Reiki
Compounded, “rei” + “ki” comes to describe a universal, subtle, intelligence that permeates all of life, from the microscopic to the cosmic
Reiki Practitioner,Rest & Relaxation Coaching,
What is Reiki?
Reiki is a healing art with Japanese origins. More accurately known as Usui Reiki Ryoho (or Usui Reiki Healing Method, named for founder Mikao Usui), Reiki originates as a spiritual path focused on cultivating universal life force energy. Reiki is a mind-body-spirit practice in which this universal life force energy is transmitted through the practitioner to the recipient, promoting balance throughout the human system.
The word “Reiki” is the combination of two Japanese words: rei and ki. Though I do not speak Japanese, I have learned that “ki” suggests life force energy (like qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine), while “rei” has vast significations, largely related to spirit. Compounded, “rei” + “ki” comes to describe a universal, subtle, intelligence that permeates all of life, from the microscopic to the cosmic.
We are interconnected through the unseen, through energy
The likelihood is that Reiki works on levels not (yet) understood or quantifiable by a Western/colonial scientific worldview. Many traditions across space and time hold practices of energy healing and laying on of hands. Modern physics confirms what indigenous and folk wisdom has held since time immemorial: we are interconnected through the unseen, through energy.
In this worldview, intentionally accessing the field of universal energy is possible, and has healing potential. Most commonly offered through light, non-invasive touch, Reiki does not involve physical manipulation but is believed to work on the level of the biofield, or the body’s subtle vibrational field. Reiki is relaxing, awe-inspiring, powerful, and gentle.
What is it like to experience Reiki?
What I love about Reiki is that each session is unique, and each person experiences Reiki a little differently. I emphasize to clients that there is no “better” or “worse” way to experience Reiki. Because Reiki is believed to balance the mind-body-spirit, what we need may be entirely different from one day to another. While there are certainly more enjoyable or pleasant ways to experience Reiki on the conscious level, based on my understanding of the practice I believe there are benefits to every Reiki experience.
Relaxing
While it is not agreed upon “why” among health and scientific circles, it is largely agreed upon that Reiki elicits the relaxation response. The relaxation response supports the nervous system to shift to a parasympathetic state (“rest and digest”), where the heart rate and blood pressure slow, mental activity eases, and neurochemical responses that support relaxation circulate in the bloodstream. In her text Reiki in Clinical Practice: a Science-Based Guide, physiology researcher Ann Baldwin PhD of the Center for Reiki Research describes a small but growing body of evidence associating Reiki with a number of clinical indicators of physiological relaxation. This research is consistent with felt experiences of many recipients of Reiki, and Reiki is increasingly practiced in hospitals, nursing homes, hospice, and other institutional health care settings.
MN Integrative Health Studio co-owner Said Isayed "relaxing" while receiving Reiki from Betsy Ranum MA, RN, HWC
I’m not gonna lie. Beyond general relaxation, some people just don’t feel a whole lot with Reiki. Some of us, at some points in our lives, seem to not respond so strongly to this sort of subtle energy. I hear from some folks, “hmmm, that was nice…I feel relaxed,” but not much else. I am of the mind that this itself is inherently valuable; in this culture, relaxation can be a revelation. Minnesota Integrative Health Studio co-owner Said Isayed says he enjoys Reiki because “with all the s**t going on in the world” receiving Reiki is one of the few times “you can actually relax…turn your mind off.” Said especially recommends Reiki for people “who are busy and need to slow down…breathe…unwind.”
Awe-inspiring
For others, Reiki doesn’t feel subtle at all. I’ve had people try Reiki for the first time (sometimes people who have never tried energy work, or acupuncture, or anything like it before) express with wonder and awe, “Oh! I get it! That’s what energy is.” Sometimes people describe interesting physical sensations, such as coming to Reiki for stress relief and being surprised to notice the release of energy in their hips, or an easing of digestive discomfort. Some people just fall asleep! In the days to follow, I hear some people share that they notice shifts in sleep, in perspective, in their sense of connection to the present moment.
