Reiki and Sound Healing

Exploring the Healing Power of Reiki and Sound Healing

By Dennis Bluthardt, Namaste Studios

Interest in alternative medicine and holistic therapy has increased in recent years. People are seeking natural and integrative health solutions. And you don’t have to look far to find energy-healing options.

One group of alternative therapies that many people are seeking is energy medicine. Energy healing has mediums and methods that, in some hands, are considered part of the future of medicine. The ones that stand out to me the most are Reiki and sound healing because they are the most relaxing services I’ve ever experienced.

It’s like taking yoga or meditation but on steroids. Adding these techniques back into healing routines opens the mind, body, and spirit to new levels of calm and peace. It beats taking a power nap tenfold.

In brief, Reiki is a relaxation and stress reduction technique that originated in Japan. In Reiki, the “universal life force energy” is handed from the practitioner to the client using the practitioner’s palms. The hands are lightly placed on or just above certain positions of the client’s body to help the client achieve an even flow of energy and a feeling of well-being. In brief, Reiki is a method of healing through touch.

Sound healing uses subtle vibrations and frequencies from instruments to create an auditory atmosphere of peace in an environment. A feeling of Zen is easy to experience when surrounded by positive energy.

Reiki and sound healing promote a deep relaxation pool and push our bodies into “heal mode.” The practice can easily be modified for all bodies, regardless of type or size, and those with disabilities and non-disabled persons. It also works for clients who cannot lie down on a classic therapist’s table; it can be done in almost any position, depending on what is best for the client and practitioner.

Understanding Reiki

Founded by Mikao Usui in the early 20th century in Japan, Reiki is a spiritual practice based on the idea of universal life energy being channeled to promote healing (i.e., balance) in the body by the practitioner. The method for doing so is “laying on hands,” loosely in the same way done in Catholicism. Through this method, the channel for energy is opened, which the patient can use to withdraw for their purposes.

As is suggested by the bracket in the paragraph above, the body is essentially the source of disease and the only cure for that disease. “Heal thyself” becomes a methodology as much as a Biblical aphorism or good advice. Accordingly, the best thing to do to help, to offer a likelihood of a cure, is to maximize the individual’s use of the body to facilitate a cure for that condition. As noted above, the presence of universal life force in the afflicted cells is, essentially, indicated by the diminished presence of the life force in the cells. And so, a case can be made for Reiki bringing the universal life force to bear on both the cause and effect simultaneously; therefore, a huge “hole” in the individual predisposition for other conditions in adjacent areas is, hereby, eliminated in measures of time that are much shorter than the resolution of the original complaint.

The Basics of Sound Healing

Sound therapy, or healing, has helped with mental, physical, and spiritual well-being for centuries. Practitioners of sound therapy that heal with sound are found across the globe in many ancient cultures, Indigenous tribes within the Americas, Africa, and Australia, and Eastern spiritual practitioners in Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. The power of vibration has long been recognized by cultures worldwide, and they have put it to good use in all manner of ceremonies, both religious and secular. The cultures from which our ancestors descended probed the nature of sound and how it worked on the mind and body. They didn’t have the vocabulary we now have to describe what was happening, but they understood. Most recently, the concept of ‘tuning forks’ has emerged: small, traditionally two-pronged objects made of steel or aluminum that vibrate and create a single pitch when struck against a hard object. Tuning forks, like bowls, are each made to vibrate at a particular frequency.

Along with this is the emotional release that often accompanies sound therapy. As students drop into a more relaxed state, perhaps with the help of a Tibetan bowl or tuning fork, they usually find they can process and thereby release built-up emotions stored in different areas of their bodies and brains. This ‘letting go,’ while it may not always feel pleasant in the moment, generally leads to an end feeling of relief, a cleansing of sorts. Reaching this point illuminates the ‘sweet’ of the bitter and helps students tap into a blissful, relaxed state.

The Synergy Between Reiki and Sound Healing

All forms of energy healing are concerned with restoring balance and harmony in the body. There are various practices, but two that stand out to me are Reiki and sound therapy. Both practices complement each other well.

Reiki is a form of energy healing. The healer or practitioner channels the universal life force energy to promote relaxation and healing.

Sound therapy uses vibrations (vibrational energy) to relax the body and promote healing. It utilizes specific devices/instruments, such as singing bowls or tuning forks, to create sound.

To sum up, sound therapy enhances Reiki healing. It does.

Sound helps to create a pleasant atmosphere. It relaxes our mood and state, making it much easier to feel the flow of the good ‘ol life energy. It can also help facilitate a much better healing condition (before and during the session).

It helps to create a meditative state in general. It shuts out (all or at least “most of” to a certain extent) the waves, noises, and thoughts, making it easy for us to feel and connect with our innermost self, calm, peaceful, and harmonious. It shakes off our discomfort, stress, or blockages. Reiki can channel the life energy much better once those are removed (or loosened). It makes the session even smoother and more effective. Reiki can ‘run’ almost without any physical, emotional, or psychological restraint. The sensei, guru, or lama can naturally do a good job without stressing too much.

You know what? Probably.

You’re just going to sit or lie on a massage chair or bed while listening to something and then feel a crazy number of ‘waves’ of sensation or chills running through your body. You might feel warm or hot.

It’s intense (overall).

Practical Applications and Techniques

Especially for beginners, practicing Reiki and sound healing at home can be a wildly transformative experience.

Consider starting with some guided sessions or workshops you can find online. They’ll walk you through the practice so you can get a conceptual idea of how to channel energy. Many are free or low-cost, so you can try it out and see if you like it.

Set up a quiet, restful space. There could be a chair you love in a nook with soft lighting. You can use a diffuser to make the room smell like lavender or sandalwood.

Try incorporating a singing bowl to make sounds or play some on your phone.

Make it a ritual. Start making this a unique “you” practice. There’s no right or wrong way to do Reiki. It’s all about making you feel good and helping you develop a relationship with yourself.

To learn more, visit Reiki at Namaste Studios to book a Reiki session. Additionally, you can find more of our Reiki Blogs here.

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