This has been revised from a previously released article from 2015. 

In the Ultimate Alternative Medicine Secrets national broadcast, Dr. Oz ranked Reiki #1:

“Reiki is one of my favorites, we’ve been using it for years in the Oz family, and we swear by it.”

The Reiki attunement process makes it possible for the Reiki practitioner student to effectively transmit Reiki healing energy immediately after taking Reiki training and no prior experience is necessary.

With many energy healing modalities, the student must learn to access and collect the healing energy, store it within the body, and then, utilizing breath, movement and intent, channel the healing energy into the body of another person, animal or plant. They may need to be directing the energy and therefore need to study the human anatomy and understand about illness processes. This is a process that can take many months or years of intense practice and study to master.

1. Reiki is an Initiation or Attunement Everyone Can Receive to open your Healing Channels

Reiki is taught via a unique energetic attunement or initiation process, as a direct transmission from Master to student. It is fundamentally a spiritual (not religious) practice, and there is no rational mind “learning” required.

Think of it this way: just as an electrician connects your house to the main electrical generating station, you may not fully understand how electricity functions, but once your house is hooked up properly, all you need to do is switch on the lights. Reiki on!

The Reiki initiation creates an opening in the Reiki student’s subtle energy channels allowing them to receive and flow greater levels of universal life force. This allows the Reiki energy to pass through certain pathways of the Reiki student’s subtle body and strengthen their ability to receive and transmit or channel this enhanced intelligent life force to self and others.

Once initiated by a Master, the Reiki student is able to effortlessly channel the Reiki energy passing through their energy channels without utilizing their personal energy or Ki for the purpose of delivering the Reiki healing session. The Reiki attunements themselves are incredibly potent and healing for the recipient.

2. Reiki is Intelligent Universal Life Force or Chi (Ki)

Once attuned properly by a Reiki Master, the practitioner does not need to study anatomy, or understand about illness or disease or even study any other health curriculums. In fact, the practitioner does not even need to “know” or understand how energy healing works.

Reiki is Japanese for intelligent universal life force. Once properly initiated, Reiki flows through the practitioner to the recipient and naturally brings balance and harmony to whatever level the core imbalance, whether it is on the spiritual level, mental, emotional or physical. Most issues impact multiple levels which is why Reiki is so effective as it automatically goes to the core and addresses them all.

3. Reiki Practitioners Do Not Use Their Own Personal or Magnetic Energy

Supplying one’s own energy or Chi or Ki for the healing session can weaken the body’s energy reserve. Reiki practitioners channel Reiki energy instead of their own personal energy or Ki. Thus, their personal energy or Ki is protected from being depleted during the Reiki session.

4. Reiki Practitioners Also Receive Some Reiki Energy During a Session

Because the Reiki practitioners are not utilizing their own energy for the session, he or she feels more energized at the end of the session than when he or she started. The Reiki practitioner gets a healing treatment too!

5. Reiki is a Protected Channel, Therefore Practitioners Will Not Absorb Negative Energies from Others

This protection is part of Dr. Usui’s original attunement process brought to the West by Hawayo Takata. There is no need to create extra protection, or surround yourself with white light at the beginning of the Reiki session. These unique attunements provide an automatic protection that prevents the energy from being absorbed by the giver. The Reiki practitioner who receives this attunement will not pick up “negative energy” from his or her client, though as one becomes more aware of subtle energy, you may sense or feel some heavy energy or other sensations. When this happens I simply acknowledge that there is some denser energy being transmuted and it allows me to be more aware. This attunement also protects the client from picking up energetic problems from the Reiki practitioner.

6. Reiki Practitioners Can Give Self-Treatments

In the first degree of Reiki, one learns how to do self-treatments. Because Reiki practitioners are not using their own energy to deliver the Reiki session, they can provide Reiki sessions to themselves (Reiki self-treatments), regardless of how strong their personal energy level may be.

Reiki self-treatments should be an integral part of any practitioners practice, and can be as effective as another practitioner performing the Reiki session. In Reiki, the “healer” can be his or her own healer. Self-treatment is not an option in many other healing modalities.

7. Learning Reiki Is So Simple that Young Children (and Animals) Can Do It

As there is no mental learning required, children really enjoy learning Reiki. Reiki allows children to feel that they have something of great value to offer when someone is in distress, boosting their self-esteem and developing compassion for others. Many children are already natural healers and Reiki gives them a tremendous boost in both energy and confidence.
Even animals can be attuned to Reiki both for their own healing needs, and to enable them to assist others. I have initiated a number of canine and feline Reiki practitioners. My own dog Suki was an incredible healer and participated in every one of my Reiki sessions by either lying under the table, or curling up next to me during distant treatments, and at times even using her paws to instantly remove an energy blockage! Recipients reported feeling her energy supporting them to feel so safe and nurtured during the healing sessions that they would request her presence ahead of time to make sure she would participate!

If you are interested in learning reiki and becoming certified, please check for my next scheduled class date here!