What the Health: What is Reiki?
Pronounced: ray-key
Reiki is a simple, natural, and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. A Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing, Reiki is administered by “laying on hands.” The word “Reiki” is a combination of two Japanese words: “Rei” which means “God’s wisdom or the Higher Power” and “Ki” which is “life force energy.” So, Reiki actually means “spiritually guided life force energy.” Reiki is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through you. If your life force energy is low, then you are more likely to get sick or feel stress–and if it is high, you are more capable of being happy and healthy.
A Reiki treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. It treats the whole person including your body, emotions, mind and spirit, creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and well-being.
To learn more about Reiki, I interviewed my friend and local Reiki master, Nicole Morgan:
This is Nicole!
How did you find/come to Reiki?
At the age of five my aunt introduced me to the art of mediation. I recall feeling pure happiness and peace. From that moment forward I have always held my spirituality very close to my heart. My aunt saw my spiritual abilities and taught me the differences between light and dark energy. I always knew I had a gift, I just wasn’t sure what the gift was. A few years ago, I felt called to explore this gift.
I am a healer. I am here to help people get through the different hurdles in their lives. I have always said that you don’t find Reiki. Reiki finds you. When you are ready, it presents itself. I don’t know if it had presented itself to me 10 years ago that I would have been spiritually ready because it is an intense energy. But it is also a very pure and very magical energy that I honestly wish I could bottle and give to people. It’s powerful.
Can you do Reiki on a grand scale?
Yes. I can do long distance, I can send it to people who have passed, and do Reiki universally.
There are symbols Reiki uses and I also have my own mental image. I might see the world or parts of a map, and then I see light shining down and spreading all over.
Do you think it’s similar to prayer?
Yes. Same same, but different. We all believe in something different, but I think the overall power of Reiki is very similar to prayer. In both you are calling on something higher than yourself and channeling it in some way. It brings peace and comfort to you and to others.
What do you love about Reiki?
Reiki is home. Reiki makes me feel like I am home. I get warm and fuzzy inside. I feel safe. I love it because I know it has personally helped me. During dark times it has helped me find peace and has given me answers.
I also love Reiki because I have seen what it has done for the people who have come to me. I have seen them change and shift because of it. And it is not me creating the shift, I am just the vessel it passes through. To be a human in this world and witness something larger than myself is pretty monumental.
What is the greatest hurdle that you see for Reiki?
The lack of education and fear is the greatest hurdle. The skepticism. A lot of people are scared. We are trying to get people to understand. It was not founded that long ago, so it is still a new thing and people just do not know about it.
Reiki does not always have to be used to process sadness or trauma, it can also serve as a ‘reboot’; sometimes you just need a little boost to feel good. We focus a lot on our physical bodies and the ailments that we can see. Reiki is just as important: it is healing the spirit and the soul. It is truly for everyone, once they are ready to look inside.
What is your process leading up to a Reiki session?
I meditate, I say a prayer, I ask for the Reiki, I thank my guides, and then the Reiki comes through me. A lot of times I actually do not remember what the experience was because it is not mine to hold, it is mine to give. Afterwards, I allow space for my clients to share their experience or not, depending on what feels right to them. Some people do not want to talk, they prefer to sit and allow themselves to experience it. Some like to debrief. No one has left angry or mad. I do not believe that Reiki would do that, and I personally would not leave someone in that state. Sometimes it gets heavy, but they are coming in for a reason. They are there because they are ready.
What kinds of situations have you used Reiki to help?
Child abuse
PTSD
MS - helps to feel sensation back in legs and feet
First Responders - moving through crisis that they see and experience
Everyday struggles, insecurities, worries, depression
Past life and karmic experiences
Animals
Transitioning people going into the next world
Sexuality
There is nothing that I have not touched on. Every human has an individual situation. Reiki does not judge. It does not have just one dimension. It sees all. It helps all. I am able to give Reiki to our earth, to humans, and to animals. I am still blown away.
What is the range of experiences like for the person receiving Reiki?
Some people experience sensations. The most common is the feeling of two magnets resisting or repelling each other. Others sometimes feel tingling, warmth, or tickles underneath the skin. Some get really, really, really hot, or really, really, really cold. No sensation is wrong. Sometimes people feel nervous butterflies in their stomach and then a pop.
The feedback afterwards also varies widely. Some people get colors. A storyline that has been shown to them. Images. Sometimes they get something completely different than what I get. I will see pictures, I will hear things, and I will just know things. Things come up differently for me, maybe based on my references and experiences. I will be shown things and I will know what it is, even if it doesn’t look a typical way.
What about processing after the healing?
Afterwards it is up to each individual and their spirit to continue that dialogue and to allow themselves to further dig and heal. It is similar to personal training, somebody can come to you for an hour and you can show them a workout. But if they go home and eat a pizza and do not see you for two months, that is on them, not on you. Reiki does stay with you for days after. During a healing, I never leave any chakras vulnerable, but it is up to the individual to take care of themselves from there. I suggest that for a couple days they avoid situations and people that trigger them because they tend to be a little more sensitive and vulnerable. So they have to be aware. For the next day or so, more things may come up that could be identified and then released.
It is a practice. It is not a one-time fix. Anyone can do it, it is not just for trauma. Read. Write. Do art. Allow yourself to dive into yourself, even though it is scary!
What would you tell someone who is nervous to try Reiki for the first time ?
Be nervous! It’s ok to be nervous. I was terrified the first time. But if you are interested in it, there has to be a reason. Reiki finds you and when that energy comes to you, it is because you are ready to heal, to let go, to grow, to expand and to step onto the brink of something bigger. You are ready to do something next with yourself. Nervousness can be healthy. Maybe it is just your body preparing yourself for your treatment. It does not necessarily mean danger.
Thank you, Nicole, for sharing!
What strikes me most as I reflect on this conversation, and many others I have had with Nicole, is how genuinely I can feel her purpose to help, to heal, and to teach. It can be challenging to fully convey the spirit of someone in written word, but she truly shines brightly. I think it is a unique experience to spend time with someone who is fully living out their life’s purpose and when you do--you can FEEL it.
I also had the opportunity to receive a Reiki treatment with Nicole. It was incredibly profound; I wrote about it here.
If you are as intrigued as I am and would like to know more, Nicole can be found here:
https://www.nicolemorganhealing.com and here: https://www.instagram.com/_nicole__morgan_/
Happy healing, everyone.
Originally posted July 14, 2021
