Viewing Reiki from A Personal Growth Perspective

In helping our understanding of Reiki, I write a series of articles viewing Reiki from differing perspectives, in this article we look at  Reiki from a personal growth perspective. Firstly I wish to explore Reiki from its original intentions in relation to personal growth and then explore the applications of Reiki to support personal growth in today's modern world.

Reiki can be thought of as an expression of Love and compassion in action, as a way of being. There is a strong focus on personal development and growth, but more as a ‘part of the course’ or ‘requirement’ to evolve to a point of living as an expression of Reiki. Primarily mental/ emotional healing, bringing physical restoration. As stated by Usui Sensei himself who described Reiki is a practice of improvement of body and mind. who named the Reiki system: 'Shin Shin Kaizen Usui Reiki Ryoho', which translated means: Usui Reiki treatment method to improve body and mind.

Although Usui sensei observed great healing events with people who received treatments in the Reiki system of healing he formed, he also observed that with some people after receiving some healing treatments,  some problems might manifest, or ill health might reappear at a later date in a differing form. Usui sensei realized that where the root cause of the imbalance or build-up of tension within a person’s body was the result of a lifetime of habitual poor thinking, internal conflict, or holding onto feelings, such as anger, worry, resentment, guilt, or ill will towards anyone else, then something more than passively receiving a therapy treatment was needed. For example, for someone to receive Reiki treatments without making positive adjustments to their own thinking and actions would result in limitations to the long-term results of any Reiki treatments and so reduce the likelihood of a permanent correction of the challenge that person was suffering with. In other words, that person would still be actively contributing to their reality of pain and ill health every day via their own thoughts and actions.

In such an example, resolving the concern would require a combination of Reiki treatments to disperse the accumulated load, supported by a change in attitude, thinking, and behavior of the recipient to facilitate the healing, which could be the recipient taking responsibility for their own thoughts and actions and making them more supportive to their health and well-being. The point is that, in this example, the recipient might be required to take personal responsibility for their own thoughts and behaviors in conjunction with receiving Reiki treatments to expect a favorable long-term improvement to their current reality. This point is as relevant to any therapy, or approach as it is to Reiki.

 To address this issue as well as provide a framework for the system Usui sensei complimented the original Usui Reiki system with guiding principles to live by on a daily basis, which is infused with emotions of love, compassion, selflessness, cooperation, and respect. These are called the 'Gokai'.  

Kyo dake wa (Just for today):

Ikaru-na (Do not be angry)

Shinpai suna (Do not worry)

Kansha shite (Be grateful)

Gyo-o hage me (Do your duties fully)

Hito ni shinsetsu ni (Be kind to others)

So there is more to Reiki than the actual Reiki treatments themselves. The ‘Gokai’ are learned and discussed in-depth in terms of interpretation and application within a Jikiden Reiki training course/seminar, but from seeing them in print you can get the idea. In addition, in a Reiki training course a person will receive ‘Reiju’ (the event of clearing our connection to our true state). This is a powerful event in terms of a person’s own personal growth, beyond anything you can read in a book or technical skill you could learn. This event can be the catalyst for personal growth, (personal growth in the fast lane for many).

 So it is no wonder that this aspect of Reiki, like a path of personal growth, is commonly seen strongest in those who seriously study and practice Reiki, as both the Gokai and Reiju are specific to Reiki training. However, just considering the spirit of the above principles as a filter for your thoughts and actions and incorporating the approach into your everyday life can be a very positive step in itself.  

The Reiki-trained group of a population tends to be those who have progressed someway along a path of personal growth already, although there is much variation in the distances traveled between individuals. The further a person develops with their study and practice of Reiki, the more a person is likely to be ‘living Reiki’ so to speak. Reiki teachers, for example, tend to be in this group. However, technical ability and participation in courses to be qualified to teach Reiki is not a determinant of the degree of progress a person may have made on their path of personal growth, or development. Nor is the progression to teaching levels of study a requirement to have a life filled with Reiki, or experience profound personal growth. Many of my own Reiki students have experienced some pretty strong personal development and evolution in their lives! (they read this article with a smile at this point).

