Curious to know the general consensus about energy work, I recently took an informal poll. I live in a very liberal, spiritually evolved part of Southern California, and looked no further than my local yoga studio for health conscious connoisseurs. However, that test group met my "Excuse me, do you know anything about Reiki" query with blank stares or the occasional, "Reiki...um...wait....I think....no." Not discouraged, I decided to draw from my own patient base. Working with a chiropractor, I often treat people with injuries related to sports or auto accidents. Granted, this demographic is not necessarily coming in for the "whole enchilada" of energetic bodywork. Nonetheless, when presented with my question about Reiki, most of these patients responded, "I have no idea what that is." A few had heard of Reiki, but were turned off by what one person coined the "pseudoscience" behind it. Stepping it up one last notch, I situated myself in a last resort no-lose situation: a popular macrobiotic restaurant. Surely, this was the mecca of educated New Age consumers. Wrong. Only the waitress had heard of (and experienced) Reiki.

Then and there, I resolved to begin educating people about this amazing healing modality. Reiki, simply put, is an ancient method of energy medicine. During a session of "laying of hands" healing, the practitioner accesses a universal energy connecting us all and channels in into their client by simply putting their hands on or over the person in a number of learned positions. Reiki gives your energy a "boost" and identifies areas in your body that need attention or healing. It shifts energy from negative to positive, from low vibration to high vibration. It's as simple as that.

Reiki practitioners surround a client with loving, positive energy, helping the person to relax, which in itself opens the door to healing and restoration. From a strictly Western perspective, everyone needs to be touched; gentle, soothing touch stimulates your brain to produce "feel good" chemicals and hormones. Further, studies have shown that hospital patients who receive Reiki treatments recover more quickly, proving it to be an excellent adjunct to more traditional means of healing.

How Does It Work?

Now that you know what Reiki is, how does it work? Humans are made of light and information - energy. This is science. Picture a circle around yourself. This circle represents your unique electro-magnetic energy. Now imagine yourself in a crowded park, amongst others who also have circles around themselves. What you should begin to envision is something akin to the Olympic 5-ring symbol on a grander scale. You (and your energy) do not exist or function independently. To take it a step further, your energy, which is affected by your daily thoughts, stresses, and emotions, touches and affects others and vice versa. Tai chi, qi gong, acupuncture and Reiki are based on this principle, and the idea that energy can be harnessed and channeled.

So while energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can be manipulated and transformed. Reiki's catalyst is the power of intention. You may be familiar with the theory of quantum physics, as demonstrated in the landmark film "What the Bleep Do We Know," and further expanded on in the book The Secret. Perhaps you've read The Hidden Messages in Water by Dr. Masaru Emoto. This book purports that individual and collective consciousness can alter water molecules. Dr. Emoto found that frozen water changes its appearance when specific, concentrated thoughts are directed toward it. If it has been observed that intent can alter structure, it is safe to apply that principle to Reiki and its effect on the body. There is no magic or mystery to this technique.

Traditional protocol holds that Reiki is a special kind of energy that can only be passed from a Reiki Master onto others, via secret symbols and ritual. Frankly, I feel that teaching is out-dated and prevents Reiki from being accessed and accepted by the mainstream.

I teach that healing with Reiki is just like any other discipline - if you are taught the tools, shown the light switch so to speak, and practice diligently then you will connect and work with healing energy. There is no "special" energy; there is but one energy that innervates and animates us and every other living thing on the planet.

If Reiki was taught in health class, and moms administered a Band-Aid with gentle Reiki touch to that scraped knee or we could self-sooth our own tummy ache, what better a world might we have? Reiki is not something that belongs only to the New Age sect; it is our birthright, it is a healing capacity already within you.

The next time someone asks you about Reiki, it is my hope, dear reader, you may be able to place your hand on theirs and say, "See for yourself."