My Reiki Experience-Charlie Snyder
My Reiki ExperienceApril 14, 2009
About six months ago a neighbor introduced me to the practice of Reiki. My prior knowledge of Reiki was minimal, based only on generally positive comments by a friend who had experimented with it several years ago. Another friend, however, was familiar with “energy work” and used it professionally in her nursing career. Although I’d practiced Tai Chi for some years and so was acquainted with the concept of Chi as an energy system within the body, as a retired empirical scientist I had difficulty with the notion of a universal --but not measurable-- energy system. Yet the concept was intriguing, and the neighbor was a highly qualified Reiki instructor who was interested in sharing her knowledge and skills. I began receiving Reiki treatments with the stated goal of achieving some awareness of the Reiki energy. The treatments are quite relaxing and pleasant, but in addition to those feelings I became aware of a variety of sensations, including temperature and tingling that are commonly reported during Reiki sessions. I also began to recall and think about a variety of past experiences and relationships in ways that increased my feelings of understanding and closure. Perhaps most impressive to me was that my general approach to the world became more positive. (My sixth-grade teacher wrote home to my folks “I wonder if he wouldn’t be happier in his work if he had a less negative attitude and was less critical of the opinions of others.”) I think this change came about because a positive approach to life came to seem more reasonable, more defensible, a better bet to leave the world a better place. Also, interacting with people who approach the world with positive energy provides a model for these behaviors.
After four months of receiving Reiki treatments every week or two, I enrolled in a two-day Reiki 1 seminar in order to learn more about the practice and to be able to share it with friends. This experience was important and has greatly increased my interest in further experiences and explorations with Reiki. Of course I can’t say whether the changes in my thinking and behavior that are associated with my Reiki experience are due to any specific cause, since the total experience includes social dynamics and other factors in addition to effects of Reiki energy. Yet the behavior and thinking changes that have come with the Reiki experience are real and positive, so my pragmatic nature will lead me to continue exploring Reiki and its positive effects.