Rani I am a Reiki Master Teacher I know many systems of energy healing many of them are types of Reiki. Reiki is a way of opening one self to the universe, God, Holy Spirit, Christ which ever you chose if you are a different religion you may chose others.

What we do is tune into this Universal Life Force Energy it is all around us and we are made of this energy as well, we are bringing in balance to the person. Restoring their energy field to normal, in this restoring comes health and healing. I have seen people healed amazingly from what doctors said nothing could be done.

We become like a extension cord plugged into the divine the universal life force, this flows through us to the client, energy is pulled like a vacuum pulls water through a pump. Is goes to where it is needed mostly because that is the spot that is pulling the most to heal. When we eat and have a full stomach the body pulls most of it's energy to that spot to digest that food. This is the same for a wound or sickness it is pulling energy to this spot, we being the cord plugged into the infinitely powerful always abundant source let this connection be made so that through us the divine is pulled into the client to be healed.

That has worked very well even and sometimes more so when someone doesn't believe it, I think the reason for this is the non believer doesn't care and thus gets out of the way of the practitioner's intent to be a through way for this divine healing taking place. Where as sometimes the believer is excited and gets into the way of just being and accepting in other words apathetic about the whole process is really just being in that moment.

Reiki healing works on the physical level body touch, emotional level slightly above the body in the auric field, higher above the body mental level and high above the body the spiritual level, so to work on the soul is high above the body to work on the mind is lower to work on the emotions is still lower and to work on the physical is physical contact hands on, except where not appropriate of course those areas are hover over (not touch) areas regardless.

Energy follows thought so in this way we are affecting the flow by the intent however it is being pulled we are not pushing it regardless how much we visualize the flow going faster and faster if it is not best it will not flow faster than is needed nor will it do any harm to anyone. The intent of Reiki is healing energy it will go where it is needed mostly, so if I am working on someone's arm and it is not healing then I find out that person has "also" been having heart problems guess what was pulling the most the arm or the heart?

Reiki is natural and we do it automatically when we bump our selves and hold the bumped spot until it feels better we just subconsciously gave that spot energy to heal. Reiki works with all religions and no religion as well you may aggrandize Reiki as you like to fit you and your beliefs, this makes it very versatile as a way of healing. For example if Christian you may call on Christ to come through you and guide you with this healing.

I don't know much about Reiki as such but the laying on of hands as a way of curing has been practiced for thousands of years, and it is even mentioned in the Bible as Jesus cured that way. Reiki doesn't involve touch, the hands are held above the body, and it is about the benign transferring energy from one to another, with the mutual belief that it works. Having said that I also think I have heard of people being healed without much belief, and the belief comes from the practitioner, that their energy can change and heal whatever is they are working on.

Makes it even stranger that the Catholic Church recently banned it!

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2009/09/22/reiki_banned_from_roman_catholic_hospitals_as_neither_science_nor_medicine/

The two page article, above, and the comments, all accessible within that page, are worth reading. I love this comment: Quote "As a catholic, I find it very interesting that the Bishops determined God only heals through Doctors and Nurses. Is this written somewhere? Just because this is their interpretation doesn't make it so. "

and see also

http://www.thereikicenter.net/CatholicChurchBansReiki3.pdf

Wade's answer is very good; I can only add a little bit of information and background to it.

Reiki comes to us from Japan. It is based on the idea that we have spiritual energy centers called chakras. I outlined what the chakras are in the question already posted about the solar plexus. (Please refer to that question if you want to learn more.) These energy centers are the exact same centers and points that acupuncturists use when treating their patients. Our bodies flow with electrochemical energy- this is how the brain communicates with the body.

Reiki Healers work in this field of electrochemical energy, which surrounds us and makes what we call an "aura". The aura extends out from the body about two feet, depending on the person. I am also a trained Reiki Master/Teacher, and have worked on many people, and have seen how re-aligning the energy in the aura and chakras can directly affect the flow of electrochemical messages the body perceives and receives. It takes a lot of hard work and training to learn Reiki, but it is worth it.

