What is Reiki?
The practice of being in the present moment, honoring an ethereal experience of sensation that can not be placed in muscle or bone alone. Sensation is the language your body uses to communicate.
Reiki could be thought of as an exploration into the fullest spectrum of sensation available to your body to receive. Allowing ourselves time to explore the subtle nature of our ‘felt’ world through Reiki treatments contrasts the very concrete experience of a therapeutic massage.
Exploring & strengthening our ‘felt’ sense can encourage increased self-grounding, attune our nervous system and increase a sense of balance & well-being.
Reiki is an opportunity to come into your body, mind & spirit and create space for sensation to experience itself. There is no judgement of good or bad pain (also known as sensation) but rather an opportunity to honor energetic movement in the space of your still body.
Sensation is a form of energy and so with that language and understanding, we invite you to consider the ‘energy work’ of Reiki as one integral part of your wellness.
Common Q&As of Reiki
1. What happens during a Reiki session?
A typical Reiki treatment is 50-60 minutes long. As a client, you are fully clothed, lying down with appropriate pillowing for support. There may be relaxing music in the background but you can also request that no music be played during your treatment. Your Reiki therapist will ensure you are comfortable, invite you to close your eyes and will use a variety of light-touch hand placements both on and hovering over your body to perform a Reiki protocol that is specific to you.
2. How will I feel during & afterwards?
During a Reiki session, it is not uncommon to feel sensations of heat, cold, tingling, hollow-like, heavy or lightness. Similarly to a massage experience, you may be light-headed for a few moments or feel completely fine. Everyone experiences the benefits of Reiki differently.
3. Isn’t this a form of ‘hocus-pocus’?
There is certainly a mystery to it all….but that really is the nature of ‘energy’ work. Have you ever asked a Massage Therapists if they do ‘energy’ work? My response has always been….energy is working around us and through us all the time. It is part of every exchange in nature & as a human who moves on the Earth through community. While our various team members have different viewpoints on the matter, we imagine just as many view points, if not more, exist in our community of clients. It’s important to keep an authentic interest in the healing modalities you partake in and as RMT’s who practice Reiki, we in turn take an authentic interest in applying the historical lineage of energy work that is Reiki.
4. What does research say about Reiki?
Proven to have a positive effect on individual relaxation, stress, anxiety & pain resulting from chronic illness or disease (ICRT).
Shown to promote a healthy sense of well-being and improve general happiness (Alarcao and Fonseca, 2016).
Previous research supports Reiki as an approach to manage symptoms of anxiety, depression and chronic illnesses (Jarry, 2020).
The most popular and widespread used alternative and complimentary approach in all of Australia (McManus, 2017).
5. Can I bill to my extended health plan?
No.
Reiki is currently offered at our Dartmouth location by Julie Daye & Jamie Lynn Chediac.
