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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 8:44:19
Does anyone know anything about it? My T is going to get certified/trained in it, and I've agreed to be a guinea pig. What's it all about? Any experiences?
sunnydays
Posted by rskontos on December 5, 2007, at 8:55:23
In reply to Reiki, posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 8:44:19
SunnyDays, Here is what the internet says....
What is Reiki?
The International Center
for Reiki TrainingA Brief Overview
Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by "laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one's "life force energy" is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.
The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means "God's Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy."
A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. 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. Many have reported miraculous results.
Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method of spiritual healing and self-improvement that everyone can use. It has been effective in helping virtually every known illness and malady and always creates a beneficial effect. It also works in conjunction with all other medical or therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects and promote recovery.
An amazingly simple technique to learn, the ability to use Reiki is not taught in the usual sense, but is transferred to the student during a Reiki class. This ability is passed on during an "attunement" given by a Reiki master and allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of "life force energy" to improve one's health and enhance the quality of life.
Its use is not dependent on one's intellectual capacity or spiritual development and therefore is available to everyone. It has been successfully taught to thousands of people of all ages and backgrounds.
While Reiki is spiritual in nature, it is not a religion. It has no dogma, and there is nothing you must believe in order 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. Because Reiki comes from God, many people find that using Reiki puts them more in touch with the experience of their religion rather than having only an intellectual concept of it.
While Reiki is not a religion, it is still important to live and act in a way that promotes harmony with others. Dr. Mikao Usui, the founder of the Reiki system of natural healing, recommended that one practice certain simple ethical ideals to promote peace and harmony, which are nearly universal across all cultures.
During a meditation several years after developing Reiki, Dr. Usui decided to add the Reiki Ideals to the practice of Reiki. The Ideals came in part from the five prinicples of the Meiji emperor of Japan whom Dr. Usui admired. The Ideals were developed to add spiritual balance to Usui Reiki. Their purpose is to help people realize that healing the spirit by consciously deciding to improve oneself is a necessary part of the Reiki healing experience. In order for the Reiki healing energies to have lasting results, the client must accept responsibility for her or his healing and take an active part in it. Therefore, the Usui system of Reiki is more than the use of the Reiki energy. It must also include an active commitment to improve oneself in order for it to be a complete system. The ideals are both guidelines for living a gracious life and virtues worthy of practice for their inherent value.The secret art of inviting happiness
The miraculous medicine of all diseases
Just for today, do not anger
Do not worry and be filled with gratitude
Devote yourself to your work. Be kind to people.
Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer.
Pray these words to your heart
and chant these words with your mouth
Usui Reiki Treatment for the improvement of body and mind
The founder , Usui Mikao
Sounds interesting and amazing to me.......lets us know. rk
Posted by Poet on December 5, 2007, at 8:56:02
In reply to Reiki, posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 8:44:19
Hi Sunnydays,
My T does all kinds of energy work including reiki. I was her guinea pig for one of them and now she teaches it in workshops so I hope your experience in your T's learning process is as good as mine was.
T just lightly touches my shoulders and runs energy into various body points/chakras. I feel warm and for me what is relaxed (I am always tense so relaxed for me isn't really mellow.) Afterwards I can honestly say I feel emotionally lighter.
Let me know how it feels for you. I don't know anyone else who has had it done so I am really curious.
Poet
Reiki/energy work makes me feel emotionally lighter.
Posted by Dinah on December 5, 2007, at 9:42:55
In reply to Reiki, posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 8:44:19
I'm reasonably sure that if touch became a part of my therapy, I'd find the touch so distracting that the therapy would go out the window. My need for personal space is huge.
And although I do not have romantic or sexual feelings for my therapist, I'm thinking it might stimulate such feelings. Attention, rapport, empathy, and touch? Brutal combination to resist. Perhaps especially if there was an energy feel to the touch. I know that all those things are a part of the parent/infant relationship but they're also a part of the relationship of courtship.
On the other hand, the occasional hugs my therapist and I both feel comfortable with don't stimulate any feelings in me other than mild surprise that they aren't more emotionally laden. They mostly feel awkward.
