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Reiki and Chronic Fatigue

The essence of Reiki is that a benign intelligence underlies every living thing, an intelligence and an energy which we connect to through Reiki to bring about physical, mental and emotional healing. In some ways this short description could be applied to many holistic therapies, but from my experience reiki works at a more basic spiritual level than any other therapy, and can be a catalyst to bring about profound change.

What we know as Reiki in the west originated around 100yrs ago from a Japanese scholar, Dr Usui. While there is some debate about whether Dr Usui discovered the techniques or partly re-discovered them from Tibetan Buddhist texts, and also some debate over whether Usui was himself Christian or Buddhist, to most practioners of Reiki the exact history is far less important than Reiki's healing power.

What happens in a Reiki treatment?

Reiki is extremely simple and provided it is given with the right intention there is no right or wrong way to do it. The recipient is likely to be either lying down or seated, and the practitioner may lay their hands on the recipient or have their hands inches, or even feet from the recipients body. The practitioner may work through a set of hand postions, sending reiki to all parts of the body in turn, concentrate on a small number of areas, or simply send reiki to the recipient as a whole. The practitioner becomes a channel or a conductor for this energy, which then flows through the recipient. The recipient may feel warmth or tingling, or possibly nothing at all, and although the practitioner or the recipient might conciously want energy directed to a specific part of the body, the idea is that as an intelligent energy the Reiki will go where it is needed most.

My experience of reiki

My first experience of reiki was 5 years before I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and I found the sessions deeply relaxing. When I had the opportunity I did the first course soon after and more recently completed the second level course. The more reiki I have practiced the more deeply it seems to work. Using reiki with meditation I have experienced a deep sense of peace and tranquility - sure that doesn't last forever and I still get stressed, but it is reassuring to know investing time in regular practice can bring back that sense of peace. It is also distinctly different from the energy of Qi-Qong/Tai Chi and Traditional Chinese Medicine which are more physical in character.

Although I have listed Reiki in this treatment section I don't primarily view it as an alternative or complimentary therapy - more a spiritual practice that is open to anyone. To get insurance as a Reiki practicioner the practicioner must have done at least a second level course, but if you know someone who is learning Reiki and they offer to treat you, I believe the intention of the person treating you and their ability to become a clear channel for the reiki is the most important factor - paying for treatment will not necessarily bring greater results.

Reiki as a catalyst

Reiki treatments may lead to cure of CFS or make little difference - beyond feeling more relaxed it is best to have no expectations. But one thing I have consistently found with Reiki is that it can put you in a frame of mind where you instinctively make more positive choices. This doesn't mean all your problems will go away but it does mean when the opportunity presents itself for positive change you are more likely to follow that path.

Maybe what I said above sounds very nice but doesn't really fit with your experience as an individual in a sometimes hostile world. Personally I think life is often more difficult because we perceive ourselves as mostly separate from our world, and only occasionally interacting with it. Although we are all individuals we are never separate from the wider universe - we breathe the air around us, we eat and drink food that may be sourced from hundreds or thousands of miles away, and every single cell in the human body is replaced within 8 years - in those basic physical ways we are never separate from the world. And I believe the same applies to energy and conciousness. The best analogy I have is that if you looked across the ocean you would see lots of individual waves rising up from the ocean and falling back into it. The waves do exist and they are all individual waves, but they are always a part of the ocean - just as we are always a part of our universe. And Reiki more than anything else allows us to connect to that ocean of energy and use it for a positive end.

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