Evaluation

Knowing that Betty has no reported contraindications to Reiki, that Reiki has no negative side effects, and that Betty’s medical status was being monitored adequately and addressed by her physicians, the practitioner agreed to see Betty for Reiki.

Plan of Care

Having treated many clients with cancer who benefited physically, psychologically, and spiritually from Reiki, the practitioner saw Betty for two Reiki sessions. The practitioner also recommended that the client become trained in performing self-treatments so that she could apply Reiki to herself between professional sessions. Betty complied with this suggestion and was taught to perform self-Reiki by the Reiki practitioner.

Reevaluation

The client reported that Reiki was helpful for reducing her pain to 2/10 at rest and 5/10 during activity. Nevertheless, Betty decided that reducing the size of the reconstructive surgical implant might make her even more comfortable. She put Reiki on hold and made an appointment to see her surgeon.

Incorporating CAM into the Plan of Care

Betty underwent more surgery to have the size of the surgical implant reduced. She returned to the Reiki practitioner 4 weeks later and reported that her pain was once again 3/10 at rest and 7/10 during activity. Because the client had a history of pain relief with Reiki, the practitioner proceeded with providing the client with Reiki.

This chapter is a departure from the other therapy chapters in this book in several ways. First, the physical therapist is the client, not the clinician. Second, the client, not the clinician, searches and evaluates the literature before the decision is made to seek out a Reiki practitioner. Lastly, besides surgery, Reiki is provided as a single intervention by a Reiki practitioner and is not incorporated into a standard plan of care. This chapter provides an example of a knowledgeable healthcare consumer who is interested in receiving CAM and investigates the intervention for safety and efficacy. Details of legal, ethical, and cultural issues related to clients who seek therapies and healthcare considered to be CAM can be found in Chapter 3.

INVESTIGATING THE LITERATURE

Betty and her physicians had been unable to determine a specific cause for her pain. She had tried pharmacological and physical therapy interventions with little success. After someone in Betty’s support group had reported that Reiki helped her to “feel so much better,” Betty decided to investigate Reiki and find out if this intervention might help her feel better, too. While reading some background information about cancer and CAM, Betty found survey results, which suggests that individuals with chronic conditions tend to seek the services of complementary practitioners for concerns not adequately addressed by standard health care and because they perceive CAM practitioners to have values and beliefs about health and life congruent with their own.¹^–³ Persons with cancer were found to use CAM for a variety of reasons, including wanting to boost their immune system, relieve symptoms, improve their quality of life, feel more hopeful, and achieve greater control in their lives.⁴ More specifically, women with breast cancer sought CAM to improve their immunity, quality of life, and sense of control; prevent recurrence of cancer; and enhance their conventional medical care.^5,⁶ Kelner and Wellman⁴ determined that people who specifically seek Reiki treatments do so in an effort to deal with emotional issues, address feelings of low energy, and promote health and well-being. Betty identified with the subjects in these studies and continued to search the literature for studies specifically on Reiki. First, she took a detailed approach in which preliminary reading was performed, followed by a search of databases and evaluation of the reviews and primary sources. Then she performed a more focused search of the literature by using the PICO approach.

Preliminary Reading

The word Reiki comprises the two Japanese characters, rei, meaning universal spirit, and ki, meaning vital life force or energy.⁷ A hands-on healing therapy, Reiki is a therapeutic approach in which the practitioner facilitates the delivery of universal energy to an individual to enhance vitality and promote the body’s innate ability to heal. The intention of the Reiki practitioner is to act as a conduit for the delivery of universal energy and thereby replenish and restore energy flow and balance.

Acceptance that a universal life force or energy exists is fundamental to understanding Reiki as a healing modality. This subtle energy, known as ki in Japanese, chi in Chinese, and prana in Sanskrit, is the essence that underlies vitality and intelligence of the universe and everything in it.⁸ As a pervasive and infinite energy, ki is organized into energy systems and fields that are penetrable and interactive with each other within individuals and between individuals and the environment, which allows universal energy to be received and exchanged.^7,⁸ Inadequate life force or an imbalance of energy fields or flow is thought to be associated with conditions of disease and emotional distress, which suggests that energetic patterns should be add-ressed to create an environment for health and well-being.⁸

The system of Usui Reiki Ryoho grew out of the original teachings of Mikao Usui, a Japanese scholar who was born in 1865. Usui studied Japanese Shinto and old Japanese Tendai Buddhist texts, especially those containing forms of Taoism.⁹ Many versions of Reiki’s history exist, much of which has been revisited and discussed in a texts by Petter¹⁰ and King.¹¹ Most persons interested in the origins of Reiki agree, however, that Usui studied, fasted, and meditated to seek an understanding of life. At some point during this quest, probably near or on Mt. Kurama, a sacred, spiritual place near Tokyo, Usui dramatically received a powerful form of energy now known as Reiki.⁷ He realized that this energy gave him a remarkable ability to heal and that he could easily transfer the ability to access and use this energy to anyone. Usui’s personal experiences and observations about the healing effects of Reiki helped him to realize that healing the spirit was as important as healing the body. Persons who learned responsibility and gratitude through the energy exchange of Reiki were better prepared to achieve and maintain health than persons who were unable to give back for what they received.⁷ So, Usui set out to create a system that would assist a person’s spiritual progression, healing the mind first.⁹ Five principles of Reiki emerged from Usui’s studies, practice, and observations (Figure 17-1).⁷