Reiki Energetic Healing on Depression, Stress, Drug and Alcohol Withdrawal and Rehabilitation as well as Reiki Benefits as Meditation, Relaxation, Mental Clarity and Spirituality

Case Study 1 
Michael (not his real name) did not mention any pain or injury, on presentation. After treatment, he reported the sensation of energy travelling from where the practitioner’s hands were placed on his chest, to his hip which he said was almost always painful due to arthritis, resultant from a road accident some years previously. He said that “the energy created an increasing sensation of pain in my hip which became almost intolerable and then gradually subsided”. When asked how his hip was feeling after the treatment he said that it was pain free. As this was a chronic condition, it was explained to him that the pain could re-occur. When we saw him again some weeks later, he told us that the pain had indeed returned – but never to the degree that it had been prior to his previous Reiki treatment.

Reiki as a meditation

Reiki treatment consistently tends to produce a relaxation response in residents. This, on its own, has enormous therapeutic benefits both physically and psychologically. Both the practitioner and recipient appear to achieve a meditative state during treatment, and the benefits of mediation to health and well being are well known. For example, Hassad (1998) has documented a summary of research on the effects of meditation and relaxation as follows:

Physical effects

• 
  Restful alertness with marked changes in EEG pattern. Increase in alpha & theta waves & increased EEG coherence
• 
  Changes in neurotransmitter profiles with high serotonin production (like those recovering from depression)
• 
  Selective large increase in cerebral blood flow
• 
  Seduction in cortisol levels and improved immune response.

Psychological effects of meditation include:

• 
  decreased anxiety 
• 
  decreased depression 
• 
  improved coping capabilities 
• 
  unconditional happiness 
• 
  reduced reliance on drugs or alcohol 
• 
  improved sleep 
• 
  reduced aggression and criminal tendency 
• 
  reduction in personality disorders Hassad, 1998 

Relaxation and Clarity

The themes of relaxation and personal clarity referred to above, embrace a broad range of responses within these categories, which are experienced as profound by the recipients. For example it is not uncommon for clients to mention that they are afflicted in varying degrees, sometimes chronically, by what they term ‘mind chatter’ and are often greatly relieved to have a quietened mind after their treatment. They often state that the peaceful mind has permitted them to think clearly and positively. (Adrian ‘My mind slowed from 1000 mph to 500 mph. I thought about my options and decided not to use after leaving detox.).” Some equate it with the experience of meditation, one stating that Reiki is the nearest he comes to meditation which he “finds hard to do”.

Some other comments by DWH clients, apart from the almost invariable, “That was great; I feel  wonderful/better; that was amazing”, etc. are: “Now I know what people mean, when they talk about utter peace or inner peace”; “The last Reiki brought up a lot of negativity which was uncomfortable but it was good because it really set me going and today (in treatment) my body relaxed for the first time”; “I felt a lot of aggression (during treatment) and understand why”; “Some of the fog has lifted”; “It was magic. The past and what I have to do in the future are clearer to me.”

For some the Reiki experience appears to bring a feeling of protection or reassurance, as illustrated by the following feedback from some DWH residents following Reiki treatment; “I began to feel I am a beautiful person (improved self perception) and that my grandfather was watching over me”; “I had a dream (during treatment) which told me that everything is going to be alright”; “I felt wrapped in tenderness and kindness and the bad things disappeared”. We would state that although these statements could be dismissed as illusions, they are nevertheless real to those who experience them and provide the basis for makingpositive changes in their lives.

Spirituality

There is also clearly a spiritual component. The theme of spirituality for this Conference fits well with Reiki. This system of healing is a spiritual discipline for its practitioners and frequently produces results for the recipient, which could be described as spiritual. In clarification, we would state that spirituality has different meanings in different times and different cultures. The Concise English Dictionary gives one definition of ‘spiritual’ as ‘pertaining to the soul or inner nature’. It is the definition referring to inner nature, which we apply to the responses and experiences of many of the DWH clients. 9The clients frequently report the experience of being in another state, different from ordinary 
awareness – a totally new experience which they describe as both peaceful and deeply relaxing – and are surprised at the passage of time that has occurred during treatment. This is synonymous with the meditative experience.

Also, the recipients of Reiki in the Clinic often describe their experiences of peace, relaxation and clarity, etc. in a way which appears to indicate that these represent more than purely emotional, mental or physical benefits and that they have experienced a degree of upliftment which one might equate with a spiritual experience. Many experience seeing colours, which they describe variously as, “beautiful”, “peaceful,.

Clients at times indicate that they are searching for something beyond ordinary awareness, described by some as a spiritual search. They often indicate that this need is satisfied by the Reiki experience. Some find this need satisfied by drug use and it is interesting to observe that they subsequently recognize in the Reiki treatment an experience of being in a state previously induced by drugs. They are pleasantly surprised to learn that this is a state that can be simply and safely induced by natural means. One DWH resident stated that he was reluctant to leave “La La Land”, where he had experienced imagery and stress release during treatment; and then more seriously said, “The true La La Land.” Another said, “Reiki is better than any drugs I’ve ever used.”

