It is one of the oldest healing methods still in use, based on the existence of a force called Universal Life Energy, believed to be present within us and around us. Practitioners of Reiki say anyone, from small children to the elderly, can tap into this force, and use it for mental, physical and emotional healing. So how does Reiki work? And where did this method originate? It all started with a student’s question, and a teacher’s search for the answer.

How Reiki Began

Reiki was originally developed in Tibet, but later re-discovered by a Japanese priest and teacher, Dr. Mikao Usui. Dr. Usui was a Christian priest and the director of a small Japanese university at the end of the nineteenth century. During one of his classes, his students raised several questions--they wanted to know if he believed in Christ’s supposed healing miracles, whether he could demonstrate one of these miracles and why, if these healing miracles were possible, there were not more healers in the world. Dr. Usui could not provide an answer. Because he was unable to answer their questions, he resigned, as was the Japanese custom. However, their questions had roused his curiosity, and he set forth to find the answers, dedicating the rest of his life to this pursuit.

Dr. Usui’s quest took him around the world. He traveled first to the United States, where he received a doctorate in theology. While there, he studied Christ’s reported healing miracles, but despite an intense course of study, he was not satisfied by the answers he found. He then went to northern India and Tibet, where Christ had supposedly studied. Later, Dr. Usui returned to Japan, where he studied the teachings of the Buddha, who himself was reported to have performed healing miracles. Eventually, Dr. Usui entered a Zen monastery. Here he studied the Buddha’s writings and meditated. His meditations led to visions, including one that instructed him to go to a holy mountain near Kyoto and meditate for 21 days. It was during this period of solitary meditation that Dr. Usui had the revelation that would shape his destiny and form the basis of Reiki. In a vision, Dr. Usui saw four Sanskrit symbols, and heard a voice that proclaimed these symbols to be the secret to healing. Dr. Usui developed the system of Reiki around these symbols, which are considered so sacred that they are secret to all but advanced Reiki practitioners. When Dr. Usui awakened from his meditations, he also discovered that he had acquired healing powers. He spent the rest of his life developing these abilities in himself, and teaching others how to tap into this healing energy.

The Five Spiritual Principles of Reiki

After several years of developing his new system, Dr. Usui realized something was missing. While physical healing was important, spiritual and mental well-being were just as vital, he believed. Dr. Usui wanted Reiki to be a tool for both physical and spiritual healing, something to help people develop spiritual and emotional maturity. He developed the Five Spiritual Principles, still used today, to serve as a guide to an emotionally healthy outlook.

Principle 1: Just for today, I will let go of anger.

Anger isolates us from society and from the Universal Consciousness, Reiki practitioners believe. Its only power lies in its ability to interfere with spiritual growth and prevent us from doing good in the world. While anger cannot be eliminated, it can be controlled. According to Reiki principles, if we accept our anger and let it go, we will be free to connect with the Universal Consciousness and with the world around us.

Principle 2: Just for today, I will let go of worry.

According to the teachings of Reiki, worry is futile. All of existence is guided by a divine plan, which should be accepted and trusted. If we allow worry to dominate our thoughts, we hinder spiritual growth and place restrictions on ourselves. We should instead concentrate on living each moment and allowing the universe to take care of the rest. Only by surrendering to the divine plan can we grow spiritually and connect with the world around us.

Principle 3: Today, I will count my many blessings.

It is by being thankful for what we already have that we can be blessed with even more, according to this principle. If we are afraid of being without what we need, or if we feel unworthy of good fortune, we prevent blessings from entering our lives. Instead, we should value the fortune we do have, which will open us up to the blessings that we deserve according to the divine plan.

Principle 4: Today, I will do my work honestly.

If we want to achieve harmony in ourselves and in our world, we must live honest lives in accordance with our higher purpose. Through this harmony, we gain self-esteem and the contentedness that results will help us achieve spiritual transformation. According to Reiki principles’, living an ethical life is not only the moral thing to do, it is something that can literally re-shape our outlook on life.

Principle 5: Today, I will be kind to every living creature.

Because all living things are connected, it is essential that we are kind to others. Through our kindness, we encourage a world of unity and harmony, one in which everyone can work together for the greater good. In addition, our thoughts and deeds create our worlds, so according to Reiki principles, if we are kind and loving, we will create a kind and loving environment for ourselves.

The Three Degrees of Reiki

Reiki practitioners act as channels for the Universal Life Energy, which through them can enter into the bodies of those who need healing. But to serve as a channel, Reiki practitioners must become “attuned” to Reiki’s healing powers. Through a process called attunement, or initiation, practitioners connect with the Universal Life Energy and gain access to its healing powers. Attunement is conducted by a Reiki master, who opens the students’ inner healing channels and teaches them the history of Reiki and the hand positions used to treat certain conditions. In this stage, known as First Degree, four of the body’s energy centers, or chakras, are activated. By opening the heart chakra, throat chakra, third eye and crown chakra, the students develop unconditional love, trust and communication, intuition and spiritual consciousness.

