What is Reiki? (insights from a Japanese-American practitioner)

Written By Marika Clymer

Energy healing and other alternative methods of healing have become increasingly popular across the Western world. While some of these modalities have been in the United States for decades, new generations continue to search for answers that lie beyond the Western allopathic model. Just like myself, I turned to Reiki out of a deep revelation of disillusionment from the forms of medicine I grew up with, the skyrocketing costs of healthcare, and well - simply wanting to live more consciously and intentionally. And as long as Reiki has been in the zeitgeist of America’s counterculture, there is still quite a bit of mystery (and misinformation) around what it is. So let’s talk about it.

What is Reiki (霊気)?

Just to get everyone up to speed, here is a snapshot answer to this question: Reiki is a healing practice that has been passed down by the Japanese people for innumerable generations. Perhaps one of the most ancient forms of medicine, Reiki is the practice of cultivating energy within one's body and directing that energy for the purposes of healing. While other commonly known practices such as Qi Gong, Tai Chi, or Yoga focus on the movement of energy throughout the body, Reiki is a folk medicine practice that focuses on directing energy (known as "ki") through the palms of the hands to a recipient - promoting vitality, regeneration, harmony, and healing within the body.

How Reiki Works

From an East Asian context, the existence of energy is a traditional worldview that is integrated throughout every aspect of culture. While the names may differ, the thread of continuity between these names is the existence of an ineffable form of universal energy that embodies and animates all matter, living organisms, and natural phenomenon in the universe. In Japanese this energy is referred to as “ki” (kee), while in Chinese the word “qi” (chee) is used.

The process by which Reiki works is fairly simple - by working with our body as a vessel for this universal energy, we can then channel and direct this energy through our hands. The energy that flows naturally through our hands when we are in a calm, easeful state, has a therapeutic impact on the areas we send it to. While the nature of our body’s response is not as reductive as a chemical explanation for why ibuprofen makes our shoulder pains go away, the channeling & directing of energy from an East Asian context is seen as equally legitimate.

As I have continued to deepen my understanding through over a decade of practice, multiple teachers/mentors, diversifying and deepening my knowledge of the Japanese Energetic Healing Arts, and well - connecting with my ancestors, I have found that Reiki works because it speaks the same language of the more subtle aspects of our human form. The “subtler” bodies (such as the energetic body) are harder for our Western minds to conceive because we have been to conditioned to evaluate and assess our reality in ways that are often in contrast to that of the East. Even as more Westerners adopt the idea of the “energy body”, they still miss the mark in some aspects - seeing the energy body as something that is “outside”, “separate”, or even superior, from the physical body itself. The idea that the energy body is “beyond” the physical body is directly opposed to Japanese & Chinese contexts, where the energy body is the physical body. From this context, most illness and dis-ease is actually rooted in imbalances, deficiencies, and stagnancies in the flow of this energy throughout the physical body.

This is to say that, parts of our body respond to Reiki differently than they might respond to other forms of treatment.

Deeper Insights into Japanese Worldviews Regarding Universal Energy

As a Japanese-American, I have personally defined the types of Reiki I have observed in the Western world as the “Western Reiki Model”, I feel it is very important to make this distinction (as opposed to grouping it into Reiki as a whole) because of how Reiki has been shaped in the West. Western Reiki is often not only in direct contrast to Japanese tradition, but can be, and often is, disrespectful to the culture itself and perpetuates irresponsible practices. We will talk about how and why the Western Reiki Model (WRM) is so different from traditional Japanese healing arts later.

From a WRM context, Reiki energy flows through us naturally only if we are given an attunement by a “Reiki Master” (which is also a Western fabricated precedent). However, in a Japanese context, we become skilled at giving Reiki through the practice of energy cultivation, which helps us utilize universal energy (among others) to help restore balance to the body and support the healing of illness and dis-ease. Energy cultivation practices often comprise of a combination of breathwork and specific physical exercises to facilitate particular types of breath.

The energetic cosmologies of Japan often fall into two categories - frameworks that are reflective of Japan’s ancient history of regional folk animism, and the 3-Tanden system that was adapted from ancient China.

