Axel Ebert • Reiki Master Usui Shiki Ryoho
Schedule and Classes   About Reiki   Contact   Graduates   Axel Ebert   Editorial		Deutsch   English   Español

Benefits and science of Reiki Excerpts from the book »Reiki - the science, metaphysics and philosophy« with kind permission by Esther Veltheim Sensation in the hands Switches on automatically Flows according to demand The Reiki is the same in both hands Reiki does not run out The Reiki flow is not affected by the health of the practitioner Reiki works on animals and plants One can treat oneself with Reiki Anybody can be initiated to Reiki Reiki is not a belief system, religion or cult There are no harmful side effects from Reiki Reiki is complementary to all other systems Reiki always treats at the root cause level No need for diagnosis with Reiki Reiki reduces stress Scientific hypothesis Conclusions

John & Esther Veltheim »Reiki - The Science, Metaphysics and Philosophy« PaRama (1995) ISBN: 0964594404

Benefits of regular Reiki treatments

A Reiki treatment usually lasts between sixty and ninety minutes. The Reiki practitioner places his/ her hands gently and passively on different locations on the body, usually beginning at the head. Each position is held for at least five minutes. Reiki is different from traditional massage because the person may remain fully clothed. Unlike massage, Reiki does not require any form of manipulation of tissue or muscles so the hands remain still. Reiki will even flow through a plaster cast.

It is common for the person being treated to experience sensations such as warmth or tingling flowing from the Reiki practitioner's hands. Most people report entering a very deep state of relaxation. Those familiar with meditation say they enter a deep meditative state. The mind calms, the breathing slows down, and a feeling of well - being and centredness and a better sense of perspective is attained.

By receiving a one - hour session of Reiki, one physiologically attains many of the benefits equivalent to three to four hours sleep, such as increased oxygen supply to the blood and cells. This clinical observation, combined with the meditative state, makes Reiki a most effective natural stress reliever.

Regular use of Reiki leads to an increase in general vitality and well - being and a sense of inner peace. It greatly accelerates and promotes the healing process and regeneration of tissue, and is capable of improving the quality of one's life to an amazing degree.

Reiki cannot be learned from a book or by instruction. It is one of the ancient mysteries of the world and the activation of Reiki in your hands occurs only through a process referred to as an »attunement« or »initiation« which is given by a Reiki Master.

An important difference between Reiki and other effective energy therapies is that, once it has been activated in your hands, you have it for life and you are able to treat yourself. Most other energy healing systems do not extend beyond the ability to treat others.

In many other natural energy healing systems the practitioner is limited by his/ her own physical and spiritual development and is often in danger of depleting his/ her own energy in the process of treating others. As you will soon understand, this difference is one of Reiki's primary benefits.

Reiki can be explained in many ways. It can be considered an energy science, which makes sense from the perspective of some theories within the field of quantum physics. This is discussed in chapter two. It can also be seen as a state of manifesting consciousness, which is discussed in the second part of this book. Whatever the explanation, it is an ancient healing/ harmonizing therapy rapidly becoming recognized among health practitioners as a safe and highly effective complementary therapy to all other forms of health care.

The science of Reiki

Reiki is an energy, which has been known in the west for only a few decades. It is practiced by over one million people which, when compared to the world population, is certainly little more than a smattering.

To explain Reiki from a scientific point of view we need to discuss some concepts of science first. Scientific validation arises in many ways. It is popular to give a rational understanding of the mechanics of some phenomena based on the logic of »sound« scientific principles.

Your typical example of this is the »rational« explanation of Reiki using the terms - »subatomic matter« ; »unpolarized« ; »vortex theory« ; »mirror imaging« etc. These sound good and are probably the best way of appeasing the need for a rational explanation, which so many Reiki Practitioners have. There is, however, a flaw. The mere use of physics terminology is not a scientific validation of Reiki! That is only a rational explanation based on common (but often contradictory) terms used in physics. (As will be discussed later, we can apply those labels to Reiki based upon our observations.)

The whole field of high - energy physics is new and pioneering. When you are explaining it to a layperson, it is totally appropriate to generalize and use the scientific (unpolarized, subatomic etc.) terms we use because we are using them to establish a conceptual framework for the understanding of the clinical manifestations of Reiki - not to validate Reiki.

Reiki is »non - polarized« subatomic energy that is released as a harmonic into energy blueprints (e.g. - the body) that are in a state of disharmony. Once it leaves the subatomic world, it must polarize because it is entering the physical, manifest world where it is acted upon by time. Because it is, by nature, a harmonic, it will polarize and form a »mirror image« of any disharmonious frequency in that energy blueprint, thereby restoring normal harmony and well being. This, in turn, accelerates the natural healing processes of the body.

To validate and explain that definition we must use the scientific process of clinical observation and the logical rationalization of the results. Most of the things we utilize in our daily lives are there because they work consistently. If they didn't, they would be discarded. If a new drug is tried clinically and gets good consistent results (without significant side effects) it is used because the observed results validate it! Once that drug stops working or proves to have bad side effects, it is discarded and considered no longer valid.

This is very important to understand. We cannot validate or prove Reiki with fancy charts or scientific terms. These things are great for explaining frameworks and actions. Validation, at this early stage, comes from our own clinical hands - on experience and the experience of hundreds of thousands of Reiki practitioners using Reiki daily for the past few decades.

When we list the observations made by Reiki practitioners and their patients, we start to build up a clinical picture, which will tell us a great deal about Reiki.

Sensation in the hands

During a Reiki treatment, the practitioner and the person being treated usually observe a sensation in the hands of the practitioner. The most common sensations are warmth, tingling, pins and needles, cold, or electrical feelings. Often, in very sick people, the sensation in the hands of the Reiki practitioner can be one of strong heat to the point that the skin can feel as though it might be getting burned. Sometimes no sensation is felt even though results are still obtained.

It is important to note that the sensation can vary from treatment to treatment, and the sensation in the hands felt by the patient can be very different to that felt by the practitioner. We have observed cases where the practitioner experiences his hands as being cold and the person being treated has felt them radiating intense heat.

