Are you practicing Reiki, or are you self-medicating?
Perhaps you’re wondering, “What’s the difference? How would I know?”
Some telltale signs of Reiki self-medicating:
- Are you more interested in offering Reiki treatment to others than to yourself?
- Do you practice self-treatment only when you are in acute need, rather than practicing daily self-treatment consistently?
- Do you call your favorite practitioner only when you’re desperate, rather than scheduling Reiki visits at regular intervals (perhaps monthly, or when the seasons change)?
- Do you primarily treat yourself while you’re doing something else (such as watching television), rather than practicing in an observant, contemplative way?
If you answered yes to any or all of the questions above, it may be that you are, in fact, self-medicating on Reiki.
Of course this is not a major cause for concern. As Mrs. Takata* frequently said, “Any Reiki is better than no Reiki.”
Reiki practice: what are you missing?
But do you realize that when you self-medicate rather than consistently practice Reiki, you’re missing out on benefits that only a steady, contemplative practice can bring, benefits that far exceed the immediate pleasure and balance a Reiki treatment brings. Life-enriching, lasting benefits such as enhanced self-awareness, intuition, depth, gratitude, kindness, wholeness, stillness…
Now that’s something to be concerned about.
Related reading:
How to Practice Reiki Self-Treatment
Reiki Treatment: A Balancing Act
*Hawayo Takata and her Reiki master, Chujiro Hayashi, brought Reiki practice from Japan to the US in the late 1930s. Hayashi was a direct student of Mikao Usui, who started the Reiki lineage in Japan in the 1920s.
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I was lucky to have a teacher for first degree who emphasized the importance of daily self treatment, and so I have had the habit of self treatment for several years. There have been times that life has become hectic, and self treatment has fallen by the wayside for a while, but I always sought to rearrange my priorities as well as I could to get back to my daily practice. (Sometimes my young children don’t understand this!)
Over time, my daily self treatment practice has become more meditative and sustaining, and now helps me maintain my ever evolving sense of well-being and connection. I also find that when I need Reiki as “medication”, the healing balance that my body requires comes more quickly than it used to, which indicates to me that my daily self treatment helps my body to function more efficiently overall, allowing my acute conditions to resolve more easily.
That being said, I must admit that when I first started my practice, it was more of a “self-medication”. The evolution happened by itself, simply by sticking to it, and it is only through reflection that I can see that gentle unfolding.
I used to just give myself Reiki in small increments throughout the day and at night when I was ready to go to sleep and it definitely put me to sleep quickly. I’ve noticed that when I first started self-practice it was much more intense and I also was much more likely to zonk out quickly while trying to self-treat formally. It almost seems as if my system has done a lot of deep healing and now I don’t seem to go as deep as quick with it, for some reason. What I HAVE found recently is that in doing 20 to 30 minute self-treatments in bed right after I wake up has really helped me to start the day off way more energetically and I’ve quit coffee it’s helped so much. Also, I am able to get my day started very peacefully and that carries through the day, what a blessing.
For me the benefits show up most visibly in my emotional states. Sometimes I feel unloved or not valued by my spouse or family members. I lose my center and become angry and worry about the future. (anyone hear the need for the Reiki precepts here?) A practice of regular self treatment helps me maintain my center so this happens less frequently and when it does, helps me to recognize being out of balance and gives me a way to recover more quickly. For me, this is not a quick fix. It is more of, as Nietzsche has said, “a long obedience in the same direction.” I am happier, healthier and more authentic (instead of a helpless victim or a demanding tyrant) in my relationships.