How does reiki heal?
Our physical body is alive because of the 'life force energy' that is flowing though it. If our 'life force' is low or blocked, we are more likely to get sick, but if it is high and free flowing, we more easily maintain health and a feeling of well-being. One thing that disrupts and weakens the flow of 'life force energy' is stress. Stress is often caused by conflicting thoughts and feelings that get lodged in one's subtle energy system. These include fear, worry, doubt, anger, anxiety, etc. Medical research has determined that continual stress can block the body's natural ability to repair, regenerate and protect itself. The American Institute of Stress estimates that 75%-95% of all visits to doctors are the results of reaction to stress. The effects of unreleased stress range from minor aches to major health concerns, such as heart disease, digestive disorders, respiratory and skin problems.
Reiki is a technique that aids the body in releasing stress and tension by creating deep relaxation. Because of this, Reiki promotes healing and health. The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "the Wisdom of God or the Higher Power" and Ki which is means 'life force energy.' So Reiki means 'spiritually guided life force energy.' The Reiki system of healing is a technique for transmitting this subtle energy to yourself and others through the hands into the human energy system. Reiki restores energy balance and vitality by relieving the physical and emotional effects of unreleased stress. It gently and effectively opens blocked meridians, nadas and chakras, and clears the energy bodies, leaving one feeling relaxed and at peace.
Reiki is balancing
How is it possible for pain in one part of your body to be relieved when the Reiki practitioner's hands are somewhere else?
No matter where the Reiki practitioner's hands are, no matter how delightful that light contact may feel, the most important benefit of Reiki healing is what's happening behind the scenes, inside your own body, where it's remembering what it knows best —how to heal itself.
Unlike the oppositional approach of conventional medicine, which sends an intervention to directly counter the problem, Reiki healing does not target symptoms or conditions directly.
Reiki practice is balancing to your whole system. When your body is balanced, your own self-healing mechanisms function at their very best.
While a Reiki hand rests lightly on a particular area of your body, whether or not there is a discernible local response, there is an overall response as your system shifts into parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) dominance.
This is important why?
When the PNS is dominant, the body is in rest and digest mode. This means its priority is to recover, to heal, to deeply nourish and restore itself. The body knows well how to do these things, but our busy lifestyle keeps us in reactive sympathetic nervous system (SNS) mode, where the body's priority is coping (fight or flight), not healing.
Our bodies simply cannot cope and heal at the same time. It's fight/flight or rest/digest —not both at the same time.