Reiki Can Do No Harm or Can It?

Members of Laura's team performing Reiki (c) 2010-2014 All Rights Reserved

 

Reiki can do no harm or can it? Just as in any profession, there are many wonderful reiki professionals who do amazing work and many individuals receive the many benefits of reiki. However, there are also downsides that are not often discussed in the industry.  So, before I answer that question, I want to tell you a story.

I was teaching an anatomy and physiology class at a college in Boston. There was a section in one of the chapters talking about links to stress related illnesses and the benefits of meditation as a treatment option. I went on my normal tangents talking about how reiki, acupuncture, and other alternative therapies have benefits as well. I elaborated on each on what benefits, for what purpose and cited types of studies and research done.

I also discussed my professional experiences teaching and practicing meditation and reiki in a medical environment as well as how I teach them and why I teach them a certain way. I also discussed my volunteer work with trauma victims especially, but not limited to, domestic abuse survivors.

During break I had a few students inquire and ask questions about alternative therapies and about reiki in particular. At the time, I assumed their questions were out of curiosity.

A couple days later I received an email from one of my students through one of the websites I have written articles for. She wanted to know if reiki could help her because she was a survivor of child sex abuse and for the last 20 years everything she has tried has not helped her.  She had tried reiki once before about 5 years ago, but she said it felt like "someone put voodoo" on her. She talked about the class and how what I said made sense to her. She wondered if "this reiki thing" could really help her to finally heal and move on with her life.

Why am I telling you this story? This story is one of many stories of survivors of abuse having a negative experience with reiki. It did not matter if it was an alternative healing night, a referral from a psychiatrist or physician, or a student. The stories began to stack up as to why these individuals never sought reiki again until they met me. It always puzzled me, but also knew there was a reason even it I did not know it at the time.

So now back to the question. Reiki can do no harm or can it?

Reiki itself can do no harm. It is a Japanese energetic touch therapy with roots that go back to Ancient Tibetan Buddhist healing as do many other alternative therapies.  Reiki works with the electrical conduction system of the human body, BUT with the wrong practitioner it may give the appearance it can do harm.  The problem is not with reiki, but with the unqualified reiki person working with trauma victims.

In the case of my student, the reiki worked. It was the lack of training by the practitioner that caused the problem that exacerbated the healing crisis she felt making her feel as if “someone put voodoo” on her.

Sadly, over the years, I have seen too many reiki practitioners take a 6-8hr workshop and want to profess their expertise in reiki. That is not reiki, but ego talking. If you are teaching this or have been taught that, there is a misconception, and it needs to change.

Working with trauma victims, requires more than just reiki training. You must know the clinical signs and symptoms of trauma and in my opinion, have some sort of clinical or medical training in one or many areas such as trauma, abuse, first aid and cpr, psychology, grief, post traumatic stress, etc.
There is a lot of scientific data research citing the many benefits of reiki as a treatment option especially for diagnoses such as anxiety and depression which tends to plague many victims, and speaking as a survivor of abuse myself, reiki does works. 

Reiki is also used in medical offices and hospitals all over the country as part of an integrative therapy approach. Boston area hospitals that offer reiki as part of their programs include: Boston Children's Hospital, Dana Farberand Brigham and Women's. Nurses are also able to get CEUs. So you see reiki itself, has become a viable treatment options for many within the medical community.
A study done in 2007 by the National Health Interview Survey indicates that 1.2 million adults and 161,000children received one or more sessions of energy healing therapy such as Reiki in the previous year. According to the American Hospital Association, in 2007, 15% or over 800 American hospitals offered Reiki as part of hospital services.

Out of ignorance, I see so many well intentioned reiki teachers and practitioners exacerbating serious medical problems and shedding a negative light on the good reiki can do as viable healing modality by preaching that anyone can do reiki on anyone as reiki can do no harm. Again, it is not the reiki doing harm, but the unqualified reiki practitioner.

How? With an unqualified reiki professional, a victim who already experiences fear, mistrust, and guardedness, these symptoms can significantly worsen.

A qualified reiki professional does the proper client intake, knows when the client is ready for actual healing to take place, there is proper communication between practitioner and client, and if healing crisis takes place a qualified practitioner knows what to do and knows where to refer the client if medical intervention or treatment is required.

