What is Reiki?
Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and
relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on
hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force
energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's
"life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or
feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that
flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body,
emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include
relaxation and feelings of peace, security and wellbeing.
Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual
healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in
helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a
beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or
therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.
An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to
use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student
during a Reiki class. This ability is passed on during an
"attunement" given by a Reiki master and allows the student to tap
into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve one's
health and enhance the quality of life.
Using Reiki for
Depression
Reiki therapy can be used deal powerfully with mental
stress, feelings of failure, loneliness and very high expectations, which are
some of the main causes of depression. Using Reiki for depression will speed up
recovery in unimaginable ways. Depression can affect any individual
irrespective of age and sex. Regular Reiki self-healing can make anyone free
from feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and worthlessness and make life
positive again. It may positively affect sleep, concentration, level of
thinking, appetite and psychological condition. Reiki Treatment for depression
can go a long way to get rid of this condition form its root.
Once you learn how to use Reiki to treat depression you
can reduce anger and restless as well as unexplained pains like headache,
stomachache, whole body pain and back pain. With Reiki depression treatment you
can lower the risk of being addicted to drugs, alcohol etc. Reiki heals
depression from its foot and can free anyone from suicidal thoughts. Reiki is
very helpful as it can help anyone get rid from this condition faster when used
along with regular medical treatment.
Demonstrated
Effects on Stress, Depression, Anxiety and Pain
One of the researchers, a Reiki Master from the UK, Joe Potter,
has been conducting an ongoing investigation into Reiki’s effectiveness. An
online search in PubMed lists dozens of studies involving Reiki or other
healing touch methods, investigating a broad range of conditions in many
different populations. Potter reported: “[s]tress was the most common word
written by clients as a description or part description of their condition
during their first session. Here 20.27% of the total client group treated used
this word on their initial visit for Reiki treatment….” In animal studies,
Reiki treatment produced clear signs of reduced stress as indicated by changes
in autonomic, biological measurements such as heart rate and certain cellular
signs of stress-related damage.
In a study of nurses with “burn out syndrome,” biological
indicators of a significant relaxation response, linked to the Reiki treatment,
been presented by the scientists. When nurses administered Reiki to a group of
patients with acute coronary syndrome, the substantial relaxation effect was
achieved and recorded through standard physiologic indicators.
Shore (2004) followed patients, being treated with Reiki,
for mild depression and stress. After six weeks of treatment and for up to a
year afterward, those who had received Reiki showed both immediate and
long-term improvements in depression, stress and hopelessness. In a small
study, complete elimination of typical postoperative depression was seen in
heart surgery patients given Reiki during surgery.
Pain often causes depression and anxiety. Reducing
difficult-to-treat chronic pain can have a substantial effect on psychological
well-being. Some studies have found Reiki to be effective for pain, anxiety and
depression relief. However, their design or conclusions are unclear as to
whether Reiki’s emotional benefits were a result of pain reduction or a separate
phenomenon. Nonetheless, research demonstrated Reiki’s positive results for
both pain and anxiety or depression.
Dressing and Sing (1998) found that among cancer
patients, Reiki brought about significant levels of pain relief, anxiety and
depression reduction, improvements in sleep quality, relaxation and general
well-being. This effect was stronger in men, than in women. These benefits
remained when checked after three months. Among abdominal hysterectomy
patients, Reiki helped reduce pain and anxiety, particularly in a preoperative
setting.
How to use Reiki
to treat depression?
A number of Reiki techniques are there to treat
depression. Reiki symbols, positions, self-healing methods, distance-healing
techniques all are highly useful in treating depression. These techniques help
to nullify the effects of the negative thoughts, emotions and feelings and
restores the usual flowing of the life force throughout the body.
Reiki is a hands-on healing technique that transmits
universal energy from the Reiki practitioner to the individual receiving the
treatment. The practitioner applies hand positions on the body, which passes
the energy to the Reiki client. The energy enters the body and goes to wherever
it is needed.
This infusion of energy results in changes to the energy
body of the person receiving the treatment. All illnesses including depression
show up in the energy body. They show up as blocks to the natural flow of
energy. Blocks to our energy can come from repressed feelings as well as poor
food, water, sleep habits, and other lifestyle problems.
They can also come from stress as well as unprocessed
grief and sadness. Think about how you feel under stress. You tighten up on the
inside and the flow of energy in the body becomes constricted. That
constriction impairs your functioning. Multiply that one stress incident by all
the stress in your life, and you have seriously blocked energy that can create
illness, including mental illnesses and depression.
Basic Reiki
treatment for depression
Let’s review what we know about the potential sources for
depression, and how we can use this knowledge to treat the core.
Depression is a mental illness, caused but a chemical
imbalance of serotonin and norepinephrine levels the brain. Both
neurotransmitters are excreted by one neuron and received by another through
receptors located at the signaling site. Serotonin and norepinephrine levels
trigger the structure of the brain that regulates emotion, stress, appetite,
and sexual drive; the hypothalamus. When a person becomes stressed, norepinephrine
is synthesized and serotonin is up taken into the cell triggering the
hypothalamus to activate the pituitary gland and produce a hormone called CRH.
This hormone activates the adrenal gland (located near the kidneys) to release
another hormone, called cortisol, into the blood stream. Cortisol gives a fight
or flight response by increasing glucose levels, heightening cognitive
function, and reducing susceptibility to physical pain by numbing the senses to
prepare for “impact”. If the reuptake of the neurotransmitters is disrupted,
the adrenal gland is kept in the “on” position and continues to release
cortisol into the blood stream. High levels of cortisol in the blood for a
lengthy period of time causes bodily reflexes associated with the fight or
flight response to fatigue and ultimately malfunction, initiating s feeling of
continuous stress on the body.
