"Reiki is a Japanese spiritual and healing practice that supports you in feeling more connected to life.
Reiki is a system, a set number of practices, that you can use to develop your energetic connection to life and this offers the practitioner many benefits. You can either experience a Reiki treatment or study how to practice Reiki for yourself.

A Reiki treatment is one-hour long and is useful for specific healing or general relaxation. The client remains fully clothed at all times as the practitioner goes through a set healing process placing hands on or just off the body as agreed with the client prior to the treatment. Sex, age and condition are of no concern as the client's own body controls this energetic process. During the treatment the body will only take the amount of energy that it requires. A Reiki treatment is not intrusive and clients do not remove clothing and no private parts of the body are touched. If a client is wishing to work on a specific issue or health problem it is advisable to book for three one-hour treatments. But first come along for one treatment to see if you like the experience." - Frans S.

Zeynep wrote:
This is from my flyer for general public:
Reiki is a system of natural healing and self-improvement that enables use of universal life force energy to help activate body’s own ability to heal itself.

Reiki is safe, natural, gentle and very simple to learn. It removes blockages in one’s energy system and promotes healing in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.

Once attuned to Reiki, one can channel the universal life force to promote self healing, healing of others, and can contribute to the healing of the world.

This is from my Reiki manual:
Reiki is a system of natural healing and self-improvement.
Reiki is remembering our true potential and activating our own ability to heal ourselves.
Reiki is learning to tap into the abundant reservoir of energy whose source is within.

If someone I don’t know or whom I just met in a formal setting or at work asks about Reiki

Q: What’s Reiki?
A: It’s a Japanese relaxation technique.

Q: How does it work?
A: The practitioner gently lays his/her hands on the recipient to channel life force energy that is all around us. The power of human touch alone creates a relaxation. In that relaxed state of mind, our immune system kicks in and remembers what it has to do. This in turn may create a healing effect.

Someone I know but don’t have any spiritual background
Q: What’s Reiki?
A: It’s an ancient hands-on healing therapy.

Q: How does it work?
A. Everything is energy. A Reiki practitioner gently lays hands on the recipient to channel life force energy that surrounds us. This energy flows from the hands of the practitioner, dissolves blockages in one’s energy system and supplies life force energy. When one’s energy flows freely, it promotes healing and well being of the person.

Someone I know and have spiritual practice experience

Q: What’s Reiki?
A: It’s a “system” of self improvement and natural healing that activates our own ability to heal ourselves at all levels.

Q: How does it work?
A: Reiki has 5 pillars. First the practitioner gets an attunement (1) to “remember” his/her connection to this high frequency healing energy whose source is within. Then practitioner practices precepts (2), which are guidelines for daily life (don’t anger, don’t worry, be grateful, work hard, be kind to everyone). Practitioner is also practice meditation (3) techniques, to build internal energy and quite the mind. Hand positions (4) on self and others helps clean energy channels, tune into the energy and self-healing as well as help others heal them selves. Practitioner also learns symbols and mantras (5) to deepen their connection to energy and invoke deeper healing at physical, mental/emotional and spiritual levels.

Reiki is gentle healing energy that reduces stress. When stress is reduced our bodies are better able to heal themselves.

When physical energy is low we tend to get sick; when emotional energy is low we get depressed and when spiritual energy is low we become sad. When our life energy is high we feel strong and confident. We’re more relaxed and centered and less likely to get sick. Reiki strengthens our life energy and makes us well.

If they ask, I explain how a reiki treatment works (how it’s done). I may also tell some of my reiki stories.

If someone is having pain I ask if I may touch them and then give them a short reiki treatment on whatever is hurting.

Sometimes give the following printed explanation:

What is Reiki?

Reiki is a method of stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. The technique was developed in Japan and is administered by the laying on of hands. It is based on the idea that all living things have a special energy flowing through them called life energy. When your life energy is high, you'll feel strong and confident, be more relaxed and centered and less likely to get sick. When it is low, you'll often feel tired, be more easily affected by stress and less resistant to illness.

Reiki is a Japanese word that comes from two words ‑ Rei and ki. In the Japanese language, these words can mean different things depending on how they are used and how they are combined with other words. When they are used together for the practice of healing, the word Rei means universal spirit, Higher Power or God. The word ki refers to the life energy that flows through all living things.

A Reiki treatment increases your life energy. A practitioner will transmit Reiki to the client through the hands. The hands are lightly placed on or near the body in various positions around the head, shoulders, stomach and feet. Sometimes a practitioner will also treat above the body.

A treatment can feel like a warm glowing radiance that flows through your body. It is a very relaxing experience and your body may feel heavy as it relaxes and yet your spirit or emotions feel light at the same time. A treatment will usually release negative feelings or thoughts leaving you feeling more positive, light hearted and with feelings of well‑being.

Healing often takes place and people have reported recovery from minor things like headache, stomach ache, bee stings etc., but also major illnesses have been affected with some people recovering from heart disease, cancer, leukemia etc. It works well in conjunction with all medical or psychological care.

I wrote this for my church’s newsletter:

Recently Pastor Kathy asked me to write an explanation of how I as a Christian became a Reiki Master. So, let me tell you about my experience.

I believe that the first time I had a Reiki treatment it may have saved my life. I was going through a very stressful time. It had gone on for years and I wouldn’t tell anyone about what was happening to me. I just kept smiling and pretended everything was OK. (I now realize how stupid I was to think I could just handle it alone.) Then a good friend came to me and said she had just become a Reiki practitioner and asked if she could practice on me. Well, it scared me a little but she was my friend and I trusted her so I said OK. The energy relaxed, calmed, healed and refreshed me. It released deep down tension in me and I think that without that release I would have had a stroke or heart attack or some other stress related illness. The energy I felt coming through her hands was very strong, gentle and loving. It felt like it was coming from God.

I think I always knew that touch was very healing. When I was a little girl and I was sick my mother’s hands on my head always made me feel better. I also knew that a hug could make a headache or heartache feel better. My friend told me that she thought I had a special gift for healing and also explained that anyone that was willing to let God work through them could be a Reiki practitioner.

I knew that Reiki comes from Japan and a Buddhist monk originally taught it. I also knew that Jesus healed people by touching them and that as he sent his disciples out into the world one of the things he told them was to heal the sick. I also knew that healing is one of the gifts of the spirit. I asked God what I should do and then got my first Reiki attunement. (A Reiki attunement strengthens a person’s healing ability. The energy in the hands becomes stronger – in essence it opens a person up and increases the ability to be a channel of God’s energy.) At first I had a problem talking about Reiki because people acted like I was weird so I only gave it to my children and grandchildren.

Then, one day I was at my daughter’s house and her husband was very depressed. He is from Sierra Leone in Africa and there was a terrible civil war going on. There was no communication and he didn’t know if his family was safe. His son was in the care of his mother and his brother was in the hospital. The news was terrible with reports of the rebels taking over hospitals, killing patients and forcing doctors at gunpoint to work on their wounded. After some time there was news that the family was all right and that they had found a reasonably safe place to stay. Then my son-in-law’s mother died. His family told him not to come because it would make them targets. He spiraled into a depression and was unable to work for several weeks. When I was there visiting, I put my hand on his head and he said “Oh, Mom, that feels wonderful!” So, I gave him a Reiki treatment and he got up, hugged me and went to work! That’s when I knew that this is something I must do.

Since then I have had many wonderful experiences with Reiki and can feel the presence of angels when I am giving or getting a Reiki treatment. Blessings, Elfriede M.