I've been a Reiki Master for over 10 years. Although I do not practice for profit, I've been rewarded many times over, knowing I have helped people heal both physically and emotionally using healing Reiki therapy. I am constantly, repeatedly in awe of the power of Reiki, also referred to as Life Force Energy. My head is not in the clouds; I am not a religious person, but Reiki has supported my belief in the unity and power of love, positive energy and good old fashioned “thought”.

Reiki is a relaxing energy treatment, developed in Japan, that has proven highly effective in triggering the body’s own ability to heal itself. It is one of the few healing arts that can be used on oneself and on any living thing. Although many refer to this treatment as a "Reiki massage", it's not a massage in the traditional sense. A Reiki treatment channels energy through the hands. It can be effective in cases that do not respond to other forms of treatment. This simple holistic therapy can be used in conjunction with any other therapeutic or medical healing modality.

Anyone can learn Reiki. It’s really very simple. Reiki is not taught in the traditional sense. The innate ability to channel healing energy through the hands is simply awakened through a series of initiations by a trained teacher called a Reiki Master. These initiations, knows as “attunements”, align the energy centers in the body (the Chakras), facilitating the healing process. The Reiki student also learns special Japanese symbols that enhance the healing process. If you want to learn Reiki, you can find a Reiki Master in every city of the U.S. and in most every country in the world. You can even find DVD’s where Reiki Masters pass on the attunements through your computer screen. There are several schools of Reiki, the most traditional being Usui Reiki.

In 1914 Dr. Mikao Usui discovered Reiki while meditating on Mt. Kurama in Japan. In 1925 Dr. Chujiro Hayashi received the world’s first Reiki Master attunement from Dr. Usui. Today it is said that there are well over a million Reiki masters worldwide. The actually number of people who have learned the simple techniques of Reiki and are actively practicing this ancient healing art is too great to estimate, but the greater the number, the closer we get to a global healing mindset that can only move us forward towards peace, health and happiness.

The traditional Asian medical discipline views injury, dysfunction and disease as manifesting when subtle energies are weak, distorted or out-of-balance. These subtle energies called “auric energies” surround our bodies while the “internal energies” are within our bodies. Both are unseen to the normal human eye as are bacteria and viruses. Reiki, Tai Chi, Acupuncture, Homeopathy, Hatha Yoga, Shiatsu, Radionics and herbal remedies are all means of optimizing subtle auric and internal energies.

Only recently have Western scientists and proponents of traditional Western medicine considered the role  that subtle energies play in the functioning of the immune system. Triggered by new studies in Vibrational Medicine, which explores the relationship between matter and energy, western science is now acknowledging the common links between traditional Asian medicine and the science of modern Quantum Physics.

It’s heartening to know that Eastern medical practices are now beginning to look more scientific (and subsequently more acceptable) to the Western practitioner; however, Reiki (like other Eastern practices), while not considered a system of religious beliefs, is not entirely devoid of a spiritual side. The name “Reiki” actually means, “Spiritually guided life force energy”. The energy vibrations Reiki accesses in the healing process come from the mysterious, unexplained energy that animates all living things. In addition, the colorful history of Reiki includes a Buddhist monk, transcendental initiations and his experience with spontaneous healing.

But whatever one chooses to believe, the practice of Reiki has been shown to heal individuals on four distinct levels – physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Reiki is a catalytic factor in personal evolution, no matter what beliefs are held. The experience of Reiki is a vehicle to becoming conscious of your own being regardless of faith of concepts.