Does Reiki Work?

If you are questioning whether or not Reiki really works, you are probably considering going for a treatment or taking a class to learn how to treat yourself with Reiki. The answer to your question is not a simple yes or no.

The answer, in my opinion, is sometimes yes, temporarily, if you are seeking deeper relaxation or reduction of stress on your body. If you are looking for a magical solution to a major health crisis, Reiki is not your answer. I believe that the consistent use of Reiki may help you to manage stress levels and increase relaxation. I do not believe, nor have I seen in more than 10 years of teaching and practice, the healing of cancer or any major health crisis, including my own. I do not know personally any other Reiki Master who would dare claim that.

I am qualified to answer this. I became a seventh generation Traditional Reiki Master and Teacher more than 13 years ago. I have taught a wide variety of students in NY, NJ and CT  and was considered a gifted healer by my colleagues.

Time after time, my experience was the same when performing "healing sessions" for clients with chronic health issues. They would receive substantial relief from their pain. Then the  pain or the problem would inevitably come back.

Reiki is an ancient Tibetan healing art that was rediscovered by Mikao Usui in the 1800's. Usui was, by some accounts a Catholic monk looking for a way to heal like Jesus healed. Other accounts simply say that he was a monk, presumably Buddhist, perhaps Shinto.

Reiki was brought to the USA in the late 1800's. Traditionally, a student must pay $10,000 to become a Reiki Master. The fear here is that without paying such a large sum, you will not value it adequately. The same goes for the fees charges for Reiki attunements and training in the three levels.

That has all changed drastically in the last 15 years. Students are made into master/ teachers in a weekend for a fee that is small in comparison and perhaps, they don't value it at all. Certainly, they can not learn adequately in a weekend what has traditionally taken a year or more of study?

Now after reading that, most Reiki Masters or practitioners would say that I was the problem, perhaps my error here? No, according to ALL sources, Reiki is an "intelligent energy" that knows where to go and what to do. Which is why Reiki healers can do no harm (according to the teachings). Since I was also a teacher, I have seen the struggle first hand with my students. They experience the exact same thing. And when they were presented with a personal health crisis(as several were), Reiki could do little to ease their condition.

The Dark Side of Reiki

I believe that if Reiki was truly the miracle energy medicine that it's believers claim it to be, it would be mainstream. I know that if every one that I initially healed stayed healed I would have people banging down my door, begging for my help. I would be using it and teaching it still, if I had seen one - just one person - experience long term healing.

There is not a conspiracy of any kind trying to keep Reiki down and out of the hands of millions. It is simply not what it claims to be. Even the history of Reiki varies from teacher to teacher, depending on the "openness" of their class. How can true compassion and healing come from deception and greed? The idea that someone cannot be healed unless they have paid a certain amount is absurd and medieval! And that is the general rule when giving and teaching Reiki.

Certainly, it doesn't help that the New Age Movement has taken a traditional Japanese healing modality and remade it - there is now Non-Traditional Reiki, Karuna Reiki, Ascended Masters Reiki, Radiance Technique and probably another dozen that I am not aware of, like Pleiadian Reiki or Ancient Egyptian Cat Reiki, which will only damage the any of the remaining credibility that Reiki still maintains.  Airy-fairy people walking around talking about channeling the masters or archangels isn't going to fly.

And it isn't because the rest of us are so un-evolved, close minded, slaves to our negative thinking or in need of an awakening.

I am thinking quite clearly these days.

I don't think you can buy spiritual healing or a miracle over eBay (as Rieki is now often sold), and I'm shocked that people think that it is ethical to sell it this way. I'm even more shocked that people buy it.

Please, do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that Reiki is not real. I am not saying that nothing happens. My hands used to burn with energy. My clients loved the relaxation and felt balanced and energized after a treatment. What I am saying is this: Reiki is wonderful for relaxation. It is warm and comforting, but it uses, quite simply, ends there.

My students, for the most part, still practice and love Reiki. They consider it a gift and use it very carefully.

I no longer bother with it. After 10 years and a substantial financial investment in obtaining the best training available in New York City, I walked away. I have never looked back. My only regret is that I was not able to help those in need who came to me.

My final thought:

If you have a limited amount of money and are desperately seeking a solution to a medical problem, there are plenty of alternative medicine paths to take. The most effect and time tested method of balancing the energy in the body is with out a doubt acupuncture, and I promise it doesn't hurt at all!

If you are simply looking to relax and unwind, or deepen your mediation or yoga practice, Reiki will likely be a good fit for you.