Reiki Therapy Essay -- Research Japanese Papers

Reiki Therapy The History of Reiki According to the Reiki Holistic Healing at Christal Center web page, the word â€Å"Reiki† is defined as the Japanese word for â€Å"universal energy†. Reiki therapy is a â€Å"laying on of hands† by a therapist who has studied Reiki, and therefore has enabled him/herself to provide a channel of healing energy for their clients. Although Dr. Makao Usui, a Christian monk, is credited with rediscovering Reiki therapy in Japan during the 1800’s, believers say this therapy dates all the way back to when Jesus healed others through his touch thousands of years ago (http://www.cwizard.com/christal/reiki.htm). Wade Ryan (a Reiki Master) claims in his web page on facts about Reiki that this is not a religion, but that the spiritual energy received by clients often leads to an expansion of one’s own personal faith (http://www.freeyellow.com/members/Reiki/page1.html). â€Å"The Three Reikis† (http://www.freeyellow.com/members/Reiki/page2.html) explains that about five years ago distinctions for three forms of Reiki were recognized. The three forms are Usui Reiki, Vajra Reiki, and Karuna Reiki. Usui Reiki is the traditional form of Reiki rediscovered by Dr. Usui. Usui Reiki is noted for being a very gentle therapy, and therefore appropriate for adults and children seeking to maintain their good health, for providing energy to those who are lacking it due to illness or treatment, and also for the elderly. During Usui Reiki, the Practitioner’s Hand Positions are centered mainly on the head or torso. Although most Practitioners are satisfied with Usui Reiki Ability, those who are interested in a wider range of Healing Energy (i.e. caregivers of the extremely ill) would be more interested in Vajra R... ... very few studies out on this topic, and those that are out seem to disagree with each other; some are in favor of the benefits of Reiki, and some claim that these benefits only exist because of psychological reasons or don’t exist at all. Although Reiki is an ancient practice, it is just beginning to become popular in modern medicine. We can expect more and more research to be published in the near future as more studies are conducted and completed. Bibliography Green, CA (1998). Reflection of a therapeutic touch experience: case study 2. Complementary Therapies in Nursing & Midwifery, 4(1), 17-21. Samarel, N. (1997). Therapeutic touch, dialogue, and women's experiences in breast cancer surgery. Holistic Nursing Practice, 12(1), 62-70. Thornton, Lucia Marie (1993). Effects of energetic healing on female nursing students. MAI, 31/01, 284.