One explanation is that Reiki, in and of itself, has no sensate characteristics. What is felt is the body's reaction to the Reiki flowing through it. As the Reiki emerges through the practitioner's hands, it reacts to the superficial tissues of the hands as it is passing through them. It then interacts with the superficial tissues of the person being treated. The Reiki energy, at this stage, is polarizing as it enters the manifest world of our body and it will act upon the sense receptors in the tissues giving rise to sensations. These sensations will vary according to the state of health of the body and according to your sensitivity at that time. This can change from day to day and person to person. Some people are more in touch with their body and will feel the sensations more.

The practitioner and the person being treated have different imbalances in their body and the Reiki will polarize accordingly. Hence the different sensations (or lack of) observed by each person.

Switches on automatically

This is one of the more interesting observations of the Reiki phenomena. When a Reiki practitioner's hands are placed on or near any living organism the Reiki »turns on« automatically. There is no conscious effort needed on the part of the practitioner. If a Reiki practitioner is asleep and his or her hands are placed on another person's injury or wound the Reiki starts flowing even though the practitioner is asleep.

Clearly, from this observation alone, we see that the flow of Reiki is activated despite the practitioner and independent of the practitioner's belief system. You do not have to learn how to give Reiki. If you have been initiated to Reiki, you simply have to place your hands on or near the body.

Another observation does contradict this slightly. Practitioners and patients have observed that the Reiki appears to flow more powerfully if the Practitioner deliberately places his/ her hands with conscious loving intent. This is not an efforting process. It simply means that if you consciously desire to help the patient and place your hands with intent to help then the treatment will be more effective. (This will be discussed in more detail later)

Flows according to demand

Further observation shows that the flow of the Reiki can seem to vary according to the degree of disharmony in the patient. For example, in patients who are seriously ill or very upset emotionally, the Reiki flows more strongly. It therefore flows on demand according to the degree of disharmony in the target system.

Energy that is a natural harmonizer will be drawn in intensity according to the degree of disharmony. The flow is totally independent of the expectations of the Practitioner. It functions according to it's own innate laws.

Some Reiki practitioners have observed that the Reiki apparently switches off after a period of time on one position on the body. It then switches on again when the hands are moved to another position. The concept seems to be that, as one area is »fixed« , you move on to the next area. As the Reiki travels though the body to where it is needed, this appears to be a contradiction. A noted phenomenon is that Reiki practitioners trained by Reiki Masters who don't talk about this phenomena, don't experience it. Their hands just continue to flow. It appears that the »expectations« or consciousness of the Reiki practitioner cause them to stop feeling the sensation of the Reiki. Experiments have shown that when such practitioners say they feel the Reiki »switch off« the person being treated still feels the flow strongly.

The Reiki is the same in both hands

The flow and effectiveness of the Reiki are the same in both hands. There is no »giving« or »receiving« hand to worry about when using Reiki. Simply put, if you treat a person for one hour with one hand they will get half as much as they would if they were treated with both hands. The quality would not be altered. You could also treat one person with one hand and another person with the other hand.

There are many »polarized« systems which need to observe rules on polarity with regard the hands. For example, keeping both hands on the patient; not crossing the hands; treating on the correct side of the body, etc. There is nothing wrong with those systems. They are, however, unnecessary when using Reiki on its own. If you are combining Reiki with other systems, then you may want to observe the rules of the other system. That will not influence the effectiveness of the Reiki. It will continue to flow and work despite the rules.

Reiki does not run out

One of the most dramatic observations of Reiki is that the Reiki doesn't appear to run out. Reiki practitioners have found that they can continue treating sick people all day and the Reiki will flow just as strongly as when they started the day. Furthermore, the practitioner appears to receive a »spin off« from the Reiki, which means they will finish the day stronger and with more vitality than when they started.

This is an observation that differentiates Reiki from other healing systems. Many systems involve the use of the physical energy (chi) of the body as the energy source to use on the patient. This has the effect of draining the physical energy of the practitioner. The overall effectiveness of the treatment is dependent upon the vitality of the practitioner. The number of patients that can be treated in a day depends upon the practitioner's ability to »recharge« his physical energy.

There is a tendency to bundle many paramedical healing systems into that broad classification of »energy« systems. Acupuncture, tai chi, polarity therapy, shiatsu, magnetic healing, and some forms of »spiritual« healing can fit reasonably comfortably into this category because they all seem to follow the predictable rules of physical energy (chi, ki, prana etc.) flow in the body.

Reiki doesn't fit into this category. It simply cannot be physical »polarized« energy in the conventional sense because of the peculiar characteristics it demonstrates clinically.

The Reiki flow is not affected by the health of the practitioner

A sick person usually has low physical energy and would therefore be less effective in treating others if he was harnessing his own energy. Clinical observation shows that even a very sick, weak person who is correctly initiated to Reiki can give treatments that are just as strong and effective as a Reiki Practitioner who is in robust health. Again, from this we deduce that the Reiki energy is not coming from the physical energy of the body.

Reiki works on animals and plants

Animals tend to respond faster to Reiki than humans do. They generally have a more dynamic energy system and their powers of recuperation tend to be superior. They also have less accumulated stress, emotional blockages and self - sabotage tendencies. It also appears that the more domesticated the animal, the slower it's recovery time. Domestic animals tend to take on the stress and emotional traits of their owners. Those of us who have pets are all too aware of how much they can be a reflection of their owners. When you see a neurotic, tense dog you can usually assume that to obtain lasting results you will need to treat the owner with Reiki (or sedatives!).

Plants also respond to Reiki because they are also living energy fields that can be out of balance and will respond to the harmonizing effects of Reiki.

By the fact that Reiki works on animals and plants we are able to discount any suggestion that the effects of Reiki are psychosomatic.

