Reiki for Nurses
Reiki for Massage Therapists
Reiki for Women and Health
Reiki for Nurses
Reiki, the gentle art of healing touch, once a misunderstood mystery is now an energy modality that more and more patients are requesting. Many nursing professionals are taking Reiki classes to further their knowledge of energy medicine and to increase the intensity of the energy, which they can extend to their patients. Usui Reiki is the name of the original Reiki teachings, which originated in Japan through Dr. Mikao Usui in the late 1800’s. All other types of Reiki are a deviation, some having nothing to do with the original Usui teachings.
What makes Usui Reiki different from other types of energy modalities is the attunement; whereby, the Reiki Master passes the ability to receive Reiki to the student. An attunement is a process that opens and balances the practitioner’s chakras/energy centers to facilitate the receiving and sending of the Reiki energy. Reiki practitioners describe the attunement as a powerful spiritual experience. Before the attunement the energy that they were sending might be described as 110 volts, and afterwards experiencing as if they were sending 220 volts. The energy continues to intensify with each additional attunement received in the higher-level classes. Once you have received a Reiki attunement, you will have Reiki for the rest of your life. Another aspect of Reiki that makes it unique is that the training teaches the practitioner to do it on one’s self. Nurses working in stress filled environments can benefit from self-treatment. Reiki is a good way to lower stress levels, and it will help to build one’s immune system by keeping the body in balance.
A regular Reiki session can be 45 minutes to an hour long; however, it can be given in smaller increments of 3 to 5 minutes and still make a tremendous difference. Reiki hand placement positions are mostly over the main chakras with hands either touching or just above the body. There are four levels of Usui Reiki training. In a Reiki I class, the practitioner learns the history of Reiki, how it works, how to do Reiki on one’s self, and how to use it on others. In Reiki II, the practitioner learns several methods of sending distant Reiki, how to incorporate the Reiki symbols into a healing practice and how to empower goals. The Advanced Reiki Training adds many tools to the healing toolbox, including energy exercises and movement that help the practitioner to maintain health and well being. Reiki Master training prepares the practitioner to teach Reiki and to pass attunements. Ms. Hawayo Takata was the first to teach Reiki in the United States in the late 1970’s. She charged $10,000 for the Reiki Master training. Now that there are many Reiki Masters teaching Reiki the cost has fallen to reasonable levels so that more people can afford to take Reiki training. Reiki is a gift and a skill that anyone can learn. Soon nurses will be sharing this gift with their patients and with one another during their breaks bringing balance back into the work environment.
Dawn Fleming, USUI and Karuna Reiki Master, BS Business Administration, freelance writer, and Director of Beacon of Light Center. Teaches all levels of Reiki classes to nurses, teaches in Anne Arundel County or at your facility. Classes have been approved to provide contact hours for all nurses. 480-751-9278, reikidawn@yahoo.com,
USUI Reiki levels I and II have been approved by the National Holistic Nurses Association to provide contact hours for all nurses.
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Reiki for Massage Therapists
There are many benefits to both the client and the massage practitioner when USUI Reiki is integrated into a massage session. Reiki is a powerful form of healing touch, which assists in the healing process. It was developed in Japan in the late 1800’s and is currently used and taught worldwide. It was named for the founder of Reiki, Mikao USUI. Reiki works on all levels – the physical, emotional and mental. Reiki can be used to accelerate a clients healing process, reduce pain, calm a person, balance the body’s energy, etc. Reiki can be used with a massage session or can be done separately. So a person who practices Reiki does not necessarily have to be a massage practitioner. As a Reiki practitioner and teacher, I have taught Reiki to about 50 massage therapists since 1996. For this article, I interviewed several massage practitioners that use Reiki during their sessions.
When asked how Reiki training enhances the massage sessions, the practitioners all agree that Reiki provides an overall calming effect, particularly on new clients who are not used to such personal contact. It also helps the therapist in detecting where the body needs work and how long to work on a particular spot. Reiki assists the client in being more energetically receptive and open, which allows the practitioner to get more attuned with the clients auric field. All the massage therapists disclosed that when they integrate the Reiki into the sessions their clients notice the difference. Some clients comment about the wonderful warm feeling being extended, while others notice tingling sensations moving through their body, making them feel relaxed. Some clients actually experience physical releases of blocks and issues that they are holding.
Many of the massage practitioners discussed the changes that have occurred within themselves since taking the Reiki training. Several practitioners report that Reiki makes them more aware of what is going on around them prior to touching a client. Other benefits practitioners experience is being more aware of their own center and an increase in intuition. Reiki also provides the practitioner with an endless source of energy to nourish his or her own healing process.