Reiki is very popular in Hawaii, where Reiki Healers work in hospitals along with doctors and nurses to aid healing. It is not hocus-pocus, nor does it harm the person being treated. The energy we healers send out through our hands flows from the Universe to us very naturally.

Finally, I do not understand why the Catholic Church would ban such a helpful healing method used around the world. I guess the belief is that we healers are violating some rule that states that only doctors and prayer can heal people. It is important to say that we only set out to realign the energy and re-balance the Chakras. I do not touch my clients; my hands hover just above the body, in the aura. I cannot "make" the energy do harmful things, nor can I directly order what it does. I may set out to help one area, and the energy goes to another in and of itself, where it is needed.

Please research this subject if you are interested in it, or have questions about it. Try not to judge it until you know all the facts.

Blessings, Jai

Hello, belief is not always the main part in the Reiki treatment, at least not the conscious part of it, otherwise it could never work with animals and children and that is an area where I have had some very amazing results.

During a reiki treatment the brain wave patterns of both giver and receiver become synchronized in the 7-8Hz alpha state characteristic of deep relaxation and meditation, they pulse in unison with the earth's magnetic field, the infinite energy source also known as the schumann resonance.

The pulsating biomagnetic field emitted from the hands focuses mainly in this alpha state and sweeps regularly from 0.3-30Hz. This range of frequency stimulates healing in the body with specific frequencies being suitable for different tissues. For example 2Hz encourages nerve regeneration, 7Hz bone growth, 10Hz ligament mending.

Brain waves travel throughout the body and gather cumulative strength as they flow to the periphery especially to the hands. During these moments the biomagnetic field of the practioners' hands is at least 1000 times greater than normal. The effects are mirrored by the giver and receiver and both benefit from the treatment.

There are of course many other effects including emotional, hormonal ... much more difficult to measure scientifically. All this supports the subjective experience of "oneness" and "expanded consciousness" related by those who regularly practice reiki.

ref; http://www.christineansel.com/reiki/Le_Reiki_et_la_Science.html

I have been a TT therapist for 20 years studying acupressure and acupunture and fa jing therapy, during my research over 20 years ago never had I come across Reiki or any documentation even in the Encyclopedia Britannica my late father had a wealth of knowlwgde in many book again no mention of reiki ( these where published 1974) I have met many Reiki Masters and i sense they have no balance mentally and emotionally, as a distance healer ( an born clairvoyant). Reiki has popped out from no were !! and i agree to become a master with 48 hours or 3 weekend is simply laughable when acupunture takes years to even practice. As for being excepted into NHS practises says it all!! It was taken from a chinese of healing non contact called fa jing when a a sensitive established chi practitioner could feel the energy emitted by the ba hui and channel into the body and feel the auric level of the internal organ so it simply been renamed and sold like Mcdonalds ( apart from Mcdonalds has been around for years. A for symbols i dont agree you atune to a persons energy NOT a symbol you feel calm and sense what needs to be done magnetically draw to aid energy and go with the balance between two energies Dao Chi. I has unfortunately killed of true therapist as EVERYONE is a Reiki Master and holds no real function

I cannot believe that hospitals would allow such 'treatments' to be performed. In only a very short time, a person can become a Reiki Master. Believing in healing energy is nothing but hocus-pocus. If it were true, we wouldn't need Drs or surgeries. They are spewing conflicting information. They say they don't claim to heal, yet they say it's 'healing energy'. So, which is it? If a person WANTS to believe in this strong enough, it will happen..but only in their minds because they've come to convince themselves. There is no scientific proof that Reiki indeed works. If you can't put your hands on or over someone who is miles away, how can you perform Reiki on them, yet it is claimed it can be done. What rubbish!!!!! This is bordering in the brink of witchcraft. By the way, a lot of people in these groups gather very frequently..not just for the purpose of performing Reiki. They have meetups, movie nights, even a 'church service' which is a bit of a different religion. Isn't it coincidental they're always together??? Again, rubbish! Just deposit your money in the wastebasket. Enough said.