Channel into Reiki - an Article by Terri Mclean

The following article is based on an interview that I gave to one of my Reiki students; Terri McLean and which appeared in the magazine Feng Shui for Modern Living in January 1999. It is reprinted here simply for interest. Some of the historical data included here is now known to be wrong. I have left the article as Terri wrote it but have corrected a few typos from the original publication.

ALL OVER BRITAIN PEOPLE ARE DISCOVERING REIKI IN AN ATTEMPT TO BRING HARMONY, PEACE AND BALANCE INTO THEIR LIVES. TERRI MCLEAN LOOKS AT ITS HEALING POWERS

'Reiki is an ancient Buddhist-derived form of healing,' explains Steve Gooch, a master of the Eastern Reiki Jin Kei Do lineage of the art and presently one of just a handful of such masters in the country. 'The beauty of it is, anyone can learn it, it's simple to use and has no negative side-effects.'

Reiki - which in Japanese means universal life-force energy - works on the principle that we are surrounded by an invisible, but powerful, benevolent energy force. By performing a ritual of 'attunement', a Reiki practitioner is able to create and open permanent channels through which this energy, ch'i or ki, can flow. Steve describes the process as rather like tuning in a radio to pick up the signals around it. Once attuned, recipients then have the ability simply to place their hands, whether on themselves, or even on another person, and use it for healing purposes.

Being able to accumulate ki in the body and then direct it for your own benefit is a useful way of using this energy to enhance your health.

Benefits For People And Pets

'All manner of ailments and illnesses can be treated by using Reiki,' claims Steve. 'I've been able to help sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, back problems, limb injuries, diabetes, depression, and stress. I have also worked with the local Community Drug Team, and had great success assisting addicts control and eliminate their dependency. It also works well on animals and pets.'

Despite the obvious similarity to faith healing, Steve is quick to deny any connection between the two.

Although it has its roots in Buddhism, Reiki has nothing whatever to do with faith. 'It works regardless of individual belief,' he stresses. 'It is primarily a spiritual self-development tool, which just happens to have the benefit of working on others. When a Reiki practitioner places their hands on an individual, they are merely using themselves as a conduit. What is unique about Reiki, is that it has its own innate intelligence. It knows precisely what the healing needs of the individual are, whether the problem is due to the effects of chemotherapy or to work-related stress.'

How It Works

A Reiki treatment session, which can take up to one and a half hours, consists of the client relaxing fully-clothed on a treatment table, while the practitioner rests their hands on various preordained areas. Steve can tell if the energy has started to flow by the sensations he can feel in his own hands.

'My clients can also experience a range of sensations. This could be an intense, almost painful, feeling of heat to pins and needles or tingling. Afterwards, they will almost always report an increased sense of well-being or a feeling of being enclosed in a fine sheath of energy.'

Steve says the majority of clients will require several sessions before they begin to feel any benefit; in others, the result can be dramatic.

He recalls a 65-year-old woman, who consulted him after suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for more than 30 years.

'She was almost wheelchair-bound when she first came to see me. She responded to the Reiki almost instantly. Within a month she was walking, and has since improved so much, she is now able to wear high heels again. Her doctors are absolutely staggered,' he says. 'In fact, the lady in question was so impressed by her recovery, she has now learnt to do Reiki herself.'

Quest For Healing

The origins of Reiki are believed to stretch back thousands of years and were rediscovered in the 1800s by Dr Mikao Usui, a Japanese Buddhist, during a quest to find the healing methods of Jesus and Buddha. It was during the 1970s that it first became widely known in the West, most notably in the United States. A number of American hospitals now employ Reiki practitioners as part of their range of patient services, and several leading physicians have become Reiki masters, using it alongside conventional medicine.

'There are two orders of the art. The Eastern Reiki Jin Kei Do emphasises the use of Reiki as a spiritual self-development tool, while the Western form has largely stripped that away and concentrates on Reiki's therapeutic benefits,' explains Steve. 'Both forms need a Master to perform the attunements.'

Years of Training

Reiki Jin-Kei Do has three levels of attainment. Once attuned, students spend at least three months practising on themselves, reporting occasionally to their Master on their progress. The majority of students are happy to remain at this first foundation level; others will progress to level two as their skills and knowledge increase. It is at this level that it is generally regarded that the student is ready to practice Reiki as a healing modality. It can take years of further experience before a student is deemed capable of being a master.

'In this country,' says Steve, 'we haven't the tradition of "hands-on" healing they have elsewhere, so it all seems rather bizarre to us. Even now I find it hard to explain. However, there is a certain amount of scientific evidence supporting the existence of Reiki. Photographs using the Kirlian electrostatic imaging process have been taken which show the energy in use.'

Despite its relatively new introduction to this country, Steve says that, unfortunately, there are already unscrupulous practitioners jumping on the Reiki bandwagon.

'There are some currently practicing and teaching, who took less than two weeks to do all the training. Others who have no training at all. I would advise anyone who is considering trying Reiki to avoid those who have, or claim to have received spiritual messages from angels and the like,' he continues. 'All ReikiMasters or practitioners, whatever their discipline, should be able to document their own lineage back to Dr Usui. Be wary of those who are unable to do so.'

Don’t Wait to be Ill

Rather than perform treatments, Steve, who has now obtained his Reiki Masters teaching certificate, prefers to pass on his skills to others and holds regular weekend training classes from his home in Rugby, Warwickshire. He hopes one day to open a spiritual, self-development teaching centre, incorporating the arts, in which he has a background.

'Obviously it's more beneficial to the individual in the long run to be able to treat themselves, rather than undergo numerous treatment sessions. But you don't have to be ill to get the benefits of the energy, it's good to use anytime. The practice of Reiki is growing at a phenomenal rate,' he adds. 'It's set to be to the millennium, what yoga was to the 1970s.’

Tern McLean is a qualified, practicing nurse who contributes on the alternative health therapy Reiki to a variety of national publications.