There’s no denying how powerful the Reiki energy can be. Those who attend healings or courses often report drastic shifts in energy both during and after the session. Reiki has been proven to be great for pain-relief, reducing stress and ultimately, helping us balance our mind, body and spirit. But for most, the way in which Reiki works to heal the mind and body remains a mystery.
What Are The Subtle Bodies (The Energy Field)?
The subtle bodies are the vibrational layers that make up the human energy system. They exist beyond the physical plane and consists of seven specific layers:
The Energetic Plane The Etheric Body The Emotional Body The Mental Body
The Astral Plane The Astral Body
The Spiritual Plane The Etheric Template The Celestial Body The Etheric Template
What Does Reiki Actually Do?
So how exactly does Reiki bring on such powerful healing effects? To put it simply, Reiki works directly with the energetic plane and not directly with the physical body.
The energetic plane consists of our mental and emotional layers. This is where we store our emotional woundings and patterns that have been attained through experiences in the past or even past lives. When Reiki is working, it works directly with the energetic plane of the subtle bodies and also provides a direct, resonant connection with the astral and spiritual planes. This explains why Reiki works not only as a healing tool but also as a tool for guidance as it provides opportunity for the higher-self (celestial body) to communicate with the physical, conscious mind. This connection with the astral and spiritual planes also explains why people often report being visited by guides, angels or other types of beings during a Reiki healing or attunement.
How Does Reiki Improve Physical Health?
The energy field may exist beyond the physical plane; it also has a direct link to physical health. Often, a physical condition is a direct manifestation of something happening on an energetic level. This means that in healing the subtle bodies, physical healing is known to dramatically accelerate. During this process, the body responds to the healing that is taking place in the energetic plane to mirror the healing in the physical body. This is an extremely holistic belief that has been adopted by many different types of energy healers for centuries. It’s the prime belief system that shamans use during shamanic healings as their job is to extract residual energies from the energy centres of the body (the chakras).
The Reiki Healing Crisis
A prime example of the body reacting to healing that is taking place in the energy system is the Reiki healing crisis. This refers to the weeks following a Reiki attunement or consecutive treatments whereby the body enters a cleansing process. This occurs when residual energies/patterns that have been stored in the subtle bodies for quite some time begin to shift, causing a ripple in the energy field. This occurs when a person’s internal energetic vibration begins to rise - as this happens, the energy field starts to clear out anything that doesn’t comply with this new state of being. During this process, it’s very common for old patterns to temporarily resurface whilst the person sheds what no longer serves them. The whole process can last up to three weeks and the following symptoms are often noticed:
Flu-like symptoms
Fever
Headache
Sore throat
Coughing
Aching joints/muscles
Tingling sensations throughout the body
Nausea
Constipation
Diarrhoea
Anxiety
This cleansing process is something that can take a lot of people by surprise and if they are not told about it prior to attending a course or consecutive healings, it has been known to put people off of Reiki all together due to them not expecting to feel worse after the session. After experiencing the body’s strong reaction to healing taking place in the energy system through the healing crisis, the concept of us all being energy starts to make a lot more sense. It’s important to realise that Reiki itself is a journey. The courses and healings may be short but as a whole, it takes time to get to know how the energy works with you. It’s also important to note that any adverse effects are all part of the healing process and are often needed in order to clear residual energies. However, these are often short-lived and often lead to a feeling of greater love and appreciation following the cleanse.
How Does This Fit Into Western Society?
When thinking about how Reiki provides healing for the subtle bodies, how does this philosophy fit into western society? As a whole, we are a little way off the energy system being used as a main contributor to western medicine. This does not mean to say that it doesn’t have a place in our society. We are entering a very powerful process of global ascension as we enter into a “new Earth”. Within this new earth, energy work will have even more of a place in our society than ever before as more and more people shift into higher states of consciousness.
Reiki is something that is already being used in western medicine. With Reiki jobs being opened by the National Health Service (NHS), this type of alternative medicine is gradually becoming more accepted. In the NHS, Reiki is used more for relaxation than anything else. During this place of relaxation, deep, natural healing occurs - this has been proven. More Reiki vacancies are being opened by hospices as it becomes a more popular complementary therapy for those who are terminally ill. With all of this considered, we are certainly entering into a new world whereby energy work is of greater importance.