Reiki Therapy

Steps Recovery Center recognizes how vital the mind, body, and spirit are in their connection to the whole person. We take a holistic approach to treating addiction and mental health disorders that includes treating the whole person, and find that it tends to be more successful, especially since addiction affects every aspect of a person’s life. With a customized and individualized program that includes Reiki therapy, a holistic approach just makes sense. It affords an opportunity to meet the patient’s physical and psychological needs and allows them to engage physically, emotionally, and mentally.

What is Reiki?

Reiki has been around for thousands of years, but the current form only since the late 1800s. It is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It works by “laying on hands” and based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through everyone, thus causing us to be alive. If someone’s life force is low, then it increases the chances of illness and decreases the ability to handle stress. The higher the life force, the more happy and healthy a person is.

When in addiction recovery or treatment for mental health disorders, Reiki can be especially beneficial, as it allows the body to relax and lose tension. It also awakens the soul to receive spiritual guidance. The word Reiki comes from two Japanese words – Rei, meaning “God’s Wisdom” or the “High Power” and Ki, meaning “life force energy.” So, in essence, it means spiritually guided life force energy.

Facts on Reiki

Here are some facts about Reiki that’s helpful to know.

Reiki is a form of energy therapy
It’s growing in popularity
It can treat many conditions and emotional states
Involves the transfer of energy by laying on hands
Studies show Reiki can reduce pain
Some hospitals in the U.S. offer Reiki
Addiction recovery centers use it as part of a holistic program

According to practitioners, energy can be stagnant in the body—from trauma or emotional pain. These blocks can, therefore, cause illness and disease, both mentally and physically.

What Happens in Reiki Therapy?

Practiced in a peaceful setting, a reiki practitioner sits in a comfortable chair or lies on a table, fully clothed. Music may be played, depending on the person’s preference. The practitioner then places their hands lightly on or over specific areas of the body, including the head, limbs, and torso for about 2 to 5 minutes. The hands can be placed over twenty different areas of the body but focus specifically on a particular area that’s been injured.

While the practitioner holds their hands lightly on or over an area, the transfer of energy takes place. It’s during this time that their hands become warm and tingly and are held in place until the practitioner senses the energy has stopped flowing. Once they feel the heat or energy in their hands dissipate, they remove their hands and place them in a different part of the body.

Some of Reiki techniques include:

Also, some Reiki practitioners use crystals and chakra healing wands since they find them to enable healing or protect a home from harmful energy. This is still a controversial subject, though. Still, there is a benefit to someone from a distance, as the practitioner can use distance healing from several miles away using crystals to aid in the energy vibrations.

Health Benefits

According to practitioners, Reiki has various benefits for healing that is mediated by channeling the universal energy known as qi, pronounced as “chi.” Indians know this as “prana.” This is the same energy as found in tai chi.

The health benefits derived from using Reiki may help the following conditions:

When used in conjunction with other holistic therapies, Reiki can help people going through withdrawal and help in their healing. It can also assist in those with trauma, helping to heal emotional pain associated with the event.