Reiki and Healing Touch are two hands-on-healing modalities that complement each other beautifully.
I am a Healing Touch Practitioner and a Reiki Master. I call my sessions Healing Touch treatments even though I use Reiki all the time in my sessions. Many clients have come to me asking for Reiki and I love giving them Reiki treatments.
Reiki is universal life force energy that heals the body, mind, emotions and spirit. Reiki can “do no harm” and always works for the highest good. Reiki does not require the practitioner to guide the energy. Reiki flows to the client and goes where it’s needed.
Reiki is an ancient healing art that was rediscovered by Dr. Mikao Usui after years of searching and twenty-one days of meditation and fasting. In a deeply altered state he experienced a light entering him, initiating him with the Reiki healing energy. He also received the knowledge and ability to attune others to this energy.
The ability to give a Reiki treatment is acquired by receiving a series of attunements. In the Usui system there are three levels: First Degree, Second Degree and Master Degree. The Reiki Master you choose to attune you to become a Reiki Master is then part of your lineage. All Reiki Masters can trace their lineage back to Dr. Usui. There are now many lineages, Reiki styles, and schools. All are honored.
One difference between Healing Touch and Reiki is how they are taught. Healing Touch has a very structured certification program that takes at least two years to complete, while Reiki is taught many different ways, depending on the individual teaching style of the Reiki Master. Some Reiki Masters teach all three Reiki levels in one weekend. Some follow the more structured Usui system and recommend that you wait at least a year between each series of attunements.
Reiki has a sequence of hand positions similar to a Healing Touch technique called the “Chakra Connection.” The Reiki healing usually starts at the head, while Healing Touch’s “Chakra Connection” begins at the feet. I personally prefer starting at my client’s feet when balancing my client’s field, yet when I receive a Reiki healing, I love it when the practitioner starts at the head.
Healing Touch has many techniques to use depending on what the practitioner finds when accessing the client’s energy field; Reiki has only one basic hand sequence. I find the simplicity of Reiki is also its strength.
Reiki is a wonderful way to learn how to do hands-on-healing. People can learn Reiki to heal themselves when they are going through difficult life transitions. Reiki is also wonderful for healing pets, plants and energizing food before you eat.
Reiki has been a powerful self-healing and meditation practice for me. I use Reiki on myself to prepare for a day of sessions and before I go to sleep at night.
In the Second Degree Reiki class, I received symbols that gave me the ability to increase the strength of the Reiki energy, to work directly on the mental and emotional fields and to send healing at a distance.
The Distant Healing Symbol is a powerful way to send energy. When I hear something on the radio, such as an earthquake or natural disaster, I can send Reiki to the situation, people, and place to work for the highest possible good for all. This process of sending healing energies to others also helps me to release any judgments, blocks or resistance I may have to what is present in the moment. This is a very profound and beautiful healing practice I use often.
Healing Touch has a technique called “Mind Clearing” which is used to calm and balance the mind. I often use the Reiki Mental symbol when doing the “Mind Clearing.”
I give Reiki attunements when asked by my clients, yet I feel learning Reiki in a class has many benefits. One of those benefits is meeting people you can trade Reiki sessions with. Another benefit is just being in the energy that a group of healers generates.