Reiki: Japanese Holistic Therapy and Palm Healing
Author: Disabled World (DW)
Updated/Revised Date: 4 Aug 2026
Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - About This Section - FAQs - Publications - Subtopics
Synopsis
Learn what Reiki is, a Japanese holistic therapy using palm healing, its history from Mikao Usui, claimed benefits, and its status as pseudoscience.
At a Glance
- 1 - Reiki is pronounced Ray-key.
- 2 - The practice has no accreditation body or formal regulation.
- 3 - Rei means Higher Power and Ki means life force energy in Japanese.
- 4 - Chujiro Hayashi simplified Usui's original teachings and stressed physical healing techniques.
Topic Definition
- Reiki
Reiki is a holistic therapy and spiritual practice that originated in Japan, developed in 1922 by Buddhist teacher Mikao Usui. Practitioners use a technique known as palm healing or hands-on-healing, placing their hands on or near a person in the belief that they are channeling a universal life force energy to encourage relaxation and support the body's natural healing. Rooted in the Japanese words rei, meaning higher power, and ki, meaning life force energy, it treats the whole person - body, mind, emotions, and spirit - and is often used as a form of complementary and alternative medicine. Although it is spiritual in nature, Reiki carries no religious dogma and asks for no particular belief, and the wider scientific and medical community regards it as a pseudoscience with no demonstrated basis for its claimed energy or healing effects.
Overview
What is Reiki?
Reiki (pronounced Ray-key) is described by adherents as a holistic therapy which brings about healing on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels. Reiki was introduced to the Western world in the mid-1970s. Since then, its use has spread dramatically worldwide. Reiki is defined as a spiritual practice, now considered to be a form of pseudoscience, that was developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui, and which has since been adapted within varying traditions. It uses a technique commonly called palm healing or hands-on-healing as a form of alternative medicine, and is sometimes classified as oriental medicine by some professional medical bodies.
After three weeks of fasting and meditating on Mount Kurama, in Japan, Usui claimed to receive the ability of "healing without energy depletion". After Usui's death, Chujiro Hayashi a former student of Usui left the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai and formed his association. Hayashi simplified the Reiki teachings, stressing physical healing and using a more codified and simpler set of Reiki techniques.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words;
- Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power"
- Ki which is "life force energy"
It is said some Reiki healing health benefits include:
- Aids better sleep.
- Helps relieve pain.
- Reduces blood pressure.
- Supports the immune system.
- Raises the vibrational frequency of the body.
- Helps spiritual growth and emotional clearing.
- It accelerates the body's self-healing abilities.
- Assists the body in cleaning itself from toxins.
- Increases vitality and postpones the aging process.
- Creates deep relaxation and aids the body to release stress and tension.
- Removes energy blockages, adjusts the energy flow of the endocrine system, bringing the body into balance and harmony.
- Reduces some side effects of drugs and helps the body to recover from drug therapy after surgery and chemotherapy.
- Can help with acute (injuries) and chronic problems (asthma, eczema, headaches, etc.) and aides the breaking of addictions.
So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy." Since the word Reiki means Universal Life Force Energy, it (strictly speaking) refers to the energy and not the specific techniques taught by Reiki Masters. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind, and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security, and wellbeing.
Reiki energy is regarded as life energy at its most effective-with the maximum vibration. It is considered to have an almost divine quality and as such includes everything, in a world where concerns and disorders are deemed to be due to the feeling of detachment from the world.
A portion of the practice, tenohira or palm healing, is used as a form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Tenohira is a technique whereby practitioners believe they are moving "healing energy" (a form of ki) through the palms. Usui said that by mystical revelation he had gained the knowledge and spiritual power to apply and attune others to what is called Reiki.
While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe to learn and use Reiki. In fact, Reiki is not dependent on belief at all and will work whether you believe in it or not.
Reiki teachings claim that there is an inexhaustible, universal "life force" spiritual energy, that can be used to induce a healing effect. Believers say that anyone can gain access to this energy through an attunement process carried out by a Reiki Master. Claims for such energy have no known theoretical or biophysical basis. The belief is that the energy will flow through the practitioner's hands whenever the hands are placed on, or held near a potential recipient, who can be clothed. A second level of training, including another initiation, is said to equip the practitioner to perform Reiki treatments from a distance.
There is no accreditation body for Reiki, nor any regulation of the practice. Reiki courses can even be taken over the Internet, although traditionalists state that attunement must be done in person to take effect, as the Reiki Master/Teacher doing the attunement must be able to actually touch the energy field of the person being attuned. There is no belief system attached to Reiki, so anyone can receive or learn to give a Reiki treatment, the only prerequisite is the desire to be healed.
Concerns about safety in Reiki are similar to those of other alternative medicines. Doctors of medicine and allied health care workers believe that patients might avoid clinically proven treatments for serious conditions in favor of unproven alternative medicines. The strongest research conducted as of 2008 has failed to demonstrate that Reiki is an effective treatment for any condition.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Reiki session require the patient to remove clothing
No, a Reiki recipient stays fully clothed during a session, as the practitioner places or holds their hands on or near the body without any need to undress.
How long does a typical Reiki session last
Most Reiki sessions run between 60 and 90 minutes, though the length can vary depending on the practitioner and the needs of the person receiving treatment.
Can Reiki be performed remotely
Practitioners who reach a second level of training claim they can send Reiki from a distance, offering treatments to people who are not physically present.
Is Reiki safe to combine with conventional medical treatment
Reiki is generally used alongside conventional care as a complementary therapy, but doctors caution that it should never replace clinically proven treatment for serious conditions.
How many levels of Reiki training are there
Reiki is commonly taught in three levels, progressing from basic hands-on practice to distance healing and finally to the master or teacher level who can attune others.
What happens during a Reiki attunement
An attunement is a process led by a Reiki Master that is said to open a student to the life force energy, and traditionalists hold that it must be done in person.
Is Reiki connected to any particular religion
No, although Reiki is spiritual in nature it is not a religion, has no dogma, and asks for no specific belief in order to be learned or received.
Curated and edited by Ian C. Langtree, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Disabled World. This section is maintained by the Disabled World editorial team.
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