What conditions can Reiki treat?
Throughout the ages, at some point, Reiki has been used to treat every known illness or injury. Most people notice a deep relaxation during a Reiki session, and studies have shown that relaxation speeds healing. Many people find that Reiki offers a safe, nurturing space in which to work through emotional issues that slow down the healing process. One great thing about Reiki is that it works regardless of the recipient's belief system. This article on Breast Cancer and Reiki includes information about scientific studies and use of Reiki in hospitals. (The article was presented to the Pittsburgh School of medicine in April 2007 in instruction given by Norma Jean Young.) Reiki works well for relaxation, honoring connections among mind, body, and spirit, and with other therapies and healing modalities; however, Reiki is not intended to replace existing medical care or advice.
How does Reiki differ from other forms of energy healing?
Reiki, as "universal life force energy," is accessible to some degree by everyone and everything. In this sense many people use a little Reiki without realizing it!
There are two main differences between Reiki and other forms of energy work, though, and they are related. The first difference is that Reiki requires its practitioners receive an "attunement" by a certified Reiki Master Teacher. Breaking down the word, an attunement "tunes" the practitioner to Reiki energy. As in accupuncture and yoga, Reiki, and particularly a Reiki attunement, concerns itself with opening one's meridians and chakras to their natural state of flow. People might experience this process as "relaxing," "hot," "lots of colored lights," "a blissful experience," "a sense of childlike wonder," or "the breath of God." There's no right or wrong experience. During the attunement, the Reiki Master Teacher opens the chakras in a practitioner's hands, so that Reiki energy can now flow freely through their hands. People often notice it as a feeling of heat or tingling. From this point on, for life, the practitioner can let Reiki flow through their hands for the benefit of self and others.
The second difference between Reiki and other forms of energy work is related to the attunement process. Because the attunement allows practitioners to tap more freely into universal life force energy, they do not become depleted while providing energy work. This is a major difference, as many forms of energy healing require meditation and breathing exercises in order to "build" a limited quantity of energy. As a flow of universal energy, Reiki remains unlimited and never tires the practitioner. In fact, because Reiki flows through the practitioner, it actually treats the "healer" as well as the "healee." I put these words in quotes because Reiki also allows us to step outside the dichotomy of giving versus receiving. At the end of any attunement or session, the Reiki Master says silenty, "We are both blessed by this process."
Just what does it mean to call oneself a Reiki Master?
It depends, like all things, on whom you ask. In my own definition, becoming a Reiki Master means someone has commited to his or her own personal growth and to embodying as much as possible in daily life the 5 Reiki principles. It does not mean perfection, but rather an opening of oneself to a life of service, allowing Spirit to act through our bodies and words (the "Rei" and the "ki" together). The term "Master" is itself a bit misleading, particularly when applied to Reiki, because one does not ever "Master" universal life force energy. That's totally not the point! It's more a sense that one is working towards mastering one's experiences of anger, worry, gratitude, working honestly (expressing one's gifts) and being kind to all living things.
Is there a set length of time one should wait before becoming a Reiki Master or Reiki Master Teacher?
Of the people trained to Reiki Master Teacher level, I find it sometimes takes years before they decide to venture fully into teaching Reiki. You really have to "live it" if you're going to teach it. I am currently coaching two out of state people who were trained as Reiki Master Teachers many years ago but who just now feel called to teach. Our coaching sessions support ways of integrating Reiki into their lives as well as strategizing how to teach each level and deal with student questions. These are two women who really had the necessary knowledge and attunements to do this work earlier, but they are just now embracing it in a more profound way.
Some Reiki Master Teachers would argue that this "proves" they took Reiki Master training before they were really ready. I disagree. The Reiki Master and Reiki Master Teacher (it's the same attunement; the content of the class is just slightly different) attunement is very powerful, and I have seen it work on very deep levels in people's lives. It may take 6 months to 5 years to fully integrate that attunement, but the process of integration at least begins with the attunement.
When Reiki Master Teachers expect students to have completed all their internal work and have done tons of hours of Reiki sessions in order to become a Reiki Master, I have not found their students any more or less ready than people who've chosen to move faster through the classes. Sometimes such requirements or perfectionism give people an excuse not to move forward when the attunement and class really would have challenged them in a good way and given them tools to move beyond the limiting patterns that they were told "should prevent" them from becoming a Reiki Master/Teacher.
Ideally, one wants to feel challenged but not pressured to move forward. It's a personal decision, and I only offer the class to people when I believe they could be ready for it, were they inclined to commit on a deeper level to their own and others' healing and service.
Whenever I teach a Reiki Master Teacher class, even though people receive in class the attunement and the knowledge to teach classes, I always offer them the chance to apprentice with me by auditing and when they feel ready, assisting me in my Reiki classes. I consider this an important but not formal process, similar to how Usui had his students follow him around his clinic. Since you or any other students of the Reiki Master Teacher level would be given the attunement, you could also read a lot of Reiki books and practice inviting Reiki into your lives and teach from your own perspective rather than following my own beliefs or method.