One can treat oneself with Reiki

There are many gifted »healers« who are able to help others but cannot help themselves because their system does not work effectively when they try to treat themselves. Because Reiki operates independently of the practitioner's body, practitioners can lay their hands on their own bodies and enjoy all the benefits of Reiki. This is of particular importance from the perspective of preventative medicine. One of the great luxuries in the life of a Reiki practitioner is the time spent self - treating. (See the chapter on self - treats.)

Anybody can be initiated to Reiki

Provided the initiation is correctly performed, anybody can have the Reiki activated in his or her hands. It is even possible to initiate people in comas, or children, or for that matter animals. Provided you receive all four of the Initiations you will have the Reiki in your hands for life.

Nobody appears to have Reiki in his or her hands naturally. No Reiki Master that we are aware of has ever found anyone who has. The question arises as to who was the first person to have Reiki and how did he/ she get it. We will never know the answer to that because the answer is lost in time. We are therefore open to the possibility that someone may have developed themselves to a point where Reiki could manifest in their hands. This would probably involve a lifetime of personal development. It is far more practical and faster to be initiated by a Reiki Master in a weekend.

Reiki is not a belief system, religion or cult

People of all persuasions practice Reiki. Christians, Muslims, Jews, atheists and agnostics are all able to receive the benefits of Reiki because it is not tied to any particular religion or philosophy. Once you have it, you have it for life, and can use it in any way you see fit. You do not need to belong to any group or association. You can choose to join an association if you wish for the purpose of receiving information and meeting people of like interests.

There are no gurus in Reiki although a few people have set themselves up as such. Reiki Masters are normal human beings who are trained to initiate people. They have normal human traits, strengths and weaknesses. We like to think of ourselves as »master learners« .

There are no harmful side effects from Reiki

In the two decades since Reiki Masters have been actively initiating practitioners in the west, there have been no reported cases of negative effects from Reiki.

There are a large number of cases where people have observed what at first appears to be negative effects. People with no understanding of the physiological healing processes of the body can misinterpret what they experience. When the body is undergoing a healing process, there can be short - term effects, which cause some discomfort.

For example, a person with an arthritic joint can have an increase of pain after the first few Reiki treatments. The Reiki will be increasing the circulation of blood to a joint that has had poor circulation for a number of years. The sudden increase in circulation can be painful at first. The end results will be great!

People with a great deal of accumulated stress or emotional blocks can find everything stirred up at first with treatments as their body starts to process the effects of the Reiki. Cancer patients often experience an increase in pain in the area of the tumor for the first few treatments.

Reiki is complementary to all other systems

There are no contraindications to the use of Reiki. It can be used on its own or in conjunction with any other therapy. There are often times when your health problems are so serious that you need to take advantage of everything that is available.

For example, Reiki is brilliant at promoting the rapid healing of cuts, even large ones. However, if you amputate a limb, you should be seeing a surgeon. You would still give the body as much Reiki as possible because it will help dramatically in the recovery process from the surgery and reduce the amount of scarring and pain.

Serious illnesses such as cancer still need to be treated and monitored by the medical experts. In every case however, Reiki will increase the overall vitality of the body and the ability of the body to recover. Reiki will also reduce the side effects of treatment such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy and maximize your potential to get well. In the meantime, each Reiki treatment you have will work on harmonizing the underlying cause of the illness.

Reiki always treats at the root cause level

One common observation of Reiki has very important ramifications. People being treated by Reiki, and Reiki practitioners, have repeatedly noticed that if a practitioner has his/ her hands on a patient in a particular position such as the head, the person being treated sometimes feels the Reiki having effect in a completely different part of the body. The part they feel it working on strongest is a part of the body that has greater disharmony. For example the patient may have diseased kidneys and will feel the Reiki strongest there even though the hands are on another part of the body.

This important observation helps to confirm the theory that Reiki is a harmonic that will, by its nature, always tend to go to the area of greatest disharmony. There is still a local effect because the Reiki passes through the area of the body under the hands.

This helps to explain the apparent variation in results with Reiki. Some practitioners may have established that when the arthritic knee of an ex - footballer (or soccer player, to some) is treated, they can usually expect significant improvement in three to five treatments. One time they treat an arthritic knee which seems to take much longer. The knee still gets better but needs many more treatments. A possible explanation is that the footballer has another more serious condition that he may not have known about such as a weak heart, and the Reiki is going to that area as a priority. Both the practitioner and the person being treated don't know it but by the time the knee is better, so is the heart!

When we start experiencing the symptoms of an illness, we often fall into the trap of thinking that it is something that just happened to us. This is very far from the truth in most illnesses. The condition will often have existed for years before it finally manifests as a symptom. A heart condition is there for many years gradually developing until it finally starts to give symptoms. Physics tells us that energy exists and moves first - matter follows. There is usually a disturbance in the energy systems of the body first. This eventually starts to bring about the physical changes that eventually become the »disease« .

Our body is composed entirely of energy at different levels of vibration. The slowest vibrations make up the bones. The higher vibrations go through the spectrum of the muscles, organs and blood until we arrive at even higher vibrations that make up our energy system (chi [Qi], prana, ki Etc.).

Many things can cause disharmony in the energy system. Emotional disturbances and traumas, mental aberrations, environmental influences, trauma, diet, injuries etc. can all contribute. Once this energy system is thrown into disharmony, it starts to manifest changes in the body/ mind. These changes eventually lead to disease as we recognize it.

The average disease process develops through an accumulation of predisposing factors. There is rarely just one cause for the disease. It is usually a heterogeneous mixture of many different factors.

When we visit the doctor for a diagnosis we should remember that the diagnosis is usually only a label. The labels - stomach ulcer, hepatitis, nephritis, fibrositis, etc., are not explanations of the cause of the disease. They are descriptions of the end result of the various causes. How we are treated is going to depend upon the training (indoctrination) of the doctor treating you. He/ she will decide on a »cause« to focus on according to his/ her area of expertise.

