What is Reiki?<br />The practice of Reiki is one of guiding energy through the body in order to enhance the body&#39;s ability to heal itself according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Reiki beliefs and practitioners of the practice believe that they do not initiate the healing process, and are not the source of the healing energy. They are only an intermediary for the energy, in the same way that a garden hose serves as a conduit for water in a recent review.<br /><br /><br />The term &quot;Reiki&quot; is an amalgamation of two Japanese words: &quot;rei&quot;, which is a reference to &quot;the wisdom of God&quot;, which is also &quot;the higher power&quot;, as well as &quot;ki&quot;, which means &quot;life force energy&quot;, according to the International Reiki Training Center.<br /><br /><br /><br />Reiki is taught according to the Japanese practice taught by the sensei (master) who imparts knowledge to the student through attunement, an initiation ceremony that is believed to open the student&#39;s energy channels to allow the flow of Reiki energy and can help improve well-being, according to past studies. Once opened, these channels remain open to the practitioner for a lifetime.<br /><br /><br />Reiki has three levels of instruction. First level practitioners can practice it on others or on themselves using gentle touch. Second-degree practitioners can practice distant healing, and third-degree or master practitioners can instruct and guide others in Reiki, according to the research paper.<br /><br /><br />How Reiki works<br />There are many theories.<br /><br />One popular theory focuses on a phenomenon called a &quot;biofield&quot;. Biofields are ubiquitous electromagnetic fields that surround all living things. In humans, the field is fifteen feet or more from the body, according to Ann L. Baldwin PhD an expert Reiki research scientist and professor of physiological sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.<br /><br />The heart, for example, produces an electrical signal that is measured by an electrocardiogram or ECG that regulates the heartbeat. The brain also generates electrical fields, but at a lower level than the heart. In reality, all cells in the body produce negative and positive electrical charges that generate magnetic fields, according to the above literature review.<br /><br />Based on this hypothesis, the interaction of two magnetic fields in humans may be the reason for the positive effects of touch therapies such as Reiki. Biofields are believed to be the energy of the energetic body that controls bodily functions, just as Reiki energy can influence the biofield.<br /><br />Quantum physics is the study of how the extremely small particles of matter - neutrons, electrons, protons, photons and electrons - behave. It also attempts to understand the interaction between physical matter and energy.<br /><br />Quantum physicists have observed that these tiny particles of energy could be in more than one place at any given time (both particle and wave simultaneously depending on the method of examination, according to the University of Pittsburgh) and that thought or intention can alter the way the particles operate.<br /><br />In essence, it is about the Reiki practitioner being able to attract and transmit biofield energy to the recipient through thoughts and intentions.<br /><br /><br />&nbsp;