One such complementary therapy is Reiki. This technique uses the energy in a person's own body to regain a spiritual balance. The word Reiki is a combination of two Japanese words. The word, "Rei" means "higher power," and the word "Ki" refers to "life force energy." Doctor Mikao Usui, a Japanese Buddhist, began this form of channeling energy as a way to heal the body and mind in the 1800s.
"I trained for several years before I became a Reiki Master in 2000," says Nance Boozer, who practices at Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland and in private practice. "Since I've been sharing Reiki, I have observed, and my clients have told me that it helps them in ways they did not expect. Examples include feelings of amazing relaxation and peace. This type of stress reduction can then make it possible for physical symptoms to lessen. I have had people tell me that their headaches have disappeared and that their chronic pain is not as bad as it once was."
A session of Reiki usually lasts anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes, but each person is different, so a session can be longer or shorter. Most Reiki treatments are done in a room with a soothing atmosphere. Dimmed lights or candles and quiet music are often the norm.
"At Levindale, I have each resident or patient lie comfortably in bed. However in my private practice, people will lie down on a table. I usually start my sessions by clearing the room of negative energy with a quick meditation," says Boozer. "Then I explain what I am doing throughout the treatment. I place my hands on the chakras of the body, one at a time. Each person has seven major chakras and many minor ones. Chakras are invisible energy vortexes. When raised, a chakra accepts new, healing energy." By the way, these are the same points on the body that are used in yoga.
Depending on the Reiki practitioner, sometimes the hands rest gently on the chakras. Sometimes they are just above them. However, there is never any massaging or manipulation during a session. There is also no touching of private areas.
In Boozer's case, she feels the healing energy as it's transferred to each person. Sometimes she says that her hands throb or feel a kind of prickly heat. Her residents often tell her that they also feel a comforting heat.