Antidepressants target serotonin receptors in the brain
by inhibiting the reuptake of the neurotransmitter and giving the body the
ability to regulate the pathway leading to the adrenal gland, thereby
preventing the release of more cortisol into the blood stream. However, Reiki
healing centralizes focus on the lower half of the body, such as the naval and
the kidneys where the adrenal gland is located. It is believed that there are
three blocked chakras associated with people suffering from acute depression; and
the first being the Root Chakra.
The Root Chakra, located in at the base of the spine,
anchors a person to the earth, and is responsible for driving the physical will
of a person. The branches of the body involved with the root chakra are the
blood, the spine, anus and rectum, teeth, nails, and prostate gland. Reiki
healers claim that an unbalanced root chakra is unable to acknowledge reality
and receive it joyfully; therefore, the person overindulges in food, alcohol,
or sexual actions, resulting in unhealthy habits and obesity. If the Chakra is
completely blocked, the person lacks emotional drive or physical energy, in
addition to feelings of sadness and anxiety.
The second chakra, referred to as the Naval Chakra, is
centered right below the naval. This chakra encompasses the kidney, the pelvic
girdle, the liver, the bladder, and body fluids such as gastric and lymph fluid
as well as the blood. When the Naval Chakra is blocked, the person views life
as uninteresting or expressionless, and they have an inability to form sensual
and meaning personal relationships. Due to their “emotional paralysis”, the
person acquires low self-esteem, causing low self-worth and contemplations of
suicide.
The third chakra, called the Solar Plexus Chakra, is
located above the navel at the base of the rib cage. This chakra was
corresponds to a person’s self-perception and ego. The solar plexus governs the
lungs, diaphragm, spleen, stomach, and the pancreas. If the aura of this chakra
is perceived as black, the solar plexus is unbalanced, causing the person to
feel moody and unharmonious. The person becomes restless with life and its
results thereby affecting their sense of security and accomplishment. Usually
the person blames others for preventing their advancement in life, and exudes
hostile tendencies towards others.
The Reiki practitioner, or the “healer”, is able to see
the unbalance of the three chakras through the color of the surrounding aura of
the patient. Next, the healer lightly places his fingertips around the origin
of the chakra, or alternatively positions both hands about an inch above origin
of the chakra, being careful to keep the fingers close together. Once the hands
are in place, the transfer of energy can begin. For example, when the healer
focuses on the Solar Plexus chakra, the healer intently concentrates on the
healing the patient while centering each hand an inch above the base on each
side of the rib cage. The positive energy from the healer initiates the body of
the patient to accelerate its own natural process of restoration. The healer
loses no energy, but is simply a medium from which positive energy from the
environment can flow.
Unlike antidepressants, which claim that effects and
restoration of serotonin and norepinephrine levels may take years before
improvements are noticed, most Reiki patients claim that they leave the session
feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
Advanced Reiki
treatment for depression
If you are an advanced Reiki practitioner, you can use
the following Reiki Symbols for self-treatment for depression, or you are
visiting advanced Reiki healer, the special healing symbols may be used to
address the issue with the highest level of efficiency.
These are the holy healing symbols, which improve the
flow of life energy in the body:
* Sei He Ki: This is one of the symbols used for the
treatment of the depression. This symbol is used to heal mental and emotional
illness. It is also used for protection, clearing, balancing and purification
of mind. This symbol is very much useful in depression if it is related to
problems in relationship. It also decreases the fear, anger and sadness. It is
also used to purify the food, water and dissolves the impact of negative
energy. You will release the negative emotions during the period of treatment
by using this symbol. You need to take Reiki second degree training to be
attuned to the power of this symbol.
* Hon Sha Ze Sho Nen: This distance Reiki symbol can be
used across the room, across the country or any part of the world. This symbol
is otherwise known as 'The awakened Heart' and is also part of the Reiki 2nd
degree course.This symbol can heal the Karmic patterns and problems associated
with it. It is helpful in relieving the mental and emotional pain as well as
associated stress.
* Dai Ko Myo: This symbol is helpful in healing at the
soul level. The healing then manifests at other levels, hence this symbol works
powerfully to decrease the problems associated with depression effectively.
This symbol is taught in the Reiki 3rd degree course.
Reiki positions
for depression
You can learn the Reiki hand positions for treating self
& others. These Reiki positions are very helpful to relieve mental
depression. In these positions, the hands are placed on energy centers of the
body known as the Chakras.
Because endocrine system is influenced by these energy
centers, when Reiki is given to the energy centers there is a balancing effect
on the glands. When secretion by the glands is balanced, the body comes back
into its natural healthy state.
* Place hands on the back of the head and give Reiki.
This treatment will promote relaxation and will help to get rid of headaches,
associated with depression.
* Gastrointestinal problems are often associated with
depression. The gastrointestinal problems may include nausea, vomiting, stomachache
and indigestion. For these problems, you can place your hands on the either
sides of the navel or umbilicus and slightly to one side. Relief from these
symptoms improves the health condition and helps to decrease the level of
depression.
* For another specific symptoms of depression like muscle
ache and headache, place hands across the shoulder blades (scapulae) at mid to
upper point. This position will help you to get rid from muscle ache, headache,
and from the stomach ache.
* You can also place your hands across the lower ribs.
This position affects the kidneys. This position will improve the function of
the adrenalin glands and ultimately change the mood to positive.
Sources and
Additional Information:
