Reiki is an energy-based healing and self-development system that originated in Japan. A trained Reiki practitioner channels naturally occurring external electromagnetic energy into a client in order to initiate a healing response, either on a physical, emotional or spiritual level. Reiki can be used on chronic illnesses and injuries, minor ailments, emotional traumas, stress, depression, anxiety and other physical and emotional problems. A Reiki treatment is very relaxing and often clients experience pleasant sensations such as heat, tingling and seeing colours, an indication that the energy is travelling through the body. A Reiki course is very simple to learn and enables anyone to become a Reiki practitioner and channel energy for healing purposes. It is also a journey of self-discovery and helps to awaken the individual's intuition.

In many Eastern traditions Ki needs to flow freely through the body in order for us to maintain a state of balance or homeostasis. When we develop an illness or injury, or when we experience any kind of stress of emotional trauma, the flow of Ki is disrupted. If we develop an energetic blockage the flow of our Ki is disrupted and this can actually cause illness. The healthier we are the more Ki we have flowing through our body. Reiki helps to correct energetic imbalances and blockages within the body. It can be used directly on injuries, illnesses and areas storing emotional trauma.

Reiki is also a spiritual path for those who seek to explore this aspect of Reiki. Mikao Usui believed that Reiki was a path to enlightenment, that anyone could achieve by self-healing with Reiki on a daily basis. Many individuals choose to take a Reiki course because it is effective, so simple to learn and in a two-day course you can become a Reiki practitioner and use Reiki for yourself daily without relying on someone else to treat you. The ability to channel energy is achieved through Denju (lit. initiation), also referred to as attunements, passed on to the student by a trained Reiki teacher. Attunements offer a direct connection to external universal energy, awaken the individual's intuition and any latent spiritual gifts and proffer the ability to heal using Reiki. 

Reiki is a natural energy healing system. The energy used in Reiki is made up of universal energy and Ki or life force energy. A qualified Reiki practitioner channels this energy into a client in order to promote health and wellbeing and initiate repair processes where required. Reiki symbols are used to vary the frequency of energy being used to suit the presenting condition. Click here for more information on the science behind Reiki and energy healing. 

When we discuss Reiki we are specifically referring to the traditional Mikao Usui system of Reiki, however there are over 150 different healing systems in existence that use the term 'Reiki' in their title. Many modern versions of Reiki bear no relation to Mikao Usui's system or teachings, while some of them do have a loose connection. The differences tend to be the way the energy is accessed channeled and used. Energy healing has likely existed since humankind existed and there are many different disciplines, with differing processes and rituals. The same can be said for other spiritual disciplines such as martial arts or yoga. There are specific connection rituals and practices within Reiki that differentiate it from other healing systems, so it can be confusing for the general public because many systems promoted as Reiki are actually teaching something quite different. What is common to all forms of Reiki is the use of energy for healing and self-development. 

Usui Reiki Ryoho refers to the traditional form of Usui Reiki that has been shared by Hiroshi-Doi. This is considered to be closer to the original system taught by Usui-sensei, both in content and in spirit. This form of Reiki has more of the original Usui methods and is taught and practiced in a disciplined and structured way.

We teach the traditional Japanese form of Usui Reiki with the addition of the relevant knowledge to prepare our students to practice Reiki safely, effectively and professionally.

A Reiki lineage is the line of Reiki teachers that leads to the student. For traditional Usui Reiki the lineage begins with the founder, Mikao Usui. If Mikao Usui does not appear on a lineage then the system is not a traditional form of Reiki originating from the founder. 

Reiki in the UK comes under the Voluntary Self-Regulation (VSR) process. The body that represents Reiki is The Reiki Council (formerly Reiki Regulatory Work Group).

At the moment, the framework for VSR is the National Occupational Standards (NOS). The NOS were developed to ensure Reiki practitioners and Reiki teachers work within clearly defined professional standards. The NOS set the minimum standard required for professional Reiki practice. This will have the dual effect of both protecting the public from poorly trained Reiki practitioners and driving up the standard of Reiki offered professionally.

The NOS are set out in the form of a series of competencies and the underpinning knowledge associated with each competency. From these competencies and knowledge templates the Educational Sub Group will develop the core curriculum and qualification and assessment structure for Reiki.

The Reiki Council has affiliated with The General Regulatory Council for Complementary Therapies (GRCCT). This means the federal regulating body for Reiki is the GRCCT.