“During a reiki session, my body feels like it's being held, embraced and overcome by warmth. Swaddled, if you will. While I don't fall asleep or even always find stillness, the few hours, and sometimes days, following a reiki session usually results in myself feeling more energized, and like I can handle what is coming my way.”
Reiki client, anonymous
“I have always found reiki very interesting and almost mystical, but it is also a tool that I use to improve my mental health and self-esteem. After a reiki session, I feel much more in tune with my body, and as someone with chronic health issues a lot of the time it feels like my body and mind are not in agreeance with one another. I have had the honor of watching Betsy perform reiki as well as receive reiki from her, her guidance is uplifting and invaluable to me and many other of her clients. Personally, I never really know going in what I will take away from a reiki session, but I do know that with Betsy I will have a safe space that promotes compassion, healing, and comfort.”
Bre Beachy, MN Integrative Health Studio remote assistant, media management
“I felt good the whole time. While my head was being touched I could feel warmth/tingling in my hands/feet. It felt like my mind was being put on pause from the chaos from my day. I was surprised to find out that at the end of the session when I thought Betsy was still touching me, she hadn’t even been physically touching me. She was hovering her hands near my feet and had already removed them.”
Reiki client, anonymous
What seems to be fairly common is having progressively deeper experiences with multiple Reiki sessions. It’s almost as if our systems “learn” to receive the Reiki in ways that are increasingly effective and useful, but also awe-inspiring. At the same time, there are fluctuations: a powerful and vivid session one week, followed by a more uneventfully relaxing one the next.
“I received reiki from Betsy weekly for 2 months and continue to receive sessions monthly. The changes I see in myself, my mental, emotional, and physical state are frankly, amazing. My digestion continues to be improved. I am more present at work and with the people in my life. I don't feel so rushed. I feel more connected to both my spiritual life and my physical body. I generally feel more hopeful and in tune with nature. I am so grateful for Betsy, for her generosity and kindness and strength of spirit and to reiki (that universal life force, baby!) for helping me to come back to myself and remember who I am.”
Reiki client, anonymous
Some people just fall asleep!
Powerful
For all its subtlety, some people find Reiki to be quite powerful. People tell me about profound states of relaxation, beautiful healing memories or visions of the future, a sense of spiritual support and guidance, vivid colors and imagery, powerful symbolic dreamlike states, phenomena like a shamanic journey or trance state. I have heard many people share with me after completing a Reiki session that they found the clarity they were seeking on a troubling issue, an overwhelming feeling of peace, or a sense of coming home to themselves.
“The thing I love about Reiki is if you're willing to do the self work and let transformation & change occur in your life it will supercharge your self-awareness as well as give you more resilience, grace, and energy by which to handle those transformations. It gives you a rare opportunity to both be intimately present with your corporeal soul (the energetic info stored in your physical body) and be held and supported by the Universal Source vibes/energy. I feel like my energy field gets a massage every time I receive Reiki. Sometimes it's hard information I become aware of and process, sometimes gentle and soothing, yet always good. It helps me be more myself.”
MN Integrative Health Studio acupuncture & TCM practitioner
“It was so powerful. I was surprised I actually felt energy vibrations in my body…. It did such deep work….It was very revealing…and also uplifting!”
Reiki client, anonymous
“[Reiki] felt really supportive and healing. It grounded me in the present moment in my body, not totally unlike meditation or even acupuncture, except actively involving another person, which was kind of like a really highly trained somatic "witness". This felt really good. I felt"seen", which is very powerful for me because my needs often feel somehow invisible, small and un-acknowledged by everyone, especially me.”
Reiki client, anonymous
Is Reiki ever contraindicated?
Gentle
First, Reiki is gentle, and has no known adverse effects. Because the light, pulsating energy adjusts to the needs of the recipient, you can't get too much Reiki, no matter how long the practitioner's hands are in place.
And also, as strong an advocate as I am for holistic practices, I know from my background in community and mental health nursing that anything that can help or heal also holds a potential to harm. (Or in other words, as I like to say, “I’ve seen some s**t!”) Therefore, I approach all modalities, no matter how gentle and subtle, with trauma-informed, grounded caution.