Does the idea appeal to you? Does it appeal too much? Are you ok with being a guinea pig? If you're interested and excited and think it will be helpful, great! But therapists are also people we want to please and that we like and want to help. It's hard to sort those feelings out from the feelings that come from our own wants I find. I guess it's part of what makes therapy work, in general. But there are also times when it could be a drawback.
Posted by Wittgenstein on December 5, 2007, at 15:09:45
In reply to Re: Reiki » sunnydays, posted by Dinah on December 5, 2007, at 9:42:55
Sunnydays, it looks interesting (just read through the page on wikipedia). From what I read there, it can involve touch at various points on the body but some practitioners practice without actually touching the person, and some forms of the treatment are limited to certain areas. I'm sure you and your T will find out what you are comfortable with. I hope, if you do decide to try this out, that it helps.
Witti
Posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 17:40:55
In reply to Re: Reiki, posted by rskontos on December 5, 2007, at 8:55:23
Thanks for the info. There definitely is a lot of information on Google about it! I have looked at that stuff and like the sound of it. I'm just hoping some people have anecdotes they could tell me so I could get a better sense of it, I guess. It's kind of a new way of thinking about things for me since I'm typically a very need-to-see-the-data, sciency sort. But I figure there must be something to all this talk of energy fields if so many cultures have used practices like this for so long, and apparently with success for at least some people.
sunnydays
Posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 17:45:38
In reply to Re: Reiki » sunnydays, posted by Poet on December 5, 2007, at 8:56:02
Hi Poet,
Thanks for telling me about your experience. What do you mean by running energy into chakras? I guess I just don't understand how that works. Maybe it's one of those things you just sort of have to trust in and not fully understand. I have a hard time giving up my desire to want to know exactly everything about how something works.My therapist said the few times he has had it done on him it has been really relaxing, and that his son is a fairly anxious child and he took him to have it done a little while ago and his son came out and said that all his worries were gone. So it was such a powerful thing for his son he decided to get certified in it (he realizes his sons worries will come back, but the fact that he felt like they were all gone).
I think it has the potential to be something really intense but also really good. Do you know if there's the potential for anything that could be overwhelming to me to happen during it?
sunnydays
Posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 17:55:04
In reply to Re: Reiki » sunnydays, posted by Dinah on December 5, 2007, at 9:42:55
> I'm reasonably sure that if touch became a part of my therapy, I'd find the touch so distracting that the therapy would go out the window. My need for personal space is huge.
**** Mine is usually fairly wide, but I think I could overcome that. I am looking into getting a massage over my winter break. I think that I have been feeling starved for human contact lately, and that's why the idea of a massage appeals to me so much. And I don't have the impression the energy work would be all of the time or anything. I'm not sure how it works, really, but maybe just a few times?
>
> And although I do not have romantic or sexual feelings for my therapist, I'm thinking it might stimulate such feelings. Attention, rapport, empathy, and touch? Brutal combination to resist. Perhaps especially if there was an energy feel to the touch. I know that all those things are a part of the parent/infant relationship but they're also a part of the relationship of courtship.**** Yes, I suppose so. The way my therapist described it, it doesn't involve actual touch at all. He said that the therapist doesn't actually touch you, just runs their hands very close to you (he showed me on himself, like his hands were maybe 2 centimeters from his face). And I'm not particularly worried about sexual feelings developing. I'm pretty sure it would feel like a nonsexual experience to me. I do kind of hope it doesn't involve lying down, though. I'll have to look more into that aspect of it and see.
>
> On the other hand, the occasional hugs my therapist and I both feel comfortable with don't stimulate any feelings in me other than mild surprise that they aren't more emotionally laden. They mostly feel awkward.*** Yeah. Sometimes I really want a hug from my therapist, but I don't think it would be like I would want it to be.
>
> Does the idea appeal to you?**** Vaguely. Things that I don't know much about tend to frighten me, so my T encouraged me to Google and read about it and find out about it before January so I can decide better if it's something I want to do. I also tend to be more sciency and not so spiritual as this sounds like, but I think that part of it can probably be overcome.
Does it appeal too much?
**** I don't think so. If anything, it makes me a little nervous. But I'm game to try anything that might help me relax, because I really am stressed so much of the time that I could really use something to relax me.