With statistics such as, one in three women experience abuse in their lifetime, the chances a reiki professional will encounter a client with trauma is great.  Domestic abuse has hit epidemic proportions in this country andis expected to remain steady until the economy improves, laws to protect victims are enforced and resources to organizations that work with victims are improved.

This is not taking into account other traumas from events such as our military servicemen returning from war or Hurricane Sandy or 9/11.

Of the 1.7 million veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, 300,000 (20percent) suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression.[i]   Accordingto the VA, about one-in-five female veterans have post-traumatic stress related to "military sexual trauma," a catch-all category that includes everything from sexual harassment to rape.[ii]

For 9/11 survivors, “at least 10,000 firefighters, police officers and civilians exposed to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center have been found to have post-traumatic stress disorder.”[iii]

“Statistics say that only 5% of those who survived 9/11 in New York City went on to experience symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But in the case of Hurricane Katrina, 33% later suffered symptoms. This is a very high percentage, even for an extremely traumatizing event.”[iv]

With these numbers and statistics, it is imperative, the manner in which reiki is utilized needs to be given much consideration.

The reiki practitioner who looks out for their client first, will set ego aside and do the right thing by referring those clients to a professional better qualified to work with those individuals. A reiki professional treating a serious medical condition should also have the appropriate medical credentials to so.

If you have ever experienced some form of trauma in your life whether it be abuse, rape, natural disasters, loss, war, or the like, then please understand that not all reiki professionals are the same just like not all doctors or therapists are the same. Seek out a reiki professional with training or professional experience in the related fields you seek and ask questions.

Reiki has so many wonderful benefits. This article was intended to help educate both well intentioned reiki practitioners as well as educate the general public on why choosing the right reiki professional is critical to your overall health, healing and overall wellbeing.

I sincerely hope the information given served as informative and beneficial. 

ABOUT LAURA

Laura is a psychic medium, metaphysical and holistic health practitioner and teacher. She is also a Registered Certified Medical Assistant, Reiki Master Teacher. She has over 15 cumulative years in the holistic and allopathic health fields and has incorporated energy medicine and mind-body medicine therapies in her line of work over the past 6 years.

Laura’s Psychic Mediumship and intuitive skills runs in her family.  Her grandmother was a tea leaf reader and her aunt was a palm reader and used their healing abilities and Mediumship to help others. Her mother and father used them to heal patients in their respective healthcare fields. However, it wasn't until a traumatic divorce did Laura’s intuitive gifts flourish. 

Laura has been a guest medium at many of the local Spiritualist Churches throughout New England, The Wig-i-wam Spiritualist Camp in Onset and many area South Shore venues and celebrity charity events. She has also been a featured guest with WBZ legend, Bob Lobel on WBZ 1030am radio, Girl’s Night out Sponsored by Radio 104.1, Marshfield Public Access Tv, as well as the Patriot Ledger. She was also featured in an article on Top Leaders Under 40 by New England Business Bulletin regarding her charity work with survivors of interpersonal violence and wellness communities.

Laura offers compassionate and alternative forms of healing and spiritual growth and guidance. She offers a variety of Mind-Body Medicine Therapies, Holistic Health and Nutrition, and Psychic Mediumship. Laura believes that no matter what you are seeking, balance is key – mind, body or spirit. If any of those three areas are out of balance, your whole system will be out of balance. She has found this to be true in all aspects of the services provided and she strives to provide the very best services, classes, workshops, & events. She volunteers her time helping those healing from abuse, and also volunteers services to her church.  Laura’s goal is to have a positive impact in this world, make a difference in people’s lives and find simple preventative cures for complex problems. Laura's unique style to energy medicine can only be witnessed.

Laura has published articles on various health and healing topics such as Stress, Spirituality, and Meditation, My Journey Boston Strong, on various sites such as SelfGrowth.com , Blogger, Hubpages, and Take5.com.     

ICRT Reiki Membership Association - Affiliate Member
We are an Affiliate Member of  ICRT, and follow a code of ethics, and standards of practice.  Its purpose is to maintain a professional image for our members while at the same time preserving the spirit of Reiki and assisting members in creating a thriving Reiki practice. By becoming a member, we'll be associating with an organization that has the reputation of providing accurate, up-to-date information on the history, practice, and scientific study of Reiki. Affiliate members must abide by the following requirements: Use ICRT class manuals purchased from www.reikiwebstore.com when teaching Reiki I, II,ART, Master and Karuna Reiki® classes. One manual must be provided to each student. Abide by the RMA Code of Ethics. Abide by the RMA Standards of Practice. Place the RMA logo on member’s web site home page (if member has a website).Affiliate members must be Usui Reiki masters. Reiki training must have taken place with teacher in person. (no Internet, distant, CD, or book only training accepted).    Contact us in Quincy, Massachusetts, to learn more about Reiki treatment for stress reduction, spiritual healing, and relaxation.


