Does Reiki work for Anxiety?
I think a lot of people come to Reiki wondering if it can help ease their anxiety, and I think that there is a general sense that Reiki can help you to become more calm and chilled. So is Reiki good for anxiety? Will it help you to let go of those worries?
Well in my experience, yes, Reiki does really work to help reduce anxiety and there are three ways that it does this, I think.
- Through mindfulness
- Through the use of the Reiki precepts
- Through meditating on and using the Reiki energy
What is Anxiety?
When we worry, we are thinking about the future and what might happen to us or the people we care about. We imagine a frightening or unhappy future and that makes us scared.
And since we have fairly prehistoric brains and responses, we respond to this future threat like it was some sort of sabre-toothed tiger in front of us: we go into ‘flight, fright or freeze’ mode, with elevated heart rate, high blood pressure and the like. Long term, this is not good for our bodies since our immune system is dampened down and blood is rerouted away from our digestive systems, so we end up run down, prone to infection and with digestive disturbances.
All because we are responding to an imaginary future.
How can Reiki help Anxiety?
There are two important aspects of Reiki training that work together to ease anxiety: mindfulness and the Reiki precepts. I’m not going to go into detail about these in this blog, since I have spoken about them elsewhere, but these two aspects of Reiki training very much work with each other to reduce anxiety.
The Reiki precepts start with the phrase “just for today” and that emphasises the idea of mindfulness, where you are fully immersed in the moment, fully engaged with what you are doing. “Just for today” exhorts us, just for this moment, to be content, to be compassionate and forgiving of ourselves, to be aware of the many blessings that we have in our lives.
If you are mindful then there are no thoughts about the past or the future: you are embracing the present moment, and when you do this it’s not easy to worry (because you can only do this when you send yourself off into an imagined negative future).
Although mindfulness isn’t emphasised or even mentioned on a lot of Reiki courses, it is an important part of the original system that Mikao Usui taught and is something that we explain and encourage as soon as you start your Reiki training with us.
Reiki energy and Anxiety
But beyond the practice of mindfulness, and the benefits that come when introducing the Reiki principles into your daily life, there is something else going on too. because when you are ‘connected’ to Reiki, when you are aware of and working with the energy through daily energy exercises and meditations, changes take place within you that very much echo the benefits of mindfulness and precepts-work.
Reiki, in itself – Reiki, the energy – helps people to feel more calm, content and serene, better able to cope with difficult situations and people. Working with Reiki helps you to come back into contact with that core part of you that is balanced and centred, a still foundation that can weather the storms that life often throws at us.
Do you already have Reiki?
If so, and if you feel that there is still a bit more work to be done in terms of leaving worry behind, there are a couple of techniques I created that I think will be of great help to you. You can read about them in other blog posts. Here are the links you need:
These exercises allow you to use the Reiki energy as a ‘carrier’ to disperse or dissipate any accumulated worry, and also help you to set a new course, so you respond differently in the future. These exercises are deceptively powerful and should be carried out for several weeks to gain the full benefit from them.
Time to learn Reiki?
If you haven’t learned Reiki yet, and you are interested in experiencing the benefits of Reiki for yourself, why not enrol on one of “Reiki for beginners” courses (Reiki First Degree).
You’ll discover how mindfulness, the Reiki precepts and a regular routine of self-treatments with Reiki can make a tremendous difference to you.
You can attend a live Reiki course with one of my team of trusted teachers at locations all over England and Scotland, or you can enrol on my Reiki First Degree home study course.
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