Without wasting too much time, the authors define and delineate with ease the nature of that universal healing life force that we know as reiki and its efficacy as a complement to traditional allopathic medicine. They neatly outline protocols that they, themselves, have used to integrate reiki into various health care environments from the emergency room to the hospital to the hospice. They discuss the success of programs they have developed and taught to other health care professionals, who have then enthusiastically integrated reiki healing into their health care practices. Reiki, as seen by the authors, is a cost-effective means of providing additional care and support to patients encountering what has so often been the impersonal and technical face of modern medicine. It re-integrates compassion and care back into the caregiver-patient/recipient relationship. Much anecdotal evidence is supplied in this book to demonstrate the extent to which this return of the compassionate relationship alone can drastically reduce the cost and length of recovery.
In the hospice setting where recovery is not an option, Reiki can transform what, under modern conditions, has become a degrading or frightening decline to death into a healing transition. Besides its utility as a palliative measure to treat even the worst pain, Reiki is a gentle guide to ease the patient's concerns and to assist them in their journey out of this life. Remarkably, reiki has also proven quite healing in the relationships of the hospice client with their survivors. In a word, Reiki can assist in cleaning out so much of the emotional unfinished "business" of the client. The authors supply anecdotes supporting this concept and discuss protocols as to how to apply and integrate reiki in the hospice setting.
I am reminded of an article, "Reiki in Hospice Care: Miranda's Story," by John Mramor(Massage & BodyWork Magazine, Feb/Mar 2004 issue) that eloquently affirms the principles that Ms. Barnett and Ms. Chambers have discussed. The client, Miranda, was a single mother of two in her early forties dying from cancer. After a traumatic and highly dysfunctional life, it didn't appear that she would find any healing, peace, or resolution as she approached the end of her life. Nonetheless, through the persistent yet ever so gentle efforts of Mr. Mramor, Miranda was able to find not only some measure of relief from her severe pain, but also to find the healing and resolution of life issues to continue her journey from this life to the next. I feel blessed by the serendipity to have read this article at the same time I was reading Reiki Energy Medicine.
Equally important to discussing the use of reiki in the modern healthcare facility was the emphasis placed by the authors upon the need for caregivers to take care of themselves. The importance of self-Reiki can not be repeated too often. Self-Reiki is vital to maintaining the energy and health of caregivers and to reducing their burdens of dis-ease and stress. As in their discussion regarding hospital and hospice protocols, the authors outline at length the importance of self-care for caregivers and conclude with their vision of a healthcare facility where reiki is fully integrated into the course of healing modalities for both the caregivers and the care-recipients.
In conclusion, Reiki Energy Medicine is quite simply a must-have text for reiki professionals, especially those who are integrating its caring principles and healing practices with other health modalities. I would also highly recommend it for reiki practitioners in general for its value in bringing home the profound, yet gentle realization that reiki can be integrated into every aspect of life to detoxify, heal, and raise the energy of any person and any situation.
This review was first printed in Reiki Magic newsletter(Twin Falls, April 2004). Copyright 2004 Brian S. Melton(aka Friskybearman): no part of this article may be reproduced in any manner without my express consent.
Reiki Energy Medicine is the first book to show how this ancient art of touch therapy can work within our mainstream health care system.
As our health-care system challenges institutions to offer high-quality but cost-effective service, Reiki can be an important tool that can help maximize patient care and minimize recovery time.
Reiki does not require complicated techniques or extensive training: practitioners of many disciplines are able to easily incorporate it into their specialties.