The utilization of Reiki as a form of healing has grown significantly in popularity in recent years. For those not familiar with what it entails, it is a form of healing that centres on the channeling of positive energy to cure a multitude of ailments.
While Reiki’s popularity has grown over the years, there’s still a lot of myths surrounding this one hundred plus year old healing modality.
This brings us to….
Myth # 1: You need to be sick to benefit from Reiki
The volume of mental and physical illnesses that Reiki has been known to treat is vast, and is a major reason why more people seek this form of treatment with each passing year.
I was drawn to Reiki for this very reason — to aid in the healing of my autoimmune conditions.
But did you know that you don’t need to be sick to benefit from Reiki?
This is one of the most common misunderstandings about Reiki!
Reiki energy healing can be used as a form of preventive maintenance to encourage proper health.
In a way, it’s similar to massage therapy in the sense that some people will seek out such a therapist after an injury occurs.
But there will also be individuals who see a massage therapist for regular treatment to maximize the various health benefits. Reiki is no different from massage therapy in this regard. Regular sessions can be used by anyone seeking to improve the quality of their life through Reiki therapy.
Adding a weekly or bi-weekly Reiki therapy to your regular exercise and physical fitness routine would be very smart! This will increase the quality of your life and improve your health.
The reason for this is that curing an illness will always be difficult, and avoiding an illness is the preferred method. For example, if you went out in the rain and caught the flu there are a number of treatments to make you comfortable. But wouldn’t it be better to just not go out in the rain and avoid the flu altogether?
Preventive medicine is always the better choice so don’t wait until an illness occurs before seeking the help of a Reiki Therapist.
Myth # 2: Reiki is Ineffective because it makes you feel worse!
Reiki can make you feel uncomfortable usually after a session, but that doesn’t make it ineffective! In fact, Reiki healing provokes a healing crisis. So you may feel fatigued or anxious afterward, and new symptoms may continue to arise for weeks. Like any true healing, Reiki is not a quick fix. You may feel better immediately following your session, but you’re just as likely to feel worse on your way to feeling better.
Reiki breaks things loose energetically. According to William Rand: “healing tends to follow a pattern that spirals and re-cycles over and over again, peeling away the layers of each concern until the healing is complete.”
Not only that, the “symptoms” are a part of a detoxification process that the body, mind and spirit goes through on its way to better health.
Healing is therefore defined within a much broader framework than simply addressing a physical or psychological symptom or attempting to cure a disease.
Reiki helps to create a relaxation response and assists to promote a mind-body state conducive to healing. Reiki healing involves spiritual, emotional and mental unblocking and re-balancing to help get to the root cause of a condition. In so doing, you’ll get back on track and have an optimal environment for your body to heal.
All of the uncomfortable experiences that accompany detoxification are commonplace and are not usually cause for worry or concern. Some signs of detoxification include:
[ ] runny nose
[ ] sneezing
[ ] soreness
[ ] headaches
[ ] joint or muscular pain
[ ] tingling sensations
[ ] fatigue
[ ] acne
[ ] rashes
[ ] extra mucus
[ ] fever
[ ] constipation &/or diarrhea
These naturally result from the process of bringing the flow of Reiki into the energy system. They are nature’s way of purifying the body, mind, emotions, and the soul. This makes way for higher levels of consciousness to be grounded in the body.
Reiki is no quick fix. It’s not like a pill you can pop. That’s part of some people’s resistance to pursue more than one session. While you may feel good afterwards, a lot of people get uncomfortable with not knowing how exactly they’re getting healed. It means giving up control to ‘”source energy.” This intangible can be scary for many.
I had to learn how to trust, and Reiki has provided me with many opportunities. Over the years, I’ve learned how to get out of my own way and let go. It is not always easy but I find when I am in the flow, everything heals in perfect order.
In the past, the illusion of control made me feel safe. I liked the idea of knowing things, keeping things in order and having an expectation of outcome. The idea of “letting go”, and “surrendering” was not an option.
Many people can be very suspicious of something that they can’t see. They may perceive it as “woo woo”, or as potentially dangerous.
Reiki asks us to suspend disbelief and trust. Reiki energy is intelligent and knows what to heal.
Because we are constantly changing, so too does Reiki energy – it heals us where we are today. So you can’t compare one Reiki session with another. This is because Reiki will give you what you need, not necessarily what you want!
Myth # 3: Reiki is New age hippie woo woo whose followers belong to a religion or a cult
This thought floated around in the back of my mind as well!
I was concerned that if I learned Reiki, I might be unwittingly joining a cult. Even after I googled Reiki training, I was still unsure. So I meditated on it. My answer was that I needed to keep an open mind and heart to receive Reiki. Because I trusted my Reiki Practitioner implicitly, I
brushed aside these unfounded fears and signed up for my Reiki classes!
I discovered that Reiki wasn’t weird or a cult at all, but profoundly empowering and definitely not religious!