The expression of the personal growth side of Reiki commonly translates to a person living in a more selfless way, which may be actively helping others or contributing to society, living a more peaceful and accepting life towards others, orientation to living in cooperation, and working through personal challenges, life lessons, developing as a person. 

For those not wishing to study and learn Reiki, much personal growth can still be experienced. Many find the biggest influence on personal growth is your inner voice, gut instincts, or intuition, with your own intuition having a louder voice after receiving Reiki treatments (we all have such a voice - in some, it’s too faint to hear, in others, it is just ignored). Reiki can act, almost like clearing away the clutter, creating some stillness, and allowing you to think with clarity. Many find Reiki also seems to help give people the courage to do whatever they need to do to move forward in their life or realign to the right path for them at that time.

The applications of Reiki to personal growth in the modern world are many. For a start, it can provide some 'breathing space' to think. Reiki can help you release feelings of anger, fear, guilt, hurt, regret, or pain, for example. It can encourage feelings of kindness (to both yourself and others), and encourage compassion, cooperation, love, forgiveness, and peace. It can serve to support you in your life, as a compass to your intentions, actions, and direction in life as well as fortify your resolve. There are many other ways Reiki can promote personal growth, but hopefully, you can see its value and potentially positive effects from this perspective of personal growth.

All this said, still think of this as steps towards a way of being and helping others, rather than the personal development as an endpoint itself, maybe more as a prerequisite. Again we have the Japanese cultural view (with influences of Buddhism) of self and ‘I’ itself- the ego, the soul (tamashi), being in a perfect state to consider. I hope this has been of interest and given you some things to consider with your practice of Reiki. Find out more about Reiki training courses

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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

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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.

Viewing Reiki from a Healing Perspective

A common result of Reiki is to experience various healing responses, most commonly on an emotional level. The healing effect with Reiki is such a common result, that many Reiki professionals label what they do within a session/ appointment as Reiki healing. People have reported various healing results with Reiki, however, if we simply focus on emotional healing the positive knock-on effect on well-being is not hard to see.

Many times people have come to me for Reiki treatments, purely to help them with a well-being benefit, such as to help them de-stress or relax, yet the real benefit they gain from Reiki is much more profound, such as helping them to let go of some deeply buried emotional hurt that is causing a chronic disruption in their body that they have been holding onto for 25 years, or help with issues such as grief, be that current of past grief buried in the body. Many of these people would have (and many did) state categorically that they did not have any healing that needed to be done, they just needed help to relax, sleep, or similar. 

This deep healing capacity of Reiki is not so surprising when we consider what Reiki energy is, that mystic, or core energy of life. This part of Reiki can be the hardest to comprehend, however in the context of this article relating to the healing capacity of Reiki, an awareness of what it is, is all we need. So if we look at the nature of energy, the glue that holds all existence together along with a person’s soul (tamashi) as universal consciousness itself. Then we are in effect working at a soul level with someone, so it’s no real surprise, with this deep awareness and knowingness of what needs healing within each person, that strong healing responses are common with Reiki.

Reiki’s work is interwoven within a person’s physical, emotional/mental body and our body knows how to best promote healing in the healthiest way for us at a given time. In a Reiki treatment, this might unfold as creating a healthy flow of energy within an individual whilst also dissipating the tensions and disruptions in the body, whilst going deeper within a person’s consciousness and healing on that level also.

Healing can take a more physical form, in its application could be supporting healing after something like surgery (as it is starting to be used more in hospitals in the USA) and supporting recovery, yet most of the time we see Reiki used for emotional healing.

Commonly as a practitioner, within the first couple of Reiki treatments, we can get a sense of the degree of healing needed in a specific area, but we don’t know how the healing will unfold. I have consistently observed with my own clients that Reiki can help people find the courage to do what they know they need to do to heal something that isn’t working in their life. Reiki can also gradually or sometimes more dramatically dissipate, congestion around an issue, so someone might feel they are not weighed down by the issue and that the burden has been lifted. Commonly clients have said that they feel lighter after such an event. Sometimes the person might release the issue through tears during treatment or at a later date. Sometimes the healing involves some action to be taken, sometimes this is easy, sometimes less so. This can happen in one event or over a few treatments.