Are you ok with being a guinea pig?
**** Yes, that I'm fine with. I do hope that it has the same chance of working if he's new to it as later on. But from the things online, it seems like if you've done the training you pretty much are qualified.
If you're interested and excited and think it will be helpful, great! But therapists are also people we want to please and that we like and want to help. It's hard to sort those feelings out from the feelings that come from our own wants I find. I guess it's part of what makes therapy work, in general. But there are also times when it could be a drawback.
*** Yes, I agree. But there's a while until I actually have to decide. And I think it has such a good potential to work, plus the fact that my mom will probably pay for it if it's my therapist that does it, whereas I'm pretty sure I'd have trouble getting her to pay for it if it were someone else. I think this is something I'm more nervous about than anything else. And it's not about wanting to help him. It's that I'm so tense all the time I really just want to relax.
sunnydays
Posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 17:55:46
In reply to Re: Reiki, posted by Wittgenstein on December 5, 2007, at 15:09:45
Thanks! Yes, the way my T described it it didn't actually involve touch. And I hope it will help too!
sunnydays
Posted by Dinah on December 5, 2007, at 18:05:19
In reply to Re: Reiki » Dinah, posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 17:55:04
I have tried to think of this in other ways, but it still seems like a scary thought to me. I remember that In Session talked about how emotionally laden everything a therapist does becomes to a client. And it seems like so many erotic feelings arise from the therapy situation even without touch.
I don't want to belabor the point, but it makes me nervous.
I guess it's a bit better if no touch is actually involved, but remembering that relationship game involving *almost* touching, I'm still wary.
But maybe that is just me. I'll freely admit that my views on touch are influenced by my own issues.
But....
Sunny, it seems like your relationship with your therapist already is quite charged emotionally. Do you think this will increase that charge? Make it more painful between sessions?
Ok, I'll stop now, and I am sorry for belaboring it to this extent. It's only a result of concern.
Posted by star008 on December 5, 2007, at 21:26:45
In reply to Reiki, posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 8:44:19
I have had reiki and went through the first training. It works wonders for some people but it was too much for me to handle.. I am not sure what it did but every time I had it I would shake and later started crying. I don't know if it was from freeing up stuck emotions or what but I think I scared the woman who practiced it. I had to stop doing it.. I might have continued and worked through it if I had someone who understood and wasn't afraid of me crying every time.
have to say though, i would not be comfortable with my T doing it. Touch or not..Too close, too quiet.. I would have a problem with it. I think it is hard for people who have been abused.
It works wonders for some people.. You could try
and then stop if it is uncomofortable.
Posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 22:20:16
In reply to Re: Reiki » sunnydays, posted by Dinah on December 5, 2007, at 18:05:19
> I have tried to think of this in other ways, but it still seems like a scary thought to me. I remember that In Session talked about how emotionally laden everything a therapist does becomes to a client. And it seems like so many erotic feelings arise from the therapy situation even without touch.
**** See, the thing is, I don't really have any erotic feelings for my T. I really see him as a parent-figure. I can see how that would always be a concern with a therapist being very physically close to a client, though.
> I don't want to belabor the point, but it makes me nervous.**** It makes me a little nervous too. But I trust that my T is incredibly ethical, and that if I was uncomfortable either he or I would sense it and we could stop. And work through it.
>
> I guess it's a bit better if no touch is actually involved, but remembering that relationship game involving *almost* touching, I'm still wary.**** I don't know. I guess I see it as more of a thing focused on the spiritual side of things and the energy, and less on the touch side of it, so I don't think it would bother me. But I think that I could always try and see and stop if I didn't like it. I would definitely be able to say I didn't want to keep going, I've done that before when we've done guided imageries or other things where I got too uncomfortable and just couldn't handle it.
>
> But maybe that is just me. I'll freely admit that my views on touch are influenced by my own issues.*** As are mine, unfortunately.
> Sunny, it seems like your relationship with your therapist already is quite charged emotionally. Do you think this will increase that charge? Make it more painful between sessions?
**** I don't know. I don't think so. I think if it does what it's supposed to, I will be much more relaxed and it will actually help release some of that emotional charge. But I could be wrong, since I don't know how it works.
