How to Heal with Reiki
A Reiki practitioner shares her tools for emotional and physical wellbeing.
Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that promotes emotional and physical healing.
Rei means ‘higher power,’ and ‘ki’ means life force energy.
A brief history of Reiki
Reiki is said to have originated in 1922 when Dr. Mikao Usui, a Japanese theologist, and seeker of spiritual truths, first channeled its healing power.
Legend has it that he was meditating and fasting for 21 days on the sacred Mount Kuri Yama, when he received a spiritual download in the form of colors and Reiki symbols.
Shortly after that, he started teaching Reiki by “attuning” other people and inviting them to take responsibility for their own wellbeing.
In fact, Reiki is transferred to the student by the Reiki Master during an attunement process. This spiritual experience opens the crown, heart, and palm chakras and creates a special link between the student and the Reiki source.
Reiki was brought to the US in the 1930s. Since then, the tradition is being carried on globally.
How reiki works and its benefits
A study has shown Reiki is a safe and gentle complementary therapy that activates the parasympathetic nervous system to heal the body and mind.
It has the potential for broader use in the management of chronic health conditions. In fact, it is even used in a number of hospitals as a complementary form of alternative medicine.
There is also evidence to suggest that Reiki therapy may be effective for relieving pain and anxiety.
In a session, a Reiki practitioner channels Universal Life Force Energy through their hands. Using the chakra system as reference points, the practitioner will move their hands over the receiver’s body, in order to align and clear their energy field.
Reiki is just as effective whether you receive a session in person or remotely, and whether you are awake or sleeping.
After a Reiki session, you may feel one or more of the following:
- Calm, clear, relaxed — have better sleep
- Rejuvenated and sharper ability to focus
- Energetically and physically lighter
- Have a heightened sense of intuition and visions
- Pain reduction around an illness, wound, or injury
- Feel emotionally supported and grounded
To find out more about this form of energy healing, we speak to Abigail Pankhurst— a Reiki practitioner and massage therapist.
Abigail specializes in a variety of different holistic massage treatments including Thai yoga massage and Kobido Japanese massage. She has a background in child psychology and counseling. She also is a level 1 & 2 attuned Reiki practitioner. You can follow her on Instagram at @zenmomentsmallorca.
What first attracted you to energy healing?
In my early thirties, I was going through a tough time and dealing with issues of mental health and drug abuse. I had been in and out of counseling since I was fifteen. I thought that vortex healing would be a good introduction to alternative therapy, as it seemed that conventional counseling was not working for me at the time.
I had regular sessions with an energy vortex healer for about 6 years. It was a long and emotional journey where a lot of emotional layers were peeled back and multiple chakra clearings took place. Although I had received a lot of energy clearing, it had never occurred or even interested me to start practicing on myself or for others.
Shortly after I moved to Mallorca, I decided to go see a Reiki master. Although I benefited from this session, I still didn’t feel drawn to it and did not return for more.
In the past, whenever I had heard about Reiki, I had stereotyped it as a fashionable treatment and would scoff at it calling “Reiki Schmeiki”. I never realized what a powerful tool Reiki would become in my day to day life.
I believe that Reiki comes to you in divine timing. For me, it occurred during the Covid-19 lockdown. As I had more time to dedicate to studying, I became interested in Reiki and the history behind it. The more I read and studied, the more hooked I became. It turned out that many self-care tools that I already use in my own day-to-day practice could be linked to the ethics of Reiki principles. This intrigued me.
What was your first experience of receiving Reiki and how has it benefited you?
When I had my first attunement (the initiation to Reiki; there are up to three energetic attunements — from level one to level three, ndr.) with my Reiki tutor, I instantly felt something start to shift significantly within me.
After that, I have never felt so connected with my surroundings and the universe. The next day I was on a “super-high” and felt a lot of energy rushing through me as if my body had purged what no longer served me. I felt lighter.
My intuition has grown stronger since then and I’ve felt called to cut out addictions including alcohol and lowering my dose of coffee intake.
What are the effects of Reiki on wellbeing?
There are no limits to what Reiki can do as there are so many benefits physically and emotionally.
Personally, Reiki practice has helped with anxiety and fatigue; plus breaking bad habits which for me included consumption of coffee, alcohol, and unhealthy foods.
Reiki can also help people who suffer from depression and other physical ailments. Studies have shown it can also help decrease pain levels for cancer patients.
As it is a spiritual practice, it also is known for opening up your third eye. I certainly noticed my intuition and awareness have improved since my attunement.
Also, I am more focused on menial tasks that would usually take me longer to complete. My memory has improved, and I have become more mindful and present than before. Reiki has always been there in the background, to assist with my healing — I just never was aware of it until recently.
What treatments do you offer and what are their benefits?
I offer various treatments for my clients, but my two favorites are the Kobido Japanese facial massage and Traditional Thai yoga massage. The most popular with my clients is a relaxing therapy full body massage.
Some massage therapists actually incorporate Reiki during a massage to penetrate different acupressure points more deeply. I am working my way up to doing the same with my treatments too, as Reiki doesn’t just benefit the client with healing — it also benefits the person being a channel.
As I am still quite a novice at practicing Reiki, I currently tend to use it as an after-massage treatment to boost wellbeing.
How do you know if the Reiki is treatment is effective?
I am not a healer, just a channel for Reiki to go through me. The amazing thing about Reiki is that intuition plays a big role in each session. You ask Reiki to guide you where it needs to go — and it knows.
For example, I once had a client who felt quite anxious and needed grounding during our Reiki session.
When I had finished the session, I gave her my feedback. I had found that the word that kept coming up for me during the session was “womb”, so it sounded like a lot of work needed to be done in the womb area. The client in fact confirmed she had been having some issues with her womb. This area is also where the solar plexus is located (the chakra of confidence and self-esteem).
I had not touched the client during our session, but she told me she had felt the Reiki and warmth around her. She was aware of the Reiki energy going through her.
As another example: a friend whom I practiced Reiki on was having fragmented sleep. After our remote session together, she reported having a very deep and peaceful sleep that night. She also had vivid dreams and felt sharper at work the next day.
In fact, if I am having trouble settling down for the night, I use Reiki to ground myself to have a more peaceful sleep.
For my own personal practice, I tend to also do a mini-Reiki session on myself before going to see a client, as it helps to “clear” the energy field. I also use it before getting in my car for a long journey, manifesting that I will have a safe ride.
