By Lourdes Gray, RMT, Director,
The John Harvey Gray
Center for Reiki Healing
What is Reiki for self-healing and how can we heal ourselves with Reiki? If you have been practicing Reiki for some time, you are already familiar with some of the wonderful benefits Reiki has to offer. Among these is the ability to do Reiki for self-healing also known as Reiki self-treatment. In order to receive the full benefit of Reiki, it is helpful to learn the secret of how to give yourself effective Reiki sessions.
The secret of doing effective Reiki for self-healing is to do a full Reiki treatment (all of the hand positions, on a consistent basis, over a period of time, e.g. one hour daily), and not just treat the symptom areas, e.g., the painful shoulder or the nagging headache. Note: Please remember that Reiki is not a substitute for receiving medical treatment when you need it. If you have a medical condition, always follow your doctor’s advice. Ask your doctor if doing Reiki for yourself is right for you.
Hawayo Takata, the Japanese-American woman who brought Reiki to the West said, “Anytime that a condition is present for three weeks or longer, the condition becomes chronic. By then, the whole body is involved in the healing process. Reiki works as a system (of Reiki hand positions). You must do full Reiki treatments and treat the entire body.” Giving Reiki only to the symptom area won’t work.”
Watch and follow along with this video to learn Reiki Self-treatment
Self-Treatment Hand Positions
from the legs (for leg-related problems).
This Reiki self-treatment protocol is exactly the same as the one Hawayo Takata taught in her classes. We suggest using it daily, and staying in each position for 3 to 5 minutes:
A condition could be of a physical, emotional, mental or spiritual nature. There is no dichotomy in Reiki. Reiki treats the whole person (or animal) at all levels. For example, if you are treating a condition of a mental or emotional nature, and the condition has been there three weeks or longer, you must give Reiki to the whole body, and not just the head. All of the muscles in the body have the ability to store emotional memories. If the condition is chronic, the entire body (and muscles) must be treated with the Reiki for self healing hand positions techniques (see below for details).
Don’t just give Reiki to the symptom area. The mistake that many Reiki students make is in believing that Reiki “travels” to where it is needed. This is one of the major misconceptions in Reiki. The primary location where Reiki flows is the area underneath where your hands are located. If for example, your hands are over a sore shoulder and you feel a tingling at your right foot, the tingling is most likely due to discharge of newly unblocked energy from your shoulder that has traveled through energy channels down to your foot, and now is releasing from your body. It is not that you are giving Reiki to your foot by treating your shoulder.
This is how Reiki works: As the Reiki energy flows out your hands and into the cells of the body underneath your hands, the cells recognize the life-giving energy and draw on it. Much like a weak battery, depleted cells require more time and energy to recharge. Cells control the degree of energy draw. The more depleted they are, the stronger the flow. Reiki flow is automatic, controlled entirely by the cells of the recipient. You could even be sound asleep and Reiki would still flow.
Giving Reiki should be kept simple. When giving Reiki to the self or others, there is no need for special preparation or mental concentration on the part of the practitioner. Takata called it “automatic concentration.” Automatic concentration and not utilizing your own energy reserves are two of the features that make Reiki different from other energy healing systems. Other systems, such as Qi Gong and Therapeutic Touch, require the practitioner to draw from his or her own energy reserves, thereby limiting the number of possible treatments and perhaps creating certain risks if the practitioner is not in good health.
There is no need to surround yourself with white light, smudge the room, or create a protection prior to starting the Reiki session. The Reiki energy you are delivering during the session will provide the necessary protection. My dear friend the Rev. Beth Gray, one to the original 22 Reiki Masters, once said to me “Keep Reiki simple.” I have always remembered those words. Reiki works best if you keep it simple and uncomplicated.
John Harvey Gray, the longest practicing Reiki Master in the West and who lived a healthy and active life into his 90s practiced the following Reiki self healing routine for many years. “At night I do my head and my neck, my eyes, the side of my head that has to do with hearing and my throat. If I have had a particularly emotional day or if I wake up and can’t go back to sleep, I place my hands behind my head. I usually do that at night. Then I do my torso in the morning. If I’ve had a big meal, I do my abdomen to help digest it. When I get a sore throat, which happens infrequently, I’ll do five or six hours on my sinuses, throat and chest. Occasionally I treat my liver. I treat any position as little or as much as I want to, since I know where my health challenges are. Reiki for self healing is an effective stress-reduction method. I am a much more peaceful person now than when I was in the business world. I am much healthier than I would have been if I had not learned and practiced Reiki. I’ve outlived the average age for men in my family and expect to continue living longer and in good health.”
Often, people become deeply relaxed while doing Reiki for self healing and they often doze off, which is fine. Enjoy the nap. You can do Reiki when you are asleep, when watching TV, while driving or even while sitting in a reception area waiting for the dentist or a business appointment. Just rest your hands wherever you need the healing energy and it will flow, quietly and unobtrusively, even while you are napping.
I, Lourdes prefer doing my Reiki self-healing treatment all at once, usually in the evening at bedtime. While lying on my back in bed or on a couch, I place my hands over my eyes and forehead. If my arms get tired, I put a pillow under my elbows. I stay three to five minutes in each position. Then I do the sides and back of my head. I work my way down the front of the body from the throat to the bottom of the torso, covering the neck, breasts, heart, lungs, diaphragm, digestive system, intestines, female reproductive system and bladder. I also treat my adrenal glands, kidneys, ureters, sacrum and coccyx by reaching around the back for a more direct effect. If you cannot reach your back, treat from the front of the torso and stay longer to allow the energy to penetrate. I finish with the back of my knees and the soles of my feet. The Insomnia Point, an extra point known in Japanese acupuncture, is located in the center of the heel. Treat the back of the head and the Insomnia Point if you have a difficult time falling asleep.
I began doing Reiki on myself right after I received the first degree. I gained many physical and emotional benefits, including an improved immune response and stress relief. My eyesight got better after six months of self-treatment. Takata’s recipe for eyesight improvement is to treat the eyes, sides of the head and back of the head for ten minutes each on a daily basis in addition to the standard self-treatment routine. She also recommended eye-strengthening exercises before the sessions. “Follow this routine for a minimum of three months before you can expect results,” she told her students.
Old chronic problems may improve with Reiki. After several years of having a consistent Reiki for self-healing practice, two students, each with lifelong thyroid deficiencies, were able to discontinue thyroid medication with their physicians’ approval. Several female students with fertility problems were able to conceive after practicing Reiki self healing for some time. The last one we trained sent us a letter announcing the birth of her twins.
Rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, allergies, pre-menstrual syndrome and other chronic illnesses can often be improved by Reiki self-treatment. Keep in mind that conditions present for years are unlikely to disappear overnight. Consistency is the key. Also remember that Reiki is not a substitute for medical treatment. If you have a condition that needs medical treatment always follow your doctor’s advice.
Reiki for self-healing can serve as preventive maintenance. It keeps cells energized, making it more difficult for disease to set in. If you decide to do the Reiki for self healing hand positions daily for at least six months, you should notice a significant improvement in your emotional and physical health. We hope you discover, just as we did, that Reikifor self healing gives wonderful results.
To learn more about Reiki for self-healing please come to a Reiki Level I Training Class where we teach you the optional Reiki for self-healing hand positions and help you develop your very own Reiki for self-healing protocol.
My late husband, John Harvey Gray would say to his students, “A Reiki practitioner can treat him or herself with Reiki just as effectively as if he or she were being treated by another Reiki practitioner. Reiki is the only modality where the practitioner can be his or her own healer!”
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