What is the difference between Reiki and energy healing?

Many people think that the two are two parallel types of healing methods. In fact, Reiki is a specific genre under the broad category of energy healing. It is a subordinate relationship. This is the core difference between the two.

I have been practicing related to mind, body and soul for almost 6 years. When I first entered the industry, I often mixed these two concepts together. After receiving nearly 200 cases and communicating with teachers from different schools, I slowly figured out the boundaries. In fact, energy healing in a broad sense does not have particularly strict sect restrictions. As long as the core logic is that "people's emotions and physical discomfort are not only caused by physiological reasons, but also related to blockage and imbalance of the energy field around the body." All methods that try to improve the physical and mental state by adjusting the state of the energy field can be classified into energy healing, ranging from the crystal arrays and singing bowl sound therapy that everyone usually plays, to even moxibustion and baduanjin in traditional Chinese medicine. In essence, they also have the function of regulating the flow of energy. The academic community has not yet concluded the mechanism of action of this type of method. Supporters believe that it is effective at the energy level, while opponents believe that it is mostly a placebo effect. There is currently not enough evidence-based medical evidence to support its diagnostic and therapeutic effect.

Reiki is much more specific. It is a specific healing system founded by Japan's Usui Ong'o in 1922. It has a very standardized learning and operating process. To become a Reiki healer, you must go through a specific "initiation" ceremony. There are also fixed hand positions, exclusive symbols and silent meditation guidelines during operation. The flexibility is much lower than that of generalized energy healing. A while ago, I met a girl who had difficulty falling asleep due to long-term anxiety. The first time I treated her, I used a general energy healing approach. At that time, the energy blockage in her shoulder and neck area was severe, so I temporarily put a heated Himalayan salt stone on her shoulder and neck, and then used a singing bowl to slowly knock along the blocked area. The entire process was adjusted according to her current energy response. ； Later, when she came to experience Reiki for the second time, I strictly followed the Reiki operating instructions. I first performed field purification, and then used fixed hand positions from the head to the soles of the feet to cover her seven energy centers in sequence. Even if I touched the blocked position during the process, I would not adjust the order casually. I only made adjustments in the length of stay of the corresponding hand positions, and I also mentally drew the corresponding Reiki symbols for blessing. The whole process was very regular.

Of course, there are different opinions on the boundary between the two in the circle. Some reiki masters who stick to the Usui system believe that only reiki that has been through orthodox attunement can be considered "orthodox" energy healing, and other crystals, singing bowls and the like are "side doors".”； However, there are also many practical therapists who feel that there is no need to worry about classification. As long as it can help clients relax and improve their condition, any method is good, and there is no need to be restricted by the school's framework. To put it bluntly, it is actually very easy to understand. Energy healing is like a big category of "tea", including black tea, green tea, oolong tea, flower and fruit tea, and Reiki is a specific type of tea, such as West Lake Longjing in Hangzhou. You can say that Longjing is a tea, but you can't say that tea is the same as Longjing, right?

Let me say one more thing, whether it is Reiki or other energy healing methods, they are not currently mainstream medical methods. If you have clear organic lesions or confirmed mental illnesses, you must first seek treatment from a doctor in a regular hospital. Do not regard healing as a means of treating illness, which will delay the opportunity for formal treatment.