Reiki Therapy Comes To The Inland Empire
By Jenny Wright, M.A. RMT


Reiki is a technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing.  It is based on the idea that a"life force energy" (known as “chi” in Chinese medicine, or “Ki” in Japanese”) 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 "Wisdom or the Higher Power" and Ki which is "life force energy". So Reiki is actually "spiritually guided life force energy." Reiki is a generic word in Japan, and is used to describe many types of healing and spiritual work.

The practice of Reiki has been handed down from ancient Tibetan therapies. Healers in Asia studied energies and developed a system of sounds and symbols for universal healing energies. Various healing systems, which crossed many different cultures, emerged from this single root system. Unfortunately, the original source itself was forgotten.

Reiki was rediscovered in Japan in the last century by Dr. Mikao Usui, and introduced to the United States in the 1950’s. Reiki is a “complimentary therapy”, and is not meant to replace traditional medicine, but to enhance treatment.
It is believed that Reiki balances and harmonizes the body’s energy. It has been shown to help strengthen the immune system, destroy energy blockages, detoxify the system, provide new vitality in the form of healing universal life energy, and increase the vibrational frequency of the body.

A typical treatment lasts about an hour. While fully clothed, the client lies on a massage table and the practitioner gently places hands along meridians, in a sequence similar to Acupressure. The therapist may incorporate Aromatherapy, Crystal therapy, or Sound therapy as part of the treatment. A treatment feels like a wonderful warm 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. Reiki is a simple, natural and safe method healing and self-improvement that everyone can benefit from and learn to use.

At last estimate there were over a million Reiki practitioners in the U.S. alone! In addition to several locations in Temecula, and the Inland Empire at large, here are a few locations where Reiki is being used.

The California Pacific Medical Center
The clinic has six treatment rooms for Reiki, Chinese medicine, hypnosis herbal therapy and aromatherapy. Dr. Mike Cantwell and Dr. Amy Saltzman over see the department of infectious diseases and are Reiki Masters.

Sloane Kettering Hospital
Reiki is given to patients undergoing cancer treatment at the hospital in New York, including patients with bone marrow transplants. Recognizing the value of Reiki in patient care, six doctors and 25 nurses have undergone Reiki training.

Tucson Medical Center
The Reiki Clinic at the Tucson Medical Center in Arizona has a team of Reiki practitioners who give Reiki to patients in their rooms. The program is administered by Sally Soderlund, RN, who is Support Services Coordinator for Oncology.

Portsmouth Regional Hospital
Patricia Alandydy is an RN and Reiki Master as well as Assistant Director of Surgical services at Portsmouth Regional Hospital in New Hampshire. During phone interviews with pre-op patients Reiki is offered. It is then incorporated into their admission the morning of surgery.

Hartford Medical Center
At this Connecticut hospital,  Reiki Volunteers currently provide Reiki throughout the main hospital, the Harry Gray Cancer Center, the Dialysis Unit, and the Brownstone Outpatient Clinic. Patients may request a session through their nurse or physician.

The beauty of this therapy is that once learned it can be used professionally, or on family, friends, even yourself! Anyone can learn it. The ability to tap into the universal life-force energy is not dependent on intellectual capacity or spiritual belief and is passed on to the student during the class.  Students can learn to give a treatment in about a day and begin using the modality right away