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October 22, 2005
Reiki
People have been using energy techniques for healing purposes for thousands of years. In the 1800, a Japanese man in search of healing power had a mystical experience from which Reiki was developed.
It is very similar to the biblical practice of "laying on of hands," adds Berard, who does reiki out of an office at the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex. The only difference is that reiki uses the symbols - discovered by Japanese scholar and philosopher Mikao Usui - to help increase the effect and connect with the recipient on a deeper level. "It's like amplifiers," he says.
Reiki speeds up the healing process, Chabot explains, helping clear up bruises, cuts and headaches, as well as anxiety and fatigue. People with emotional problems are those who use reiki the most, she adds.
Each person's experience with reiki is different, Pantazopoulos says. My reiki session left me with nothing but relaxation and a few insightful comments from the reiki master about me and my life. But, Pantazopoulos reminds me, effects are not always immediate. "I'll have people call us up six months later and say, 'I understand now. It helped me so much. I didn't realize it at the time,'" he says.
Posted by linda at October 22, 2005 10:16 AM