>
> Ok, I'll stop now, and I am sorry for belaboring it to this extent. It's only a result of concern.**** I understand. It's a really sensitive area for me, so I appreciate how carefully you worded what you said. I've been having a lot of problems the past couple weeks with being worried my relationship with my T is bad or wrong (all going back to Thanksgiving when my mom saw the emails), so it's a reeeeaaal sensitive issue. But we have been working on it, and I feel like we've done some really important work lately, especially last session. And I do think that my relationship with my T is a really good thing for me, and I don't want to do something that might screw it up. But I think this is something I could try, and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. Anyway, I must sleep now because I'm getting upset and I need to center again (I'll be able to and I'm really ok with what you said, Dinah, it's just a sensitive spot right at the moment, so don't worry about it.)
Thanks, sunnydays
Posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 22:21:46
In reply to Re: Reiki » sunnydays, posted by star008 on December 5, 2007, at 21:26:45
> I have had reiki and went through the first training. It works wonders for some people but it was too much for me to handle.. I am not sure what it did but every time I had it I would shake and later started crying. I don't know if it was from freeing up stuck emotions or what but I think I scared the woman who practiced it. I had to stop doing it.. I might have continued and worked through it if I had someone who understood and wasn't afraid of me crying every time.
*** Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm sorry it didn't help you.
>
> have to say though, i would not be comfortable with my T doing it. Touch or not..Too close, too quiet.. I would have a problem with it. I think it is hard for people who have been abused.**** I have a small concern with it, but I do think I could stop if I didn't like it. Do you have to lie down for it is one thing I was wondering?
> It works wonders for some people.. You could try
> and then stop if it is uncomofortable.Thanks star.
sunnydays
Posted by Wittgenstein on December 6, 2007, at 4:35:55
In reply to Re: Reiki » Dinah, posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 22:20:16
Sunnydays,
I can see why the use of Reiki has stirred up some concern from posters. From what I read on wiki it can be practiced with flexibility - the client can lie down or be seated, touch can be involved or no touch - even the locations used can be limited to certain parts of the body, such as the head or shoulders. I can see why some people might find this idea worrying and uncomfortable - we all have our concepts of the right relationship between T and client and regarding touch and proximity. But within this is a wide spectrum - some T's offer hugs, others would never dream of doing this, some keep themselves firmly hidden while others liberally disclose information about themselves - some even give therapy from their family home. Some use e-mail, others find it unprofessional etc. etc.
My point is that there is no one way of doing things.
It makes me sad that your mother transferred her own suspicions and fears of therapists (based on her own experience and not on yours) onto you and your relationship with your T, which is something private and separate from her. I can see how damaging this probably was (such an experience would have really set me back). It's really good that you have been able to work through this but I can see why the topic of Reiki is stirring things up again. The good thing is you have plenty of time to understand more about Reiki and discuss your worries and decide whether you are comfortable with the idea. You know your T best and he knows you (best?) too.
Every time you share about your T, I can't help but feel what a good guy he is and how good your relationship is. Have you taken some time to read back through all the lovely posts you have written in the past - perhaps that will help?
If my mother would ever read or get a glimpse of my private e-mails from my T I would be mortified. She would probably burst out laughing (cackling) and say something horrid. But that is her and not me or anything to do with my T. Easier said than internalised but that is the truth.
Witti
Posted by Dinah on December 6, 2007, at 10:01:47
In reply to Re: Reiki » Dinah, posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 22:20:16
I *am* sorry, Sunny. It was never my intention to hurt you.
I want you to know that I in no way share your mother's concerns that your therapist is trying to take advantage of you. I absolutely do not. It sounds to me as if what he is saying is what he is doing. He saw something that was very helpful to his son, and he wants to learn how to do it and to be as helpful to others. He has always seemed to me, from what you've said, to be very transparent in the sense of generally meaning exactly what he says and does.
Also, there is a strong element of spirituality in my therapy. My therapist thinks in terms of spirituality and I do as well. I think that if both client and therapist are comfortable with it, it can add a very helpful dimension to therapy.
