What is Reiki

Have you ever comforted a sick child with the soft touch of your hand? Or encouraged a friend with a pat on the back? Or finished a day's work by placing your hands on the back of your neck, stretching and taking a deep, relaxing breath?

Imagine, for a moment, that your natural ability to bring healing through touch is suddenly increased a hundredfold. When you feel a headache coming on, you are able to touch your hands to your head, and in a few minutes, the pain dissipates. When your partner comes down with a bad cold, you are able to lay your hands on them and relieve the coughing and congestion. When you sit in a hospital room with a sick friend, you are able to transfer a peaceful, healing energy.

This is what Reiki can do.

Reiki is a touch therapy, which is growing in popularity as a complementary healing therapy. Re-discovered in the late 1800's/ early 1900's by Dr. Mikao Usui, Reiki is an ancient healing art. The traditional story is that Dr. Usui taught in a Christian seminary in Japan. He brought Reiki back into the world after searching for many years to answer the question posed by one of his students, "How did Jesus heal?"

Roughly translated from Japanese as "universal life force energy", Reiki is used to heal, to re-charge and rebalance the body's energy and to bring peace and calm to patients. Reiki practitioners learn to channel universal healing into the body, which stimulates the receiver's innate healing capacities. Once learned, the therapy can be used on yourself as well as others. Anyone can learn and anyone can practice. No special talent is required - just a desire to learn and the willingness to take a class.

Reiki is practiced by healthcare professionals and gaining wide acclaim.

Reiki training is currently given to many in the medical community. At Our Lady of Lourdes in New Jersey, not only is the training given to nurses and doctors, but the Institute affiliated with the hospital offers training to the community. Reiki is also practiced at centers such as Jefferson Hospital's Integrated Healthcare Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.