Another point to consider is the effects of Reiki treatments can become even more profound and healing for those who seriously pursue training and practice in Reiki. It is also worth noting that this healing capacity of Reiki is always a positive event in the long term. It can help people feel much happier and at peace with themselves, and their past, more content, and less restricted in life. find out more about Reiki healing or Reiki Courses other articles on similar topics that may be of interest to you can be found on the Reiki articles page.

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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

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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.

Why Repeating Reiki Training Could Be A Good Idea

In this article, I wish to bring your attention to some benefits of repeating your formal Reiki training courses, after having attended the formal Jikiden Reiki training courses- Shoden and Okuden. The option to repeat formal Reiki training courses is available to all students of Jikiden Reiki and is something all Jikiden Reiki teachers agree to do. The cost to a student to do so is a fraction of the original training fees, the fee is set by the Institute in Japan for each country. In the UK to repeat Shoden and Okuden is £150, not each, that’s for both, so just under a third of the original cost of training, so at a huge reduced fee.

The idea of repeating training is in keeping with the idea that formal Reiki training is the starting point of your study. Let that point sink in. I encourage you to think of your training as well as your individual study of Reiki as an ongoing practice. A bit like martial arts, your learning is not complete with one lesson, or attending a training course. I see a common view in our culture with things that are presented as a course, I see a view of ‘I have taken the training’, like the topic has been done, or completed. Rather than dig into reasons why this might be the case, here I wish to simply look at a few reasons why I believe repeating the formal Jikiden Reiki courses might be helpful for you to consider.

I have personally found repeating a helpful thing to do myself in my own study of Reiki. In addition to all the Reiki training courses, I had attended differing approaches to Reiki before I found Jikiden Reiki. I have taken Jikiden Reiki Shoden and Okuden about five or so times now, with three different teachers. Shihan Kaku three times and Shihan twice. (note: as a Shihan, it is part of the teacher training process to have done some repeating). You will see the same picture of repeating with any dedicated Reiki teacher.

So what can we gain from repeating courses we have already taken? Firstly, as with any course, with the best intentions in the world, we do not retain all the information presented to us in our first exposure to the information. I personally wrote a lot of notes the first time I took formal Jikiden Reiki training, yet found I wrote just as many notes the second time around. I was at a different place with my practice compared to when I first took the Jikiden Reiki training. Be aware some questions will only appear after practice, so you would not yet be at that place when the content is new.

Repeating training can also be helpful in layering your technical ability and understanding of an approach or the idea being taught. An obvious example is the Kekko technique taught in the Shoden course. The way I tend to approach it in teaching it is, the first time learning is about getting the sequence and process down and trying it. The next time I observe the student performing Kekko technique. I can further coach and help them refine the finer points of the technique. The same is true with concepts such as Byosen as well.

What you also tend to find with attending different courses is there are different people there, as will be their experiences, so the questions asked in the training tend to be different in each class. The mix of beginners, repeaters, those previously trained in more Western approaches to Reiki, and those who are professional practitioners are commonly different. It might even be a useful thing to do for a newly qualified teacher to observe how an experienced teacher delivers the content and manages the flow of the courses, to help them as they prepare to start teaching themselves.

Repeating Reiki training courses is also a great way to receive more/regular Reiju. Reiju was delivered on five occasions over the two courses. Increasing the occasions you are ‘brought back to your original self’ during say your initial year or so of early training would also be supportive of your study, or development with Reiki.

