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Briana Young
November 12, 2019
Human Services 2850
Professor Irene Diritsky
Non-Traditional Therapy Paper: Reiki
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Reiki is defined as a form of energy healing/renewing work that is helpful in decreasing

stress, aches and any other pains. The word reiki broken down means rei (which stands for divine

and universal higher consciousness) and ki which means life energy. (Reiki’s healing touch) The

application of reiki focuses on heightening the energy level and healing in the body. The practice

of reiki was developed in the early 1900’s by a Buddhist priest named Mikao Usui. Usui decided

to remove himself from society and his family in order to retreat to the mountains to delve deeply

into his spiritual side. (Reiki: heal your body and your life with the power of universal energy.)

During his time in the mountains, he felt it was important to let go of material things and anything

else that is known to be necessary in everyday life. In doing so, Usui eventually reached a state

of absolute non-attachment which is also known in Buddhist terms as Nirvana. He spent three

weeks on Mount Kuramayama and during this time he felt a transformation begin.

He felt as though he had been struck by lightening and began to feel at peace with the

world. This transformation caused him not to be so tied to his physical body and oneness and

instead made him feel one with everything; connected to the entire universe. After the three

weeks passed, Usui was excited to go back into society and share his experience with everyone.

As he was leaving the mountain, he caught his foot on one of the roots on the mountain and

ripped his toenail off. To ease the pain, he placed his hand around his toe and the pain began to

subside. (Reiki: heal your body and your life with the power of universal energy.) After healing his

toe, Usui continued walking down the mountain and stopped to get something to drink. At the

inn that he stopped at, he received his drink from the innkeeper’s daughter and noticed that she

was in pain from a tooth infection. After receiving permission from her father, Usui decided to
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try and heal her pain by placing his hands on the innkeeper’s daughters’ jaw and was pleasantly

surprised to find that the pain had left her jaw. These incidents helped to consecrate Usui as a

reiki healer.

The practice of reiki consists of using your hands to heal parts of the body that are in pain

as well as to hike up energy levels. Reiki is practiced almost in the same way a massage is done

except, reiki does not include touching the client or includes very minimal touching. (Reiki?

What's That.) The reiki practitioner uses their hands to glide above and over the body parts as

opposed to touching them. After Usui’s death in 1926, a retired naval officer and doctor named

Chujiro Hayashi (who spent a year training with Miko Usui) opened his own reiki clinic in 1932.

Hayashi took notes of the many details and treatments of the reiki system in a healing guide

which he developed called Ryoho Shishin. (The reiki healing handbook: transmit healing energy

through your hands to achieve deep relaxation, inner peace, and total well-being). Through his

research and with his medical background, he was able to create the twelve basic hand positions

used in reiki. The practice of reiki continued to develop in 1933 when a woman named Hawayo

Takata was informed by her doctor that she had a tumor in her stomach. Takata was also suffering

from depression due to recently becoming a widow and having two children to take care of on

her own. Takata was going to have the surgery at first but decided against the surgery after

hearing her deceased husband’s voice in her ears telling her that the surgery was not necessary.

She decided to ask for a recommendation from her doctor hoping he could recommend

someone who used traditional healing methods. The doctor informed her that one of his family

members had been successfully treated at Dr. Hayashi’s clinic and referred her there. After

receiving daily healing treatment for several months, Takata became intrigued by the amount of
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heat that was produced by the reiki healers as well as the satisfactory feeling it gave her. Her

interest in reiki and palm healing grew, and she decided to learn the method for herself. She

moved in with Dr. Hayashi for a year to learn reiki and afterwards, returned to Hawaii where she

was originally from to practice and give reiki treatments. In 1938, Takata returned to Japan and

was initiated as a reiki master by Dr. Hayashi. (The reiki healing handbook: transmit healing

energy through your hands to achieve deep relaxation, inner peace, and total well-being). After

this initiation, Takata later returned to Hawaii and set up her own reiki clinic there. Over the

years, she went on to train twenty-two people as reiki masters before her death in 1980. Reiki

continued to be a popular practice and started to become popular in the West in the 1970’s.

Reiki is used as a relaxation tool. (Reiki? What's That.) It has also been known to increase

energy flow as well as soothe tension, lower blood pressure and improve health problems.

(Reiki's healing touch). The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine have found that

reiki lessens psychological depression, self-perceived stress, regulation of the heart and other

functions, as well as helping to reduce anxiety and blood pressure. As for those who are thinking

of practicing reiki as well as those who currently practice it, reiki is a beneficial way to connect

with a higher level of consciousness as well as giving an outlet for empathy, compassion and

activism. (Reiki and Millennials.) In order to use reiki, a certain amount of education is required

first. After finding a reiki teacher that that the person feels is right for them, a reiki course group

must be taken. Reiki is taught in three main levels which are the first degree, second degree and

third degree. After learning the different levels of reiki, the student can choose to take the final

level which is the teaching level. (Reiki: plain & simple: the only book you’ll ever need.) Once all

three levels are taken (or whichever levels of the students choosing) an initiation process is done
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where the teacher opens the student’s energy points and channels. Once the initiation process

is done, reiki students have a channel to reiki for life.

I would use reiki with the population of adolescents who would range between the ages

of twelve and eighteen. Reiki has been known to be used as a relaxation technique. Although

practicing reiki requires a certain level of education, calming reiki meditation can be used by

anyone to help them calm down. (The reiki healing handbook: transmit healing energy through

your hands to achieve deep relaxation, inner peace, and total well-being.) Weather in a group

setting or individually, I would have the client(s) sit in a chair and begin to breathe in and out

while focusing on their breathing. I would have them take five deep breaths in and out counting

five seconds between each inhale and exhale. After doing the breathing exercises, I would have

them cross their arms and place them underneath their armpits and direct their focus to that

space. I would then have them take five more deep breaths inhaling and exhaling with five

seconds between each. Afterwards, I would ask the client how they feel after doing the

meditation exercise and ask them if they feel calmer and more relaxed.

In learning about this non-traditional therapy approach, I enjoyed learning about the fact

that it is a form of therapy that includes minimal to no touching. It is an innovative approach that

can heal others with just the use of your hands. I also enjoyed learning that you can preform reiki

on yourself and not only others if you decide to take the education courses for it. I was surprised

to learn that that although a certain level of education is required to perform reiki on others or

even yourself, there are other forms of reiki that do not require that level of education such as

the calming reiki meditation method that I described in the paragraph above. Reiki is a non-

traditional therapy form that I believe would be helpful to practice with my client’s and I think it
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would help them be more comfortable with it due to the fact that they can practice it on

themselves and they don’t have to be touched.

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Works Cited

Green, J. (2018). The reiki healing handbook: transmit healing energy through your

hands to achieve deep relaxation, inner peace, and total well-being. New York, NY: Chartwell

Books.

Jones, P. (2018). Reiki: plain & simple: the only book you’ll ever need. Charlottesville, VA:

Hampton Roads.

Lange, T. A. (2015). Reiki: heal your body and your life with the power of universal

energy. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House Inc.

Reiki and Millennials. (2019). Reiki News Magazine, 89.

Reiki's healing touch. (2006). Natural Health, 36(2), 91–94.

Reiki? What's That. (2019) Reiki News Magazine.