Within the Japanese Elemental + Energetic framework, we can draw energy from our natural world to assist in the healing of ourselves & others.

This universal energy is present in all living things, with varying levels of complexity. From a Shinto perspective, the character and quality of this energy is manifested through 4 Elemental Energies - Earth, Water, Fire, and Air - with the 5th ineffable (and somewhat non-elemental energy) of Spirit. It is worth noting here that there are distinct differences (but also similarities) between Japan’s 4-element system and China’s 5-element system (comprised of the elements Earth, Water, Wood, Fire, and Metal). From the elemental energetic cosmology of Shinto, we are also introduced to a cultural worldview that is very foreign to the West - animism. Animism is generally the belief that all living things have a spirit, and the Universal Energy (or Spirit, also named “naohinomitama”) within the Japanese cosmology is no exception. From an animist perspective, Spirit, and the ways in which its energy is manifest, has its own soul, agency, personality, etc. We can see this more clearly within the 4 Elemental Energies, of which each are believed to have their own soul.

The second framework that is used commonly in energy cultivation work/the Japanese Energetic Healing Arts is the 3-Tanden system, which was adapted from the Chinese 3-Dantian system. Within this framework, the body is comprised of 3 main energy centers (also known as the triple warmers in Traditional Chinese Medicine) located near the belly, heart, and brain. Each of these energy centers receives one form of energy and transforms/alchemizes it into a more refined form of energy. While there is a lot more complexity to this, you are welcome to take my course on Reiki to learn more. From my studies, I have found that most Japanese Reiki/Energetic Healing Arts practitioners apply the 3-Tanden system to their practice. In one of her books, esteemed practitioner & instructor of Reiki, Frans Stein, wrote that Mikao Usui (who is endorsed as Reiki’s original founder from the Western Reiki Model’s perspective and - spoiler alert - this couldn’t be further from the truth) practiced Hara cultivation, and that this was a significant part of his overall energy practice. The 3-Tanden framework is also relied upon heavily in various forms of Japanese Martial Arts, which one could make the argument is also an extension of the Japanese Energetic Healing Arts.

So… am I telling you that Reiki is not all chakras, crystals, and love & light?

For so many of us who have been in the “spiritual & healing” world for many years, we perceive Reiki as it is presented in the West as being so far removed from its cultural & traditional roots that the word itself has become cringeworthy. Even myself, as a Japanese-American practitioner of 10+ years have spent the past few years distancing myself from the word. I don’t like to define my work to others as “Reiki”, because, well - it’s embarrassing. In a world where every “alternative” healing method, modality, tradition, and treatment is seeking to be legitimized in the eyes of the West, Reiki is often the first within that category that is discredited and/or looked down upon, but this is less about the legitimacy and efficacy of the Japanese Energetic Healing Arts, and more about how the West has uprooted Reiki from its historical & cultural contexts to such a degree that it isn’t recognized as being intrinsically “Japanese” anymore. Furthermore, through the Westernization of Reiki, we have also seen the implementation of gate-keeping and hierarchy, hyperbolic commodification of the practice, and an encouraged emphasis within the WRM for monetization of Reiki; for example, a significant portion of William Lee Rand’s “Reiki” handbook “Reiki: the Healing Touch” is explicitly about how to set up a Reiki business. This is all in addition to the rampant, socially-normalized cultural appropriation (of numerous cultures), the conflation & fetishization of multiple cultures from the “Far East”, blatant racism, and more.

Many people are drawn to Reiki explicitly because it is seen as “pseudoscience”, compared to more widely accepted forms of medicine and/or treatments (such as allopathic/biomedicine). In an effort to be more “spiritual”, “intentional”, or “conscious” - by participating in this counter-cultural phenomena - many White/Western practitioners are actually deepening their own internal racist biases that reinforce energy healing as a whole as being an illegitimate form of medicine.

What I mean by this is that many people are drawn to Reiki because it is represented in the West as “woo-woo”, but at the ground floor of the “woo-ification” of non-Western cultures’ ancient healing traditions is an unspoken racism that sees these cultures as "exotic”, and thereby fetishizes them.