My advice is if you would like to repeat training that the most value of repeating training is gained when repeating is done around 6 to 12 months after first learning Reiki after you have had a period of practice of what you learned. Many find it helpful to first repeat with the teacher they learned from. Beyond that, I would encourage you to consider taking some training with other teachers. For example, the Jikiden Reiki teachers in the UK have differing experiences and styles of teaching, some are a more practical focus, some have a lot of experience delivering treatments, some have lived in Japan and have more depth in understanding Japanese culture, some have a lot of experience with western approaches to Reiki so understand the misunderstandings that have come through with Reiki in the west. All this can aid your study of Reiki. My view is that once you have repeated training 1 or 2 times, you might only then wish to do so as a recap every year or a couple of years. You can also look out for an opportunity to learn with key figures in Jikiden Reiki who are international teachers such as Tadao Yamaguchi, or Frank Arjava Petter when they visit the UK.

With Jikiden Reiki we have the benefit of having a pool of Jikiden Reiki teachers in the UK all teaching the same content, so get to know who the teachers are both in your area and further afield. Have a look at the teacher’s map on the Jikiden Reiki UK Association (JRUKA) website to see where they all are Jikiden Reiki Courses UK. In the JRUKA teacher members also post upcoming UK course dates on our website, which we keep up to date, usually with courses for the next 3 months ahead in the Uk, so you can view them here: Jikiden Reiki training courses UK If you are international and looking to repeat your Jikdien Reiki training see the International Jikiden Reiki Association (IJRA) website for teacher members in countries other than the UK see the international Jikdiden Reiki teacher directory. For information about upcoming Jikiden Reiki training courses in the Birmingham area of the UK see my Jikiden Reiki courses. As a reminder of all the support available to you see my Jikiden Reiki Practitioner support webpage where I list support available to you.

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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

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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.

The Value of Reiki for Your Well-being

In this article, we look at the value of Reiki purely from a well-being perspective. In reality, Reiki works in multiple areas of our lives at the same time. We are not the body in one part and then the mind in another, we are an integrated whole of our mind, heart, and body. As such our mind, thinking, and physical and mental well-being all interlink. So although I am talking about one area, keep in mind the effect will be over a range of areas. For example by affecting mental well-being- we have a knock-on effect on physical well-being by default. Or the effect of Reiki in areas of health, healing, well-being, etc all interlink.

The merits of Reiki are commonly communicated by the Reiki community at large from a well-being perspective. The reasons can be many, one example, it is the easiest way to explain Reiki to a person unfamiliar with natural therapies and energy work and for the public at large to comprehend it; also natural methods of building health via natural therapies are not integrated into society in the western world. Society is conditioned to think and view the merits of any therapy solely from a quantitative, analytical, scientific view which, by default, means that the value of any natural therapy is taken from how it fits into the criteria, method, limitations, capacity of measure of modern science. Reiki, by its very nature, doesn’t lend itself easily to this compartmentalization. 

The attitude of the established allopathic or mainstream medical community and the central government policy position on natural therapies play a key part. There are subtle shoots of change in some quarters, where the application or integration of Reiki as therapy has gained more appreciation in differing situations, where its results, rather than its ability to be measured, have won through. I think this situation will improve as more medical professionals see the value in integrative approaches involving professionals of both medical and natural fields to best support their patients.

In addition, from this well-being perspective, Reiki is tolerated/enjoys partial, and increasing acceptance from the mainstream medical community and those controlling policy regarding public health, acceptable advertising, etc. So, it is only natural that Reiki has positioned itself from this well-being perspective, where it can survive as a professional therapy and will be best understood, and have the ability to help the public.

 Under this well-being perspective, we might list the benefits of Reiki as enhancing relaxation, and as a result, reducing stress, or sleep, with Reiki treatments providing a calmer undercurrent in daily life resulting in less agitation or anger. Other benefits are a general feeling of being less burdened with the challenges of life, and a person feeling more at peace within themself. 

There are occasions, however, where viewing Reiki solely from a well-being perspective can be helpful to a person. For example, a person may be in great need of reducing stress or improving their sleep, yet this person might initially struggle to comprehend anything metaphysical in nature - just from it being something new, or the fact that they are very analytical in thinking and only used to dealing with things that are easily measurable. In this instance, it might first be appropriate to ensure Reiki is the right natural therapy for where this person is in their life at this time. If it is, then it might be helpful to the person to just view Reiki from a well-being view, until they see the results and become more open to its nature.