Reiki practitioners and Reiki teachers can register for VSR by registering with the GRCCT. This is not a legal requirement at present, but it is a good idea for all professional Reiki practitioners and Reiki teachers to register. Once registered, there is a requirement to comply with the NOS.

The placebo effect is unquestionably a powerful phenomenon. A placebo is a substance given to an individual as a medicine or therapy, which itself has no therapeutic effect. In medical studies it allows drugs to be tested against controls for efficacy. Although, is not intended to have any medicinal effect, it does, purely because the patients taking it believe that it is a genuine drug and expect that it will produce the desired outcome. The patient’s belief produces effects and natural chemicals in the brain and body as if they were actually taking the anticipated drug. As scientists wrote in a review of the placebo effect published in the journal Annual Review of Psychology,

Placebo factors have neurobiological underpinnings and actual effects on the brain and body.

In fact, the placebo effect is so powerful that the Harvard Placebo Study Group was founded in 2001, as part of a Mind-Brain-Behavior Initiative at Harvard University. The group is made up of neuroscientists, psychologists, a behavioural geneticist and an anthropologist. Research carried out by Fabrizio Beneditti (of the Harvard Placebo Study Group) and his colleagues found that the placebo response in terms of pain relief is triggered by the release in the brain of endogenous opiates – our bodies’ natural painkillers, produced when the individual expects pain relief.

Once the individual is told that they have been administered a placebo, which is not causing a physical effect, the therapeutic effect stops, confirming that it was the patient’s belief causing biochemical changes in the body.¹

It is said that around 33 per cent of patients with a range of clinical pains respond to placebo, although in some studies up to 100 per cent of individuals have responded.
 

Below are just a few studies demonstrating the powerful effects of placebo.

1. The placebo effect has improved numerous medical conditions, Parkinson’s Disease being one of them. Researchers at the University of British Columbia discovered in one study that the placebo effect produced the same results as pharmaceuticals on 12 patients suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. Those suffering from Parkinson’s Disease do not produce enough dopamine in the area of the brain which affects physical movement. Patients who received placebo injections in the study exhibited natural dopamine releases in the brain, which the authors of the study concluded was associated with “expectation of reward.” The researchers also looked at whether the placebo effect may enhance the effects of the active drugs, but to the contrary, this proved not to be the case. In fact the study’s author’s stated “in some patients most of the benefit obtained from an active drug might derive from a placebo effect.”²
2. In 1988 researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, USA, conducted a trial on the effects of the drug ‘Acyclovir’ on 27 adults suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Three patients suffered from nephrotoxicity (poisonous effect on the kidneys) as a result of taking Acyclovir and dropped out. Of the 24 remaining patients 11 taking the drug experienced improvements and 10 taking the placebo experienced improvements. Any improvements to the patient’s condition were attributed to spontaneous remission or the placebo effect.³
3. Research conducted in 1996 on the steroid hydrocortisone as a potential treatment for CFS found that around half of the study participants reported improvements after taking the placebo.^4,5

It is not only being given a placebo unknowingly instead of an active drug that is important, but the practitioner’s enthusiasm for the treatment being administered. In 1987, 200 patients were given one of four consultations:

1. One conducted in a positive manner, with a placebo (where the patient was told confidently that they would get better in a few days), or without a placebo (where the patient was told they required no prescription), and
2. One conducted in a more negative manner (where the doctor stated “I cannot be certain what is wrong with you”), with a placebo (where the doctor also stated “I am not sure that the treatment I am going to give you will have any effect”) and without a placebo (where the doctor added to this “And so I will give you no treatment”).

Two weeks after the consultation 64 per cent of those receiving a positive consultation got better, only 39 per cent of those receiving a negative consultation got better irrespective of what treatment they got.⁶ Thus, the effects of a drug or indeed placebo are enhanced or not depending on how positive the practitioner is.

What we are told by the health professionals or anyone we put our trust in can have an impact on us physiologically and psychologically. 

With regards to Reiki, the placebo effect will undoubtedly be a factor in many cases where the patient believes that Reiki will have a positive impact and where the practitioner adopts a positive approach about the benefits of Reiki. This is the same whether it's a complementary therapy or a medical drug being used. However, Reiki can be used on animals and very young children, who have no belief in or understanding of Reiki or expected outcomes, and the Reiki treatment will still give a positive effect. Reiki can also be used on those in a coma and distantly on individuals who are not aware of receiving a treatment (although we do not recommend doing Reiki without permission) and it will have an impact. 

