What is Reiki: Part II

Waking Point

by Helen Noakes

‘Healing,’ Papa would tell me, ‘is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.’—W. H. Auden

SAN FRANCISCO California—(Weekly Hubris)—5/2/11—A typical Reiki treatment lasts for one hour and fifteen minutes. It is not necessary for the recipient to undress, but I suggest that comfortable, non-binding clothes be worn.

The person begins by lying on a massage table, on his or her back. The practitioner makes the recipient as comfortable as possible, and then begins by working on the cranial area, progressing down the front of the body. At a certain point, the person is asked to lie facing downward, and the treatment resumes on the back of the body.

If an individual is physically unable to lie on a massage table, she or he may be treated wherever most comfortable. I have treated people on hospital beds and in wheelchairs.

In certain cases, a person may be unable to undergo an hour and a quarter’s treatment. There is a method of delivering the full Reiki treatment in approximately half the time; the level of healing energy is in no way compromised.

If a person cannot be touched, due either to a physical condition or because of medical apparatus impeding direct treatment, Reiki may be delivered from a short distance or from even farther away; I have treated burn victims in this way.

There is no physical manipulation involved in a Reiki treatment.

The recipient may feel heat emanating from the practitioner’s hands, but this is certainly not scorching heat and, normally, serves to soothe.

Most people claim to feel immediate relaxation which deepens as the treatment progresses. Some individuals fall asleep during the treatment, which is quite natural. If asleep, they certainly receive the full benefit of the procedure, as sleep is a great healing and rejuvenating process and Reiki sleep is deeper than ordinary sleep. Reiki induces a healthy flow of energy in the body, and this level of energy is responsible for the rejuvenating and healing that takes place.

I encourage my clients to talk to me about their issues and to voice any discomfort or changes that might concern them during the treatment, but they are certainly not required to do so. It is made clear from the start of the session that the recipient is the focus of the process and may receive the therapy in absolute silence, should she or he so wish.

Many people feel a little sleepy after a treatment, but that sleepiness soon transforms into vitality and a feeling of well-being. After treatment, I give my clients time to enjoy their relaxed state, to ask questions, or to comment on their experience.

It is preferable to have a minimum of three treatments for the full benefits of Reiki to become evident. The more frequent the treatments the more dramatic the results.

Learning Reiki

Reiki may be taught to anyone, including children.

To become a Reiki channel, it is necessary to undergo the attunement process with a certified Reiki Master who, in turn, has undergone Third Degree Reiki instruction and attunement. Attunements open the energy centers in the student’s body, mind, and spirit to both access and transmit vital healing.

Proper, hands-on attunements are essential to attain the correct alignments for the flow of Universal Energy. Therefore, do not accept any teacher who claims to be able to teach Reiki through the internet, a book, or in any other way which does not include hands-on attunements.

The basis of Reiki practice requires desire on the part of the individual to learn and to commit him- or herself to use Reiki as a positive tool. Lessons include attunements, studying the history of the practice, learning the methods of working on oneself and on others, and practicing under the Reiki Master’s guidance.

Please check this space in June for What is Reiki: Part III.

Should you be interested in further information, treatment, or Reiki instruction, please contact me at [email protected].