One metaphor we like to use is that of an iceberg. We know that the greatest part of an iceberg floats under the water. The tip that protrudes out of the water is not a good indication of how much lies below. The symptom is similar to the tip of the iceberg; the causes of the disease are the main body of the iceberg, which is hidden. Two people can have the same »tip« (symptom) and yet have a vastly different array and number of causes. That is why two people with the same symptom can have vastly different healing times.

Two people can be suffering from stomach ulcers. One person may have the ulcer simply because of a change of cultural environment. He may move to Thailand with his job and eat an excess of hot, spicy Thai food that his stomach is not used to. The treatment would be simple and the results quick, especially if he reduced his intake of spicy food until his stomach got used to them.

The other patient with a stomach ulcer may have gone through a divorce a few years ago and spent two years living as a bachelor, cooking for himself, worrying about money, and divorce proceedings, and may also have injured his upper back. Here we have a variety of factors that can contribute to the stomach ulcer. Worry is known to stimulate the vagus nerve, which supplies the stomach, and thus causes excess acid secretions in the stomach. A back problem can affect the sympathetic nerve supply to the stomach and contribute to an imbalance in the nerve supply to the stomach, again resulting in excess acid secretions. In addition to these factors the diet is a problem. All this means his »iceberg« is much bigger and the stomach ulcer will probably take much longer to heal because of the accumulation of causes.

In each of these cases, the patient could receive very good treatment from different specialists; a chiropractor, a dietitian or psychologist for stress management. Probably each could attain a result because when anything reasonably constructive is done to the body, symptomatic relief often results. The problem is that very often the whole body of the »iceberg« has not been addressed and the symptom will eventually return or manifest as another similar symptom because not all the causes have been dealt with.

A diagnosis is usually only a label, a description of the end result of the various causes, not an explanation of the cause of disease.

The great thing about Reiki is that it doesn't specifically treat the symptom. Because Reiki is a harmonizing energy, it treats the whole complex of the body. As it pours into the body and interacts with it, the Reiki will systematically start harmonizing the whole body of the iceberg. When the stomach has finally cleared up with Reiki treatments, it means that the condition has gone because the underlying causes have been harmonized, and not just because the symptom has been relieved or masked (such as with antacids).

Even with apparently simple things like sports injuries, we often find that there are underlying predisposing factors such as high stress levels or being run down. It has been established that if the body is over stressed or run down it is more easily injured. When Reiki treats the injury, it is also treating the stress and thus enhancing vitality.

Each disease can be seen as a particular combination of disharmonious frequencies. It appears that Reiki polarizes in the body as the mirror image or harmonic of the diseased frequencies. This would effectively tend to neutralize the disharmony in the same way that frequency therapies like homeopathy work. The difference is that in homeopathy the practitioner has to diagnose the disharmony and choose the appropriate frequency (medicine) with which to harmonize it. Reiki doesn't need diagnosis because it follows its own laws of harmonics and gravitates to the frequencies of predominant disharmony. Simply put - one does not need diagnosis because the Reiki does it's own.

No need for diagnosis with Reiki

If you needed to diagnose in order to treat with Reiki, you could not become a practitioner in a weekend seminar. You would need to do at least a four - year course. The majority of Reiki practitioners are lay people who are not trained in diagnosis. Reiki knows where to go to effectively treat the person. (The act of apparent knowing implied here relates to the harmonizing principle discussed earlier. It could also relate to the »manifesting consciousness« principle discussed in the second part of this book.) As you do not have to know where to direct the Reiki, you do not need to know what is wrong. If the person being treated wants a »label« for his/ her symptoms, he/ she should go to a doctor. In the meantime, the Reiki practitioner can still effectively help the person regain health and vitality - holistically.

The treatment method for Reiki is explained in a later chapter. Essentially, except for crisis treatment, a Reiki practitioner provides the same holistic Reiki treatment for any condition. Because of this the Reiki practitioner does not need a »label« to know where to put his or her hands.

Some Reiki practitioners have noticed that, with continued use, Reiki develops their intuition. This intuition strengthens the rapport with a patient during treatment, and means that the practitioner often becomes »aware« of what is wrong with that person they are treating. While we are happy to encourage the development of intuition with Reiki, we do not condone the use of Reiki as a diagnostic tool. Such a practice is too subjective and fraught with dangers of misdiagnosis and interpretation.

If, during a treatment, a Reiki practitioner intuits an apparent serious condition, it is appropriate to suggest to the person that he have a good checkup with his doctor because there may be an energy disturbance in the - lungs - for example. It would be totally unethical, irresponsible and, in some countries, illegal to tell the patient they have lung cancer!

The Reiki Network actively discourages all students from openly diagnosing while it does encourage the use of Reiki to promote intuitive development. There are many other ways of doing this however - regular self treats being one of them.

Reiki reduces stress

When people receiving Reiki are connected to biofeedback equipment, they are shown to go into a state of alpha (brain waves). This is a form of light meditation known to reduce the accumulated stress levels of the body. Clinically, people report a significant relaxing of the body and a rapid increase in feelings of well - being (associated with stress release).

It is well documented that stress is a major contributing factor to the etiology of a disease. Any system that can actively reduce stress is therefore going to have short - and long - term effects on total physical and mental well - being. This is another compelling reason for using Reiki regularly. We live in a stress - ridden society. By keeping our stress levels down, Reiki can contribute dramatically to our enjoyment of life.

Scientific hypothesis

Within the subatomic world scientists are aware of energy forces that are unlimited, »unpolarized« (they don't have a frequency because there is no time factor acting upon them), and act as general »harmonizers« of the subatomic world by interconnecting everything and maintaining the balance and harmony of this little known world.

This »universal life energy« (the layman's term) is probably the best description of the phenomenon known as Reiki. Advanced knowledge of the workings of the Reiki initiation process tends to reinforce this hypothesis. Reiki Masters use energy sequences and patterns to bring about the changes necessary to release this energy into the manifest world.

