Reiki is a type of spiritual practice that is meant to treat people in a physical, mental and emotional sense. Created in Japan in the early 20th century, Mikao Usui claimed that he received the power of healing through his hands after fasting for a long time on Mount Kurama. Reiki works in a way whereby a spirit that uses the practitioners’ hands to flow energy through their palms to help heal people uses the hands as channels of energy guided. Reiki seems to be a popular form of alternative treatment with over 1 million people in the United States having experience Reiki in one way or another. Obviously not everyone agrees the reiki can be beneficial and there has been criticism as to how the effects are similar to that of a placebo. Many scientists just see reiki as a form of pseudoscience.

The name ‘reiki’ comes from two Chinese characters pronounced in Japanese to describe energy. ‘Rei’ means soul, ghost or spirit and ‘ki’ means breath or life force energy. The Japanese also use this term as a general ‘ghostly power’.

According to some schools that teach reiki, it enters through the 7th chakra into the practitioner, goes through the 4th chakra and then flows through the hands into the patients’ body. Another passage is that energy enters through the first, root chakra through the spine and the fills the aura. It then centralizes into the 4th chakra and then flows out through the hands. It is taught to be an intelligent energy whereby the energy knows which part to target. It is up to the patient to accept the energy because if he or she is not ready and rejects it, it will not go to the part of the body that needs it.

A reiki session typically consists of a patient lying face up or face down in a relaxed state of mind. The practitioner then moves his or her hands over the area that needs attention and stays there while energy is transferred. Some say that energy can be transferred through other parts of the body such as eyes or simply breathing. Many reiki practitioners believe their power comes from a reiki master that performs an initiation or attunement on them.

As much as there has been skepticism on the subject, there also have been claims of positive effects shown in medical journals that advertise alternative health. Other than healing, some effects may include relaxation, reduced heart rate, increased immunity, improved circulation, reduced anxiety, pain and depression.