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©2010-2014 Laura Healing With Spirit. All Rights Reserved. This information is for general educational uses only. It may not apply to you and your specific medical needs. This information should not be used in place of a visit, call, consultation with or the advice of your physician or health care professional.  Communicate promptly with your physician or other health care professional with any health-related questions or concerns.  Be sure to follow specific instructions given to you by your physician or health care professional.


REFERENCES:

[i] RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, Invisible Wounds of War, 2008
[ii] J. Kitfield, National Journal, 2011
[iii] Anemonia Hartocollis, 10 Years and a Diagnosis Later, 9/11 Demons Haunts Thousands, TheNew York Times, August 8, 2011.
[iv]by SusanneBabbel, Ph.D., MFT, Bridging the mind-body gap, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder After 9/11 and Katrina, PsychologyToday; September 12,2011.

The Importance of Spirituality in Conquering Unhealthy Stress

Are you feeling overwhelmed and having a lot of difficulty in your life? Stress creeping in your life? Feeling like you’re losing purpose?  Stress is different for everyone. What may be stressful for one person may not be stressful for another and stress appears in many different ways.  However, chronic unhealthy stress slowly creeps in our lives and is a growing epidemic becoming toxic to our physical health, mental health, and spiritual health. At all times, in order to maintain a healthy mind, body, and spirit, we must be in a constant equilibrium or balance.

Spirituality, separated from Religiousness, can help manage your unhealthy stress, because spirituality in its core helps give your life meaning and purpose regardless of your religious beliefs.

How do I know if my stress is normal or if it is unhealthy? Normal healthy stress occurs during certain events such as child birthing, exercise, or even in cases like winning the lottery. The natural stress response is the body’sreaction to danger, uncertainty or change through various hormonal reactions.That is the first stage of stress, also called the “fight or flight”. 

Although stress is a normal natural survival mechanism, it can quickly become toxic to our mind, body, and spirit if kept in overdrive taxing our system. Ever hear anyone say their nerves are fried? Well unhealthy stress puts your nervous system in overdrive. Research suggests that prolonged toxic stress contributes to high blood pressure, heart disease, coronary artery disease, anxiety, depression, obesity, and addiction.

Statistics according to the American PsychologicalAssociation:

• About 25% of Americans are experiencing high levels of stress
• About  50% report moderate levels of stress
• Over 76% of Americans cite money as a significant cause of stress.[1] 

Research also suggests that time management may be a significant barrier preventing people from taking the necessary steps to improve their health.[2]  Most Americans have a general awareness and understand the general health impacts of toxic stress. Unfortunately, studies also show there is a disconnect when it comes to impact stress may have on an individual’s own health.

You cannot avoid stress, but there ways to better manage stress levels and spirituality can help.  

First, in order to change the effects of stress, you have to learn to recognize and identify when you're feeling overly stressed and become more aware of the signs, symptoms, and triggers. Your body tells you everything you need to know by sending you signs and signals.  Are you listening? 

Spirituality can help you become reconnected with yourself.  It allows for self discovery, and can assist in helping you build a sense of awareness. Because spirituality focuses on the inner self and our inner world, it encourages a passive shift in our attitude and how we react to certain situations that confront us.

Research suggests that those who believe in God or a higher power or have gone through a spiritual journey experience many benefits totheir overall health and wellbeing including a reduction of toxic stress.

Once you identify the stress, next is to choose a way to deal with it. One way is to find something positive in your life no matter how dire your situation may seem. Focus on positives. Find gratitude in the little things in your life that right now may seem mundane. 

Another way, is avoidance or removal. However, avoiding your stressors are not always possible especially if the source of your stress is family. So what do we do? We change our thoughts and how we react to people, things or situations.  You cannot change how someone treats you or what situations have been given to you, BUT you can choose how you react to them. 

