Healing Touch and Reiki are hands-on healing modalities that are categorized under the umbrella term of energy medicine. While both methods involve the interaction, movement and transfer of energy through the hands of the healer to the client, the process and source of the transmitted energy varies between the two practices. Both Healing Touch and Reiki are categorized as biofield energy therapies by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
About Healing Touch
Originally developed by Janet Mentgen as a continuing education program for her nursing students, as of 2011, the Healing Touch method is used in hospitals and other health care facilities worldwide. Although the ability to manipulate energy fields or exchange energy is not confirmed by medical science, anecdotal evidence continues to support the physical, mental and emotional benefits of relaxation therapies. The Healing Touch curriculum is endorsed by the American Holistic Nurse's Association.
The Healing Touch Process
In a Healing Touch session, the client is asked to sit or lie, fully clothed, on her back on a massage table. The practitioner holds his hands just above the patient's head and with palms down, slowly scans the entire length of the body to locate any areas of energetic congestion that may indicate physical discomfort or pain. With feedback from the client, the practitioner may perform various "combing" and "fluffing" motions to break up stagnant energy, invigorate the body's energy system and return the body to a balanced state.
About Reiki
Reiki is based upon a healing system developed by Mikao Usui, a Buddhist monk who reported receiving unique healing energies during a spiritual retreat on Mt. Kurama, near Kyoto, Japan. Subsequent to his experience, Dr. Usui developed a specialized healing modality that taught students how to channel unseen energies through their hands to the Reiki client. Subsequent practitioners refined Dr. Usui's methods to a regimented method that includes an attunement process and the use of specialized symbols to invoke the transmission of the healing energies, notes The International Center for Reiki Training.
The Reiki Process
During a Reiki session, the practitioner places her hands in various positions on the client's body. Depending upon the needs of the client and the intuition of the practitioner, the practitioner leaves her hands in place for an unspecified amount of time. While some clients report feelings of warmth emanating from the practitioner's hands, others may experience a sensation of cold, while others feel nothing at all. Although the efficacy of Reiki is mostly self-reported, according to 2011 information from the International Center for Reiki Training, there are approximately 4 million practitioners of Reiki worldwide.
References
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine?; November 2010
- University of Minnesota; Healing Touch; Marilyn Bach
- Healing Touch International, Inc: What Is Healing Touch?
- Healing Touch International, Inc: What Can I Expect in a Typical Session?
- The International Center for Reiki Training: What is the History of Reiki?
- Synergistic Healing: What is Healing Touch?
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