Reiki at a Spa. Real Energy Medicine or Bunk?

Reiki. I have always found it mysterious. What is it exactly? Every explanation I have heard seems to be different. I have tried it a few times, however when faced with a choice between a wonderfully relaxing deep-tissue massage or a Reiki session, I have always opted for the massage. In Reiki there isn’t a lot of actual touch – and no massaging of muscles. In fact I have been suspicious of the possibility that a therapist likes to do Reiki because it isn’t as much work – a way for them to “rest” during a treatment.

Well, I stand corrected. I couldn’t have been more wrong about Reiki (or perhaps I should say about Reiki with a Reiki Master.) During my visit to the Trisara Resort & Spa they had arranged for me to have a session with this famous Reiki healer in Phuket.

Here is what I remember: The Reiki practitioner had a gentle and positive spirit. He explained ahead of time that we would begin with me on the massage table face up, and then later face down. I wouldn’t necessarily feel anything, however many people have found that they feel an energy release afterward. For some it is more immediate, for others within the next day or two. Some people get emotional, others just have a greater sense of the body/mind/spirit being in balance.

So we began. After washing his hands and some mental preparation, he cupped his hands and began “hovering” over various parts of my body. I could feel an intense heat from his hands which he kept close to – but not directly on – my body. He seemed to be channeling energy from his body to mine. This kind of energy transmission happened continually as he went from one part of the body to another. Always, there was heat from his hands. The entire session was about 75 minutes and the longer it went on, the more pleasurable the feeling of energy transfer was.

That was it. The only “ah ha” moment during this time was a very bright flashlight-like strobe which I saw while my eyes were closed which startled me. I really don’t know if I had fallen asleep and was dreaming or if some other phenomenon had occured.

Anyway, the practitioner bid me farewell after which I went right from the massage table to change and then head to the Phuket airport for my trip back to New York. As I began what would end up being a 24 hour journey home, I was aware of feeling a bit more relaxed than usual, a bit less anxious – in fact not anxious at all. And then it happened. A flood of tears during my layover at the Bangkok airport. The weeping lasted about two hours. Now I suppose it might have had something to do with the fact that my flight out of Phuket was delayed five hours and I missed my connection to New York and had to rearrange everything through Tokyo, etc. However, I am a seasoned traveler and have faced these sort of travel irritations many times and never have they resulted in an uncontrollable flood of tears. Something had truly shifted.