Well, in the way that it is presented in the West, Reiki is a bit like a Japanese version of spiritual healing, though it has completely different origins. A man called Mikao Usui was responsible for developing it, he was a Tendai Buddhist, born in 1865 and died in 1926. Reiki is based on Channelling energy, working with energy. The energy is quite often called Ki, which is the energy that underlies oriental medicine, so when the practitioner practices acupuncture and uses needles to encourage energy to flow through a person's meridians, they are working with the same energy that is channelled during the practice of Reiki. Now, from the Oriental point of view, Ki doesn't just flow through us, but it surrounds and engulfs us too, so you'll have heard of feng shui, where you arrange your living environment to allow the better flow of Ki through your household. So when you receive a Reiki treatment you are being connected to an external source of Ki that flows through the practitioner  into you.

Usui's Reiki is rooted in lots of existing Oriental traditions that were carrying on in Japan in Usui's time. Reiki draws on Martial arts and energy cultivation techniques, and Usui Sensei was well versed in both these disciplines. Reiki draws on an ancient tradition of Japanese Palm Healing, called te-ate. It uses empowerments (connection rituals) coming from Tendai Buddhism - a mystical form of Buddhism that's practiced in Japan - and involves ways of controlling the energy that come from Shintoism, the indigenous religion of Japan -- However Reiki shouldn't be assigned any particular religion as it is not a belief system per se. Whereas Usui's Reiki was a path to enlightenment, with healing others as a part of what you did along that path, in the West we have been presented with Reiki basically as a treatment technique. This is because of a historical quirk. One of Mikao Usui's students  Dr Hayashi wasn't so interested in the 'spiritual path' side of Reiki, and he concentrated on Reiki as a treatment technique. Dr Hayashi taught Mrs Takata, and Mrs Takata brought Reiki to the West.

If we talk about being on the receiving end of a Reiki treatment first, while it can vary a great deal from one person to another in terms of what they feel when they're having a treatment, you can generalise about the sort of things that most people will notice. The 'big three' sensations when receiving Reiki are (1) deep relaxation, (2) heat from the practitioner's hands, and (3) seeing colours. Reiki treatments make you relaxed: deeply, deeply relaxed. Most people who receive Reiki end up drifting in and out of consciousness, they lose track of time and sometimes an hour on the treatment table can feel like only 15 minutes. 

Some people, seem to fall asleep completely. It's very common for people to feel a lot of heat from the practitioner's hands, sometimes really intense heat. heat so intense that it's simply not possible for hands to get that hot. It seems that the body can't feel the energy in a distinctive way, and the best approximation it can come up with is to feel the energy as heat. Another common experience is to see colours against your closed eyelids as you are being treated. 

Reiki treatments are hour long sessions that  involve the Reiki Practitioner positioning their hands on or over the energy centres of the body. A treatment couch is used or any seated position that is comfortable for you. You don’t need to take your clothes off to receive a treatment. Reiki healing is a progressive method of relaxation and regeneration the effects of which  normally increase after committing to at least three sessions.

We also promote an alternative Reiki system called Shunryu Ki Ryōhō 隆館氣療法. The Treatment method also uses the Chakra or energy centers on the body; the Crown, Third Eye, Throat, Heart, Spleen, Solar Plexus and Root. A series of seven hand positions are placed on or over each of the chakra's for five minutes each. And then a method of 'Stirring' is used for a further thirty seconds over each Chakra. A basic treatment will normally last for 35 Minutes with a further 10 minutes for the relaxation and winding down process. Unlike the Usui method there is no need to commit to three sessions as treatments are instant. However we recommend that full Reiki sessions are attended if symptoms persist. 

We do charge for treatments and costs vary from person to person dependent on their situation, we are also open to energy exchanges. Book a treatment or call for an informal chat today. 

Treatments: By appointment only

Venue: Shunryukan Honbu Dojo or Home Visits

Contact us to book your consultation - By Appointment Only.

Reiki Practitioners: Su Merton, Clare L. Merton

Shunryu Ki Ryōhō Practitioner: Adam J. Merton