Posted by 10derHeart on December 6, 2007, at 13:01:55
In reply to Trusting your T, posted by Wittgenstein on December 6, 2007, at 4:35:55
Wow, Witti, what a beautifully written post! Just my exact thoughts about all of this, and you weaved them together so well. It's so great here that when some of us (with me it's like 90+% of the time lately) are tongue-tied, tired, paralysed or whatever the obstacle to any meaningful posting, others can express our feelings for us - often even better than we could have on our best day!
Hope Witti's post is helpful Sunny, it's really a great summary of things, IMO.
Posted by Poet on December 6, 2007, at 14:10:38
In reply to Re: Reiki » Poet, posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 17:45:38
Hi Sunnydays,
Chakras are energy points in your body: heart, throat, solar plexus, etc. I don't know how my T runs energy into them, I just know that I feel warmth when she does. When I'm filled with tension or anxiety I feel it like a knot or lump in my solar plexus, and when T runs energy into my solar plexus I feel lighter. I hope that makes sense.
I think you should talk to your T about any concerns you have before he starts working on you. I knew my T did energy work from the get go so I was always open to it.
Good luck.
Poet
Posted by Damos on December 6, 2007, at 15:18:21
In reply to Reiki, posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 8:44:19
Hi Sunnydays,
I thought the links below might be of interest.
Like most things there are dozens of 'schools' of Reiki, these guys are from the original tradition. I've had many Reiki sessions and it's always been wonderful. And no I've never been touched during a Reiki session. I would highly recommend it. I do have to warn you that some of the sensations and experiences can be a little strange, but they've never been anything but good. Weird yes, but always good. I also once did a healing session where three practicioners (3) did lay their hands on me on various energy points and it was enormously powerful.
http://www.healingenergy.com.au/index.shtml
This is the link to the person I usually see and she does a range of things Chakra cleansing etc all of which I've found beneficial. The site explains a number of different therapies. I've also found her incredibly intuitive over the years.
I've been thinking long and hard about whether I'd let my T do Reiki or my Reiki therapist be my T and I'd have to say personally no. Part of it is that even when I started with energetic healing I used to see 2 different practicioners who did very similar things - but they were somehow complementary - better in combination than either on their own. The way of being with each was somehow different too as were the insights into myself I gained and the experiences I had. I can imagine being happy to know that my T did Reiki or whatever but I guess I just see them as different spaces, equally sacred in their own way. Hard to explain.
Anyways, hope that helps a little.
Damos
P.S: you have 7 Chakras which match to the colour spectrum and different emotions, insights etc. From bottom to top:
-The Root or Base (Red)
-The Sacral (Orange) below your navel
-The Solar Plexus (Yellow)
-The Heart (Green)
-The Throat (Blue)
-The Head (Indigo) forehead
-The Crown (Violet)An example would be when you say you saw 'Red' during an arguement - that anger or hate is a base instinct which relates to the Root or Base Chakras.
Posted by star008 on December 6, 2007, at 16:29:54
In reply to Re: Reiki, posted by sunnydays on December 5, 2007, at 22:21:46
HI sunny..
I think u should try it.. I did lie down.. Wasn't too bad since the it was a woman and a nun..lol STill if you have had sexual abuse it is hard to lay down and be passive.. I think if she knew how to handle my reactions I could have made some progress in working through the old stuff..
Give it a try.. i think we should try whatever might help.. I don't know about you but my therapy has been extremely long and I don't seem to get alot better.. Yes, alot of thngs are better but I have major depression and issues that affect my life..
Posted by Wittgenstein on December 6, 2007, at 17:46:03
In reply to Re: Trusting your T » Wittgenstein, posted by 10derHeart on December 6, 2007, at 13:01:55
Hi 10derHeart,
Thanks for your nice words - I'm trying to work my confidence back up again at the mo after quite a dip - I find myself unable to post a lot of the time (although I do still read the posts and hold people in my thoughts), so I know this feeling. It's something very nice about Babble as a community.
Witti
Posted by sunnydays on December 6, 2007, at 20:53:01
In reply to Re: Trusting your T » 10derHeart, posted by Wittgenstein on December 6, 2007, at 17:46:03
Thanks everyone. I will try to answer individually this weekend. Very intense group session tonight (good intense for once), but I'm wiped out.
sunnydays
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