So, in conclusion, the value of Reiki for our well-being can be to recharge, provide space, calm, reduce stress, and aid relaxation in our busy lives. With the study of Reiki (attending a Reiki training course) these benefits can be developed in a deeper way, however, from receiving a Reiki treatment, which tends to be people’s first experience of Reiki, I find it can support a person’s well-being very well indeed. To see some real-world results of people I have helped with Reiki and some of the ways it has helped people have a look at my reviews page. Or click on the link below to find out more about Reiki healing or Reiki courses

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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

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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.

Reiki- The Scientific Debate

The purpose of this article is to discuss a question that is sometimes presented to me and to encourage our appreciation of the nature of Reiki a little more. This question is; “Where’s the scientific evidence that Reiki works?”

This question can be made in a variety of ways: it can be made in the sense of a request for further information in the default socially conditioned format (scientific approval being the socially accepted benchmark/measure in relation to anything having validity, or only works if it can be measured in that way) with the person’s intention to further their understanding of Reiki, or to help them to get their head around what it is. The same question is sometimes also asked to challenge a Reiki practitioner to provoke them to prove the value of Reiki, from the position that without scientific evidence it doesn't work.  It can also be asked in the statement format of "There is no scientific evidence that Reiki works": this version is put forward as rational proof or evidence that Reiki doesn't work, or has no value because if it did you would be able to scientifically prove it.

The manner in which the question is posed can be quite revealing in itself, as to where a person might be in their own mental, emotional evolution or personal growth at the time, which may serve as an indicator as to whether they are open or indeed closed in mind and if, in fact, they are at a place where Reiki might be able to help support them in their life or going to listen to the answer.

In this article, I will focus on the question itself, rather than trade examples of pro-Reiki research to support my position on the topic, to counter someone else’s research to suggest Reiki has no value. The topic of this article is more about the question itself in an effort to provoke us as the reader to explore our thinking around this question in the first place, and encourage critical thinking and self-thought, rather than socially conditioned thinking.

Before I learned Reiki and became a teacher and practitioner in it, I had a background in Sport and Exercise Science. I was very scientific, skeptical, and critical in thinking (the critical thinking I still retain). I was comfortable with and indeed I was encouraged to only deal with the tangible and the quantifiable, to discount any wisdom of the past, only to use recent scientific evidence-based approaches to provide the lead for my work in exercise and health. This conditioning, along with where I was with my own mental, and emotional evolution was further reinforced by the conditioning influences of my professional industry, the media and Western society itself. So I was holding this widely held and highly conditioned view that something which cannot be physically measured by modern-day scientific methods cannot be considered to be proven to work, that it has no validity, value, or benefit.

On this thread, there is an interesting point made in a conversation with one of my Reiki teachers when he said that when talking about energy do not try and explain the explainable, but rather take the view that the attempt to scientifically demystify something such as energy is another trick of the rational mind to maintain its supremacy of our lives.  Instead, celebrate the very mystery of energy (1).

From a public health and policy perspective, we can appreciate the requirement to protect the public from fraudulent methods of healing. Bear in mind also that the allopathic medical community is in charge of advice for policymakers in public health. With their educational structure focused on isolation and scientific quantifiable research, it’s not that surprising that the majority of the Western medical community only accepts natural therapies that can give quantifiable scientifically measurable outcomes. By its very nature, however, Reiki does not tend to lend itself to these criteria and limitations.

The experiences of Reiki are different from individual to individual, even the same person can have differing experiences from session to session. Factors such as a person’s own awareness of their internal environment, or mental/emotional reality at the time, or the degree of stress they are under can all influence what they perceive at the time of their treatment. So even with research studies that measure our subjective ‘what we feel’ there are challenges.

