A Brief Overview of Reiki and Usui Reiki

There are many, many books written about Reiki and this blog post is my feeble attempt at some cliff-notes to introduce those not familiar with Reiki to the healing modality that belongs to ALL people.

Let’s start by first identifying what Reiki is not. Reiki is not a religion or affiliated with any religion. It is far older than the concept of religion itself. From the beginning of time humans have probably placed hands on an injury site for comfort. As a parent you may have covered your child’s bumps or scrapes with your hand not knowing exactly why you did so. In a literal the act of sending love to the injury, maybe you kissed the spot to help it heal faster? As humans it is (usually) instinctual for us to comfort our loved ones with touch and physical contact.

Individuals who have been attuned by a Reiki Master can channel Universal energy to activate the natural healing processes of the clients body and restore physical and emotional well-being.

You Can’t Hide Your Vibe (Aura)

The living body radiates energy and this energy is life force. There are many names across many cultures for this life force, such as: Ch’i, Prana, Ki, Orenda, Mana etc. Every living thing radiates Ki, it is the biomagnetic energy of the aura and extends beyond our physical bodies.* More about auras to come in a later post.

Aura Photography

It is possible to see the biomagnetic field our bodies emanate with aura photography. This is a picture of my aura taken in March 2022 by Kindred Auras. The aura can and will change colors and robustness based on our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.

How Reiki Began

The origins of Traditional Reiki begin in the the mid 1800’s with the Principal of Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, Mikao Usui. Challenged by students to be shown the method in which Jesus performed his healings, Usui began a ten year quest to find and learn the skill. When Christian authorities would not discuss and/or denied knowledge of the workings behind Jesus’ abilities, Usui turned to Buddhism. While staying in a Zen Buddhist monastery, he discovered ancient teachings of a healing formula written in Sanskrit. It was only through a three week period of mediation, fasting and prayer that the complete system and symbols for healing were gifted to Usui through a vision on Mt. Koyiyama in Japan.*

The healing system that Usui tapped into is at least three thousand years old and was most likely developed in Tibet and India and spread to other countries in Asia and finally to America from Japan. It was through Usui’s vision and the symbols he received that this ancient energy healing art became Usui Reiki.*

Reiki is Japanese for Rei (Universal Life) and Ki (Energy). There are other forms of energy healing that exist, but it is only considered Reiki if the healer has been attuned by a Reiki Master. Reiki energy heals the whole person, and because it comes from Source, Creator, etc, it is divinely guided to flow where the energy is needed to heal and works on the physical, emotional and mental bodies. Reiki energy can do no harm.*

What About Different Types of Reiki?

You may have heard of other types of Reiki as well such as Holy Fire Reiki and Kundalini Reiki. The Usui Reiki lineage is considered more traditional than others because the Attunements Mikao Usui passed to his students are the ones we receive today when given by an Usui Reiki Master. Understandably, we are evolving as a human race and our healing modalities may need to shift to reflect the needs of the people. When looking for a Reiki practitioner or any healer to work with the most important aspect is integrity vs lineage. Some questions to think about to determine this are: Does your healer continuously do shadow work? Do you feel they operate from a place of love vs ego? Are they helping you to evolve spiritually or are they keeping you in a victim/dependency state? What are they doing to continuously educate themselves in their craft?

Surface Healing vs. Deep Healing

The effects of a Reiki energy healing session generally bring about relaxation, calmness, pain-relief, and less stress but they can also be extremely transformative with the right healer. It can be painful to explore the traumas that body holds and often times an emotional release with crying may result. The Reiki table or chair should be the safest place for you to let go of the emotional burdens you carry. Almost everyone I’ve had as a client has shed some tears at some point and that’s totally okay and welcomed. While a lot of improvement can happen in one session, there are many layers to work through literally and metaphorically. Multiple sessions should result in progress being made in your individual life path versus a temporary emotional fix.

Healing Reaction (Detox) After a Session

Sometimes the new energy inputs in your body from a Reiki session may released toxins and stored trauma that have been in your body for a long time. This may result in your body attempting to clear toxins faster than the bodies organs can eliminate them. This can manifest as constipation, diarrhea, headache, flushing, skin eruptions and/or boils, fever, nausea, joint pains, feelings of being spaced out, unusual fatigue, insomnia, sleepiness, congestion, strong emotions, depression, irritability, aches and pains, hot and or cold flashes, night sweats and many other symptoms which are often cold and/or flu-like. Taking detox baths, drinking plenty of water to help your organs rid toxins, and getting lots of rest will speed up the recovery process and your body will be stronger after the detox reaction has run its course. It has been said that the more “toxic” a person is, the worse the healing reaction will be.

Usui Reiki and Crystal Energy Healing

Crystal energy is complimentary to Reiki energy and using both during a session is what I prefer because the experience is always unique! Using crystals during a session amplifies the energy inputs. Depending on the type of crystal used, they can help remove low vibrational energy or add higher vibrational energy. All crystal choices are intuitively guided and I only use what is called for in a session. I’ve never had two sessions that were exactly the same even if they were for the same person. For a complete article on what to expect during a combination healing session, check out this post.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to send them to me via email or from the contact page form. If you’re ready to experience an energy healing session for yourself you may book a session below.

Source: Essential Reiki by Diane Stein

This article contains Amazon Affiliate links.

Essential Reiki by Diane Stein

This is one of the main books I learned from as I was going through the Reiki Attunement process and is loaded with information. If you’re wanting to learn more about Reiki you can purchase it here.