Reiki Healing
The Power of Reiki as an alternative Cancer treatment
This Japanese method of incorporating healing through Stress reduction and relaxation has its history tracing back to the late 1800s. This technique was pioneered and founded by Mikao Usui. Reiki is a combination of two words: ‘Rei’ means ‘God’s power or the supreme power’ and ‘ki’ means ‘life force energy.’ Reiki has been passed down to generations through master and student custom. A master gifts the student with this attunement only after the ‘initiation process.’ Hence it follows the traditional way of practice and administration.
The conventional technique of healing:
Reiki, a very simple and natural method in the ground of spiritual healing. It is a conventional method and definitely not a religious practice (McKinney conventional method) as people become sceptical over the energy from God’s concept. It is an easy method of self-improvement that everyone can use. It has served its effectiveness in all possible diseases and maladies by creating a beneficial impact. It also paves its way as a symbiosis with all other medical, surgical, or therapeutic techniques to reduce Pain and quicken the recovery for well-being.
According to Reiki therapy, any disruption in the chi energy inside our body serves as a precursor for any ailments. So as a cure, the practitioner removes the block for the free flow of energy. There is growing popularity in Reiki therapy, certain organizations provide it as educational courses, but there are no official credentials certified by an organization to the practitioners.
Reiki session:
Reiki is practiced in a peaceful ambiance where the patient can be seated, be in reaching, or sleeping position. The therapy begins by the Reiki practitioner, placing their hands on specific areas of the head, limbs, and torso. While placing the hand, the practitioner uses different hand shapes over 20 areas of the body, with each part exerted with touch for 2-5 minutes. With deep concentration, the practitioner hovers their hands on or over the patient and holds and changes the course of hands until they feel the energy flow has stopped.
Sometimes while administering the therapy, the practitioner’s hands would seem warm and tingling, but when they feel the heat has stopped from a specific area of the body, they move to the next part to exert the energy flow. The entire session takes place for 15- 90 minutes. Depending on the assessment, the therapy can call for multiple sittings.
6 phases in Reiki Therapy:
Reiki therapy has six phases to be administered during the session:
- Centering: Reiki therapy begins by laying hands on the patient’s body at specific parts to locate the disruption in ki energy.
- Clearing: After localizing the problem, now the practitioner has to clear the pathway for ki energy for treatment.
- Beaming: Then comes the phase where the negative energy is allowed to strike by exerting the hand on the specific parts.
- Extracting harmful energies: After the beaming, the negative energy affecting the ki energy is drawn out.
- Infusing: Now, the negative energy is taken away, but it leaves a void, so then there is the transfer of ki energy from the practitioner to the patient.
- Smoothing and raking the aura: As now the energy follows into the patient’s body now it must be channeled into the systematic flow for healing.
A slight variation of Reiki practice is done by using crystals as an additional element for healing in order to release emotional or mental Stress. Topaz, aquamarine, rose quartz, and amethyst are some of the crystals used.
Reiki Therapy Outcomes:
Reiki therapy categorized under complementary and alternative medicines does not provide a statistically significant effect, but some of the positive outcomes are listed below:
- Cancer patients: It serves short term Pain relief and remarkable improvements in quality of life in cancer patients. It is reported that CAM cancer patients undergoing Chemotherapy feel relieved of anxiety, stress, and Pain after receiving Reiki therapy. However, it has a limitation in its outcomes compared to the effectiveness of sham Reiki therapy or a companion taking care of the patient. Reiki therapy also seems insignificant in healing men with Prostate Cancer undergoing Radiation therapy.
- Women feel relieved from Pain and Anxiety when reiki therapy is incorporated in their usual therapy routine for breast Biopsy.
- Alzheimer’s disease: Certain research outcomes show that Reiki therapy has improved memory and decreased behavioral problems in patients reported with mild Alzheimer’s stage.
- Anxiety: Reiki therapy has shown a reduction of Anxiety in a patient before colonoscopy, but it doesn’t prevent the sedative medications later.
- Depression: It is shown that people with self-reported Depression and Stress have improved gradually with ‘hands-on Reiki’ or ‘distance Reiki’ methods.
- Hysterectomy: Early findings highlight that Reiki therapy reduces Pain and Anxiety in women after the surgery (pain after hysterectomy).
- Fatigue caused due to cancer, or any other diseases find a cure in Reiki therapy.
- Stress: Reiki therapy is reported to be stress-relieving for college students.
Even though the results mentioned above prove its effectiveness, but there are still some cases which prove otherwise:
- Stroke: After the rehabilitation, Reiki is ineffective during the recovery period in that case of stroke.
- Post Surgery: Reiki therapy has not proven any effectiveness in reducing the Pain in children after dental Surgery.
- Fibromyalgia: According to research, Reiki administered twice a week over a period of eight weeks does not reduce Pain and other symptoms pertaining to fibromyalgia.
Safety concerns:
This conventional and integrative method of spiritual healing has not reported any direct harm or side effects on the patients administered by it. Due to its relaxing effect, it is clinically administered as palliative care for cancer patients.
Findings and Protocols:
Neil Mckinney, ND, describes Reiki as the most successful method employed for integrative oncology care in his book “Naturopathic Oncology.” According to his protocol, this therapy alleviates fatigue, provides Stress relief, and manages the symptoms of cancer in general. It boosts and improves biophysical markers in cancer hence resulting in well-being of patients. Another protocol that views the balancing of the body through the innate ability of healing within the body is framed under Alschuler and Gazella Complementary approaches.
As an adjuvant therapy, Reiki may be able to help reduce Pain associated with Cancer Treatment. It can also reduce some of the uncomfortable symptoms patients commonly experience during cancer treatment, such as anxiety, weakness and Nausea. Cancer patients should always make sure to consult with their cancer care provider before indulging into any form of additional therapy.
