Reiki is the teaching of the idea of Japanese holistic healing. There are some differences between the Japanese and Western versions, although it is actually a difference in the way things are done.
One thing is that the Western version does not practice breathing techniques. With this practice, all you have to do is sit in a chair and inhale and exhale through your nose. This is when the energy enters through the top of the head.
Another difference between the two is the type of treatment. In traditional Japanese healing, people go to meetings every week and meditation work is done on individual parts, and in western regions healing is generally done all over the body.
There are also three degrees or levels in the western regions. The first Reiki class can be varied depending on the teacher. Some teachers have two classes over a two-day period. View more additional resources thru the link.
Other teachers have four sessions spread over a longer period of time. Students learn meditation and the laying on of hands for healing. Right now, they can heal themselves and others.
In a second step, students learn to use symbols to improve the connection between the healer and the receiver.
The use of these symbols helps to achieve healing through distance and time. You can heal people without being with them.
In Japan, we know that it takes ten to twenty years to reach the second degree. It depends on the teacher.
With Reiki, learning is always at stake. As with the third degree, there is a time needed to study and practice.
It depends on the teacher how long it takes to reach third level status. I could be a day or a year or more. When you reach the third degree, you get another symbol.
It is assumed that Reiki healing also applies to the front and back of the body. It usually begins on the head and neck and then on other parts of the body.
Reiki does not use drugs or instruments, but sensations, breathing, tapping and massaging. It is a practice that uses the energies that always surround us.
Many Western practitioners usually use twelve standard positions for whole body healing.
The recipient is asked to indicate when this occurs. Hands are usually held in each position for five minutes. Some people say they feel a feeling of warmth when the treatment is applied.
It is also a non-contact treatment because the hands are held only a few centimetres from the receiver.
There is not really a board of directors for Reiki practitioners, but there are organizations that want to standardize Reiki practices.
If this happens, the practice could be under government supervision, which could be a fatal blow to current and future practitioners.