This subatomic energy fits all the above criteria that characterizes Reiki. One of the main functions of »Universal Life Energy« in the subatomic world is to harmonize. If this »unpolarized« subatomic energy is released into the manifest world (acted upon by time), it will polarize immediately (heat, tingling etc.). This polarization will result in the harmonization of the energy field it targets. (Human, animal, plant etc.) To do this it will form a mirror image of the disharmony (disease) in the energy field. The harmonization of the energy field will automatically accelerate the natural healing processes.

The lay term »universal life energy« can be misleading because many »new age« therapies attribute this name to any energy force that cannot be readily perceived. In the majority of such cases, the clinical manifestations indicate that they are dealing with high frequency levels of normal polarized energy.

Conclusions

Based on these clinical observations, we can hypothesize that these, collectively, are the distinct properties of the phenomenon known as Reiki. Probably any system that shares all these properties can legitimately, by definition, call itself Reiki.

Clinical observation has shown that anyone who has »Reiki« (meeting all the above defining properties) will obtain consistent tangible results in clinical practice if applied in the way taught by Reiki Masters such as those in the Reiki Network. These clinical results are then the primary validation of Reiki.

Anyone who is using a system of »energy« healing that does not obtain all the above characteristic phenomena can readily assume that they are not using Reiki. That does not mean their system is not good or effective. It just means it is not Reiki.

Reiki has very definite properties, which can be clinically observed and tabulated. Behind the clinical results and observations however, lie many mysteries. There are some aspects that defy logical explanation at this point in time. These mysteries are best explained under the umbrella of the »Metaphysics of Reiki« and in part two of our Reiki book.

 Reiki Self Treatments

Regular self treatments are most important in Reiki. All major organs and glands are covered. Daily self treatment - lying in bed - is recommended, about 5 Minutes per position. The hands are gently and passively placed on or slightly above the following body positions. Before being able to enjoy the benefits of this Reiki treatment the hands have to be initiated by a Reiki master.

 Music for Reiki

Peter Forster is an inspirational musician, composer and natural health therapist. Born in England, he moved to New Zealand at an early stage. He plays a variety of instruments, some built by himself.
Sadhana - »the path to love« is deeply relaxing music, gently guiding you through a Reiki session. Acoustic guitar, keyboards and various wind instruments interwoven with the healing sounds of nature invite you on a relaxing inner journey. Music for Reiki and Relaxation in 12 parts, each 5 Minutes long. Each track ends with soft wind chimes. Price: 30 CHF or 20 EUR	Homecoming is also for use with Reiki session. The haunting sound of the loon, rainforest birds of Australia, sounds from deep within the earth all combined with spellbinding music that creates the perfect environment for deep relaxation and stress release Guitars, lakota cedar flute, occarina, pan pipes, piano, synthesizers, block flute, kantele, didgeridoo, tingshaws, lap harp, voice blended with the sounds of nature Music for Reiki and Relaxation in 12 parts, each 5 Minutes long. Each track ends with soft wind chimes. Price: 30 CHF or 20 EUR
The CD's may be ordered through the contact form. Shipping is 5 CHF within Switzerland and 5 EUR within EU (unregistered). Please inquire for other countries or additional options. Currently the money may be paid into a Swiss or German bank account, or with credit card using PayPal. Details will be given in the confirmation mail. Please indicate desired payment method in the contact form.

 Case History

These are experiences with Reiki. Nobody could say what would have happened without applying Reiki - or what would have happened to a different person with Reiki. Every person is unique, due to genetics, experiences and environmental effects. Similar symptoms might have totally different causes, and so the effects of treatments might vary.

Knot in thyroid gland
Stretched ligament on the knee
Head injury
Wasp sting
The destructive power of Reiki
Jet lag
2x stomach-ache
Migraine
Osteoporosis
Scar treatment after lung operation
Studies in hospitals
Compound fracture
Menstruation is back
Rosacea is gone

 Knot in thyroid gland

This is my key Reiki experience. Between those 2 documents there is a gap of 18 years. Only the last 5 years were with Reiki.

The thyroid gland needs iodine. This is to be converted into hormones, and with those vital and complicated processes are controlled in the whole body. When the thyroid gland is weak for some reason, it tries to increase in size to grab more iodine. Even the development of knots is tolerated to reach the longing for iodine. It takes everything, unfortunately even radioactive iodine, byproduct of the nuclear fission, an unhealthy isotope with long half-life period. For this reason in Switzerland there exist emergency pills with good iodine in high dosis, just to block further search of the thyroid gland for more iodine. Well - in former East Germany those pills have not been distributed to the public, and one year after the reactor disaster of Chernobyl in the Ukraine hot knots have been diagnosed for me and 2 family members of different age. Soon my family members had found some surgeon, who - via operation - freed them from the symptom. Healed and discharged?

My luck was better. I was in Moscow that time, and in Miss Alla Petrowna Genke I had found a very special Endocrinologist. From 1987-1992 she prescribed hormones in high doses and twice also an antibiotic (prednisolone), because next to hypofunction and lack of hormones a biopsy has indicated inflammation of the thyroid gland. Following this medication and since 1995 also iodine pills, the hormone balance has normalized. The knot was shrinking from 2x3cm down to 1x1cm. This was supposed to be a scar, and I was told it would stay forever. And indeed it never changed in all these years. Since 1997 the function of my thyroid glad was rated »euthyreote«, or say regular. A new stable condition has developed, and it found confirmation on every checkup. The »scar« stayed, unchanged.

In the year 2000 I moved from Germany to Switzerland. In May I attended the Reiki 1 seminar.

In 2003 I went to another check up, and the physician was quite unsure, whether he could still identify some knotty area on his ultrasonic device or not. »Yes - there it could be - but no - the reflection structure is regular. Well - if I did not know where to look, I would not find anything worth to mention at all. The doctor did not know what Reiki was, and it was not important to him. All that matters: »The knot is gone«.

3 years with Reiki, and I became totally confused! This was the best occasion to register for the Reiki 2 seminar!

