A digital Tibetan Prayer Wheel
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Wow! What a blessed spring season as more and more students and clients have come to realize the spiritual beauty of Reiki and are actively changing their lives.

A student who is receiving treatments for 3rd degree burns--March/April '03:

“I thank you and Bless you! The last 3 sessions have made a great difference in my life and I am happy my Guides have lead me back to you. You are a great facilitator of healing and of course I am happy to receive. I will continue with more sessions after the fourth as well. That is what I am being told...Also more good news. Today in massage class they look at my foot. They said I have no adhesions/scar tissue. This is healing nicely.”

Let's just leave it at that. Blessed Be!

As always we encourage contributors to the newsletter.

info@reikihelp.com works for all correspondence.

PAMIR KICIMAN
Reiki Master & Founder

We feature quotes from Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido which he called the Art of Peace. He was probably the world's greatest martial artist, but also a deeply spiritual and metaphysical man, both very wise and loving.

All things material and spiritual, originate from one source and are related as if they were one family. The past, present, and future are all contained in the life force. The universe emerged and developed from one source, and we evolved through the optimal process of unification and harmonization.

The Wellness Corner will be a regular feature of our Newsletter, where we will dedicate it to a certain subject for one or more issues. We will begin with stress, as one of common everyday challenges. All subjects will be common elements of everyday living and deal with how to improve the quality of our lives. Since stress is a biggie, we'll keep it in The Corner for a few issues.

OK so you don't want to look silly, close your eyes and really mean it when you put that "Do not disturb" sign outside your door. Or you've tried meditation and liked it but make excuses such as lack of time, or out of sheer laziness won't discipline yourself to get results. Perhaps the following will help.

"Recent research indicates that meditating brings about dramatic effects in as little as a 10-minute session. Several studies have demonstrated that subjects who meditated for a short time showed increased alpha waves (the relaxed brain waves) and decreased anxiety and depression.

"To explore exactly what part of the brain meditation acts on, researchers at Harvard Medical School used MRI technology on participants to monitor brain activity while they meditated. They found that it activates the sections of the brain in charge of the autonomic nervous system, which governs the functions in our bodies that we can't control, such as digestion and blood pressure. These are also the functions that are often compromised by stress. It makes sense, then, that modulating these functions would help to ward off stress-related conditions such as heart disease, digestive problems and infertility....

"Seeking methods for quieting that internal chatter and reducing stress are what initially attract many people to meditation. "It is a very effective stress-reducer, which is a way into the practice for many people," says Thomson, who sometimes refers clients to meditation. "If someone is struggling with feelings of anxiety, he or she may benefit from its calming aspects. And it's absolutely facilitative of mental health because it brings about a higher level of self-acceptance and insight about oneself....

"Studies have shown that, among other benefits, meditation can help reverse heart disease, the number-one killer in the U.S. It can reduce pain and enhance the body's immune system, enabling it to better fight disease.

"More new research offers additional encouragement. In a study published last year in the journal Stroke, 60 African-Americans with atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, practiced meditation for six to nine months. (African-Americans are twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease as are whites.) The meditators showed a marked decrease in the thickness of their artery walls, while the nonmeditators actually showed an increase. The change for the meditation group could potentially bring about an 11% decrease in the risk of heart attack and an 8% to 15% decrease in the risk of stroke.

"A second study, published last year in Psychosomatic Medicine, taught a randomized group of 90 cancer patients mindful meditation (another type of practice). After seven weeks, those who had meditated reported that they were significantly less depressed, anxious, angry and confused than the control group, which hadn't practiced meditation. The meditators also had more energy and fewer heart and gastrointestinal problems than did the other group."

--Cary Barbor, Psychology Today

And the Dalai Lama writes in the New York Times:

"I have been encouraging scientists to examine advanced Tibetan spiritual practitioners, to see what benefits these practices might have for others, outside the religious context. The goal here is to increase our understanding of the world of the mind, of consciousness, and of our emotions.

"It is for this reason that I visited the neuroscience laboratory of Dr Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin. Using imaging devices that show what occurs in the brain during meditation, Davidson has been able to study the effects of Buddhist practices for cultivating compassion, equanimity or mindfulness. For centuries Buddhists have believed that pursuing such practices seems to make people calmer, happier and more loving. At the same time they are less and less prone to destructive emotions.

"According to Davidson, there is now science to underscore this belief. Davidson tells me that the emergence of positive emotions may be due to this: Mindfulness meditation strengthens the neurological circuits that calm a part of the brain that acts as a trigger for fear and anger. This raises the possibility that we have a way to create a kind of buffer between the brain's violent impulses and our actions.

"Experiments have already been carried out that show some practitioners can achieve a state of inner peace, even when facing extremely disturbing circumstances. Dr Paul Ekman of the University of California at San Francisco told me that jarring noises (one as loud as a gunshot) failed to startle the Buddhist monk he was testing. Ekman said he had never seen anyone stay so calm in the presence of such a disturbance.

"Another monk, the abbot of one of our monasteries in India, was tested by Davidson using electroencephalographs to measure brain waves. According to Davidson, the abbot had the highest amount of activity in the brain centers associated with positive emotions that had ever been measured by his laboratory.