How would you start to measure and compare one person sleeping better, against another feeling more at peace with their past, with another feeling more clarity in thought and coping better with stress, against another coping better with a bereavement? You can see the challenge of recording any measurable significant statistical result from such a group in a study that is likely to be acceptable to the scientific community. So just with this introduction, you can see the problematic nature and difficulty of setting up a scientific study and being able to control the variables, even if this was set as a qualitative or perception-based study.

A limitation in a general Reiki study, in my opinion, is the assumption that all Reiki treatments are conducted the same.  On this assumption let’s say a research study gets a group of professional Reiki practitioners who all conform to industry best practices in terms of qualifications, they tick the boxes and are members of the right associations. They commence a qualitative (perception-based) study performing Reiki on a group and measure the perception of change for a scale of relaxation, pre and post the course of Reiki treatments. At this point, it is important to take into consideration the different technical methods used by practitioners in different approaches to Reiki and the effect these differences have on the outcomes. Let me highlight two key differences: some practitioners (Group 1) hold their hands away from the person’s body, hovering over the head for five minutes before moving on to perform eight more five-minute applications at other areas of the body (giving a 45 minute total treatment time); other practitioners (Group 2), trained in say authentic Japanese Jikiden Reiki, place their hands directly on the recipient’s head and remain there for the whole 45 minutes.  These two different treatment approaches will give different outcomes: Effectively we are comparing apples with pears within the same study.

Reiki is a contact therapy with both a high frequency of treatment and a high total volume of time spent in a target area.  So in the above example, those who received treatments from the Group 1 practitioners may receive some benefit but those who received treatment from the Group 2 practitioners are more likely to experience a stronger result to the target area.  Put another way – let’s use the analogy of a dosage regime of a new antibiotic, for example, the recommended dosage is one tablet, twice a day for 28 days (Group 2); the Group 1 equivalent modified dosage is one tablet, once a day for 4 days.  It may then be reasonable to come to the conclusion that the Group 1 outcomes are that the treatment does not work.  However, the recommended dosage, or treatment protocol, has not been followed, or the dosage was not sufficient.  Just like any other study, it is important to understand the study design and protocol used in the study when interpreting the research results.

Despite these challenges some people are trying to carry out studies and, without doubt from a public perception perspective, all of us in the Reiki community would benefit from their results.  We are grateful for their efforts. Reiki is gaining some snail-like momentum as having value and is now increasingly being accepted by the NHS as an alternative therapy in the UK.  Also, Reiki is increasingly being used in environments such as hospices and hospitals with positive effects.

To prove Reiki scientifically, we may need to be looking in areas of science such as metaphysics. However, if you are an individual who receives benefits from Reiki, does the measurement of Reiki really matter to you? The bigger question may be, in our own ability to only accept something as real if it can be physically measured. As quoted by Albert Einstein:

  "Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted”

 If we think of the example of love, we could claim with confidence that genuine unconditional love is a most powerful force, with immense capacity to heal. Yet could you go into a laboratory and physically measure and prove your claim with statistical significance under scientific measures? Maybe not, but would that mean it didn’t exist or have the power to heal? No. The point I make here is that the healing effect of Reiki can be thought of as very similar in nature to love and in the way it works to support us at a deep level could be thought of as far beyond our human comprehension.

A person’s response to Reiki is different between different people. I, therefore, would suggest that the best research comes from your own personal experience of Reiki. Find a Reiki practitioner you feel comfortable with, keep an open mind and make your own judgment. If it’s not for you at this time, then let it go, but at least your personal view is now taken from an informed position, that of experience, which you could argue is a more relevant approach anyway.

 My own path is not working on the acceptance of Reiki, but rather developing my work with Reiki energy and enriching people’s lives with Reiki, helping people heal and progress on their own path of personal growth and well-being. I do not spend time trying to force people to accept Reiki, especially if they are entrenched in a position against Reiki. For some actual real-world examples of people's experiences of Reiki who I have personally worked with, you are welcome to visit the reviews page of my website.

 I will conclude this article by inviting you to ponder this question:

 “Is the lack in measurement due to the limitation in that which is being measured, or the limitation in the method of measurement?” 