I found myself in conflict. How did I deserve these results? All I did was »just« to spoil the 12 body positions with daily Reiki! And in reference to my thyroid gland I had not felt any-thing! My doubts and fears remained until the following check-up. Possibly the ultrasonic device had a defect, or the physician was mistaken. After this visit I could be sure. My own experience has shown, that Reiki indeed travels to the root of a poor balance, and thank god I do not have to know, where that could be.

My relatives had less luck in the mean time. New knots have developed. The situation is worse, because with the operation also healthy tissue had been removed. The thyroid gland has got even more difficulty to do its job. Of course I told them my story and about the general potential of Reiki, but they were not interested. So I have found myself in a situation unheard-of.

Alla Petrowna indeed is a remarkable endocrinologist. Once she told me about a little boy, who was locked up in psychiatry due to epileptic fits that could not be handled. In passing she saw the boy, and she prescribed thyroxin (hormones). After few days the boy was released. He was totally normal and healthy, with no further attacks. Is there a better example in how to increase quality of life for someone?

 Stretched ligament on the knee

Johnny had a bad fall during skiing. From the chair lift I saw him being carried uphill to the station. With all the pain the 6 year old boys eyes had been watering. I spoke to father and son and offered my help. With the Reiki treatment on the knee Johnny instantly calmed down. He described a warm stream of energy. When the physician arrived he felt much better. Later in hospital stretched ligament on the right knee had been diagnosed. We met again the next day (that we had already agreed upon), and the father asked if I could continue with the Reiki treatment. This time Johnny felt a very strong impact from Reiki, as something went down from the knee until reaching his foot, and the energy sensation was not far from pain. The following day I met Johnny again. To the disapproval of his mother he was running and jumping without the prescribed walking sticks. He was obviously free from pain, and this has made me very happy too. Ever and ever again I am surprised how fast fresh injuries can heal, when Reiki is instantly being applied. Stretched ligament on a knee usually takes a number of weeks to heal.

 Head injury

This e-mail came from Carolina in Argentina following 3 treatments over distance. Those we originally had agreed just for my exercise during the Reiki 2 seminar, and I had no idea what happened after we had fixed the schedule. One year later Carolina attended a Reiki seminar herself in Buenos Aires.

If you indeed have sent Reiki - it did a lot of good to me. Not so much for my mood, but physically. I had terrible neck and back pains, because I hit my head very badly. Everything did just terribly hurt. I could hardly stand it, not even in bed. And then - suddenly - I would have never imagined how pain could disappear so instantly. Unexplainable. At first the pain was not fully gone, but I felt much better. But on the next day - not even 10% of the pain was left. After this - when thinking backwards - also at work things went better, somehow easier, faster and more efficient. I was less tired.

 Wasp sting

Once a wasp had stung me just above the upper lip. Instinctively I covered the area with both of my hands and let Reiki flow. I did not even search for gel or cooling water. After 15 minutes of treatment I went to look at the swollen spot in the mirror. It was barely visible and the next day it was completely gone.

 The destructive power of Reiki

Gertrud made experiences on the spiritual level. Over the 50 years of her life she had spent lot of time with prayers. Suddenly she found out that her prayers did not come from the deep of her heart, she lost interest, stopped praying and found a new feeling of freedom. She had no conscious understanding about the why.

Quite often such shifts are related to rigid thinking because of indoctrination and fear, which has fallen away. However there are also devouted persons across all religions that report prayers have become deeper that ever since they started the Reiki practice.

 Jet lag

Jet lag became my specialty, because my job required about 20 intercontinental flights per year, always accompanied with lack of sleep, little comfort, shifts in biorhythm, and hence the strong need for relaxation. I was most happy to have Reiki in my hands, and such situations always made evident, that 1 hour treatment (even in a plane seat) has the physiological effect of 3-4 hours sleep.

2x stomach-ache

When you get used to Reiki, you already kind of expect a pain to vanish, once the hands are covering the specific area. So I was kind of surprised, that being once in Mexico, and a strange stomach pain even increased, and became nearly unbearable. Hands off - not that much pain. Hands on - increased pain. I kept trusting that Reiki is always to the benefit, and continued with Reiki. About 10 minutes later I had to quickly move to the restroom, and the finish was quite a diarrhea. I suspect food poisoning, and that Reiki supported removing the stuff. In this case spiriting away the pain would not have been of real benefit. Instead the problem did require my attention.

 Migraine

Andrea suffered from migraine attacks practically on a daily basis. When I suggested to try Reiki it turned out that a while ago Andrea had attended a Reiki seminar herself. What simply did not cross her mind was, that she could treat herself also on a daily basis. I met Andrea again after few months, and she was very happy. With the regular treatments the number of attacks reduced to 1 per month, and those were well tolerable.

 Osteoporosis

Christa was 64 years old, when she got the diagnosis of significant osteoporosis in August 2003. Using CT the bone density was found in the range of 52 - 66 mg CA-HA/ ml (average 58.6), were the lower reference for osteopenia (moderate reduced density) was 80. She got prescription for Calcium and Alendronate (Bisphosphonates) once per week (on Sundays), a medicine with strong side effects, which is not recommended to use for longer than few years.

Although she did not want hands-on Reiki or absentee treatments at preset times, she had nothing against Reiki being sent at random times. I did this every Sunday, except on three occasions in the beginning stage, about which she found out later. It was on these three occasions that she was not well. Each time, she had to vomit, and thought about giving up the medicine.

2½ years later another density measurement was done, and the doctors found a 16% increased density (59 - 79 mg CA-HA/ ml, average 67.9) which was a surprise. »Normally« the debilitating process can only be slowed down, or put on hold in the best case. Christa may now stop taking the strong medicine and also reduce the amount of extra Calcium intake.

Her younger sister received the same diagnosis but no Reiki. The debilitating process unfortunately continued.

 Scar treatment after lung operation

Christian had a lung operation, after which he ended up with an approx. 50 cm long scar going from the belly around the left lung to the shoulder blade. Scars may obstruct the subtle energy flows in the body, in particular, if acupuncture points are concerned or when crossing meridians. Over the 11 years since the operation Christian suffered from unexpected pulling and twisting pain in the area around the scar. I treated Christians scar with the specific technique we teach in Reiki 2 (Christian has second degree) once, and the pain did not further appear except when provoking it applying special hand pressure in the affected area. After a second treatment the pain neither reappeared or could be provoked under any circumstances.

