Written by Sian McKenzie, The Soulshine Therapist
Sian McKenzie is the founder of The Soulshine Therapist, a healing business, where she integrates her wealth of psychological and spiritual knowledge to guide clients on a journey towards inner peace, self-discovery and profound personal growth.
Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a form of energy healing that works to promote your ultimate well-being. Reiki is a holistic therapy that is gaining more attention, acceptance, and legitimacy within the health and well-being space.
Around the world, increasing numbers of people are turning to Reiki for its healing benefits, but what is it? How does it work? And can the benefits really be life-changing?
In this article, I will explain what Reiki is and share the reasons why Reiki could be the answer you have been looking for!
What is Reiki?
Reiki is a gentle and non-invasive form of energy healing that activates your body’s natural healing process. Reiki was developed by Dr. Mikao Usui in early 20th Century Japan.
On his 21st day of meditating in the mountains, Usui is said to have experienced a profound spiritual experience, where, in a vision, he was given the sacred symbols of Reiki. He went on to share his teachings and developed the five Reiki principles and three Reiki attunement (levels).
The 5 Reiki principles act as a way of being for Reiki healers. It outlines a mindset and way of approaching life that fosters peace within the healer.
An attunement involves a Reiki master creating a connection between their student and the universal life force energy, that is, using sacred mantras and symbols. Once attuned, the students can heal themselves and others. Once the 3rd attunement has taken place, the student becomes the teacher and becomes known as a Reiki Master.
Although Usui Reiki is the most well-known form of Reiki, there are variations, such as Angelic Reiki, Shamballa and Karuna Reiki. All have their own attunement process, and each works with a different vibration of energy. Regardless of the form of reiki, all share the common goal of promoting the highest healing for all.
Why consider Reiki?
Whether you book in for reiki treatments with a local practitioner or you choose to become attuned yourself so you can self-heal, Reiki really can be a game changer for your well-being.
Before we look at the life-changing benefits of Reiki, here are just a few reasons why you should seriously consider Reiki:
Reiki works on the whole person; it is a holistic treatment that boosts you on all levels.
Reiki helps to uncover the underlying blocks that are hampering wellness.
Reiki has the potential to facilitate lasting change.
Quantum physics is beginning to discover more about Reiki, and so far, it concludes that Reiki offers greater therapeutic outcomes when compared to placebo.
Reiki works for the highest good of all and is a fully inclusive therapy that everybody can benefit from.
Everybody’s experience of Reiki will be different, but there are common benefits that are associated with receiving this form of energy healing. It is important to say the healer is not treating individual symptoms, but rather, the whole energy system of the recipient. This means the reiki energy works holistically and non-discriminatory.
So, without further ado, here are 4 life-changing benefits you could experience when choosing Reiki energy healing.
4 life-changing benefits of Reiki treatments
1. Physical relief
Physically, Reiki is a wonderful treatment for those feeling pain and discomfort. It works to relieve the aches, pains and tensions harboured within the body, and it activates your body’s natural healing process, supporting your cells to work at optimal levels.
Whether a new injury or a pain that has been active for a considerable time, the gentle healing energy helps to shift the pain so it is felt less acutely in the body.
Reiki works to unblock any trapped energy that manifests itself as pain, working at the root cause of the pain. What may seem physical on the surface may reveal itself as a suppressed emotion, helping you to heal the cause and not just the symptom.
Reiki is a wonderful treatment for supporting recovery from physical illness or dis-ease. Studies indicate Reiki can be beneficial in helping patients manage the side effects of cancer treatment, the symptoms of fibromyalgia, and in reducing the symptoms of stress-related illnesses, such as high blood pressure.
Moreover, Reiki treatments can benefit relaxation and sleep, improving quality of life through improving quality of rest. Regular sessions can reduce fatigue and boost energy levels, helping you to feel less exhausted and drained in day-to-day life. In turn, your overall mood and outlook will likely improve, too.
Reiki helps ease the physical symptoms of anxiety and stress by calming the nervous system and aligning the chakra energy centres, making it easier to self-regulate and find calmness in the body.
2. Mental freedom
Ever feel overwhelmed by mental chatter? Is it impossible to switch off and think clearly?
Reiki can help you to shift that overactive energy and create a calmer, more relaxed mind. By helping to slow the racing thoughts, people often talk about a ‘cloud being lifted’ or their ‘foggy mind clearing up’ after having a Reiki treatment.