Several massage therapists shared that they use Reiki on muscles that won’t give. They send Reiki to the area to release the block and then follow with massage. Practitioners using Reiki report that they witness the client shift to an emotionally better place after a combined session. It is not unusual for a client’s emotional issues to be raised and released during a session. Practitioners use Reiki with massage to help clear up sinus and allergy conditions, help a client to sleep better, reduce a client’s pain, and assist clients in gaining deeper understanding about themselves. The possibilities of how Reiki and massage can be used together for the benefit of the client are unlimited. Many practitioners use Reiki through the whole massage session. Others use Reiki for specific situations that occur during a session, and some practitioners wait until the end of the session to do Reiki.
USUI Reiki is taught in four levels. In Reiki I, a practitioner learns the history of Reiki, what Reiki is, how to use Reiki on oneself and how to use Reiki on some else. Each participant receives a Reiki attunement and has the opportunity to give and receive a Reiki session. When this class is completed, the participant is ready to give Reiki. Introduce yourself and your massage practice to this powerful source of healing energy. Take a Reiki class and not only receive the benefits of this energy, but also share it with others.
All Reiki classes have been approved by the AMTA to provide CEUs to massage therapists under Category A. Dawn also teaches Meditation, Understanding Alternative Healing Methods, Exploring the Bio-Energetic Field, and Attitudinal Healing at both Anne Arundel Medical Center, Annapolis, and Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold. She has studied various methods of complementary healing methods and uses the best of these methods in the work that she does.
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Reiki - Women and Health
Millions of Americans are spending billions of dollars on complementary health care seeking health and well being from a holistic approach. Reiki is a Japanese form of complementary healing that has been around for over 100 years and is making a big difference in today’s health care, particularly for women. It is very powerful in assisting almost any medical condition to heal. Reiki works on healing physical, emotional, and mental disorders. It has been proven to accelerate the healing process after surgery and reduces pain levels caused by various conditions. It works very well in coordination with conventional medical treatments.
How does Reiki work? Our physical body is made of chemical, biological, and energetic components. The world of conventional medicine is just starting to acknowledge the energetic components that support our whole body. Scientists have proven that every living thing has an energy field. This energy not only surrounds our body, it also fills it sending energy to every muscle, cell, nerve, organ, and bone in the body. When our energy field is low because of lifestyle factors, lack of exercise, poor diet, emotional or physical stress the body begins to breakdown and disease occurs. The Reiki practitioner lightly touches the body sending the Reiki energy through the merdians and nadis to the areas that are depleted of energy. Reiki removes energy blocks in the body, seals holes in the energy field caused by accidents or surgery, restores energy in the body, and helps with toxic side affects caused by medicines, chemotherapy and radiation as well as settles our emotions so that we can live more peacefully and heal. The Reiki practitioner is allowing the Reiki energy to flow through them into the client’s energy field where it is needed most.
During a Reiki session, the client remains clothed and lays or sits ever so peacefully while the Reiki practitioner gently places their hands over specific areas of the body sending in the Reiki energy. What you need to know is that many hospitals offer Reiki services; however, you will only receive it if you ask for it. With most alternative forms of healing in a conventional medical setting, if you want it, you need to request it. A Reiki session lasts about an hour and is always relaxing. Reiki is also fun and easy to learn. Anyone can learn to do Reiki. Many women working in careers in nursing, social work, counseling, physical and occupational therapy, etc. are learning Reiki to help their patients.
Women can benefit greatly from learning Reiki. From talking with my clients I find that women put their needs last and typically experience burnout more often than men. Since they are the main caregivers, they are always pushing to do and give more. When you learn Reiki, you learn to do it on yourself as well as others. You then can do a session on yourself while sitting at your desk, watching television, waiting for appointments, or watching your children play sports. Reiki relieves stress, puts the body back into physical and emotional balance, helps prevent burnout, and assists the body in healing on all levels. I find that Reiki helps women going through menopause, being treated for breast cancer, experiencing cysts, PMS, mental stress, and fatigue. I also have witnessed Reiki assisting women dealing with fertility problems, helping them to successfully conceive. I have seen improvement with many conditions experienced by my clients receiving Reiki treatments, but also have seen great progress with those doing self Reiki.
How much Reiki does one need to feel better? That all depends on the client’s overall health and well being. One session could be very helpful and bring the body back into balance. If the person is being treated for a serious illness, weekly sessions would most likely be needed for a while. Some people receive Reiki to work through issues that block their energy flow such as anger, shame, and issues that need forgiving. As these issues are healed and released, the physical and emotional bodies heal at deeper levels. Energy is freed up for the body to use in other ways. Reiki on a regular basis can help to eliminate daily stress and keep the body in balance. Reiki is just one way in which women can help themselves stay balanced, heal, and maintain high energy levels to create a more joyful and fulfilling life.
Reiki Master and intuitive healer Dawn Fleming, reikidawn@yahoo.com, 480-751-9278
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