 For further articles of interest have a look at What is Reiki? and Is Reiki Really Fluffy? For those who would like to look into Reiki further take a look at my Reiki Courses or Reiki Healing pages. As the idea of science is only to provide an indication of effectiveness, how about skipping that all together and looking at actual results and experiences from people who have had Reiki with me, see my Reiki Reviews page for people’s actual experience of Reiki helping them in their lives.

Ref:

 (1) Reiki Fire (1997) Frank A Petter., Aitrang., Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.

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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

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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.

Viewing Reiki from A Spiritual Perspective

In this quick article, I wish to look at Reiki from a spiritual perspective. In other articles within this series on viewing Reiki from differing perspectives, we have looked at Reiki through the lens of well-being, health, personal growth, and healing angles. Today I wish to explore the spiritual side of Reiki, with the aim to consider spiritual growth within Reiki as a whole. Much of our focus with Reiki can be on receiving and delivering Reiki treatments, however, to leave the spiritual element of Reiki out of this series would not be presenting Reiki in its entirety, indeed at its core, we could consider Reiki as spiritual in nature, as are we as humans. 

At this point, it would be helpful to reiterate our understanding of Japanese culture and the belief, in tamashi, meaning soul in Japanese, the idea of all humans having an eternal soul.

Collectively the meaning of Reiki can be termed with phases such as divine energy coming from the highest source. (1). Mystical energy and similar terms.

A useful description of Reiki as a spiritual path that was put forward by Frank Arjava Petter is: “A spiritual path is a method or technique that aids a person in finding himself or herself.”(2) In a brief conversation between Frank Arjava Petter and Koyama sensei (a previous president of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (the original Usui Reiki Association in Japan) Reiki is described as: “A greater divine presence, the basis of Reiki is love and we have to work upon this daily with all our hearts”(1).

So by practicing Reiki, we are moving more toward our natural self. The spiritual part of us, our Tasmashi, or soul as a part of the whole, could be described as perfect in itself so not in need of healing. However, we could consider our practice to be progressively ‘working’ on ourselves, to reveal, or be a more living expression of our true spiritual self.

Many view such practices as elevating toward a higher spiritual awareness- something to build, or develop. I would propose the idea of Reiki, thinking it’s more of a ‘letting go’ of our mental restrictions. It may also be helpful to think of this task as layers, to reveal our perfect spiritual state. So not something to move towards (as we are there already- it’s within us). Rather than something external to us, to work towards, it is more a loosening of our grip, and letting go.

The words people use to describe our true spiritual state, or a higher consciousness will vary, yet the potential and impact to help a person in their life are the same. Reiki is in no way a religion. Reiki is both accepting and compatible with any religious beliefs and it does not require belief to work.

A point to bear in mind, in Japanese culture at the time of Usui sensei (the founder of Reiki) was that a level of spiritual awareness was an accepted part of mainstream culture and society and had been for thousands of years, it formed part of the culture Japanese people were brought up on, primarily from influences of Shintoism and Buddhism. This is in contrast to the West where there is less awareness of nature and spiritual concepts. So a spiritual side of practicing Reiki, letting go of layers, being more present, more actively grateful, greater trust in life, fewer attachments, developing a kinder heart, greater compassion for ourselves and others, and being more at peace, is infused in our practice of Reiki. As such spiritual growth could be considered the path of the journey with Reiki, however, It might be helpful to think of it as more spiritual alignment, rather than spiritual growth maybe.

Sometimes our challenges around all things spiritual are more around how we in the West label ‘spiritual’ and what that means to us in our conditioning and cultural belief systems in our society. I invite you to just consider the points made and evaluate if Reiki is something that you feel might be beneficial for you to have in your life. Or for those who have had some training in Reiki, how your study of Reiki might be deepened taking on board some of these points. For more information about Reiki, see Reiki treatments or Reiki courses. Other articles that may be of interest include: Viewing Reiki from a Personal Growth Perspective or Viewing Reiki from a Healing Perspective

Ref.

(1)   This Is Reiki: Petter, F. (2012) Lotus Press

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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

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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.