 Studies in hospitals

»Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine« is a peer-reviewed healthcare journal that encourages the integration of alternative therapies with conventional medical practices. In 2003 the journal has published a study about Reiki with Pamela Miles. Pamela is a Reiki Master and has a long history of Reiki treatment programs for major New York City hospitals (both physicians and patients).

Brewitt, Vittetoe, and Hartwell studied 5 patients with a variety of chronic illnesses (multiple sclerosis, lupus, fibromyalgia, and thyroid goiter) who received 11 Reiki treatments over a 9-week period. They measured changes in electrical skin resistance at over 40 sites corresponding with acupuncture/conductance points, and collected patient reports of anxiety, pain, and mobility. Significant changes occurred at 3 skin points corresponding to acupuncture meridians, and patients also reported increased relaxation, reduced pain, and increased mobility.

Portsmouth Medical Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire began offering 15-minute Reiki sessions pre- and post-op in 1995. They now give over 2,000 sessions a year to patients in every department. The data they have collected for quality control indicates patients are taking less pain medication and leaving the hospital sooner. Both patients and staff report greater satisfaction.

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital in Dover NH keeps Reiki treatment records and also records the patients reasons for requesting Reiki and the outcomes. In 2003, 886 Reiki sessions were offered by 12 volunteers. Derreth Roberts reports that in first quarter of 2003, 46% of all Reiki treatments were requested because the patient was nervous, stressed, or feeling anxious; 25% were requested for pain or physical discomfort; 23% of patients didn't know what Reiki was but were interested; 3% had previously had Reiki and liked it; 2% asked for other reasons, such as »end of life care« or »partner does Reiki and suggested more treatment«. Patients requesting Reiki for anxiety or pain are asked to rank their distress before and after treatment using a 0-10 scale, with 10 being the worst. In the first quarter of 2003, average stress score was 4.9 points lower after Reiki and the average pain score was 3.7 points lower. 23% of patients receiving Reiki in first quarter fell asleep during treatment. Sleeping patients are not awakened and not included in the data. As at Portsmouth Regional Hospital NH, no negative outcomes have been reported. The only complaints were from patients who wanted Reiki and didn't get it (perhaps due to a change in the surgery schedule).

On the basis of absence of risk and strong anecdotal evidence, Reiki is increasingly accepted in conventional medical settings, and is offered at prestigious hospitals, in the United States including.

• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York City)
• St. Vincent's Comprehensive Cancer Center (New York City)
• New York-Presbyterian Hospital (New York City)
• M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston)
• George Washington University Hospital (Washington, D.C.)
• California Pacific Medical Center (San Francisco)
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston)
• Yale/New Haven Hospital (New Haven, Connecticut)

 Compound fracture

Doris was 61 years old, when her right foot was compound fractured in a car accident. Surgeons inserted a plate with an adjusting screw. She was not allowed to step on that foot and suffered from hardly bearable pain. 1 month after the accident she received a heart initiation and regularly treated herself at the 12 body positions. Doris could easier stand the pain now, but what she appreciated most was the feeling to be able to do something for herself. 1 month later the adjusting screw was removed. The healing process of the fractured bones was continuously monitored. The forecast for the plate was that it would stay inside the foot for at least 12 months. But the healing curve went unexpected fast. The bones of the foot were perfectly healed. The physician spoke of an inexplicable spontaneous healing and after 9 months finally decided to remove the plate.

 Menstruation is back

Gwenda was in her mid-fifties, when she came to Reiki. Few days after the seminar, during a self treatment, she experienced severe pain in the abdomen and to her surprise was menstruating the following day, after a gap of 2 years. After few days the abdomen pain was gone, and the period stopped after about a week. Finally Gwenda felt joy, having a piece back of that »being a woman«.

 Rosacea is gone

Marianne had rosacea for 1 year, a disease with flushing and redness on the face and swelling around the eyes. About 5% of the German population suffers from this skin disease, which is usually chronic and worsening with time. The dermatologist subscribed various ointments and pills, which helped to reduce the symptoms (Marianne also received distant Reiki treatments once a week), but the symptoms never really disappeared. In general the treatment is difficult, there are many suspected triggers like sun, stress, heat and cold, cosmetics, spicy foods, alcohol, exercise, hot drinks etc. However 1 month after the Reiki 1 seminar and daily self-treatments, Marianne suddenly noticed that the symptoms were completely gone. She does not take any ointments either, and the skin is still good.

 Usui Reiki Hikkei - The Original Reiki Handbook from Mikao Usui

The section below is an excerpt of the original handbook from the founder of Reiki, written for Japanese students around the year 1925. The former Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai head, the late Mrs. Kimiko Koyama, handed out this copy to her students. With kind permission by Richard Rivard.

I feel I should comment on 2 subjects. Today many Reiki masters teach to use the same 12 body positions no matter what the symptoms are, so to cover all important body parts and refrain from wishes to diagnose. Secondly no healing promises are given. It is my opinion that with Reiki everything can be treated, but sometimes the body simply does not have enough time, and there are effective orthodox methods to remove serious symptoms. I therefore encourage patients to consult their physician or naturopath when suspecting health problems. Reiki is compatible with any therapy.

Teachings of Usui Reiki Ryoho for improvement of mind and body The secret art of inviting happiness The miraculous medicine for all diseases At least for today, do not be angry. Do not worry. Do your work with appreciation. Be kind to people. Every morning and evening, join your hands in meditation and pray with your heart. State in your mind and chant with your mouth.