One client after his first Reiki treatment, during which he had been physically restless, said that hefelt he had been “forgiven by the Great Spirit”; had been “on the verge of breaking through”; that “there was a reason for everything”, and he was seen by the practitioner to be left feeling very positive. One could describe this as a spiritual experience which had relieved the client of a burden of guilt which resulted in a sense of uplift with space for the possibility of change. This is significant, as many of those who abuse drugs carry, consciously or unconsciously, a sense of guilt which makes the concept of changing their lives seem hopeless.

Themes of release of guilt, awareness of inner nature or spirituality and subsequent hope are beautifully illustrated in the following case study.

Case Study 2 

At the time of his first Reiki treatment, John (not his real name) was twenty-two years of age, had been raised in a climate of violence and crime and was the survivor of life on the inside of four state prisons. He presented as wary, defensive, bordering on aggressive, and skeptical and firmly declared himself an atheist but was curious to know why other DWH residents were so impressed by their Reiki experience. After being reassured that there was no belief system attached to Reiki and that he was free to leave the treatment 
room at any time, he decided to receive Reiki. After treatment, he declared the experience of the treatment as, “…amazing”, followed by “Quite spiritual, really.” He appeared to be quite unconscious of using the term spiritual and was later overheard telling another resident, “This Reiki is not bullshit, mate.” John was thereafter a regular attendee at the Reiki Clinic. He later told us that Reiki had give him, “ ….hope – hope that I can change my life”.

In the following case study, there is an interesting combination of responses.

Case Study 3 

Malcolm (not his real name) had been in a car accident some months previously in which he had received a broken limb, back injury and nerve damage. His response after Reiki treatment was, “That was just wonderful. I felt heat in my knee, ankle and back. (The) warmth was not just physical – (it was)emotional, spiritual and love. There were colors and I felt aware of the energy of the universe coming into me.” In this response, the client indicates that, apart from the injured areas being addressed, he felt upliftment and comfort.

The following case study provides examples of different experiences and a progression, leading to resolution.

Case Study 4

In the first treatment, Gerald (not his real name) presented with no previous knowledge of Reiki andno expectations of what it might do for him other than that it might help him in some way. After treatment, he lay very still and silent with eyes wide open for a long time. He stated that the experience was “overwhelming – but in a good way”; that he felt he had been “miles way with no thoughts but heaps of colors”. He also said, “I haven’t felt like this for ages.” Although unable to identify this feeling, he implied that it was very special and good. 10

Second treatment. Gerald reported that he had been “up and down all week”. After treatment he stated that a lot of painful thoughts concerning family issues had surfaced. He then shed what he described as painful, emotional tears and said that he realized that he had to “let go of a lot of stuff”. Gerald’s counselor was extremely pleased with the spontaneous awareness arising out of the Reiki as, Gerald had not been able to let go, and this had been a big issue blocking progress.

Third treatment: Gerald reported that after his last Reiki he had cried a lot of “painful tears”. Since then, he had continued to cry quite a lot, but described this as “now not painful crying – more like letting go, peaceful crying”. During this treatment, Gerald appeared to be deeply asleep and in fact snored steadily. However, at the end of the treatment he reported having had “lots of thoughts concerning J….. (a family member with a long term illness), and said that he felt he could forgive her “for what she has done – for all her mistakes” and that he felt compassion for her.

Fourth treatment: On this occasion Gerald appeared to fall into a deep sleep almost immediately. He reported noticing a lot of colors around him during the treatment. He then wept briefly about past memories.

Fifth treatment: Gerald again enjoyed seeing many colors during this treatment. He said that he felt Reiki was helping him in many ways and looked forward to continuing the treatments. We see this as a very significant case study. It demonstrated a very positive, enjoyable experience in the first session, which allowed Gerald to develop confidence in what was for him, until then, an unknown form of treatment. The second and third sessions, although accompanied by the emotional pain of grieving, allowed him to firstly let go, then to forgive and feel compassion. Feeling compassion is a significant step beyond forgiveness and the sense of upliftment that this brings could be described as spiritual experience. During the fourth and fifth sessions, Gerald began to see colors again, an experience he enjoys. He was also aware of feeling peaceful at the end of treatments, which has restored his original perception of Reiki being a pleasurable experience. He expressed a commitment to using Reiki to help rebuild his life and became a regular attendee at the Reiki Clinic as an outpatient.

Conclusion. 
Our hypothesis, therefore, is that Reiki appears to induce a profound relaxation response within 10 minutes for nearly all recipients. This relaxation may last from a few hours to even a week, and is usually coupled with a reduction in client anxiety, tension and aggression. Recipients of Reiki also generally express feelings of ‘peace’, ‘well being’ and spiritual ‘upliftment’, with a greater ability to sleep after treatment. This is of very significant benefit for residents during the early stages of drug withdrawal, because difficulty in sleeping is a common problem.

We suggest that anecdotal reports from residents and staff at Windana are true, and that most, if not all, of the positive physiological and psychological effects that have been attributed to meditation and relaxation techniques (Hassad, 1998), are promoted by giving Reiki treatment to residents. Furthermore, we believe that from client and staff feedback, the promotion of relaxation and meditation (by the use of Reiki) for those undergoing drug withdrawal helps residents to cope with difficult withdrawalsymptoms and to stay in the rehabilitation program. This is a significant reason, for continuing and expanding 
the Reiki program.