Reiki Therapy and Fibromyalgia
Reiki (pronounced ray-key) means "universal life energy." Reiki is a gentle healing modality that enhances the body’s well-being. Reiki accelerates the body’s natural ability to heal itself; it can relieve pain, reduce stress, induce relaxation, and promote well-being by bringing harmony to body, mind and spirit.
How?
Reiki is a natural form of hands-on energy transfer. The trained Reiki Practitioner channels this universal life energy as a spiritual means of enhancing the recipient’s own bodily energies and natural response to disease and illness.
Reiki energy flows in and though the practitioner; therefore the practitioner’s own energy level is increased, never reduced or depleted, during treatments. It is transmitted by soothing touch.
The practitioner’s hands are placed over the seven chakras of the body. This is followed by the balancing of the entire body. A chakra is a spinning vortex of activity created by the presence of consciousness within the physical body. These vortices exist within what is called the subtle body, a hidden field of energy that carries your urges, emotions, and habits, as well as the imprints of all that has happened to you. As vital portals between mind and body, the chakras can be thought of as chambers in the temple of the body that organize various elements of your life force as it travels through you. Chakras are centers of organization for the reception, assimilation, and expression of life force energy. They are:
· First Chakra - Coccygeal Plexus (base of spine)
· Second Chakra - Sacral Plexus (abdomen, genitals)
· Third Chakra - Solar Plexus
· Fourth Chakra - Cardiac Plexus (heart)
· Fifth Chakra - Pharyngeal Plexus (throat)
· Sixth Chakra - Carotid Plexus (brow)
· Seventh Chakra - Cerebral Cortex (top of head)
In my practice, I perform Reiki on all my FM clients, and the results are amazing. This form of therapeutic touch treatment is ideal for all those who suffer from FM, because it is non-invasive and gentle. Many felt they had tried everything and expect Reiki will give them the same results—nothing. But the results they receive are outstanding. Clients have experienced feelings of floating out and above their body. Some are so relaxed that when they try to get up, they fall right back down on the massage table. No matter what the client experiences during the treatment, all feel the same end result—total relaxation, less tense muscles, and improvement in their range of motion.
"During the treatments, I feel as though there is a small ball within me," one of my clients, Kathy Daley of Brooklyn, NY, told me. "With every move of Reiki, I feel this ball move, bringing a balancing feeling to every area.
"I have suffered many years with FM. Since [I] started over a year ago with Reiki treatments, I feel the connection between mind, body and spirit. I’m off all medications … and pain levels continue to stay very low."
Another form of therapy that I widely use on my FM clients is hot stone massage. Like Reiki, it provides a feeling of deep relaxation. Hot stones are placed directly on all seven chakras; the stones are then used for soft tissue massage. Penetrating heat radiates into the muscles to provide stress reduction and relief from all physical pain. "I have FMS and this therapy is very affective on my condition," said one of my clients, Rose LoGuirat of Staten Island, NY. "It’s more than just a massage!"
As a concerned practitioner and the president of H.U. Counseling FMS Support Group of Staten Island, I do understand the discomfort of everyone who suffers with this Dis-ease. I myself do not suffer from FM but am very involved in finding the answers for relief and one day saying good-bye to FM.
Anthony Schifano, RP, is a member of the International Association of Reiki Practitioners. You can contact him at Asreiki@aol.com
