Practical Reiki for Nurses and Caregivers
By Alice Langholt
You arrive at work after a stressful morning at home. The home front is tense and you didn't sleep well last night. A full day is ahead, and you need to be on your game. You sit for 5 minutes to rest your hands on your lap, quiet yourself and breathe. Warm energy surges through you, releasing tension, clearing your mind, and bringing clear-headed alertness. When you stand up, you are refreshed, focused and ready. An anxious mother is holding her crying baby as she enters the exam room. You step in to get the vital information and start the appointment. You take a moment and place one hand on the mom's shoulder and the other on the baby's back. The mom looks at you, takes a breath and smiles a little. The baby's cries stop and he snuggles against his mom. You proceed efficiently with your duties. The 8-year old child needs a vaccination and is frightened and squirmy. You enter the room with the syringe. With your free hand, you gently hold the patient's hand for a moment. She becomes calm and takes a breath. You give the vaccination swiftly and the child holds still.
Enter Reiki, a complementary holistic practice. Reiki is a method of energy healing that works with life force energy, the nonphysical aspect of everyone who is alive. Life force energy comprises thoughts, emotions and awareness of every experience in life. The practice of Reiki involves helping to create a state of energetic balance, which releases stress, relieves pain and helps encourage healing. This is done by offering an extra measure of life force energy to the person in need. It can be given silently, with noticeable results. Reiki literally means "guided life force energy." It was developed in Japan in 1922 by Mikao Usui, a Buddhist. Usui became aware of a way to direct life force energy for healing. The method he developed became known as Usui Reiki. Reiki is directed simply, via intention or "directed thought." A person who practices Reiki learns how to simply think "Reiki" and then give a simple direction, such as "relieve pain." The energy does the rest.
How did you do this?
NPs and PAs are on the front lines of healthcare. Patients' most pressing needs usually involve pain, anxiety, illness or a combination of the three. Whatever the area of specialty, these needs are common in patient care. Among the regular duties of NPs and PAs are reassuring the patient and helping him or her feel confident in the care provided by the medical team. While Usui Reiki has structured hand positions, ritual and symbols, it is actually not necessary to use these things. A new method of Reiki, called Practical Reiki, is now available to healthcare professionals, caregivers and the public. Practical Reiki does not involve any ritual beyond intention, and is fast and effective enough for anyone to learn. The course Practical Reiki for Nurses and Caregivers was recently approved
Sept/Oct 2013 Issue—Page 8