In Reiki classes, when we talk about the history of the system of Reiki, one of the stories that I especially like is that Chujiro Hayashi went to Mikao Usui, the founder of Reiki, because he wanted to introduce Reiki to the Japanese Navy as a form of first aid.
When we talk about Reiki as a form of first aid today, we may well have concerns that various conditions might be best treated with Western medicine, and we’re certainly not suggesting that people avoid getting medical treatment when need be. If someone cut their finger, or had a car accident, a severe burn, or various other kinds of medical issues, they should of course get medical treatment.
However, there are a great many other kinds of conditions for which Reiki can be very useful. For example, Reiki can help if we’re stressed out, overwhelmed, distracted, ‘spacey’ or ungrounded, procrastinating, unable to focus, sad, angry, upset, tired, or stuck in our thoughts or emotions.
These sub-optimal states of being may happen many times a day, and we may think they’re an inevitable part of the human experience that we just have to put up with. Since these states of being can be so engrossing and difficult to get out of, it may not occur to us to use Reiki unless it becomes our first aid, our default way of centering, grounding, and balancing ourselves.
We don’t have to settle for the ‘usual’ levels of fear, anger, sadness, distraction, anxiety, procrastination, and all other sub-optimal states of being. If we just approach things from our ordinary perspective, and try to think our way out of the situation or just let our thoughts spin on, and on, and on (as they may tend to or if we just procrastinate to avoid dealing with a difficult situation), then we’re not really addressing the problem effectively. We may think it’s easier to use our traditional coping mechanisms that just sweep issues under the rug, but since the problem will just keep coming up until we address it, why not try using Reiki and see if it helps? There is a time for all states of being, and they all have value in some way, but if we feel stuck in something, there are always tools and techniques to get unstuck.
Anytime we’re stressed out, overwhelmed, distracted, spacey or ungrounded, procrastinating, unable to focus, sad, angry, upset, tired, stuck in our thoughts or emotions, or other issues along these lines, if we take a few minutes to get into the Reiki space and give Reiki to ourselves (or to someone else if they’re the one who is stuck), it can completely transform our experience and our ability to deal with all these situations.
If we remember that Reiki is a form of first aid, that it makes it much easier to remember when we’re in the middle of a difficult situation, to help us calm down in the middle of an argument or stressful situation, or to help us focus, deal with important issues we’ve been avoiding, just to give ourselves a few minutes of a calming beautiful experience.
Aside from all the impact that Reiki has on our mental, emotional and energetic state, it may well be able to promote healing of various kinds of physical issues (as early Reiki masters reported that many repeated treatments could help with even serious medical issues). If Reiki is an effective form of first aid or additional healing, that’s great, but even if we only use it in the kinds of situations mentioned earlier such as if we’re angry, sad, upset, distracted, stressed out, etc., that’s already a huge number of times when we can completely transform our state of being. If we think of all the times we’ve gotten stuck in these sub-optimal states of being, and all the time that would have been saved if we could get ourselves back on track, it’s clear that Reiki can help us be much more effective in the world, and happier in the process.
So, why not think of Reiki as a form of first aid, and use it to ground, center, and balance ourselves whenever need be, even during the most difficult challenges that life can throw at us?
Even though it can can be helpful to think of Reiki as a form of first aid, that doesn't means that it’ll necessarily give results instantaneously. Chronic or long-standing conditions may take many repeated sessions of Reiki over weeks, months, or years, as early Reiki masters found when treating various conditions. However serious the challenge is, Reiki needs to be approached with an equal amount of determination.
If anybody has any thoughts or questions, please let us know.
Peace and love.
