GUEST BLOGGER Alice Risemberg discusses her participation in a 100-hour hospital Reiki internship program.

Although practitioners like the idea of Reiki practice becoming more known (which leads to more diversity), they often settle into their own view of Reiki with all the comfort of an overstuffed armchair, loathe to consider options or even admit other approaches have validity, and sometimes feeling enmity toward colleagues with different practice styles.

You’re practicing, but not getting the same results. It’s enough to make you throw up your Reiki hands and ask, “Why? Why isn’t my Reiki working?”–but is that a reasonable conclusion?

GUEST BLOGGER Reiki master and Takata student Susan Mitchell tells us how Mrs. Takata performed the Reiki nerve stroke.

Having a basic understanding of the mechanics–or even a plausible model–helps people appreciate how practical Reiki treatment is. It helps to demystify the practice, and make it more accessible.

Is Reiki a spiritual practice or energy medicine? What difference does it make? Let’s take a look.

GUEST BLOGGER Ayenda Lambert: My daughter was just a few months old, and I was struggling with being a new mother and full-time homemaker. Basic everyday responsibilities–feeding and changing the baby, cleaning up, and making dinner–were nearly impossible to complete. I felt like something was wrong with me. I knew I needed help.

I was Mom-on-a-Mission, sleeping 4-5 hours a night, and scouring the internet until I discovered that my low self-esteem, extreme distractibility, self-judgment without mercy, outbursts of anger, anxiety, and defensiveness were all common to ADD.

Reiki practitioners love their work. Many love it so much they are uncomfortable being paid for it.

But if we truly love our work, and especially if we want to do more of it, why wouldn’t we be grateful to be compensated for it?

Yale researchers found that a 20-minute Reiki treatment offered in the acute cardiac care unit improved patients’ mood and heart rate variability (HRV) less than 3 days after suffering a heart attack.

Can Reiki do harm? Maybe not, but the practitioner can.