"Of course, the benefits of these practices are not just for monks who spend months at a time in meditation retreat. Davidson told me about his research with people working in highly stressful jobs. These people — non-Buddhists — were taught mindfulness, a state of alertness in which the mind does not get caught up in thoughts or sensations, but lets them come and go, much like watching a river flow by. After eight weeks, Davidson found that in these people, the parts of their brains that help to form positive emotions became increasingly active."

Do you serve in the field of helping others? Massage therapist? Chiropractor? Herbalist? Holistic nurse, Naturopathic Doctor or Homeopath? Whether you are an allopathic or holistic practitioner, whether you treat the body or the mind, Reiki Training goes beyond what you may initially expect or may have heard. Consider this:
 

Having been in the field myself for over 10 years and explored many of the offerings, spoken with and taught many of you, I appreciate the rich choices available for balanced, healthy living. I've also observed that Reiki is often misunderstood and under-appreciated because of its simplicity. Yet this simplicity is its greatest asset. When Reiki is truly felt in its richness, the experience becomes lasting and profound, creating substantial change in practitioner and client.

We all have done our own inner work, before offering to serve others. Yet there's always more to grow into. Sometimes life and career eclipse our developmental goals and we come to a standstill. Learn two simple breath meditations that will charge you with spiritual Light, clearing body, mind and soul in a grounded way and taking you to higher levels of consciousness.

Are you a multi-tasker, single parent, overachiever or generally racing around? Learn mudras, hand & finger holds that directly change your energy flow and state of mind for hour-to-hour maintenance.

Do you ever feel off center after certain clients, and you have another person or task booked without enough time in between to clear yourself? Reiki offers Kenyoku-ho, the method for energy cleansing--takes 30 seconds!

Growing out of your self-practice and personal wellness, Reiki is a solid aid in your professional practice also. It is the antidote to burnout. Doulas, aromatherapists, bodyworkers, hypnotherapists, counselors, psychotherapists, doctors, dentists, coaches, acupuncturists, yoga instructors consider this:
 

Please contact us:

This article was published in the latest issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Launched in1995, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine is a forum for sharing information concerning the practical use of alternative therapies in preventing and treating disease, healing illness, and promoting health.

Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine does not endorse any particular methodology, but promotes the evaluation and appropriate use of all effective approaches from the physical to the transpersonal. The Journal publishes a variety of disciplined inquiry methods, including high-quality scientific research. The Journal encourages the integration of alternative therapies with conventional medical practices in a way that provides for a rational, individualized, comprehensive approach to healthcare.

The National Institutes of Health Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has classified energy medicine therapies into 2 basic categories: biofield therapies and bioelectromagnetic-based therapies. According to the NCCAM classifications, biofield modalities are defined as those therapies intended to affect energy fields that purportedly surround interpenetrate the human body. These therapies, which Reiki, Qigong, and Therapeutic Touch, involve touch or placement of the hands in or through biofields, the existence have not yet been scientifically proven. Bioelectromagnetic-based therapies involve the use or manipulation of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), invisible lines of electrical force or currents. Although the existence of EMFs has been demonstrated, therapeutic use of these fields is unique to complementary modalities such as magnet therapy.

Biofield therapies, including Reiki, are generally accepted low-risk interventions. The widespread use of these therapies, coupled with anecdotal evidence of efficacy, indicate a further study of this important category of complementary alternative medicine (CAM). Because of their foundation subtle energies that as yet lie beyond technology’s ability to consistently measure, biofield therapies present a special challenge. An increasing number of nurses, physicians, and healthcare providers have begun integrating biofield therapies into patient care, and a growing number of hospital-based programs offer these modalities to patients and staff....

Hands-on Reiki treatment is offered through light touch on a fully clothed recipient seated in a chair or reclining on a treatment table. A quiet setting conducive to relaxation is desirable, not necessary. A full treatment typically includes placing hands on 12 positions on the head, and on the front and back of torso. Hands can also be placed directly on the site of injury pain if desired, but the technique is neither symptom nor pathology specific. When even light touch is contraindicated, as the presence of lesions, the hands can hover inches off the body. A session can be as short or as long as needed, with full treatments typically lasting 45 to 75 minutes. The receiver need not be conscious and Reiki can be offered during surgery. The practice of Reiki is primarily passive, embodying the Asian philosophy of non-action. Offering Reiki is refreshing to the practitioner as well as the recipient. Practitioners believe Reiki has the potential to rebalance the biofield at the deepest vibrational level, thereby removing the subtle causes of illness while enhancing overall resilience. Because Reiki is a holistic modality that supports overall healing and well-being, it is not possible to predict how quickly specific symptoms may respond. Generally, in addressing chronic conditions, a minimum of 4 complete treatments
is advised before evaluating clinical benefit....

