In this article, I wish to provide a brief overview of the topic of using Reiki to help children. I will hold my hands up now and admit my conclusions, and indeed the whole thing is likely to slide in direction of a positive bias towards the benefits of Reiki for children, as frankly in my view it’s one of those things that is an absolute no-brainer. This topic has come about from questions I have received from students learning Reiki and members of the public who were wondering how Reiki might help the children in their life.

So to start with, a question I sometimes get is: ‘Is Reiki safe for children?’ The answer is yes. Children I find are actually very open to Reiki, almost recognizing its nature as familiar, especially those younger children, who are at such an age to have had limited exposure to social conditioning and are more in their natural state. Children tend to require shorter treatments. Firstly just due to the fact they are smaller and secondly with children we usually see less time spent in a state of imbalance, had less damaging life experiences (in general) as well as less exposure to chronic stress and toxins compared with adults.

Having seen what Reiki can do, previously helping many adults with Reiki, in particular in relation to emotional well-being, and emotional healing, it was the potential of Reiki and its application to help children that played a big part in my move to specialize in Reiki, with my own interest in child development. The potential of Reiki to profoundly help children in need of healing and support, as part of an integrative approach with other professional fields seemed obvious to me.

In considering the potential benefits of Reiki for children, we can think of its use in the extreme as well as in everyday well-being and all things in between. I have always seen the greatest potential for Reiki in helping children to be in supporting emotional healing from trauma, be that abuse, neglect, violence, experiences of living in a war zone, or something such as grief, for example, the loss of a parent or sibling. Those who have known my work over the years likely know I have worked with adults with severe trauma, with some profound results.

One characteristic of Reiki that I have found to be a great advantage in this application is there is no need to talk about or revisit any experience, the Reiki energy is just absorbed by the person and supports healing. It is understood to move a person, in this case, a child towards a place of greater peace from within, which is a great advantage in some situations. As it is with approaches such as art therapy with children, emotions can be expressed non-verbally through drawing, with Reiki, their inner wisdom, mind, heart, and body just know- there is nothing that needs to be said. Talking therapies have a place, however, Reiki offers specific advantages or an angle that can support in a different way, for example, if a child is too traumatized to speak, or has difficulty articulating their feelings. What I am suggesting is Reiki could be a very useful tool, alongside other therapeutic approaches.

There are many areas where Reiki can support children in today’s modern world, be that helping them cope with the increasing pressures of academic exams, reducing worry, processing, and healing from a bereavement, or any number of life experiences. I have also had experience in using Reiki to support children with challenges they face, as well as improving children’s sleep. As I write this I am helping a child with Reiki therapy for sleep, to great effect. Many people have also found Reiki helpful in managing chronic conditions with children, alongside mainstream medical care. Applications, where Reiki is used with adults in hospital settings, could also be used with children, such as supporting recovery from surgery or reducing side effects of medications.

So to conclude there are many ways Reiki could be helpful to a child, all challenges we help adults with, we can help children with too. I hope this brief overview gets you thinking of the potential ways Reiki could help any children in your life. If you would like to find out more about Reiki treatments for a child in your life or to find out about learning Jikiden Reiki to help you to help them.

I am mainly known nowadays for my work with Reiki, as a specialist in authentic Japanese Reiki. I am an experienced, Reiki teacher and practitioner with a proven track record of results. I offer Jikiden Reiki training courses, promoting authentic Japanese Reiki teachings. I am based in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, in the UK. I have a background in coaching and training in the areas of exercise coaching, holistic lifestyle, fitness, and performance coaching. I also have a BSc.(Hons) degree in Sport and Exercise Science, for more information visit: www.shaunmckeown.com

The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this article are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this article. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this article. Shaun Mckeown, disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this article.