As you go through this process pay attention to you - not the ego self, but the inner you!  There are various practices associated with spirituality that have also been shown to reduce unhealthy stress including:

• Meditation – Meditation is probably the most researched practice showing profound benefits to improving a variety of chronic health issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, HBP, and improve immunity.The US Army has studied its effectiveness in using it as a treatment method for soldiers returning from battle who suffer from PTSD.
• Yoga – Yoga is considered a form ofcomplementary alternative medicine using various poses and breathing techniques. Research has shown yoga to reduce stress related symptoms, enhancemood, and improve overall sense of well-being.
• Tai Chi – When Communist China took over, TaiChi was the only martial art not banned. It is now considered a meditation in movement.  With the use of the gentle flow and movements, Tai Chi can have tremendous health benefits including reducing stress.
• Breathing Exercises -  Mastering the power of the breath with deep breathing techniques is one of the best ways to lower stress and can be done anywhere. This is because how we breathe affects the overall functioning and health of our body.
• Relaxation – Relaxation Techniques help activate the body’s natural relaxation response to combat stress. Methods include: hypnosis, meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga.
• Prayer - Prayer has also show to have many of the same benefits as meditation by bringing a sense of calmness that can help buffer stress. Prayer has long been associated with connecting to God.
• Touch Therapies such as  Reiki and Acupuncture have ancient healing roots that promote healing and reduce stress.
• Laughter – Laughter has been shown to cause biochemical changes in the body leading to greater healing and changes of perspective.

Through various spiritual practices, you will quickly be able to restore calm, clarity and serenity to your chaotic life and restore the equilibrium in your body.  In the process, your stress will naturally be reduced.

Finally, our mental strength and attitudes can be a deciding factor in identifying a stressor and the nature of our response to it. So becoming aware of our own inner thoughts, maintaining a positive attitude, and learning to laugh more can all help keep our mind, body, and spirit healthy.

So when life throws you a curveball, change how you react to the situation, and find the lesson to be learned. Those who practice some form of spirituality also view these types of situations as a karmic test or lesson to be learned for personal spiritual growth.

As someone once told me when I was at a place where I felt cornered with no possible solutions in sight while stress controlled my life, I was reminded “It is always darkest before it becomes dawn”.  The light always triumphs the dark. Always.

Let spirituality and your spiritual path guide you in your life and help you reduce the unhealthy stress you have accumulated before it becomes too late. You will be glad you did. Have a blessed day.


References:

1.       AmericanPsychological Association; Managing YourStress Through Tough Economic Times; November 2010; http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/economic-stress.aspx
2.       The Mayo Clinic; Spirituality and Stress Relief: July23, 2010; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relief/SR00035
3.       AmericanPyshcological Association; Stress inAmerica; 2011 http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/index.aspx
4.       Life Positive; Spirituality for Stress Relief; http://www.lifepositive.com/mind/psychology/stress/mental-health.asp
5.       Columbia CenterFor Psychiatry;  Stress; David FischerMD, Medical Director; 2011;  http://www.columbiapsychiatric.com/stress.html
6.       The FreeDictionary by Fairafax; Stress; http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/stress
7.       Harvard HealthPublications; Harvard Medical School; Understandingthe Stress Response; http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mental_Health_Letter/2011/March/understanding-the-stress-response
8.       Spirituality and health: What we know,what we need to know; Linda K George; David B Larsons;Harold G Koeing; Michael E McCullough; Journal of Social and ClinicalPsychology; Spring 2000; 19, 1; Psychology Module; http://www.psy.miami.edu/ehblab/Religion%20Papers/spirituality%20and%20health_george_larson_et%20al._JSCP.pdf
9.       Stress Management; Stress Relievers: Top 10 Picks To TameStress; Mayo Clinic; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relievers/MY01373
10.     Stress Management Health Center; Stress Management; Breathing Exercises for Relaxation;  WedMD; http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-breathing-exercises-for-relaxation
11.     The Mayo Clinic; Stress Management; Relaxation Techniques; http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/relaxation-technique/SR00007


©2013 Laura Joseph of Healing With Spirit..  All Rights Reserved. This information is forgeneral educational uses only. It may not apply to you and your specificmedical needs. This information should not be used in place of a visit, call,consultation with or the advice of your physician or health care professional.Communicate promptly with your physician or other health care professional withany health-related questions or concerns. Be sure to follow specificinstructions given to you by your physician or health care professional.


[1] American Pyshcological Association; Stress in America; 2011 http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/index.aspx
[2] American Pyshcological Association; Stress in America; 2011 http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/index.aspx