Reiki – my experience
A Reiki treatment is different for everyone, and each time you have a treatment the experience is different, so it’s a difficult thing to describe.
I came to Reiki after I’d developed a meditation practice, but you don’t need any special knowledge or experience. Vicki was my meditation teacher, and offered me a half-hour treatment, to try it out, and I found it strange, but deeply relaxing, and it seemed a logical extension of meditation.
As I continued to have treatments now and then, when I was feeling rundown or over-anxious, I occasionally had a physical reaction afterwards. Sometimes this was extreme tiredness over a day or two, when I slept longer than normal and, if possible, took an afternoon nap. The Reiki, it seemed, had shown my body what it needed. Another reaction was diarrhoea – the morning after the treatment, and never prolonged. It didn’t feel like illness, it felt like a clearing out.
It can also stir up emotional responses, but I have only experienced this in a very minor way.
When I was undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy after breast cancer surgery, Reiki became one of my main supports, along with daily meditation. I’m sure it was a major contributor to the fact that I weathered the surgery and treatment with very few of the problems and side effects that many suffer. It reduced my anxiety and gave me a deep relaxation that helped my immune system cope with the insults of the cancer therapies.
Vicki’s treatments, for me, lead to a complete and total relaxation of mind and body. At times I sleep, but generally lie in a state that is difficult to describe, but like the peace one gets occasionally deep in meditation, where insights can arrive unbidden and be seen clearly. What it seems to do is rebalance the complex mechanisms of my body and mind. Despite the fact that you are lying quietly, you can also be a participant in the treatment process. Your breathing, consciousness of your body and openness to the process during the therapy all contribute to its affect.
Immediately afterwards I feel great. Sometimes, as I described earlier, the day or two afterwards can be difficult, but after that, I enjoy a new sense of wellbeing, which can last for a week or more.
There is a lot of mystique and mumbo-jumbo around alternative therapies like Reiki, and one needs to find a practitioner who understands what they are doing, and that you feel comfortable with. Vicki is outstanding with her matter-of-fact approach and skilful reading of the needs of her patients.
I recommend you give it a try – you may find yourself with an extra tool to help you deal with the stresses of everyday life, or a powerful resource if you fall ill or suffer from a chronic condition.