With this clearing comes clarity of mind, which helps you to feel confident in your decision-making. As you begin to trust yourself more, you can begin to feel more empowered in your choices. Not just that, but you will find it much easier to find your centre, stopping you from becoming so overwhelmed in the first place.
Research from around the world indicates that Reiki can be a supportive treatment for those struggling with poor mental health, particularly for those experiencing stress, anxiety, burnout, or depression. The gentle nature of Reiki helps to lift the heaviness, supporting you in cultivating a more positive mood and mindset.
3. Emotional processing
Being connected to the energy of Reiki is a calming and reassuring feeling that helps to settle any overwhelming emotions that may be present.
As the energy gently works through you, it will dislodge any suppressed and trapped emotions that are stored within the body. These emotions may be buried from a specific time in your life, or they may be a feature of your present existence. Regardless, Reiki can support you to process and release these emotions, so you can feel emotional freedom from the wounds that keep you down.
Reiki energy will gently clear emotional blocks, helping you to feel more inner emotional peace and alignment. When there is more balance, you feel calmer and less overwhelmed. This gifts you the space and emotional capacity to begin to feel and work through the emotions at play.
Combined with the clarity of mind Reiki can bring, this emotional settling can promote feelings of self-compassion and acceptance for yourself and your emotions. It can also shift the relationship you have with your emotional self, allowing you to move from a place of rejecting, burying, or distorting your emotions to feeling empowered in acknowledging, processing, and releasing emotion as necessary.
4. Spiritual alignment
Although you don’t have to be spiritual to receive Reiki, there are spiritual benefits to be had. Reiki is universal life force energy. Receiving this healing energy for yourself can promote deep feelings of inner peace and oneness with all that is.
Whilst you lie on the Reiki bed, your soul/spirit is also receiving this energy, and in your wholeness, you are connected with the energy of Source, the energy that sustains all of life. This in itself can feel deeply spiritual.
Reiki can support you by guiding you to become more aligned with your soul, helping you to feel more connected to your purpose and sense of connection with life. It is not uncommon for people to make life-changing decisions after having a series of Reiki treatments. Whether it’s leaving a toxic job, a bad relationship, or choosing to relocate to a new place, Reiki helps people to follow their intuition, release what they know no longer serves them, and be courageous in making changes they know are for their higher good.
This spiritual alignment within you can also shift things in more subtle ways. For instance, it might look like you saying “no” a little more often, being choosier with who you spend time with, or perhaps it manifests as you becoming more mindful of your well-being and taking more time for self-care.
On mindfulness, Reiki can be a beneficial spiritual practice when cultivating more mindfulness in your life. Reiki encourages you to grow self-awareness. This is especially true if you become attuned to yourself. You become more mindful of your own energy and the energy of others. You become more mindful of the energy and beauty of nature, deepening feelings of appreciation and connection.
If experienced regularly, Reiki can promote a mindful mindset as you begin to feel more gratitude, connection, and more oneness with all of life. This promotes feelings of purpose, connection, and love, benefitting the relationship you have with yourself but also with others.
Ready to start your Reiki journey?
Now that you know some more about Reiki and its benefits, do you want to experience it for yourself? You can find a local Reiki practitioner through a Reiki directory, such as Reiki Directory | UK Reiki Federation.
You can also become attuned to yourself, giving you the ability to heal yourself and others with the power of Reiki. If you are interested in exploring this, you can find Reiki Master Teachers through online directories. The price varies but is usually between £100-200 per attunement in the UK.
In my business, I work primarily with Angelic Reiki and offer attunements to those wanting to develop their own relationship with Reiki.
Read more from Sian McKenzie
Sian McKenzie, The Soulshine Therapist
Sian McKenzie is a rising voice within the mental health space. Founder of The Soulshine Therapist, she is a soulful practitioner offering a unique blend of counselling, spiritual coaching, tarot therapy, Angelic Reiki healing, and meditation healing. Her intention is to attend to all of her client's needs: mind, body and spirit. Sian dedicates herself to creating a spiritually inclusive space where psychology and spirituality can marry to support clients in their wholeness. She truly believes no client should have to leave their spirituality at the door, which is often the case in conventional counselling, nor should their emotions be inadequately supported, which is often the case with conventional healing therapies.
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