trauma as well as physical when dealing with pain. Reiki help us to work on the emotional and mental side of things leaving you in a much more relaxed state and thus able to deal with stresses better which will in turn lead to reduction of physical pain.
So how does a reiki session work? You start off laying down on a couch, fully clothed, and with a blanket over you if it’s a little chilly, just to get you nice and comfortable. After a few deep breaths, you close your eyes and just relax while the therapist performs a body scan and then begins to channel reiki either hands on or hands off depending on the area they are working on. A session lasts from thirty to forty five minutes and you will feel varying sensations from hot to cold touch and you may see colours or you may feel a deep calm washing over you. Afterwards you will be given a glass of water to help ground you and your therapist will discuss questions or problems you may have.
Reiki generally works better over several sessions as with anything its not a quick fix, and incorporating it into your monthly routine will definitely help you to relax and often people report being able to sleep better after a reiki session.
If you would like to know more or want to give a session a try, get in touch with us or book yourself in online.
Stuart :)
Alchemy Therapy Centre
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