Reiki is a spiritual practice that originates in the early 1900s Japan, not during the 1960s Hippie Era. While Reiki is certainly about spirituality, it has no connections to any religion or cult. There are no Reiki churches, Reiki priests, Reiki sermons or Reiki masses. Nor will you find a commune of Reiki initiates zealously following and giving all their money to their Reiki leaders. Reiki practitioners are not followers but independent thinkers.
Reiki is open to everyone, regardless of your religious and spiritual beliefs – or lack thereof. Reiki and atheism mix. Reiki and agnosticism make a great match. Like the little black dress you wear to parties, Reiki goes with everything. Reiki is open to all because it is not a religion or a cult.
Sure, Reiki has five guiding principles, but they are common sense virtues that anyone can live by. There are many different versions, but here’s the one I go by…
Just for today
I will not worry
I will not be angry
I will do my work honestly
I will be grateful for my many blessings
I will be kind to all living things
Still unsure about Reiki? Let’s delve a bit deeper into another misguided myth about Reiki…
4. Reiki is potentially dangerous because it can conjure evil spirits.
Many people are skeptical about taking Reiki Training because they think it might be evil.
So will you conjure dark entities by learning to do Reiki and can you use Reiki to harm others, as in black magic?
The answer to this question is absolutely NOT! Reiki and Reiki Training is a holistic energy healing method that’s safe and doesn’t invite evil to your life. No demonic possessions or other occult phenomena are felt by those who learn and practice Reiki. Instead, they experienced significant improvement in their lives that made them better.
Black magic (aka Itim na mahika in Tagalog, Hēi mófǎ in Chinese, Magia Negra in Spanish, or kaala jaadoo in Hindi) is achieved by conjuring the power of demons and other evil entities that are present in the material plane. Black magic is achieved by drawing ritual circles, reciting incantations (Latin or non-Latin), and sacrificial offerings.
Another example of black magic is Voodoo. Voodoo is a done through incantations and the use of a doll. The doll acts as the person who the conjurer wishes to harm. If the ritual succeeds, all things done on the doll is felt by the person that it represents.
Remember that black magic has one end – to use the power of evil for one’s purposes. Voodoo and other forms of Black Magic have nothing to do with Reiki. It is a safe and effective form of energy healing.
So why is there a lot of mystery around what happens during Reiki training?
Historically Reiki wasn’t spread as easily as other alternative modalities, like massage therapy.
After WWII, Reiki practice in Japan was almost lost as the US required all healers to be licensed, a condition of surrender. Reiki practitioners went underground.
As modern medicine became more prevalent, Reiki became an “alternative.” It was brought to the West by Hawayo Takata, a Hawaiian woman who went to Japan for treatment right before the start of WWII. She was seriously ill and was told death was imminent. When conventional medicine had no effect, she was told about Reiki. After eight months of treatment with Reiki, she had a miraculous recovery. Because of her healing journey, she decided to study Reiki and then brought it back to the West.
Some of the basic principles, texts, and symbols were lost at this time, and the levels of training were reorganized. But its effectiveness is still prevalent and very useful for physical ailments.
Depending on the style of Reiki you’re learning, Reiki is transferred to the student in different ways. In Usui Reiki, Reiki energy is directly passed from the Teacher’s hands to the student’s hands. This is called an Attunement. In Holy Fire®️ III Reiki, Reiki energy is passed to the student directly from source, through a guided meditation. This is called a Placement.
Either way, learning Reiki is a form of energy healing. It aims to connect individuals with Reiki energy source to improve the mind, body, and spirit.
Reiki Attunements and placements have nothing to do with the occult or evil in any way. Nor does the newly attuned or placed student chanel anything evil, nor do they pick up negative entities from others.
Reiki is uplifting, and will create a clearer mindset, a lighter body, and a resilient spirit!
Now that we’ve cleared that myth up, let’s look at the last myth…
Myth # 5: Since Reiki Uses Divine Energy, it Should be Free
Divine energy is indeed free. But gaining the skill and ability to utilize Reiki energy for healing costs money. So does setting up a Reiki practice, launching a website, professional affiliations and work, spending time with clients and staying on top of the latest developments and trends.
People are paying for the skills and expertise the practitioner has developed to be a professional service provider.
Hopefully I’ve dispelled all the confusion about what Reiki is….and isn’t! The bottom line is that Reiki doesn’t chanel evil entities, nor does it belong to any New Age hippie cult or religion. Reiki Practitioners are legitimate alternative health care providers who’ve put in time and money to train. Reiki isn’t a type of magic either where the Practitioner “fixes you up.”
Instead, Reiki is a natural healing modality that doesn’t treat symptoms but gets to the root cause of the issue. This may be uncomfortable for many people as they detox their bodies and minds. Finally, you don’t need to be sick to benefit from Reiki. Sensei Mikao Usui puts it best when he writes…
“Reiki is love,
Love is wholeness,
Wholeness is balance,
Balance is wellbeing,
Wellbeing is freedom from disease.”