 

Reiki courses and training can dramatically change your life for the better. Learning Reiki and daily self-healing helps many students to achieve a wonderful sense of wellbeing and clarity. Our Reiki courses are simple and straightforward, as the founder of Reiki Mikao Usui intended, and give individuals the tools to foster a happy and healthier life for themselves. Years of meditation and self-reflection are not required, because on a two-day Reiki course you experience an initiation that re-connects you to your intuition and enables you to channel energy for healing purposes. You can not only help yourselves but change the lives of those around you with Reiki healing. 

Reiki training offers a myriad of benefits but I have listed below some reasons to undertake Reiki classes. 

Both Reiki healing treatments and Reiki training courses are wonderful experiences that are are highly beneficial to the student or recipient of Reiki. To achieve good results with healing you may only need one treatment or a few Reiki healing treatments, it really depends on the condition being dealt with and the severity of the problem, be it emotional, physical or spiritual.

If it is likely that someone will need many treatments it is really much better for them to take a Reiki training course as this will empower them and enable them to heal themselves on a regular basis, rather than relying on a practitioner. Additionally with training Reiki courses the student is connected to the universe and so will have a constant supply of universal energy to heal themselves as well as being able to move further along their higher path.

Attunements do not mark the end of a Reiki student's spiritual journey, or a culmination but a beginning and the awareness, intuition and understanding of oneself and one's path can be built upon with subsequent self-healing. In order to be effective Reiki attunements must be conducted in a specific manner, by an appropriately qualified Reiki teacher, on one individual at a time. There should be a particular number of attunements at each level as demonstrated on the right. 

Denju or attunements are not to be confused with Reiju (Lit. Blessing), which as the  translation suggests are more a blessing and elevate the student's awareness to a very small degree in comparison to attunements. If Reiju are given in place of attunements this should be done on a weekly basis and the student would need to perform additional ritual meditation techniques in order to foster their own connection to the universe, such as Hatsu Rei Ho. 

In our experience it is more beneficial for the student to take a combined Reiki level 1 and 2 course. This is for a number of reasons:

 

The history of Reiki is unfortunately not complete, so much of the information propagated is incorrect or theoretical at best. The primary source of documentation about Mikao Usui - the founder of Reiki, can be found carved on his memorial stone at his grave site in Tokyo, which was placed there by his students in 1927, one year following his death. Much of the information and documentation handed down over the years has been confined within the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (Lit. Usui Spiritual Healing Method Society), which was established by Mikao Usui in 1922. Hopefully this knowledge will eventually be shared with the rest of the world.

Mikao Usui was born in 1865 on the 15th August in Taniai village in the Yamagata district of the Gifu Prefecture in Japan. He was born and raised as a Tendai Buddhist and also followed the Japanese religion of Shintoism. Mikao Usui's family were Hatamoto Samurai, the highest level within the Samurai ranks. After sweeping social change initiated by the Meiji emperor the Samurai class lost their powerful and privileged military status. Mikao Usui continued the family tradition of learning martial arts and was also known to be very studious. His memorial stone reads

He surpassed his peers in hard work and endeavour. When he grew up he visited Europe and America, and studied in China. Despite his will to succeed in life, he was stalemated and fell into great difficulties. However, in the face of adversity he strove to train himself even more with the courage never to yield. 

Mikao Usui loved to read about Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, medicine, psychology, mysticism, and the psychic and spiritual arts. He also practiced a Japanese form of Qigong, a healing discipline that trains the practitioner to develop their own Ki (life force energy) for self-development and healing purposes. Although this can be used to heal others, the practitioner depletes their internal Ki when giving healing to others.

As part of his spiritual journey and quest for self-development, Mikao Usui embarked upon a twenty-one day retreat on Mount Kurama (Japanese - Kurama Yama) - a mountain to the north-west of the city of Kyoto. During this retreat called Kushu-Shinren (Lit. Painful discipline or difficult training) Mikao Usui experienced a satori (Lit. Enlightenment) and the knowledge of the spiritual healing method that later came to be known as Reiki. His memorial stone states that

One day, he climbed kurama yama and after 21 days of a severe discipline without eating, he suddenly felt One Great Reiki over his head and attained enlightenment and he obtained Reiki Ryoho. Then, he tried it on himself and experimented on his family members. The efficacy was immediate.

