Reiki is based on an Eastern belief in energy that supports the body’s innate or natural healing abilities. Simply put Reiki is energy and when the body recognizes this energy it can be used for therapeutic purposes.
The Benefits of Reiki
Reiki can used for a variety of health concerns ranging from depression and stress to someone recovering from a routine surgery or for more extreme instances like cancer patients coping with side effects of chemotherapy radiation treatments. There are also benefits for those wishing to engage in self-care or overall health maintenance. Reiki will promote health and wellbeing regardless of the underlying issues or ailments.
What to Expect
During a Reiki session, the treatment room will be set up with soft lighting and relaxing music, and the table dressed in bed linens, creating a calm and inviting atmosphere. Reiki consists of different hand positions, where the practitioner will treat approximately five regions of the body via light touch or hovering. The hands will remain on these different areas of the body, usually three to five minutes. If there is a particular part of the body that is experiencing discomfort, extra time may be devoted to that area. A treatment session will last anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes and can be done sitting or lying down.
What Does the Research Say?
A 2010 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology evaluated the effects of Reiki on patients recovering from a heart attack. The study, “Effects of Reiki on Autonomic Activity Early After Acute Coronary Syndrome,” evaluated heart-rate variability (the time interval between heartbeats), which is used to assess stress, and emotional state. A sample of 49 patients randomly received Reiki or one of two other interventions (rest or classical music) within 72 hours of an acute coronary syndrome such as a heart attack.
Researchers found that Reiki had a larger impact on patients’ overall emotional state and showed a significant increase in heart-rate variability within three days, indicating a reduction in stress.
Additional Information
Columbia University, in association with New York Presbyterian, was one of the first hospitals to offer Reiki as part of their Integrative Medicine Program (CIMP). Well known cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Mehmet Oz has brought attention to Reiki when he invited Reiki practitioners to treat patients during open heart surgeries he performed and during heart transplant operations. Dr. Oz is has been quoted as saying, “Reiki has become a sought-after healing art among patients and mainstream medical professionals.”
Other well known hospitals, which offer Reiki treatments include:
- Abington/Jefferson Health
- Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
- California Pacific Medical Center
- Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center
- George Washington University Hospital
- Hackensack UMC
- Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
- NY-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia
- Yale New Haven Hospital
Call today to book a session!