How Reiki Heals
Quantum physics has discovered that our bodies are not solid entities, but rather interacting fields of energy in constant creative fluctuation that configure and reconfigure who we are in ourselves and in our relationships, and in the world. These energy fields not only interact within the individual but also between individuals and within the environment. When we work with non-visible energy like Reiki, many of the shifts and changes that happen, happen at a non-material level that may be difficult to perceive.
The primary hand positions used by the Reiki practitioner correspond to the body's chakra system. Chakras, a Sanskrit word for "wheels", are nonphysical vortices of energy that transmute the vital life force into forms usable for the optimal functioning of our body and mind. The chakras are connected to each other and the physical body through "nadis" which are energetic threads through which the universal life energy flows. There are seven major chakras, five of which have openings at the front and back of the body. The chakras correspond to the endocrine glands and the six major nerve plexuses of the body. Primarily responsible for the chemical homeostasis of the body, the endocrine system works to balance the body's physical energy and stabilize mental and emotional functioning. The nerve plexuses, which are nerve points that come together within the nervous system, influence our patterns of activity and rest. While the digestive system takes in biochemical energy and molecular building blocks in the form of physical nutrients, the chakras take in higher vibratory energies that are just as integral to the proper growth and maintenance of physical life.
All conditions of imbalance and dis-ease are rooted in the human energy field, and it is the underlying energetic patterns that must be addressed and resolved in order to create conditions for wellness. This means that physical pain and illness are pre-existing in energetic form before they are experienced physically.
During a Reiki session, the recipient is in charge. Their cells open and draw in the amount of energy needed to bring the mind/body back to wellness. As the cells open, they release the energy of all that is old, out-molded, irrelevant --- all they have held onto that worked against the recipient's highest good. The ultimate goal of this opening and releasing --- this taking in and letting go --- is to balance and harmonize the entire system. Once the body is in balance, it can heal itself. The body's inner intelligence orchestrates the entire session in accordance with the creative intelligence of the universe. In essence, life-force energy knows what to do with life-force energy.
Not only is healing in a Reiki session determined by the recipient, it happens on a priority basis ‹ meaning that the result may differ from what the recipient wants or expects. However, healing always happens during a Reiki session, although the effects of the healing may not be immediately perceptible to the recipient or the practitioner.
As a society, we are taught to use our intellectual, analyzing mind as our primary mode of perception. Those new to Reiki are encouraged to approach using this hands-on healing method from a more intuitive perspective. One way for us to achieve this is to shift our focus from "analyzing Reiki with our mind" to a more heart-centered place of "observing of our bodily-felt experiences." Allowing ourselves to be in this place of curiosity and self-discovery promotes a willingness to stay open to all possibilities without needing to have all the answers, and, trust that Reiki is always working for the highest good.
Adapted from Reiki Energy Medicine by Libby Barnett and Maggie Chambers
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