After working at the First Degree level for weeks, months or years, students can attain Second Degree status. There are no criteria for ascending to the next level, rather, it is up to individuals to decide when they are ready. With Second Degree status, practitioners can conduct distant healing and treat emotional and mental problems. They are also granted access to Reiki’s secret symbols and mantras, which activate the body’s healing channels and help practitioners; reach a deeper level of healing power.

After working at the First and Second degree levels for one to three years, students can attain Third Degree status, the highest level, at which time they become a Reiki Master. To become a Reiki Master, practitioners must be spiritually mature and willing to devote their entire lives to their Reiki practice. Reiki Masters have more responsibility than other practitioners, because not only do they heal, they teach others to heal as well.

How Reiki Works

Reiki practitioners use a prescribed set of hand positions to treat certain conditions. By lightly touching a person’s body, practitioners can channel healing energy into that person to help activate the person’s own self-healing ability. Practitioners may focus on certain chakras to treat specific problems, or they may conduct a full body treatment to promote overall health.

Reiki is designed as a supplemental treatment, not as a substitute for traditional medicine. The goal is to enable the body to heal itself, and Reiki is used for everything from asthma to inflammation to injury. It can also be used for the healing of plants and animals, and can be channeled out into the world to help heal the planet. It is also believed to enhance learning and memory, and speed recovery after surgery.

It is believed that the Universal Life Energy inherently knows where a person’s body is damaged, and flows directly to the affected area. The energy restores the body to a state of balance in which overall health is improved, resulting in everything from faster healing of wounds to the reduction of pain and illness. Reiki is used for chronic conditions like arthritis and asthma, as well as for acute problems like the flu or indigestion. If Reiki healing is performed regularly, it can maintain a state of optimal health and prevent problems from occurring.

For emergency situations like trauma, Reiki can be a valuable way to treat physical symptoms, as well as calm the victim. Reiki can alleviate bleeding and shock, and ease a victim’s emotional and mental stress. This is important because during a stressful situation, the body releases adrenalin, which helps the body respond more quickly, but can also be draining. By helping the victim relax, Reiki can help the person’s inherent healing ability take over.

Because Reiki strengthens the immune system, it can also help protect against illness and infection. A compromised immune system can increase vulnerability to diseases, bacteria, germs and stress-related conditions. And because stress seems to play a large role in many immune disorders, Reiki’s calming influence can help bring about the balance needed for the body to respond better to stressful situations.

For Mental and Emotional Well-Being

Reiki can also help balance the mind and emotions. With regular Reiki treatments, a person may achieve a calmer state of existence, one in which they cope better with day-to-day stress. With this balance comes enhanced learning and memory skills, as well as greater mental clarity. In severe cases, Reiki can help ease anger, fear and mood swings.

In addition to easing mental and emotional symptoms, Reiki goes even further, helping people identify deep-rooted problems and alter their thinking patterns. Reiki practitioners come into direct contact with a client’s subconscious during a treatment, at which time they can help the client recognize the fears, beliefs and conditioning that hold them back and cause them pain. Because Reiki opens up the body’s inner channels, long-buried emotions can surface during a treatment, allowing people greater understanding of how their mind works and providing insight into how to conquer negative emotions.

For Spiritual Growth

Just as important as physical and emotional healing, spiritual growth plays a key role in Reiki, both for clients and for practitioners. Reiki practitioners are asked to live by the Five Spiritual Principles, which help them develop empathy, wisdom and insight.

With its ability to encourage inner peace and harmony, Reiki can help people on the path to spiritual transformation. Because Reiki calms the mind and emotions, it can help clear the mind and enable access to the subconscious. Through this, concentration and focus can be improved, which helps develop intuition, self-awareness and the ability to hear and follow our own inner voice. This clearer mental state is more conducive to meditation and prayer, two important tools for spiritual growth.

With its emphasis on empathy and connecting with others, Reiki can also enhance a person’s ability to love, allowing them deeper and more meaningful relationships with the people in their lives. And by practicing Reiki together, loved ones can strengthen their relationships, by healing mental and emotional wounds, working through dysfunction and creating greater intimacy.

Final Notes About Reiki

Reiki should never be used in place of traditional medical treatment. Its greatest values lie in its ability to supplement other forms of healing, through its potential to help the body heal itself, both physically and emotionally. However, Reiki can be an effective way to bring about mental and physical balance, encouraging a calm, empathetic and spiritual approach to life. Through the wisdom and insight clients and practitioners develop, they are better able to help themselves and others. And the emotional and physical balance they achieve may encourage a state of being in which problems are prevented from ever occurring.