Over subsequent years Mikao Usui used Reiki to help his friends and family, treated the poor of Kyoto, opened a Reiki society and built a larger dojo in Nakano, Tokyo. His reputation spread throughout Japan and people travelled from all over the country to receive his healing and teachings. Mikao Usui taught more than 2000 students, who continued to spread Mikao Usui's teachings after his death in 1926. Following Mikao Usui's death the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai adopted a secretive approach and only allowed those who had been specifically invited to join the society. Some teachers left the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai and developed their own Reiki schools and systems of healing. The first form of Usui Reiki Ryoho was brought over to the West from the lineage of Dr Chujiro Hayashi, one of the 16 students who had reached the top of of Mikao Usui's teachings in order to become a master teacher. 

You can find more information about the history of Reiki in our book The Essence of Reiki

The founder of Reiki, Mikao Usui, taught 2000 students and 16 of these reached the top of his teachings. One of these Reiki masters was Dr. Chujiro Hayashi, a retired officer of the Japanese navy and a medical doctor and surgeon. Dr. Hayashi was born on 15th September 1880. He studied with Mikao Usui for around 10 months before Mikao Usui's death in 1926. Dr. Hayashi remained with the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai (the society founded by Mikao Usui) until 1931, when he departed to establish his own clinic and school in Tokyo called the Hayashi Reiki Kenkyu Kai (Lit. Hayashi Spiritual Energy Research Society). 

Mikao Usui had tasked Dr. Hayashi with developing Reiki in a more clinical manner and initially they did this together, developing the Reiki Ryoho Hikkei (Lit. Spiritual Energy Healing Method Handbook). This guide demonstrates hand positions for various illnesses and injuries enabling students who are beginners and lack intuitive ability to work in the correct areas with Reiki. Dr. Hayashi also kept treatment records and constructed class manuals for Reiki. 

Dr. Hayashi died on 10th May 1940. Prior to his death he had taught Reiki master level to a total of 13 students, one of them being a lady called Hawayo Takata. Mrs Takata brought Reiki to the West in the 1930s.

Mrs Hawayo Takata 

Mrs Takata was a Japanese immigrant living in Hawaii. She was born on 24th December 1900. Her father worked on a sugar cane plantation as a cutter. Hawayo Takata worked as part of the sugar cane plantation owner's household and eventually became the head housekeeper. It was at this household that she met her future husband, Saichi Takata, the plantation bookkeeper. They married and had two daughters. 

In October 1930 her husband died leaving Hawayo Takata to support two children. Life became very strenuous and after five years Mrs Takata grew very ill and suffered a nervous breakdown. Shortly after she travelled to Japan to receive treatment for her ill health. Whilst in hospital in Japan Hawayo Takata was diagnosed with asthma, appendicitis, gallstones and a tumour. She was due to undergo surgery but sensed that she did not need surgery. As a result, Hawayo Takata asked the hospital if there was another treatment she could have. The hospital dietician referred her to Dr. Chujiro Hayashi's clinic where over a period of four months she received healing daily from two Reiki practitioners. Hawayo Takata made a full recovery and impressed by this feat asked to learn Reiki. Although Dr. Hayashi initially refused, Hawayo Takata demonstrated her commitment to Reiki and Dr. Hayashi taught her the first level.

Over the next few years Mrs Takata graduated to master level, returning to Hawaii to establish her own clinic in Honolulu. Hawayo Takata travelled around Hawaii giving healing treatments and in the 1970s moved to the USA, where she taught Reiki level 1 and 2 courses. It was only in 1976 that she began offering Reiki master training. Hawayo Takata adapted Mikao Usui's teachings to suit the political situation created by World War II, removing some of the spirituality and practical nature of Reiki.

Mrs Takata initiated 22 Reiki masters before her death in 1980. Because Hawayo Takata had introduced some changes to Reiki, such as disallowing students from taking notes or keeping copies of the Reiki symbols, after her death Reiki became very fragmented. The Reiki masters she had trained had different recollections of what they had been taught. Some maintained the more traditional Usui style of teaching Reiki, while others developed and adapted the original teachings into new systems of Reiki. Still, were it not for Hawayo Takata Reiki may have never made it to the Western world.