Even gentle relaxation practices have the potential to influence how we experience, for example, the effects of PTSD, cardiovascular conditions, certain medications, and more. It is possible for Reiki to evoke an emotional release, or aggravate a physical condition. In the Reiki worldview, such a release or aggravation can often be considered a positive response–the mind-body-spirit moving energy toward greater balance and alignment. However, it is important that you have the support systems in place to integrate any challenging mental, physical, emotional responses that might arise based on your unique situation.
In many ways, the biggest risks associated with Reiki could come from using it as a substitute for necessary medical, psychological, or other care. Reiki is not intended to treat physical, mental, emotional or other health conditions, and it’s not a panacea; it’s practice that supports higher level wellbeing of mind, body, and spirit. I encourage anyone considering Reiki or other holistic modalities to refer as needed to the guidance of your health care providers, mental health practitioners and other trusted, supportive people in your life–as well as to your own self-awareness and inner wisdom.
Where does Reiki come from? How can Reiki support us now,
and going forward?
Reiki: past, present, future
Reiki practice is deeply rooted in Japanese history and culture, and has become a global phenomenon with an international community of practitioners. The Reiki origin story is unique, complex, and sometimes disputed. Reiki’s history has been obscured by myth and legend, military and government repression, historical amnesia and anti-Japanese xenophobia, and a U.S. wellness culture that tends toward systematic whitewashing and erasure of the cultural context of healing modalities. For these reasons, as a settler-descendent white American I was uneasy and ambivalent about learning Reiki initially, and for years I was extremely reluctant to offer Reiki publicly.
Reiki can be of immense benefit amidst suffering and disconnection
And. Through experience with loved ones in recent years, it has become increasingly clear to me that Reiki can be of immense benefit amidst suffering and disconnection. Over the past year I began to experiment with sharing Reiki more widely. I have observed that despite my hesitations, Reiki is good to share right now—in these times of overwhelm, late stage capitalism, genocide, climate catastrophe, institutional free-fall. So here I am. As a lifelong student of the healing art and its historical and cultural context, I aim to practice Reiki with the greatest cultural humility and spiritual reverence I can cultivate.
Sharing Reiki in recent years shows me this energy holds great potential for developing the inner vision and peace required to transform our relationships with ourselves and one another. In my work these days, I see Reiki being a supportive and balancing force for healers and activists, changemakers and artists, educators and caregivers. I witness Reiki providing relief, ease, and wonder to people who are feeling into interconnectedness in times of disconnection and loneliness. I see that Reiki can soothe and support us in reshaping our inner and outer worlds– as we heal, love, grieve, struggle, and dream new possibilities and futures.
To find out more about Reiki offerings at Minnesota Integrative Health Studio, check out our website. You can book Reiki and Reiki/Coaching Mash-up sessions with Betsy here. Questions? Feel free to call (612.345.5648) at or stop by “the studio” on our corner of northeast Minneapolis.
Resources
Baldwin, A. (2020). Reiki in Clinical Practice : A Science-Based Guide (1st ed.)
Hamano, K. (1987). A study of the word “ki” used in personality trait names. Shinrigaku kenkyū, 58(5), 295–301. https://doi.org/10.4992/jjpsy.58.295
International Center for Reiki What is the History of Reiki? from Rand, W.L. The Healing Touch https://www.reiki.org/faqs/what-history-reiki
Kubiak, W. D. (2011) Ki: The Vital Life Force https://www.kyotojournal.org/society/ki-the-vital-force/
Lubeck W, Petter, F.A., Rand, W.L. (2001) The Spirit of Reiki
Pearson, N. (2018) Foundations of Reiki Ryoho: A Manual of Shoden and Okuden
Ohnishi ST, Ohnishi T. Philosophy, psychology, physics and practice of ki. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2009 Jun;6(2):175-83. doi: 10.1093/ecam/nen005. Epub 2008 Jan 28. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686635/
Ringdahl, D. (2023) Reiki in Nursing: Bridging Reiki Practice with Education and Research
Steine, B. and F. (2005) The Japanese Art of Reiki
University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality and Healing Taking Charge of Your Wellbeing:Reiki
Usui Reiki Ryoho to a New Century of Reiki: The Legacy of Mikao Usui (2023) https://usuireiki2022.org/en/
