Reiki is a complementary treatment that is believed to have many benefits and ailments it can treat. It is believed to sometimes also be beneficial in helping those with common mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety. When choosing Reiki therapy it is likely you have lots of questions about what to expect. Some apprehension is common if using Reiki is new to you. We at Seek a Therapy want to help answer your questions and concerns surrounding Reiki. This way you can be confident in selecting the right therapist for you. Discover on this page some of the most common questions a person may have before treatment of this ancient healing method.
What is Reiki Healing?
Reiki means “universal life energy” and is an ancient healing method that manipulates energy flow in the body. Reiki practitioners believe there is an energy force in and around the body. They believe that there is a flow of energy between the reiki practitioner and the receiver of the treatment.
Reiki is an ancient Japanese energy healing therapy that focuses on seven main energy centres, called chakras, in your body.
Chakras are believed to be the energy centres that make us who we are and when out of balance is understood to cause illness.
Reiki practitioners believe that our natural energy should flow freely through our chakras in order for us to be healthy in body, mind, and spirit.
Practitioners believe that if we are ill in any way it is usually because our energy paths are blocked. Through the practice of Reiki, it is believed that energy centres can be rebalanced and allow our body’s natural healing ability to take place.
What Are Chakras?
The word Chakra is an old Sanskrit word that literally translates to ‘wheel’. This is because, what reiki practitioners believe is that there is a life force or prana, that moves inside of us and is constantly spinning and rotating. This spinning energy has 7 centres in the body, starting at the base of the spine ( the root chakra )and moving all the way up to the top of your head (crown chakra). In a healthy and balanced person, the 7 chakras provide exactly the right amount of energy to every part of their body, mind, and spirit letting them have a fulfilling life. However, the belief is that if one of your chakras is too open and spinning too quickly, or if it is too close and moving slowly your health is likely to suffer.
The Chakras
Here is a brief overview of what each chakra is believed to be associated with : –
Root Chakra
day to day survival here on earth. This energy centre’s role is to give you everything you need to survive. For us in this modern age, that typically translates to financial and emotional security.
Sacral Chakra
Your sacral chakra is the home of the creative life force energy. It is believed to help you enjoy your life here on Earth. It is the energy that motivates you to enjoy the fruits of your labour including indulging in pleasurable activities like sex.
Solar Plexus
In reality, this is the seat of your personal power. In your solar plexus, you can physically feel confidence and wisdom in its location. When your 3rd chakra is balanced, you will feel a sense of wisdom, decisiveness, and personal power.
Heart Chakra
We all associate our hearts with love, and that’s exactly what the 4th chakra is all about. This includes love for others and love for yourself, which is why this chakra is also associated with health and healing.
Throat Chakra
On a physical level, of course, the answer is the throat. On an energetic level, this energy actually comes from your 5th chakra. This chakra lets you speak your truth with clarity. Resting right on the heart, the throat chakra is connected to the compassion and love you have for yourself and others.
Third Eye Chakra
Extrasensory perception, intuition or psychic energy. This all comes from the third eye. There is actually a small pine cone-shaped gland in your brain that takes in light. This gland, the pineal gland, is responsible for helping you feel awake in the daytime and sleepy at night. Long before brain imaging, ancient cultures knew this Third Eye existed. They also realized that it receives information from sources outside of the five senses.
Crown Chakra
Our own personal consciousness is located in the 7th chakra. It is really more like the seed of a universal energy than something personal or individual.
How Does Reiki Work?
Reiki heals by flowing through the blocked parts of a person’s energy field. It is understood to raise the vibratory level of the energy field in and around the physical body. It removes the negative thoughts, feelings, and blockages. Reiki causes negative energy to break apart and fall away.
In so doing, Reiki clears, straightens and heals the energy pathways. Thus allowing the life force to flow in a healthy and natural way again. Sometimes, when blockages are removed, it can mean that you can often feel worse before you feel better. This is not to be alarming, it is only a process of releasing energy, thoughts & emotion that are no longer serving us.
Reiki has also been reported to evoke clients to often cry. Sometimes, they feel angry or even burst into laughter for no apparent reason during a session. This is all to do with when the blockages are removed.
How Can Reiki Help Ease My Depression?
Reiki can be beneficial to clients with depression in multiple ways. Some of the benefits of Reiki sessions for depressed clients include:
- A better sense of mental and physical balance. – Reiki may help restore a person’s overall sense of balance. Both in the mind and the body. This may help to improve the person’s mood and help him or her to overcome feelings of guilt and/or sadness.
- Reiki is relaxing. – Depression is often accompanied by anxiety. However, Reiki can be relaxing, which may help to combat anxiety. As the individual’s anxiety is relieved, his or her depression may improve as well.
- Reiki puts the client back in control. – Many people who are depressed feel like they are not in control of their own lives. When a client participates in a Reiki session, he or she is doing something proactive. Thus restoring some of the feelings of control.
- Reiki allows the client to connect with another person. – One of the most common symptoms of depression involves withdrawing from friends and family. We can have feelings of being disconnected from others. Reiki provides depressed clients with the opportunity to connect with a caring, compassionate practitioner. Thus, this may improve symptoms.
- Reiki relieves stress. – Stress can contribute to the development of depression. Ongoing stress can also worsen a depressed person’s symptoms. Reiki may help to relieve some of a client’s stress, which may in turn reduce the symptoms of depression.
How Much Does A Typical Reiki Session Cost?
Although Reiki is sometimes used in the NHS it is a complementary holistic therapy that is usually only offered in private practice. We have several reiki masters in our directory in the UK, USA, Europe, and Asia. Costs range from £30/$40 per session and sometimes can go up to £70/$100. On occasions, it can be more depending upon the therapist’s experience. Sometimes Reiki can be combined with other services such as crystal therapy.
How Do I Know Which Reiki Healer To Choose?
One of the most important parts of any therapy is the relationship between yourself and the therapist in order to be able to trust and allow someone into your personal space. Your therapist should discuss with you before your therapy starts what to expect and answer any questions you may have before your treatment begins.
When you find the right Reiki master that offers you good communication, a partnership, trust, goals, and a feeling of genuine understanding then you will benefit from a greater reiki experience.
What If Reiki Doesn’t Work For Me?
First of all, don’t worry!
If you think Reiki is the right therapy but you have the wrong therapist then you have every right to seek a second opinion. You will not offend your therapist, they just want you to heal from your difficulty as best you can.
If, on the other hand, you don’t feel Reiki is working at all then do not be disheartened. There are many, many different types of therapy to try and Reiki is only one.
Use our therapy directory to find different therapy. You may find other therapies work better than others. The key is not to think any therapy is your only option. There are many routes and treatments to try.
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Please note: This information should not replace professional medical advice, it is purely for informational purposes. At all times when you are in crisis please first seek help from your GP or another medical professional. Thank you