Reiki 101

Complementary and Alternative MedicineHolistic Health and Well-BeingBody and Energy Work
Written By Z. Hamilton Avery

Royalty free photo from pixabay.com

“Energy medicine is the future of all medicine.”
— Norman Shealy, MD, PhD

  • Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is a simple, non-invasive, low-cost form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) that treats a variety of conditions. CAM recognizes the legitimacy of a few different forms of energy therapies, including reiki, qigong, and therapeutic touch.

  • Reiki is a form of energy healing that originated in Japan thousands of years ago but was rediscovered by Dr. Mikao Usui in the early 1900s. “Reiki” is a term consisting of two Japanese words: “rei,” which means universal, and “ki,” which means life-force energy.

  • It is interesting to note that the Japanese concept of ki is the same as the Chinese concept of qi, which is the same as the Indian concept of prana.

  • Over the past couple of decades, more and more nurses and physicians have incorporated reiki into patient care. In 2020, reiki was offered at 15% of the hospitals in the United States.

  • Although a typical reiki session lasts somewhere between 30-90 minutes, most reiki recipients experience a profound sense of relaxation within the first ten minutes.

  • During a session, reiki recipients (who remain fully clothed) lay down on a massage table while the reiki practitioner places their hands on (or above) various parts of the recipient’s body.

  • Reiki can be administered through hands-on contact (i.e., light touch) or through a non-contact method (i.e., distance reiki).

  • Some of the common sensations reported by reiki recipients include feeling warmth, cold, tingling, vibrations, pulsations, or as if they are floating. Common effects, which can last days or weeks after the session, include feeling more relaxed and finding relief from physical or emotional pain.

References

Bukowski, E. L. (2015). The use of self-reiki for stress reduction and relaxation. Journal of Integrative Medicine, 13(5), 336-340.

Demir, M., Can, G., Kelam, A., & Aydiner, A. (2015). Effects of distant reiki on pain, anxiety and fatigue in oncology patients in Turkey: A pilot study. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 16(12), 4859-4862.

Dogan, M. D. (2018). The effect of reiki on pain: A meta-analysis. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 31, 384-387.

McManus, D. E. (2017). Reiki is better than placebo and has broad potential as a complementary health therapy. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 22(4), 1051-1057.

Thrane, S., & Cohen, S. M. (2014). Effect of reiki therapy on pain and anxiety in adults: An in-depth literature review of randomized trials with effect size calculations. Pain Management Nursing, 15(4), 897-908.

Z. Hamilton Avery

Z. Hamilton Avery, LMSW, MSW (U/S), LMT, CYT-1,000, TIYT (he/they) is a queer and non-binary therapist, health educator, wellness coach, body and energy worker, yoga and meditation teacher, and abstract artist in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to having obtained over a dozen certifications in various modalities of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), Z holds an associate’s degree in pre-nursing studies, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a master’s degree in social work. When supporting clients and students, Z takes a humanistic, person-centered, strengths-based, trauma-informed approach. Their practice is grounded in compassion, harm reduction, inclusivity, social justice, and evidence-based interventions. Ultimately, Z’s mission is to provide a safe and non-judgmental space for adolescents (13+) and adults who are navigating challenges such as anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, pain, and chronic illness; he does this by offering sessions, classes, groups, workshops, retreats, and trainings.

Understanding that mental health is interconnected with many other facets of life, Z takes a holistic approach to therapy. Knowing that there is no one-size-fits-all treatment, he strives to honor the uniqueness of each client by custom-tailoring his approach to best meet the needs, preferences, and goals of each individual. For this reason, Z believes that it is imperative to be cross-trained in many different treatment approaches. As a therapist, they utilize a variety of evidence-based practices, including motivational interviewing (MI), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and written exposure therapy (WET). As a body and energy worker, Z is certified to practice massage therapy, Thai yoga massage, myofascial release, craniosacral therapy, and reiki. They are also certified in both Chinese and Japanese styles of acupuncture. After completing more than 1,000 hours of accredited yoga teacher training (primarily in India), Z is certified to teach various styles of yoga, including Hatha, Kundalini, yin, and restorative. He also researches and writes about topics including stress, trauma, self-care, mindfulness, self-compassion, holistic health and well-being, CAM, HIV/AIDS, and issues related to the Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, agender, plus (2SLGBTQIA+) community.

https://www.therapywithz.com
Previous

Meditation 101
Next

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) 101