Reiki

Reiki ("rei" = universal, "ki" = life energy) operates on the principle that an unseen life force flows through all living things and can be directed through intention and light touch. During a session, the practitioner places their hands in a series of positions on or near the recipient's body, acting as a conduit for healing energy. Recipients commonly report sensations of warmth, tingling, deep relaxation, and emotional release during sessions. Reiki is non-invasive and requires no specific belief system to experience its effects. It is increasingly offered in hospitals, hospice centers, and wellness clinics as a complement to conventional medical treatment. Reiki training is divided into three levels (or degrees). Level 1 focuses on self-healing and treating others through touch. Level 2 introduces distance healing and sacred symbols. Level 3 (Master level) qualifies practitioners to teach and attune others.

Reiki was developed by Mikao Usui (1865–1926) in Japan. The traditional founding narrative — codified on the memorial stone at his grave at Saihoji Temple in Tokyo, erected 1927 — describes a 21-day meditation and fast on Mount Kurama (March 1922) culminating in an enlightenment experience and the system's reception. Usui founded the Usui Reiki Ryōhō Gakkai in Tokyo in April 1922; the society still operates today. His student Chūjirō Hayashi (1880–1940), a former naval officer, systematised the hand positions and treatment-by-organ approach at his Tokyo clinic in the 1930s. Hayashi's student Hawayo Takata (1900–1980), a Japanese-American from Hawaii, treated her illness at Hayashi's clinic in 1935 and brought the practice to Hawaii in 1937; she trained 22 Reiki Masters before her death and is responsible for the system's spread through the West. Modern Reiki branches divide along Takata-lineage Western Reiki, traditional Japanese Usui Reiki Ryōhō, and reform branches (Reidō Reiki, Holy Fire Reiki, Karuna Reiki). The clinical evidence base is limited: Cochrane reviews (Joyce & Herbison, 2015, *Cochrane Database*) and Vandervaart et al.'s 2009 systematic review found insufficient evidence for specific therapeutic effects beyond non-specific relaxation; the modality is increasingly offered as complementary supportive care in oncology and hospice settings (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and many UK NHS hospices).

Receive a few sessions from different practitioners before considering training — the experience varies by lineage and individual style. If pursuing training, pick a teacher whose lineage you can trace back to Usui (Takata lineage, Usui Reiki Ryōhō Gakkai lineage, or Hayashi lineage are the main verified branches); avoid teachers who can't or won't disclose their lineage. Frank Petter's *Reiki: The Legacy of Dr Usui* (1998) and Hyakuten Inamoto's *Komyo Reiki* materials are the most-cited Japanese-source references; William Lee Rand's *The Spirit of Reiki* (2001) is the standard Western Takata-lineage reference. Treat it as complementary to medical care, never a replacement. The professional bodies (the International Center for Reiki Training, the UK Reiki Federation) publish ethics and practice standards worth reading before booking or training.