Reiki Round Table

By Janis Gibson

In the growing awareness of the mind-body connection, healing modalities that were once considered nothing more than hocus-pocus by many are rapidly gaining adherents in Western medical practices. One indication of the change in public perception is that healing approaches that were categorized as “alternative” medicine only a few years ago are now called “complementary” and are increasingly being integrated into a number of traditional medical practices and institutions.

Mainstream press also regularly provides information formally available only in “new age” category publications. For example, the January 20, 2003, Time magazine carries the cover story, “How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body.”

Among such practices is Reiki (pronounced ray-key), a method of connecting to the universal life force energy that flows through everyone. This force has different names in different cultures; probably the best known is the Chinese identity chi (pronounced chee) –– Indians call it prana, the Japanese ki –– which is also referred to in the practice of acupuncture. Unlike acupuncture, however, Reiki is noninvasive.

 A Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that promotes healing, Reiki was rediscovered in the mid 1800s by Dr Mikao Usui, a Japanese monk educator. Reiki’s origins are found in the Tibetan sutras, ancient records of cosmology and philosophy. This hands-on healing art, popularized in the United States over the past 20 years, induces the body’s relaxation response –– lowering blood pressure and heart rates and relieving tension and anxiety –– which then makes the body better able to heal itself as well as more receptive to various standard treatments.

Because Reiki enhances their healing skills and is also a rejuvenating practice of self-care, it is becoming increasingly popular among a wide range of health care providers. While some openly advertise themselves as Reiki practitioners, others quietly incorporate it in their everyday approach to patient care.

Arthur Kotch, MD, a pulmonary specialist and head of the Sleep Center at Danbury Hospital, is one doctor who has seen the benefits of Reiki, both professionally and personally. He listened when Peggy Gilmore, RN, clinical leader of the Complementary Medicine Program at Danbury Hospital, began advocating for incorporating alternative approaches into some of the treatments at the Sleep Center. It made sense that increasing the relaxation response would help people who were having difficultly sleeping.

He also became aware of the number of Reiki practitioners he was encountering both among the staff at Danbury Hospital and in his person life, including a personal trainer and physical therapists.

Curious to know more, he gathered a group of Reiki practitioners to discuss the therapy and its growing public acceptance. Participating were Peggy Gilmore; Tina Daniele, RN and MSN at Danbury Hospital, and a holistic clinical nurse specialist and Reiki master teacher who is teaching Reiki to hospital staff; Catherine Burke of Bethel, licensed massage therapist and Reiki master who works and teaches Reiki at Associated Neurologists, PC, in Danbury; Sang T. Truong, MS, PT, of Associated Neurologists; Jerri Mannion, MS, The Center for Healing Touch in Bethel, offering energy healing, counseling, meditation, and Reiki; Marlene R. Tendler of Bethel, facial rejuvenation (therapeutic massage), yoga instructor, RYT, therapeutic yoga, and Reiki practitioner; and Debra Issacs, PT, formerly of Associated Neurologists.

The consensus among the practitioners is that the interest and acceptance of Reiki is spreading because it is natural, easy, feels very nurturing, and it works.

Catherine Burke noted that people are increasing willing to take responsibility for their own healing, and are looking for approaches that work for them.

Peggy Gilmore added, “Patients with chronic conditions are living longer and are seeking a better quality of life. They are taking responsibility for their health through things like diet, exercise, yoga, and meditation. For health care practitioners, it is sort of an automatic response to want to reach out and share what you know. I see it as my responsibility to keep the door open to provide information to both patients and doctors.

There are three levels of Reiki. Level One is physical healing that can be performed on others as well as the self; the ability to self-heal makes Reiki different from most other healing modalities. Level Two is mental and emotional healing. At Level Three the practitioner who is now considered a Reiki master takes on the responsibility of teaching Reiki to others. There is also a spiritual component at all three levels of bringing the mind, body, spirit into balance and harmony.

In an ideal setting, a Reiki practitioner would have a person lay on his or her back and do a “body scan,” getting a sense of the energy in the body, then do hand placements working the chakras –– the body’s seven major energy centers located parallel to the spine from the tailbone to the top of the head –– and the joints as well as areas of chronic discomfort. In nonideal conditions, “you do what you can,” said Sang T. Truong. Reiki can be performed in any position and requires nothing more than the practitioner’s training and hands. Clients can generally feel the energy moving, which is often interpreted as heat, but can be also be a coolness.

One of the appealing aspects of Reiki to many is that is literally hands on, but does not involve manipulation. “People are so touch deprived; too many are isolated, they want contact, yet much of the current technology has taken away from people interacting,” said Tina Daniele.

Debra Issacs uses Reiki at home on the injuries her sons sustain while playing soccer or participating in other activities; working on their injuries, she noted, provides her with “a nice way to connect with them.”

Marlene Tendler finds that many of the people that come to her are tired of taking medication for every problem. “They say, “I don’t want to take one more pill.’”

For generalized anxiety disorder, for example, patients are generally given a prescription, which can have side effects. Yet people can easily be taught to do the Reiki hand positions on themselves and achieve relief. And people are interested in doing things that are beneficial rather than taking in more medication. The practitioners caution, however, that while Reiki and other complementary practices and lifestyle changes may reduce the need for the amount of prescribed medication a person is taking, the medications are generally needed and any alteration in dosage should only be done with the supervision of one’s physician.

“When working with people,” Ms Tendler continued, “you go with your gut, use what you need to –– yoga, therapeutic touch, face rejuvenation, Reiki. Restorative yoga also helps people sleep… there are many parallels between Reiki, therapeutic touch, and yoga; all help the body reach a state of relaxation, which helps it to rejuvenate itself.”

Dr Kotch commented that it is hard for most people to get into a state of relaxation today. “Everyone is so busy; between working, taking care of families, going to meetings, etc, it is rare to have time to just relax, yet it is so critical to overall health.”

Ms Gilmore noted that for a long time, therapeutic touch was the only “alternative therapy” that was acceptable to many medical professionals, but it did provide the first opening at hospitals, which has been followed by Reiki and other modalities.

In their experiences, the practitioners have seen some “mind-boggling” results. Reiki has proven “remarkable for headaches,” they say. If incorporated when a migraine begins, Reiki can often prevent it from becoming full-blown. By working on muscles, teaching people how to relax, it is especially beneficial for those with mixed headache disorder and muscle contraction headaches.

It also provides relief for people who are debilitated. For patients with chronic conditions or who are bedridden, Reiki can help them with pain relief, helping them to fall asleep. With more sleep, they feel better.

Although Reiki can be used in numerous ways, the practitioners emphasize that it is not a stand alone treatment, but part of a holistic standpoint.

“Patients need to take responsibility for their diet and lifestyle,” Jerri Mannion said. “Over, all those for whom it works best tend to take care of themselves.”

As with many things, when seeking out a Reiki practitioner, consult friends for recommendations. Reiki is a practice, an art, said Ms Burke, “where the more you practice the better you become. Quantifying Reiki is difficult. Where massage is more concrete, Reiki is more intuitive. Go by recommendations; avoid those whose primary interest seems to be generating income rather than healing.”

In Connecticut, Reiki practitioners do not need a license; in New York State one must have a license to touch another person. Rates changed are in the same range as those for massage, about $60 per hour.

Catherine Burke will be teaching Level One Reiki at Associated Neurologists, PC, 69 Sand Pit Road, Danbury, on March 1; for more information on the training, call 748-5631.