There is no agreed upon theory for how Reiki might work, its mechanism of action is still unknown. For this reason, Reiki is subject to the criticism leveled at other CAM modalities skeptics: it cannot be efficacious because it lacks a known biological mechanism of action. As David Hufford has argued, implicit in this view is the belief that CAM claims will be proven be ‘true’ or ‘false’ on the basis of present scientific knowledge, that “the acceptance of any theoretically implausible claims would require the abandonment of current scientific knowledge.” This of course ends all inquiry before it begins, leaving no room for making connections between theories underlying energy healing practices such as Reiki, Therapeutic touch, Qi gong, and those emerging in various branches of the conventional
sciences.

The concepts underlying energy therapies such as Reiki have theoretical commonalities with a variety of models in physics, none of which have been experimentally linked with medicine or clinical outcomes. Models in bioelectromagnetism, quantum physics, and super string theory are consistent with Asian scripture in suggesting that very subtle vibration may be the substratum of reality as we know it, and therefore such vibration may have a role to play in health and disease. For example, Jan Walleczek and Abe Liboff in the field of bioelectromagnetism offer credible scientific support for the potential role of the forces subtle bioelectromagnetic fields in physiological processes. Walleczek in particular has convincingly demonstrated that subtle magnetic fields can have measurable interactions with biological systems in the area of redox potential and hydroxylation reactions. Although this area of research is in its early stages, these connections suggest that the theoretical underpinnings of Reiki and other energy therapies may not be in direct contradiction to scientific models.

Reiki vibration is understood to be drawn through the practitioner according to the recipient’s need, within the ability of practitioner to carry the vibration. Beginning students often find it difficult to grasp that non-doing can be so effective. The flow of Reiki is believed to increase as the practitioner becomes inwardly more still, an understanding acquired only through prolonged practice. The fact that the vibrational flow is drawn by the recipient allows for great flexibility and ease of delivery. While a practitioner’s ability to be a conduit for the vibrations may vary, is ultimately no wrong technique. Reiki’s self-regulatory mechanism precludes “overdosing”—even a dry sponge only absorbs to saturation. Experienced practitioners claim to notice the healing vibrational flow decreases, at which time they to the next hand placement. Recipients often sense a vibrational flow, sometimes feeling heat or coolness, or waves of relaxation throughout their body, or in specific areas that may or may correspond to where the practitioner’s hands are placed. Such experiences may be evidence of a subtle entrainment effect, to that of sound healing, whereby Reiki vibrations attune recipient’s biofield to greater harmony.

Reiki is believed to rebalance the biofield, thus strengthening the body’s ability to heal and increasing systemic resistance stress. It appears to reduce stress and stimulate self-healing by relaxation and perhaps by resetting the resting tone of the autonomic nervous system. Proponents of Reiki believe this might to enhancement of immune system function and increased endorphin production....

Although Reiki was first used in lay practice, it is increasingly used in a variety of medical settings including hospice care settings; emergency rooms; psychiatric settings; operating rooms; nursing homes; pediatric, rehabilitation; and family practice centers, obstetrics, gynecology, and neonatal care units; HIV/AIDS; and organ transplantation care units; and for a variety of medical conditions such as cancer; pain; autism/special needs; infertility; neurodegenerative disorders; and fatigue syndromes. Reiki’s popularity among the population is evidenced by its mention in a wide variety of publications from the New York Times and Time, to Esquire and Town & Country.

There are 3 tiers of Reiki practice:

• Individuals who use Reiki for themselves, family, and
friends;
• Licensed or unlicensed health care professionals either
offering full Reiki treatment or combining Reiki with other
modalities (such as a massage therapist starting/ending
treatment with a few minutes of Reiki, or a physician using
Reiki to ease the discomfort of an examination);
• Hospital-affiliated and community-based programs offering
Reiki treatment or training.

Reiki appears to be an effective stress reduction technique that easily integrates into conventional medicine because it involves neither the use of substances nor manipulative touch that might be contraindicated or carry unknown risks, and because the protocol for Reiki treatment is flexible, adapting to both the need the patient and of the medical circumstances. Reiki can be used support conventional medical interventions. In addition, when used on a conscious patient, the experience is relaxing and pleasant, increasing patient comfort, enhancing relationships with caregivers, and possibly reducing side effects of procedures and medications. Staff report they enjoy giving Reiki treatments. Caregivers who routinely have to hurt patients in order administer needed medical care express gratitude for a tool that minimizes patient discomfort and quickly soothes distressed children. There is limited but promising preliminary research evidence for Reiki’s use in pain management.

First degree practice is easily learned and can be used in self-treatment. Training patients to practice Reiki self-treatment may reduce the side effects of common medical interventions and empower patients with a simple, effective skill to address anxiety, insomnia, and pain at modest cost. A patient with resources to address his own suffering is better equipped to comply with conventional medical protocols and be a responsible partner to his medical caregivers.

Even in the absence of a large body of standardized research, clinicians and hospital administrators are including Reiki into patient care. With this in mind, we outline some of challenges and issues that are being faced. There are 3 avenues through which Reiki is being incorporated into conventional medical care:

• Medical personnel are learning First degree Reiki, using it
for self-care, and integrating comforting touch into routine
medical care;
• Reiki practitioners are offering treatment to patients
and staff;
• Hospital-based education programs are training patients,
family members and caregivers in First degree Reiki...