At its simplest, Reiki is energy healing. At its most complex, practitioners believe it can affect our minds, bodies, and spirits.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words. Rei means “God’s Wisdom” or “Higher Power.” Ki means”life force energy.” The commonly accepted meaning of Reiki is “guided life force energy.”
Reiki therapy is based on the biofield, a type of energy that emanates from our bodies and is generally accepted amongst the science community.
Shamini Jain, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Diego, told US News that the biofield, “regulates everything from our cellular function to our nervous system.”
The National Institutes of Health’s National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine states that Reiki is a healing method based on the belief that energy supports the body’s natural ability to heal.
The practice of Reiki usually involves the placing of the practitioner’s hands on or above a client’s body to facilitate that person’s healing energy.
The practice is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and that our health depends on the condition of that energy (whether it is high, low, blocked, and so on). The energy affects more than just physical health, it is thought to also affect the mind and spirit.
Experts say that reiki may also reduce anxiety and improve sleep, and practitioners believe that it helps improve overall quality of life.