So to answer the question, no - chakras do not belong in Reiki because the Chakra System is rooted in not only a completely different culture, but a completely different energetic cosmology and worldview. This is not, by any means, to say that the Chakra System is not intrinsically valuable, but rather that it is a cultural technology specific to the Hindu tradition, and should be applied in such a context.

What are the benefits of Reiki?

Both Reiki treatments and energy cultivation practices have many benefits, however, because Reiki is a folk healing practice from East Asia, the benefits of the practice are often not recognized as "legitimate" from the perspective of Western health professionals. Benefits may include:

  • A deep sense of calm and peace

  • Nervous system regulation, and/or nervous system repair when Reiki is used over time

  • Reduced inflammation throughout various systems of the body

  • Increased circulation and greater flow of Ki (Qi) throughout the body, which helps make one less vulnerable to illness and disease

  • Restored connection to one's heart & soul, refreshing one's sense of purpose and vigor for life

  • Reiki can assist with more intangible causes of dis-ease and discontent, such as familial, generational, and ancestral trauma, and other energies that are present within one's field

  • Reiki is an incredible supportive therapeutic modality to help amplify other medicine practices, including Western allopathic medicine, talk therapy, somatic therapy, and more

  • Reiki and consistent Energy Cultivation Practice can result in an increase in overall energy accessed by the body and general vitality

So What Now?

While you might have a better understanding of what Reiki is by now, this written piece probably leaves you with more questions than answers, and I think this is an undeniably good thing; for too long have people interested in Reiki not been asking questions, not putting in the effort to learn more about the cultural contexts from which Reiki emerged, and not looking at themselves more critically as to why they want to become a Reiki practitioner and how to become one and offer those services in integrity.

Begin Your Personal Reiki Journey

Reiki is perhaps one of the most universally accessible forms of healing and treatment, not from just practitioners - but from yourself! Despite the collective spell that Western Reiki has put on the energetically-curious that you need an “attunement” by a “Reiki Master” in order to practice Reiki, you do not need an “attunement” to receive, channel, cultivate, transform, and direct Universal Energy. Universal Energy (ki, qi) flows through us as living beings intrinsically. Energy healing is a skill that is cultivated, not a magical power we are given. Perhaps I will provide more resources in the future (such as publishing some YouTube videos?) as to how to begin your personal Reiki practice. If you are looking to dip your toes in by receiving Reiki from a practitioner, I simply suggest exercising some levels of awareness around the type of practitioner they are and whether or not their journey & process align with your values.

Can you become a practitioner, even if you aren’t Japanese? Absolutely! I personally feel that most people who feel powerfully drawn to Reiki are responding to a deep calling within themselves to become healers - and that this calling is reaching out for them to step forward into that role as well. However, there are many considerations to be made throughout the process of becoming a practitioner, especially because many Reiki training courses offer incredibly inaccurate information, practices, and techniques. I will hope to publish another essay with suggestions on how to go about this process.

If you are interested, you are also welcome to check out the Reiki page in my menu!

xoxo

Complete Reiki is a beginner’s course for the energetically-curious as well as seasoned practitioners who were trained in the Western Reiki Model and are looking to create a more authentic practice. Click the image to learn more.

Article Sources and Resources for Further Study & Inquiry

Reiki

  • Reiki and Japan by Masaki Nishina

  • The work of Frans Steine, who is perhaps one of the most knowledgeable Westerners of the cultural contexts of Reiki and the Japanese Healing Arts. Stein is the only Western Reiki teacher that I have found mentions & discusses the 3-Tanden System.

  • The Hayashi Reiki Manual by Frank Arjava Peter. *There are parts of this book that are very helpful in the direct application of Reiki. I do not necessarily agree nor condone all perspectives and information provided in this book.

  • Reiki the Healing Touch by William Lee Rand. *There are parts of this book that do provide helpful insight about Reiki, specifically in regards to the history of Mikao Usui (whom Western Reiki recognizes as its founder). I do not necessarily agree nor condone all perspectives and information provided in this book.

Japanese Energetic Cosmologies & Spiritual Worldviews

Marika Clymer
Previous

The Inherited Privilege of Being Connected to Land
Next

Stillness as the Gateway to the Heart