Explanation of Instruction for the Public - By Founder of Usui Reiki Ryoho, Mikao Usui It is an old custom to teach a method to only my descendants, for keeping a wealth within a family. Especially, the modern societies we live in wish to share happiness of coexistence and co-prosperity. So I don't allow my family to keep the method to ourselves. My Usui Reiki Ryoho is an original, there is nothing like this in the world. So I would like to release this method to the public for everyone's benefit and hope for everyone's happiness. My Reiki Ryoho is an original method based on intuitive power in the universe. By this power, the body gets healthy and enhances happiness of life and peaceful mind. Nowadays people need improvement and reconstruction inside and outside of life, so the reason for releasing my method to the public is to help people with illness of body and mind. What is Usui Reiki Ryoho? Graciously I have received Meiji Emperor's last injunctions. For achieving my teachings, training and improving physically and spiritually and walking in a right path as a human being, first we have to heal our spirit. Secondly we have to keep our body healthy. If our spirit is healthy and conformed to the truth, body will get healthy naturally. Usui Reiki Ryoho's missions are to lead peaceful and happy life, heal others and improve happiness of others and ourselves. Is there any similarity to hypnotism, Kiai method, religious method or any other methods? No, there is no similarity to any of those methods. This method is to help body and spirit with intuitive power, which I've received after long and hard training. Then, is it psychic method of treatment? Yes, you could say that. But you could also say it is physical method of treatment. The reason why is Ki and light are emanated from healer's body, especially from eyes, mouth and hands. So if healer stares or breathes on or strokes with hands at the affected area such as toothache, colic pain, stomachache, neuralgia, bruises, cuts, burns and other swellings with pain will be gone. However a chronic disease is not easy, it's needed some time. But a patient will feel improvement at the first treatment. There is a fact more than a novel how to explain this phenomenon with modern medicine. If you see the fact you would understand. Even people who use sophistry can not ignore the fact. Do I have to believe in Usui Reiki Ryoho to get better result? No. It's not like a psychological method of treatment or hypnosis or other kind of mental method. There is no need to have a consent or admiration. It doesn't matter if you doubt, reject or deny it. For example, it is effective to children and very ill people who are not aware of any consciousness, such as a doubt, rejection or denying. There may be one out of ten who believes in my method before a treatment. Most of them learn the benefit after first treatment then they believe in the method. Can any illness be cured by Usui Reiki Ryoho? Any illness such as psychological or an organic disease can be cured by this method. Does Usui Reiki Ryoho only heal illness? No. Usui Reiki Ryoho does not only heal illness. Mental illness such as agony, weakness, timidity, irresolution, nervousness and other bad habit can be corrected. Then you are able to lead happy life and heal others with mind of God or Buddha. That becomes principle object. How does Usui Reiki Ryoho work? I've never been given this method by anybody nor studied to get psychic power to heal. I accidentally realized that I have received healing power when I felt the air in mysterious way during fasting. So I have a hard time explaining exactly even I am the founder. Scholars and men of intelligence have been studying this phenomenon but modern science can't solve it. But I believe that day will come naturally. Does Usui Reiki Ryoho use any medicine and are there any side effects? Never uses medical equipment. Staring at affected area, breathing onto it, stroking with hands, laying on of hands and patting lightly with hands are the way of treatment. Do I need to have knowledge of medicine? My method is beyond a modern science so you do not need knowledge of medicine. If brain disease occurs, I treat a head. If it's a stomachache, I treat a stomach. If it's an eye disease, I treat eyes. You don't have to take bitter medicine or stand for hot moxa treatment. It takes short time for a treatment with staring at affected area or breathing onto it or laying on of hands or stroking with hands. These are the reason why my method is very original. What do famous medical scientists think of this method? The famous medical scientists seem very reasonable. European medical scientists have severe criticism towards medicine. To return to the subject, Dr. Nagai of Teikoku Medical University says, »we as doctors do diagnose, record and comprehend illnesses but we don't know how to treat them.« Dr. Kondo says, »it is not true that medical science made a great progress. It is the biggest fault in the modern medical science that we don't take notice of psychological affect.« Dr. Kuga says, »it is a fact that psychological therapy and other kind of healing treatment done by healers without doctor's training works better than doctors, depending on type of illnesses or patient's personality or application of treatment. Also the doctors who try to repel and exclude psychological healers without doctor's training are narrow-minded.« It is obvious fact that doctors, medical scientists and pharmacists recognize the effect of my method and become a pupil. What is the government's reaction? On February 6th, 1922, at the Standing Committee on Budget of House of Representatives, a member of the Diet Dr. Matsushita asked for government's view about the fact that people who do not have doctor's training have been treating many patients with psychological or spiritual method of treatment. Mr. Ushio, a government delegate says, »a little over 10 years ago people thought hypnosis is a work of long-nosed goblin but nowadays study has been done and it's applied to mentally ill patients. It is very difficult to solve human intellect with just science. Doctors follow the instruction how to treat patients by medical science, but it's not a medical treatment such as electric therapy or just touching with hands to all illnesses.« So my Usui Reiki Ryoho does not violate the Medical Practitioners Law or Shin-Kyu (acupuncture and moxa treatment) Management Regulation. People would think that this kind of healing power is gifted to the selected people, not by training. No, that isn't true. Every existence has healing power. Plants, trees, animals, fish and insects, but especially a human as the lord of creation has remarkable power. Usui Reiki Ryoho is materialized the healing power that human has. Then, can anybody receive Denju of Usui Reiki Ryoho? Of course, a man, woman, young or old, people with knowledge or without knowledge, anybody who has a common sense can receive the power accurately in a short time and can heal selves and others. I have taught to more than one thousand people but no one is failed. Everyone is able to heal illness with just Shoden. You may think it is inscrutable to get the healing power in a short time but it is reasonable. It's the feature of my method that heals difficult illnesses easily. If I can heal others, can I heal myself? If you can't heal yourself, how can you heal others? How can I receive Okuden? Okuden includes Hatsureiho, patting with hands method, stroking with hands method, pressing with hands method, telesthetic method and propensity method. I will teach it to people who have learned Shoden and who are good students, good conduct and enthusiasts. Is there higher level more than Okuden? Yes, there is a level called Shinpiden.