Reiki is the practice of using the hands to direct and channel the energies, or Ki, of the body, thus healing the patient. Most Reiki schools teach that energy has an intelligence of its own and that, once channeled, it will automatically work on the part of the body that needs it most.
Reiki was founded in the early 1900s by a Buddhist, Mikao Usui, who, after a long period of fasting and meditation, claimed to hear voices revealing “the keys to healing.” Usui later trained several disciples, and the practice spread throughout Japan. Increased interest among Americans in alternative health practices led to the spread of Reiki in the United States in the latter part of the 20th century.
A typical Reiki session involves the patient lying on a table or bed and the Reiki practitioner moving their hands over the body. The patient may feel sensations such as cold, heat, or tingling, or they may feel nothing. Reiki practitioners attribute any sensation to the movement of energy through the body. Some practitioners charge for their services and some do not.
Reiki is controversial because there is no governing body that standardizes training and practice and licenses practitioners. There are several different “schools” of Reiki, each teaching slightly different methods and practices. There are Wiccan, Celtic, and Tibetan flavors of Reiki, and even one that developed in the American Southwest. In the more traditional Reiki school, students must complete three courses before they can become Masters and initiate and train other students. This has led to the rise of Internet-based distance learning Reiki courses, some of which claim they can train a student in just three days.
Most conventional doctors question the effectiveness of Reiki. They note that research does not indicate that it is beneficial and fear that patients with serious illnesses will seek Reiki treatment over other, more proven treatments. However, some have seen some benefit from including Reiki treatments alongside more conventional medicine.
Reiki has often been compared to faith healing or the laying on of hands practiced in some Christian churches. Some Reiki practitioners prefer the term “spiritual healing” because the patient does not have to believe in any doctrine for the treatment to work. In fact, they claim that the patient does not have to believe that the treatment itself will work for it to be effective.